Friends are supposed to be our most trusted confidantes. We tell them our deepest, darkest secrets and count on them in times of trouble. Finding out we have been betrayed by someone we considered a friend is one of the hardest pills to swallow.
1. Caught In The Middle
I had a friend who was dating my best friend, a girl. Despite him knowing I had deep feelings for her, it was fine. However, things started flying out of control when this same friend tried simultaneously dating my cousin while still linked with my best friend. This completely threw our lives into chaos.
I found myself stuck in the middle, with my distressed cousin on one side and my hurt ex-best friend on the other. Both of them were deeply upset because he was taking advantage of their feelings. It was a real mess and sadly, I got caught in the crossfire.
The situation escalated until I ended up confronting him publicly. It's burned into my memory because all our friends and some of his family members witnessed it.
2. Out To Market
One night, around 1 AM, I was kindly giving a "friend" a ride home when disaster struck: I was involved in a car accident. I had just entered an intersection, following the green light, when another driver who completely ignored his red light, rammed into me from the right side.
I promptly called the authorities, but they declined to come and assess the situation as there were no injuries and both cars were still drivable. They instructed me to report to the station the next day with the other driver to give our respective accounts of what happened. It should have been a simple process—but it wasn't.
My friend, who had been in the car with me, was supposed to join us as a witness by providing his own statement. However, he didn't show up at the station and wouldn't respond to his phone calls. Unsurprisingly, this left me to bear the brunt of the situation. It gets worse.
In contrast, the other driver, who was alone during the collision, turned up with a buddy who falsely claimed to have been in the car during the accident. This friend manipulated the story, accusing me of running the red light.
The officer, unfortunately, believed their account, discredited my version of the crash and even accused me of lying about the other driver's friend not being present during the event. Consequently, my driver's license was suspended for three months.
When I finally managed to get in touch with my so-called friend, his response made my blood BOIL. He told me he was too busy shopping for his brother's groceries at 7 AM. Needless to say, I haven't talked to that thoughtless individual since.
3. Voodoo Child
I once had a friend, who was going through an intense struggle with depression. She had made attempts on her life, self-harmed, and at the same time, wanted to pursue a career in psychology.
I suggested that before starting such a demanding career, it might be beneficial to focus on her wellness, hoping this would help her achieve her goals. Unfortunately, that suggestion backfired massively. She misinterpreted my advice as calling her crazy, which led her to share this mistaken perception with our whole friend circle.
When I woke up the next day, I found myself excluded from the group. Her then-boyfriend informed me, "We no longer wish to have you around us". Over a simple misunderstanding, she decided to discard our friendship of 12 years. It took me six months to form new friendships and restore ties with some old pals from that group.
In an unsettling development, she even made a voodoo doll of me, using hair she'd stolen from my brush, seemingly aiming to cause me harm. The fallout of our friendship was a heavy burden to bear.
I've spent countless hours worrying about her, removing concealed blades she used for self-harm, tending to her new wounds, providing constant support, and endlessly listening to her innermost fears and thoughts. I did all this without receiving any care or concern in return.
I kept my struggles all to myself, and she never even inquired if I was doing alright. It was an extremely unhealthy one-sided friendship. And while it was hard, I'm now actually relieved that she's no longer a part of my life.
4. Workplace Woes
I had a friend who I worked with for years. This person could have helped me manage an awful work environment I found myself in; my boss was perpetrating considerable commission fraud, risking several employees' jobs.
In defending against him, I thought my "friend" would back me up. Instead, they chose a crooked path. Their behavior was simply reprehensible. They resorted to dirty tricks that harmed many innocent people, causing some to lose their jobs without forewarning.
As for me, I was demoted and ostracized. By making such choices, my friend managed to gain the favor of some ethically absent executives, which led them to a promotion and a huge pay increase. When I pieced together what had transpired, I confronted them about their actions.
The look of surprise on their face was unforgettable, swiftly followed by strong denials and accusations. At that point, I knew my tenure with the company was nearing its end. However, my former friend didn't stop at betraying me. They actively sabotaged me on my way out, costing me over $20,000.
I sought professional counsel but backed off when the company threatened my still-employed friends’ jobs. About a few months after I left, I had a revealing conversation with another person who had deep insights into the situation. It was time for some serious payback.
I shared the deeds of my "friend" and in return, received more pieces to the puzzle. Their actions were truly nauseating. Despite being despised, my friend seemed to constantly be rewarded. Seeing them avoid me at places we both frequented was further proof of their guilt or fear.
Whether they're filled with remorse or scared of retaliation, I'm unsure. I'm not certain if I believe in karma, but if there's indeed a balancing force, my former friend is due for a significant karmic backlash. They caused much harm to good people with just a pen and keyboard, making them a truly awful individual.
5. Hold The Ketchup Please
I had a pretty intense phobia of all condiments. Despite being a hefty guy of over 6 feet tall, the mere presence of condiments would noticeably shake me up—don't ask me why. Ketchup was my ultimate nemesis. During my college days, I returned home one night, quite loaded, and sprawled out onto my bed, only to make a disturbing discovery.
My so-called "friends" had smeared it entirely with ketchup. I absolutely lost it. In my panic, I shoved my hand through a door, breaking a finger. Additionally, I wrecked the shower area in a frantic effort to cleanse myself. According to the guys, my transformation resembled a bizarre weeping, red version of the Incredible Hulk.
6. D&D Dirtbag
My granddad was receiving end-of-life care, and my parents and I stayed with family to accompany him during his final days. It was a lonely time as there was no one my age around, so I turned to my online buddies for comfort, especially a friend named Paige.
She was part of a Dungeons & Dragons group I'd recently started, but we hadn't managed a session yet because of my circumstances. We managed to squeeze in our first game when I got a short break at home before rushing back due to my granddad's passing.
Afterwards, all the energy was consumed by arranging his funeral. On the morning before the services, I saw a flood of messages on our group's Discord, primarily between Paige and her pal, Alice. The latest message read, "three out of four people is still a group".
Apparently, Paige was organizing a game on the day of my granddad's funeral, and Alice seemed ready to go, being unaware of my situation. The Dungeon Master and the fourth colleague were out of the loop until now. When I questioned them on the chat, Paige immediately got defensive.
Though Alice apologized, Paige instructed her not to, insisting they'd done nothing wrong. Paige argued she merely wanted to check everyone's availability, not to leave me out. However, when I pointed out her words, she lashed out at me for being oversensitive.
After that, the conversations ended, and our D&D group never reached its second session.
7. Unthankful Wretch
In the wee hours of the night, a buddy of mine gave me a ring. She had another friend on the other line who was laughing about her taking a heap of sleeping pills—she seemed really out of it. At first, I didn't take it seriously, but as the conversation progressed, I understood the gravity of the situation and promptly ended the call.
Quickly reacting, I dialed emergency services, providing them with her address. Right in the nick of time, they arrived at her place, pumped her stomach and essentially saved her life. Later that same night, I received a call from her brother. I let him know about the night's shocking events.
After waiting a few days, I decided to give her a call, but I was abruptly told to buzz off. Eventually, she admitted to our shared friends that she had stolen things from me. But that wasn't the wildest part. Since then, I've heard zilch from her, and according to those mutual friends, she's none too pleased with me for coming to her rescue that night.
8. Put To The Test
When I first met my best friend, she was about to get married. But her would-be husband broke off the engagement on good terms. At the time, I was planning to join a city-wide bar crawl, but my group backed out just a week prior.
I mentioned this to my friend and she suggested that I invite her former fiancé because he had always treated me well. So, I ended up going with him and midway, he tagged me on Facebook. Suddenly, my friend's new boyfriend started criticizing me publicly on Facebook, labeling me as a bad friend. The following day, I found out something upsetting.
Apparently, my friend's suggestion to invite her ex was a test of my loyalty to her, and I failed because I chose him over her. It hurt because, for the past year, I had stood by her during disputes with her new boyfriend and even paid her bar tabs worth thousands when she was short on cash.
I had been consistently supportive of her, regardless of her situation. Yet it didn't seem to matter to her. She told me, "You should have known better". Meanwhile, her ex-fiancé felt guilty for inadvertently stirring up this drama. He even bought concert tickets and invited me along to help me get over the tough week.
I have a feeling my "friend" will reach out the next time she has problems with her new boyfriend.
9. Suddenly Gone
Throughout high school, I had a pair of close-knit pals. We were inseparable, spending nearly every evening together at one of our homes. If there was an event or gathering, we were always asked to attend as a trio—that's how tight we were. Then, in our second-to-last year of school, the unthinkable happened.
They both unexpectedly cut me out of their lives within a week. Without any warning, they unfriended me on social media and stopped returning my calls. Even more shockingly, personal aspects of my life became common knowledge among my classmates.
Since that week, we haven't spoken a single word, even though our parents still send each other Christmas cards. That year, my other friendships remained intact, and everyone else treated me the same. They were my best friends during our younger years, and they just vanished.
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10. Bar-Hopping Abandon
So, my roommate and I decided to hit a few bars on a Friday night. I joined her for the ride there, under the impression that we'd all head over to an after-party once the night was over. However, towards the last few hours of the night, I bumped into some familiar faces and decided to chat with them for a bit.
When I turned to find my roommate and our buddies, they were nowhere in sight. Turns out, they'd already left without me. On calling them, I found out the infuriating truth. They were at the other party and wouldn't turn back to pick me up. So, they left me stranded.
Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, my phone decided to lose power on me and all the bars had closed. So, there I was, a 22-year-old girl, walking 10 miles back to my apartment in the middle of the night. I was terrified the entire way home. And the cherry on top?
The next morning, they actually had the gall to put the blame on me when I voiced my frustration.
11. The Girl Who Cried Wolf
A girl I knew hung out with some pals and texted me, "Help. I'm with a big, scary guy. I'm lost," suggesting she was in danger. When no response came to my return texts, I held back on calling to avoid her phone ringing. I reached out to everyone she was with, but their phones were silent. I started worrying they were all in trouble.
Looking for advice, I dialed the authorities, but they couldn’t pinpoint her call. At this point, I was already freaking the heck out. I even tried getting hold of her family. Next, I looped in a mutual friend, explained the situation, and she insisted we go find her. So, we hit the road to their last known destination.
Three hours post-text, this girl called me mid-journey and laughed it off as a prank. I filled her in on my rescue missions and told her to buzz off. She accused me of "over-reacting," then turned it into a joke amongst her group. Incredulous, I asked her why she joked about being at risk.
From then on, I effectively became an outsider, shunned by the entire crew.
12. His Advice Was Fishy
For two years, I was in a relationship with a girl, when a pal of mine began to say things like, "Dude, you're in college. There's a ton of other girls out there. She's always doing the same dull stuff. You deserve better," and so on. He was notably pushing for me to end my relationship with her.
After hearing this for three months, his words somehow convinced me and I broke up with her. That was one of the worst decisions I ever made. Later, I discovered his real plan was to swoop in to "console her after my heartless decision to break up". He ended up sleeping with her.
On my 21st birthday, I bumped into him at a bar when I was considerably loaded. Feeling guilty about the whole situation, he handed me 20 dollars. I guess I accepted the cash without a word and responded by giving him a black eye.
13. Something Didn’t ADD Up
One of my pals sneaked into my room while I was away at work, taking my ADD medication without my consent. When I came face-to-face with him, he was entrenched in denial of swiping it from me. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
Turns out, he often used a credit card to jimmy open my lock, taking from me not only cash but my important meds too. Obviously, I had to end our friendship.
14 He Played Me Good
I was always the smallest boy in class, being the youngest. When I first started high school, after recently moving to the state, I made friends with one particular boy. However, as I began to mix with other people, this boy became jealous. One day, after school, he asked me to join him and four of his friends for a game of soccer at a local park.
Once I arrived, the nightmare began. They suddenly surrounded me, physically hurting me because I had started hanging out with a different crowd. This incident left me with lasting scars on my head. Oddly, one of them seemed to have a peculiar habit of attempting to touch my backside, even in school.
15. That Friend Needed To Go
While working at Starbucks, my buddy Dan and I crossed paths with a super attractive girl. We both scored her number, but we clicked more, making our bond interesting. We spent time with each other casually and chatted non-stop; it was evident we had a thing.
I let Dan in on this, and surprisingly, he was cool with it. He encouraged me to make a move considering how smitten I was by this hot lady. After about a month of this pleasant companionship, I came to know she and Dan were planning a road trip to Austin, which took roughly four hours.
I brushed it off since she was constantly messaging me throughout the trip. Nonetheless, a week post their return, I could perceive her dwindling interest, and conspicuously, Dan was continuously grinning at his phone. I pretty much sensed she was the reason behind those frequent smiles. Yet, I decided to overlook it.
As days turned into weeks, curiosity got the better of me. I confronted Dan nonchalantly, asking if there was something more serious between them. He dispelled my doubts, assuring they were just friends and nudged me to pursue her. So I did. However, the more I pursued, the less she reciprocated.
Fast forward a month, I was going nuts over her sudden cold treatment. I sought Dan's counsel frequently and he was amy go-to-guy, guiding and reassuring me about her feelings towards me. Eventually, after another couple of months, I decided to call it off and move forward.
Astonishingly, six months later, Dan confessed they had been hooking up since their first meeting. I should've known.
16. Brainwashed
During my inaugural visit to college, I met a girl, with whom I quickly became friends. We swapped Facebook details and soon found ourselves unconsciously inseparable. We shared nearly all our classes, and worked for the college newspaper together—it felt as if we were long lost best friends.
Before this, most of my experiences with female friends had been fraught with tension and betrayal, so this wholesome friendship was refreshing. Towards the end of our first semester, we broached the topic of dating, for I had recently come out boldly as bi, and she had identified as such for some years.
This led to an unscheduled intimate encounter with one of her male acquaintances, who was largely ignored as we indulged ourselves. The experience was generally well-received and led us to talk more about becoming a couple. Alas, what followed was heartbreak. Abruptly, she stopped all communication and interactions with me.
All of a sudden, I was no longer in her circle—no gradual fading, no closure. I was met with silence and cold glances, echoing disgust and aloofness. I had no clue what I had done wrong, it was shattering. This continued for a nerve-wracking nine months.
Our shared class schedule and work commitments ensured that we constantly ran into one another, making it awkward and uncomfortable. Furthermore, she started bonding more with two of our common friends. One sleepless summer night, in a hazy trance induced by Ambien, I drafted an apology text to my entire contact list.
I left myself a note to remember that this was a litmus test to see who felt I owed them an apology. To my surprise, I received a text from my friend the very next day, "No, I'm sorry". It was then that I discovered the painful truth.
Our two mutual friends were vexed over me getting together with her and had successfully painted an ugly picture of me in her mind. They had manipulated her, sowing seeds of hatred for no apparent reason other than their personal dislike towards me, and she had believed them.
She later realized them to be deceiving, awful people who were far from being true friends.
17. Behind The 8-Ball
Back when I was in university, a buddy of mine and I decided to hit the town for a night of fun on St Patrick's Day. We found ourselves still bouncing from bar to bar at around 3 in the morning. As the last call was announced, I downed my final drink and went to use the restroom.
Since my friend's phone battery had depleted, he asked if he could borrow mine. I didn't think twice about it. When I returned, I was taken aback. When I looked down at my phone, I could see it exploding with countless text messages querying my well-being.
Turns out, my friend had sent a text to every contact in my phone, cheekily asking, "Anyone know where I can get an 8-ball?"
18. No Nuts About It
Back in tenth grade, my four buddies and I were en route back to school when we encountered between 8 to 10 guys who seized one of my pals and started giving him a beating. I saw an opportunity and struck one of them on the head. Instantly, they let go of my friend and summoned the "boss" of their pack.
He went ballistic on me, while the buddy who'd been under attack tried his best to peel him off of me. Meanwhile, I had no clue about the whereabouts of my other two friends. Once I found myself knocked onto the street, the gang decided the train had run its course and scattered.
To my surprise, the remaining two buddies of mine stood frozen, spectating the entire scene instead of stepping in. Following the incident, they offered up laughable excuses about being winded with a low blow. All LIES! Needless to say, our bond slackened after that point.
As for the friend who did jump in to help, he soon scored a girlfriend and understandably started to drift away.
19. Bleach Of Trust
My former best friend was extremely manipulative. Whenever I had a date, she'd intensely disapprove and even shadow me and my date. I should've known it wasn't a healthy situation. She had an uncanny knack of guilt-tripping me into abandoning my date to be with her by self-harming or causing a commotion at my place.
Ironically, she'd see no issue in skipping our plans if she got asked out. Her control was becoming unbearable and her daily presence was draining, so I suggested a break one weekend. Her response was shockingly extreme. She dashed into my kitchen and drank bleach.
In an unthinkable twist, she blamed me for her actions at the hospital, telling her parents I coerced her into drinking bleach or I'd refuse to spend the weekend with her. I'm just relieved she left for university and put some distance between us.
20. Not Part Of My Domain
My buddy did a bit of a prank, putting my face and another friend's face on a risqué website using photoshop. He even got a website domain under our names. He kept it running for seven years until he mistakenly took off the album. Even though he still had ownership of the domain, the image was ruined. Nonetheless, I still meet up with him now and then.
21. An Unhealthy Friendship
I used to enjoy chatting with my college buddy's sister back in the day. As time went on, we became quite close and shared a lot about our lives. Once, she seemed curious about my girlfriend's health problems. I didn't feel comfortable revealing such personal information. She persisted with her questions, but I stood my ground and didn't yield.
Unexpectedly, she lost her temper. She went off on me, implying my girlfriend meant more to me than our friendship. But she didn't stop there. She even wished diseases upon me and hoped for my untimely demise. I promptly ended the conversation, deeply shocked by her outburst.
However, she continued to bombard me with rather crude text messages for a few days following the incident. I've since avoided any contact with her.
22. Shun Of A Gun!
Back in middle school, I had a friend who was indifferent to others' feelings. He didn't actively wish harm on anyone, but he wouldn't mind if it happened either.
One day, my other friend and I were messing about in his house, as kids often do. Things took a turn for the worse when my friend pushed me playfully, causing me to smack my mouth on the corner of a table. The pain was excruciating, leading me to utter a curse word. My friend's reaction was deranged.
He brutally kicked me in the stomach and shouted, "Don't use foul language in my parents' house". Somehow, that wasn't even the most devastating part. By the time high school rolled around, he stopped hanging out with me and managed to take all our mutual friends along with him. This led me to a dark period of intense depression.
23. Marred By The Rumor Mill
A pal of mine—who often prided himself on being an upright Christian—had a bit too much to drink at a party and started oversharing. Among the information he spilled was the personal tidbit about my recent intimate experience with my boyfriend.
Another so-called "buddy" heard this and figured it was "too weird to keep to himself," so he spread the word across our whole school. What followed were some of the hardest days of my life, filled with confusion about who knew what and just how widespread the rumor became.
The one thing I was sure of was my disdain for these fake friends from my high school years. The same chap who spilled my secret so freely also retaliated to a harmless jeer I made about his lack of luck with girls by sharing my contact info and address with users on 4Chan.
The menacing messages I received scared me to the point that I was worried about staying home alone for weeks and I even switched off my phone for days to avoid the barrage of threats.
24. Psycho Sister-In-Law
I decided to move in with my brother and his soon-to-be wife. They were struggling to find a place to live, and it felt like the right thing to help out. We rented a house together, just in time for their wedding. Fast forward a year and a half, just as I was planning to move out with my boyfriend, my sister-in-law went into meltdown mode.
She broke down in tears, worried they couldn't afford the house rent without me. So, we quickly adjusted our plans. My boyfriend, his daughter, and I moved in with them instead, thinking we had solved the issue. Little did we know the problems were just beginning.
Over the next two years, my sister-in-law turned into a complete mess, working from home, but never cleaning up after herself or her cat. Things got even worse when she took over our shared spaces—the living room, kitchen, and dining room. My brother, shockingly, didn't intervene.
We even had a house chore rotation going, but somehow she was exempted. This made my boyfriend and his little girl feel unwelcome. The situation got so bad that they had to stay cooped up in our bedroom, trying to avoid making any noise. If they were heard, my sister-in-law would track us down from the other end of the house to complain.
We tried moving out a few times but it always resulted in her pleading that they couldn't afford the house without us. Not wanting to cause a financial burden on my brother, we continued to tolerate this. And yet, her behavior only grew worse and worse.
On top of this, she started making veiled threats at my boyfriend and his daughter. When I mentioned it to my brother, he brushed it off as a misunderstanding. Eventually, we had enough. We were set to move to an apartment when a sudden financial setback delayed our plans.
My sister-in-law was delighted. But not long after, she landed a well-paying job. As I entered the house one day, she casually reopened the conversation about us moving out. Caught off guard, we found a larger, more appealing house for less than what we were paying them.
My sister-in-law, now envious, spruced up their house with lavish furniture she borrowed from her rich friend. Our relationship changed after that. She stopped keeping in touch, and my brother would only call if he needed something.
25. Tabbed Out
After wrapping up my first year in college, we decided to celebrate a friend's birthday at a local bar. This was supposed to be the last gathering before we all went our separate ways for the summer. We had a blast, but when it was time to head home, I was so worn out that I completely forgot to settle my bill.
Reaching home, I collapsed into bed and instantly fell asleep. I was jolted awake after a few hours thanks to a barrage of missed calls. It turned out that one of my mates had given my contact to the bar, and an intense discussion about my character had taken place on Facebook. Even my college bestie had left me a cascade of angry voicemails.
I woke up to a flood of texts from them, alleging that they only had pity friendships with me, and that they spoke ill of me behind my back. One friend even put words into the mouths of the others, which was very hurtful. Overcome with a sense of guilt, I tried to reach out to apologize to everyone.
I wanted to determine whether they were still at the bar, who paid my bill, and whom I owed. It was a simple oversight on my end, which they all misconstrued as a deliberate act. Instead of packing my belongings for an impending move in two days, I spent the entire next day driving around town, apologizing and reimbursing whoever I needed to.
In the end, two friends paid $10, while one coughed up $30. Surprisingly, the friend who paid the larger amount was someone I had a strained relationship with. She was not only understanding, but also supportive, suggesting that the rest of the group was way over the top in their reactions.
This unexpected kindness came from someone I'd considered an adversary, rather than my supposed friends. I was heartbroken that my friends, for whom I'd so frequently footed a $50 food and drink bill during our monthly board game nights and lent money to, would suspect I’d intentionally stiff them.
In the fall, I tried to make new friends, but my previous circle wormed their way in and started to spread rumors, painting me as a liar and a cheat. This was unquestionably a painful experience, and it made me realize the kind of people they truly were.
Unsplash, LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR
26. Stop Playing Games
I used to be friends with a girl who treated me pretty poorly. She'd put me down about my appearance even when I was standing right there, wouldn't include me in games, and often made me feel guilty. I stayed because I didn't really have anyone else. But one particular incident got me extremely angry.
We were playing a video game online together and just chatting when a new player came over to us, trying to make friends. I didn't see a problem with that, but my friend clearly did. Without even spending a few minutes with this new person, she left the game.
Despite her departure, I ended up getting to know the newcomer and later approached my friend to ask why she had left the game so abruptly and if anything was bothering her. She didn't give me a straight answer right away. However, she eventually opened up.
My friend shockingly confessed that she felt threatened, thinking I liked the new girl more than her. In order to calm her down, I tried to apologize and convince her that I hadn't done anything wrong, but she didn't seem to catch on.
In the end, I had to cut ties with the new friend just to satisfy her. And, after all that, she disappeared from my life for a couple of weeks only to resurface later as if nothing had happened. Needless to say, I was pretty hurt and angry.
Fast forward a few years, and out of the blue, she tried to rekindle our friendship, hinting at catching up. I decided not to respond. She texted again the following month, attempting to pressure me into resuming our friendship. That was the last straw for me, and I decided to cut her out of my life completely.
27. My Friend Was A Useless Twit
My buddy constantly struggled with the blues. Between failing his driving test, struggling to find work, and a GED attempt gone wrong, he definitely had it rough. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I decided to lend a hand. I got him an entry-level position with my neighbour who runs a tiling business. No big skills required, just moving equipment, nailing here and there, and learning new things on the job.
This neighbour—his new boss—was generous enough to even pick him up and drop him off daily. It was an amazing opportunity. Initially though, my friend tried to pass on the job to another friend. But my neighbour made it clear that this opportunity was solely intended for him.
I had to push him to take this chance, it could be the distraction he needed from the video games that seemed to rule his life. Thankfully, he changed his mind and accepted the job. At first, things seemed alright, but after a while, he started slacking off. He wouldn't even be ready when his boss came to pick him up.
His work ethic took a nosedive too, demanding $50 for barely $10 worth of work. Eventually, after a pretty heated argument with the boss over his lack of effort, he had a meltdown right in front of a significant client and was promptly let go.
As if that wasn't bad enough, my friend started exploiting my goodwill towards him. He wrecked my credibility, strained my relationship with my neighbour and even took advantage of my family. Whenever his mom cooked something he disliked, he would drop by uninvited to our place for meals.
He never discussed anything other than his gaming, and would often browse inappropriate content on our family computer right in front of my mom. Once I moved out for university, he had no real reason to visit our home, yet he did. He was always on the lookout for food, Wi-Fi, or any kind of help.
When my parents finally decided to restrict him from our property, he had the nerve to act like the victim. He criticized us for being unkind to him, despite all the so-called "favors" he claimed to have done. Unsurprisingly, we're no longer friends.
28. A Penny For Your Thoughts
You wouldn't believe what happened when I tried to show a so-called "friend" an Indian head penny from the 1800s I found. He unexpectedly grabbed it from me, tossed it onto the ground, and dragged his foot, penny underneath, across the pavement. When I looked at the penny, my stomach dropped.
The scraping had completely ruined the side showing the date. He brushed it off, saying it wasn't a big issue and he'd replace it because he had loads. Yet, he never gave me another one.
29. He Went Out Of Control
I invited over a close pal of mine, someone I've known for five years, to chill with me and ten other buddies at my place. Once everyone's tucked in for the night, except for him and two of my oldest friends, he starts bad-mouthing me.
He keeps it up for a good six hours, even revealing some personal info about me that some of the crew didn't know. But that was just the beginning of my awful ordeal.
During the hangout, he flies off the handle. He damages my laptop by breaking it in half, slashes my tire, tears up a bunch of my clothes, cuts up all my shoes and tosses them in the yard, and wrecks a bunch of other stuff I own. Then, he just speeds off.
The next day, he pretends like he'd never set foot in my place and starts calling people up, trying to convince them to fib to the authorities on his behalf, claiming he had actually taken off with them earlier. I've never met anyone as terrible as him.
30. Eclipsed
My friend had nobody to accompany her to the cinema, and she persuaded me to join her to watch Eclipse. She was running late on the day, so she requested me to buy two tickets. As it was the premiere weekend, securing tickets wasn't going to be easy.
Finally, I managed to buy the tickets, and just about five minutes before the film began, my friend called to tell me she couldn't make it and just ended the call abruptly. As I don't like conflicts, I didn't bother to refund the tickets. I decided to soldier on alone and watch the movie—it turned out to be one of my worst decisions ever.
Sadly, we are no longer friends.
Unsplash, Joshua Rawson-Harris
31. She Paid No Respect
During my second year at university, my father unexpectedly passed. It was a really tough time, especially because it came out of nowhere. Quite a few of my pals, who could spare the evening, showed up at his funeral to offer their support. Some of them I wasn't even close to, and one even caught a flight into town to honor him. But my best friend completely messed up.
She decided that belting out tunes at a karaoke night with her flatmates was a better use of her time, rather than standing by me during one of my lowest points. She had no obstacles preventing her from attending the funeral, she simply chose otherwise. To add insult to injury, the very "friends" she chose over me soon became her biggest adversaries.
Our friendship was irreparably damaged after that event. She really showed her true colors.
32. Early Morning Misconduct
Early one morning at six, my best friend and business partner arrived at my house. We were scheduled for a crucial meeting with a significant contractor at 3 PM that same day. He was so extremely loaded that he climbed my garden trellis and opened my bedroom window to wake me up.
He continued his mess of drinking, vomiting, and soiling himself. He was a reeling mess, but still managed to boast about the large sums of money we would make that day. I swiftly kicked him out. He got riled up, but he left. Then, I went back to bed and woke up around noon. A terrible surprise awaited me.
Astonishingly, all my professional gear was gone—a top-notch $1,000 camera, $500 worth of lighting equipment, and more. The guy had ransacked my home, taking all my belongings which even included the Mother's Day gift I had for my mom. As if that wasn't enough, he phoned the contractor and bad-mouthed me.
Business fell apart after that. We lost our potential deal, forcing me to sell a lot of assets to repay the initial investment we had collected. Despite looking everywhere and even hiring a few individuals to locate him, my "best friend" was never found nor heard from again.
33. Two-Faced Friend
During my first year of high school, I befriended a girl who, like me, was in the foster care system. We both identified with each other's experiences as we were going through the adoption process. However, she started circulating a rumor at school claiming that I'd said she'd never get adopted—an utter falsehood.
To cap it off, she told me during lunch that we couldn't remain friends because, according to her, I was a "downer". Consequently, I distanced myself completely. I stopped sharing meals with her, blocked her on my social media accounts, and did my best to avoid crossing paths with her in school.
Unexpectedly, I was summoned to the guidance counselor's office one day. There, I found her waiting for me. What she did next continues to astonish me. She misled the counselor into believing that I was the one who ended our friendship and even revealed some private aspects of my life.
The counselor insisted that I apologize and suggest that we continue being friends, even though I had no such intentions. Despite the forced apology, I remained estranged from her. I have zero tolerance for duplicitous liars.
34. He Took Me For A Ride
My former pal managed to snag free passes to Six Flags, and he gave them to a girl I liked, suggesting she take me for a fun day out. However, behind our backs, he did the most despicable thing imaginable. He raided my flat, running off with every item connected to a power cable.
The case wasn't hard to crack, given the girl I had a soft spot for wasn't known for sticky fingers. Surprisingly, she was the first to piece together the scheme, as we would never have suspected our old mate. Thanks to some real good friends, my former pal's face is now supported by metal pins. Sadly, I've yet to recover my bass or amp.
35. Betrayed By The Boss
I was in the staff lounge at work one day when I stumbled upon a troubling chat. Some folks were having a laugh about my struggles with dark thoughts. Dealing with depression had been tough for me and days when I let my guard down were particularly rough.
Only a couple of people at work were privy to this info: my team lead, who I really thought was a pal, and my boss, who had to be in the know for me to use the social services department when necessary.
A week after this disturbing incident, I quit my team. I stepped back and let them grapple with the other unskilled and lazy crew themselves while I busied myself at rejuvenating my spirits by purchasing a new bike. I didn't resort to retaliation. Rather, I settled the score in my own way—the best kind of revenge, in my opinion.
36. Fifth Grade Fodder
Once upon a time in fifth grade, there was a boy in my class whom I'd been smitten with since the days of kindergarten. To my delight, he handed me a love note during recess one day. The note read, "Do you like me too? I promise to keep it a secret!" Immediately, my heart was aflutter and I poured all my feelings into a response.
I hurriedly returned the note to him as soon as possible, eagerly awaiting his reaction. Come the next recess, I had planned to seek him out, have a heart-to-heart chat, or maybe even hold hands—anything that fifth graders do. But as I sauntered around the playground, I stumbled across a chilling sight.
I found him amidst a swarm of my friends, all sharing a laugh over something. To my horror and disbelief, he had shown them my heartfelt response. As I hesitantly approached, their laughter increased and one friend brutally teased, "He never liked you! What would make him choose YOU? It was all a prank! How could you be so foolish?!"
And the laughter intensified. I struggled to make friends after that incident, and I was profoundly shaken up in my young age.
37. Out Of Lock
One day, I had a bit too much to drink. I found myself stranded an hour away from home, without a car, at 3 in the morning. My friend had shut me out of her home. By sunrise at 6 AM, I abruptly awoke, sprawled out on a plastic garden chair, feeling unbearably hot due to the sweltering summer weather and a clear, cloudless sky.
In the end, I was assisted by her neighbor, who was also a friend of mine and ironically, the reason for our fallout that night. He kindly allowed me to use his phone. After some time, I eventually managed to secure a lift back home, but only after undergoing a nasty bout of dehydration and ill health.
Public Domain Pictures
38. No Brotherly Love In This City
I grew up in Connecticut and eventually made my home in Philadelphia. An old friend from my childhood dropped by in Philly, hunting for a job, and I gladly offered him a place to stay. He began living with me at a very low cost, but when he secured a job, I asked him to contribute his equal part.
Despite his incessant complaints about being unable to afford it, I overlooked his pleas for a good while. However, the growing expenses began to weigh me down heavily. His main gripe was living in a closet-turned-bedroom instead of a traditional room. While his point was valid, he still had responsibility towards the overall household bills, not just the rent.
Adding to this tumultuous situation was his habit of job-hopping. Remarkably, within half a year, he changed his job as many as six times. He even let go of a job my original roommate had graciously offered him, stating it didn't pay him enough. Ironically, the next job he landed offered him less pay.
Finally, he vacated my place, but not without leaving me with one last parting "gift"—a debt of $1,000. He cut off all ties with me, possibly to avoid his debt, removing me from his Facebook friend list and stopping any further communication. According to him, I turned out to be the villain in the end.
39. Vanishing Act
My best buddy back then was arranging for his son to move from the East Coast. His son arrived sooner than anticipated and required him to relocate from his tiny 350-square foot studio, where he lived with his wife, to an actual apartment. He was short on cash, so I lent him $1,000.
He managed to pay back a portion of it. But then, out of the blue, he disappeared. He stopped responding to my phone calls and emails—total silence. Lesson learned. Never lend any friend money. It always complicates things.
40. The Cat Got Away, Or Did It Stay?
We had to say goodbye to our house and, sadly, we couldn't take our cat with us. Our furry friend was a true outdoor rebel—a bit feisty, often brought fleas back home, and wasn't the cuddliest. Fortunately, one of our good friends offered to relocate the cat to his aunt's farm where the cat could savor outdoor living like he always loved.
We handed our friend a house key to fetch the cat and drive him to his new farm home. Imagine my heartache when, a week later, I visited the old house only to find our cat still there. He was terribly frightened but looked healthy—a sight leaving me puzzled about his survival.
His diet might have been an accidental scattering of dry food on the basement floor, and as for water, the toilet seemed the only possible source. It was baffling. When I found out the truth, I was devastated and so SO angry.
Turns out, our friend had a hard time catching the cat, gave up, but falsely claimed he had managed the job. So we took in our mischievous friend again, and he was back on his paws, as sprightly as ever.
41. He Sold Me Out
For a couple of years, I'd become pretty good pals with this guy. Little did I know, he was battling addiction issues. One day, I discovered my bank card had mysteriously vanished from my wallet. I rang up my friend to tell him about this odd incident, totally unaware that he might have been the one who took it.
He promised to come over immediately but never turned up, and that was the last I ever saw of him. I later found out he had hawked my card to other addicts on the street, causing over $5,000 worth of havoc. Luckily, the bank didn't make me pay and returned every last penny, but I can't bring myself to forgive him.
42. He Did It, Alright
During my initial week at university, I attended a house party with my dorm mate, whom I wasn't quite familiar with yet. He unexpectedly pushed me into a pool which ended up damaging my iPhone. After that, I had to trek almost a mile back to our residence hall. As if things couldn't get worse, I ended up with a cactus needle embedded in my leg along the way.
The following day, he took me to the AT&T store where I had to shell out $220 for a replacement phone. For the entire following week, he incessantly insisted, "It wasn't me, dude. It wasn't me," whether or not I mentioned it. It was definitely a low point.
43. Bad Business
I joined forces with a buddy to start a business. Our plan was that he would attract new clients, while I'd handle employing and managing staff, and look after the business operations. Aware of his daughter's battle with brain cancer, I turned a blind-eye to his lack of commitment for a couple of months, giving him the benefit of doubt.
However, a few months in, I made an unfortunate discovery. He'd been deceptive about receiving payments from clients upon project completion, and he was actually receiving initial deposits—amounting to 50% of the project fee—at his home address.
When I came clean about my knowledge of his secret, he denied the accusations. Determined to uncover the truth, I gathered evidence from a client. It resulted in the closure of our business, yet I was still liable for our building lease—a cost he flat-out refused to share. The overall expense reached $50,000.
I decided not to involve the authorities because, legally, he was justified to half of our profits, hiring a lawyer was extravagantly costly, and he was already in hot water due to medical expenses.
44. The Final Straw
Over time, my friend made a series of choices that weren't very nice. Once, she flirted with a guy I was dating while I was asleep inside, and I found them together the next morning. Another time, she bailed on me right before a free Lynyrd Skynyrd concert we had planned to attend. But the final thing that broke our friendship was different.
When I split up with my boyfriend, I needed a new home immediately. Her boyfriend, who she'd been with for six months, also needed a flatmate right away, so I moved in. At first, it was great. But then, I saw what they were like when they drank together—constantly arguing while breaking items in the house, that I had to hide in my room often.
She'd drive home completely loaded, and he'd blast music until 4 AM, when I needed to wake up for work at 7 AM. A lot of the time, I'd ask him kindly to turn down the volume, only for him to respond with anger, blaming me for numerous unrelated issues.
The night that finished it all, we all went on a double date. At the bowling alley, my former best friend asked how I felt about her and her boyfriend living together. I didn't expressly approve or disapprove, but I did mention their deranged fights and asked what she would do if she couldn't escape from them. She said she'd think about it.
Later, after some drinks, she made her call. On the car ride home—with my date and me following in another car—she told my roommate she didn't want to move in with him and blamed our conversation. His reaction was frightening.
Seeing me nearby as they approached my place, he abandoned the moving car and chased me, even threatening to hit me until my date intervened. I had to find a safer place to sleep that night. I attempted to call her, to explain her boyfriend's actions and plead with her to soothe him. But she was too tipsy to understand.
Two weeks later, I moved out for safety reasons. My supposed best friend later sent a harsh email accusing me of being a bad person for leaving. She and her boyfriend went on to spread false rumors about me to our shared friends. Despite this, those friends knew his character and recognized the rumors as lies.
45. Lost And Found?
In high school, there was this instance where I misplaced my wallet and turned to my buddy to see if he'd come across it. He hadn't, but he promised to stay on the lookout. The following day, I suggested we rummage through his car, as we'd been cruising around together and it might have been left behind there.
He was adamant that he had already searched the car extensively and my wallet wasn't there, even though I was quite certain I'd left it in his vehicle. However, I decided to sift through the backseat myself. To my surprise, I found my wallet stowed away in his backpack.
Its contents were missing, particularly a significant amount of cash I'd saved up at the time. He stuck with the story that he'd hitched a ride to a random guy, who supposedly filched my wallet and strangely placed it in HIS backpack.
Flickr, Marco Verch Professional Photographer
46. My Money Sailed Away
So, I had a buddy who came to me saying she was out of work and needed some cash for her rent. Only to find out later she used my hard-earned money to jet off from the US to Spain and was having a ball on a yacht owned by some guy.
I'm pretty sure she picked me out 'cause I'm not into the whole social media scene and she knew I wouldn't see her Spain escapades. I only came to know of it because I casually mentioned it to a mutual friend when she was conveniently ignoring my messages asking for a repayment of the loan.
Well, I never got my money back. Definitely a learning curve.
47. Finally Out Of The Picture
I was buddies with this guy in high school; the type of friend that you share every class with. A few years after graduation, I noticed he started hanging around a lot with the girl I was seeing. Honestly, I thought nothing of it since I was around, but then a buddy of mine questioned its strangeness, and that got me thinking.
A couple of days later, his mom called up, asking me to drop by. So, when I arrived, she handed me her son's phone, revealing a string of text messages—between my girlfriend and him—that completely took me aback. The messages were all declarations of their love, anxiously waiting for my exit, all blended with some bitter, alarming threats.
Additional voice messages from her included multiple "I love yous". She had given him a fancy watch on Valentine's Day while handing me a simple box of chocolates. I was crushed, clueless about confronting them about their betrayal. So I decided to pretend ignorance, a facade his mom maintained too.
Fast forward a month, I received a disturbing call from his mother around 2 AM. Again, she had his phone with texts, and this was devastating. This time, there was evidence of him allegedly attempting to hire someone to, well, eliminate me. After that, I faced my girlfriend with everything.
Initially, she denied it all, but once I laid out what I knew, she confessed to the cheating. Turns out, it had been two years while she stayed with me. However, she seemed clueless about this alleged "hit" plot. In the end, I left my girlfriend, and my so-called friend ended up behind bars for planning to literally TAKE MY LIFE.
48. The Short Rent Of The Stick
During my third year in college, four of my closest buddies invited me to move into a charming house with them. Although the rent was a tad steep, I had a decent job and was capable of covering my part. Besides, I thought getting away from the dorm life might be a refreshing change.
However, from the very first month, things went south. One of my friends failed to pay up, so I covered his share thinking, "I'll help him out, it's not a big deal". The second month, another friend was low on cash. Given that I was the only one with some savings, it became my problem.
Despite not having been paid back by the first friend, I chipped in to avoid sleeping in my vehicle. But things got worse in the third month—our friend responsible for the heating did not set it up properly, leaving us with no gas and facing the prospect of frozen pipes, since we lived in Alaska.
To avoid a total catastrophe, I had no choice but to cough up $500 for an emergency gas supply, as no one else could contribute. The others still owed me money, which they were yet to repay, and two couldn't cover their share of the rent. By the fourth month, my savings, which were supposed to sustain me all year, were wiped out.
Our power, internet, and water were cut off due to non-payment, even though I'd been contributing my share all along. Fed up, I moved out and spent the Christmas holiday shivering in my truck, enduring 40° below temperatures. A month later, my former roommates tried to sue me for utilities, blaming me for leaving them broke.
But I defended myself in court armed with tenant laws, check receipts, and payment history, and managed to get the case dismissed.
49. Story Days
My buddy leveraged his tale of feigned depression to spend more time with my girlfriend and me. Next, he manipulated her into believing I was less deserving, convincing her he was a better match. She, rather naively, trusted his words and ended up cheating on me with him.
The day I planned to break up with her upon learning about her infidelity, I noticed him escaping through the backdoor as I was arriving. True to the saying, "what goes around, comes around," they finally faced the consequences of their actions.
Fast forward three years, she confessed to her mistake and desired to get back together with me. Rejecting her felt like the best adoption of the word "No" I've ever had.
50. In Troubled Water
One day, I was just chilling with some buddies who were trying to coax me into trying nitroglycerin, just to see what would happen. I firmly told them I wasn't interested. However, I didn't really think they'd take it seriously. Later, when they wandered off into the kitchen, I requested a bottle of water.
After consuming the water, the worst happened. I turned as pale as a sheet and found that I couldn’t stand up without feeling faint. Thinking they might have slipped the nitro into my drink, I asked them. But they just laughed at me and called me paranoid and insane.
It was only later, when another guy spilled the beans, that I learned my so-called "friends" had indeed put something in my water.
cottonbro studio, Pexels
Sources: Reddit
