Giving friends a lift home after a party usually means a quick drop-off. One 21-year-old woman says she left her friend’s birthday gathering alone after the friend allegedly promised four extra guests a ride in her car, according to a Reddit post by u/yourFavouriteTrouble in r/AmItheAsshole. The poster said she agreed to drive only the birthday girl and her boyfriend.
The poster said her 22-year-old friend held the birthday party at a house belonging to her boyfriend’s friend, with around 12 people there. She reportedly stayed sober as she had work at 8 a.m. the following day. The friend had earlier asked for a lift for herself and her boyfriend, who live about 15 minutes away, and the poster agreed.
Around midnight, the poster reportedly told her friend she planned to leave soon. The friend allegedly replied that she would tell everyone to get ready, which is how the poster says she learned four more guests expected a ride. One of them reportedly lived about 25 minutes away in the opposite direction, and the poster’s car seats only five.
She was fine driving the couple, just not half the party
The poster says she refused, and her friend reportedly grew annoyed as she had already promised the others. The friend’s boyfriend allegedly suggested she make two trips, which the poster turned down given the late hour and her early shift the next morning.
Her friend then reportedly accused her of embarrassing her in front of everyone. The poster claims the friend added, “I literally bought you dinner earlier and you can’t even do this one thing for me?” She says she replied that she “didn’t realise the pasta came with a taxi contract,” a joke she admits did not land.
The boyfriend allegedly called the poster rude, though she says she still offered to take the couple home as agreed. However, her friend reportedly said “if you was a proper friend, you’d just help”, which the poster says stung as she normally goes along with plans to avoid confrontation. She then told the group to figure it out and left.
About 20 minutes later, the poster says her phone was flooded with messages. Her friend allegedly lost her temper after learning she had gone home, claiming everyone had to take taxis and one guest paid nearly £40. The friend also reportedly accused her of ruining her birthday and embarrassing her on purpose.
The poster admits part of the criticism has made her question herself. Her friend reportedly argued she had already agreed to the ride and backed out just to be petty, and the poster concedes she could have driven the couple home. However, she says she was too annoyed by then and wanted to leave.
The friend is now allegedly telling mutual friends that the poster abandoned her on her birthday, echoing the fallout from a disputed charity 5K medal on Reddit. One mutual friend reportedly agrees, saying refusing the extra guests was fair but leaving the birthday girl behind was childish.
Commenters who replied to the post appear to back the poster. “NTA. That’s not your friend,” one commenter wrote. Friendship standoffs over small slights tend to draw strong reactions on the platform, as seen with one worker’s petty revenge on a coworker over a long lunch.
The poster says she has not apologized and would only consider apologizing for her reaction. Another commenter advised her to hold off and meet up once the friend calms down, which could keep the pair apart for some time.
Published: Oct 22, 2026 06:45 pm