Never mix friendship and business

My friend owes me $500 from a photoshoot that i did with her. When I ask her for the $500 her excuse is, "So-and-so mailed me the check." That was a week ago.

She is going on a 3 week trip to Europe in two weeks and I can't help but think she's keeping the one-grand check for her trip, hoping I will just stop asking for my cut.

I have emails from her to the client, where she wrote me name in the client's contract. So, legally she has no legs to stand on for not paying me, esp. since the client chose some of my photographs.

I'm resigned to the fact that I will never see that $500. She has my Venmo username too, which I texted to her. She could easily Venmo me the $500. But will she? Highly doubtful as I've asked her twice now for it.

By the way, her client is her next door neighbor.

Mailed it?

Either her neighbor printed the check and gave it to my friend OR she had her accounting dept actually mail my friend the check.

I'm quick to be skeptical due to the timing of my friend's trip.

In my other thread, I referenced 3 types of friendships:

-utility based
-pleasure based
-character/virtue based

Obviously, our relationship is transactional and utility-based. I like hanging out with her doing the photoshoots that she invites me along (and has paid me in the past). But this is the most I've made on a dual photoshoot with her so $500 is a lot of money. I can't help but think she's going to keep the $1K for herself to spend on her trip to Europe in two weeks, and not pay me. And then if I ask again, make up an excuse about not getting the check, or worse, accuse me of not taking good photographs or some malarkey like that.

I hope that she proves me wrong. I really do. But I'll know in 2 weeks if she doesn't Venmo me my $500 fee, that she took it with her to use on her trip.

I also have her neighbor's business card and plan to email her directly (which I realize will burn my bridge with my photographer friend - but that's a risk I'm willing to take for integrity sake). I will let her know that I wasn't paid and while it's not up to her to cut me a $500 check, at least she'll know that her neighbor refused to pay me, and may reconsider ever hiring her again for photography work.

Why can't people just be nice?!