12 Stories of Friendships That Started Sweet, Ended Sour

Some friends we’ve known nearly our whole lives can still surprise us in the most negative ways, catching us completely off guard and often leaving us utterly speechless. These moments hit hard because they challenge everything we’ve built over years of trust and shared memories. This kind of disappointment frequently makes us pause and rethink the entire friendship — questioning if it’s still healthy or worth our energy.

• I had a friend who would make plans and then, sometimes not even a minute later, text to cancel. After the third time, I told him, “If you do this again, I’m ending the friendship.” He invited me to his birthday celebration and said around 20–30 people were going to be there. The location was about 45 minutes away, and I had to leave work early to get there.
  I show up and walk in. There are like three people in the restaurant. I ask the server if the party for [friend’s name] is there yet. She says, “You’re welcome to look around.” Thirty minutes later, the birthday boy still hasn’t shown up. I call him and say, “Dude... where are you?” He says he’s on his way. Forty‑five minutes later, I call again and ask, “Are you coming or not?” He says, “I’m on my way.” I reply, “On your way as in getting out of the shower, or on your way as in your car?” He was just getting out of the shower. Long story short, only two people showed up for this guy’s birthday: him and me. © Ok-Bus1716 / Reddit

• I got 2 of my friends a job at my place of employment. I knew one of them wouldn’t embarrass me, as we were more like brothers than friends. He was my very first friend and I for him.
  My other friend though, we didn’t meet until high school, and he was quite a loser, but he had my back and we just had a good bond. Of course, it only took about a year before my high school friend was fired. He should have been fired way before that, but my boss gave him a long leash for my benefit. Eventually, I told my boss to do what he had to do.
  My friend was embarrassing me and didn’t give a damn that I had stuck my neck out for him countless times. I’m still working for the same company, and so is the other friend I got the job for. I’ve been there 19 years, and my other friend is going on 15 years. © PIG20 / Reddit

• In my case, my best friend was a woman. I think she worried that single guys would think we were a couple (I had the same concern with women). To me, it was just a thought I never acted on. Who cares, really?
  But to her, she’d walk five feet ahead of me in public and eventually told a single guy she liked that she had no idea who “this guy walking around with her” was. I never forgave her for that. She told me she wasn’t obligated to tell people I was her friend. That was it for me. She was never like this when we first met or during the many years after. © DonMagnifique / Reddit

• My best friend asked me to find the website where I bought my clothes. She gave me her phone and left to take delivery. At that moment, she gets a text from her boyfriend, “What theater? Has she seen herself in the mirror?” I realized it was about me, because I had told my friend that I was invited to a play.
  I opened their chat room, and there was a discussion of my companion, my personal life, my “shabby” fur coat and what a terrible cake they ate at my place a couple of days ago. I silently put the phone away and left. © Overheard / Ideer

• I got disappointed in my friend yesterday. We were sitting at the table during the get-together, and the subject of loans came up. It turns out that he is not ready to lend me more than $100 without a written receipt! He motivated it with some nonsense, which I still can’t understand.
  And he fiercely started to prove that he would definitely go to court if I didn’t return the money. Either I have lost a friend, or these are times like this... © Overheard / Ideer

• She went over to a popular girl’s house down the street. I walked to her house to see if she was home — her mom had sent me in that direction with snacks and Capri Suns. I got to the girl’s house, and they both answered the door. When the popular girl saw it was me, she said, “Do you know this loser?” My friend said no and slammed the door in my face.
  I took the back way home and cried the whole time. I stopped by her mom’s house to return the snacks and apologized for drinking two Capri Suns. She made me come inside and explain what happened. Her mom called her home to apologize to me. She started crying and said she felt so bad, but the damage had already been done.
  I gave her a hug, thanked her mom, and went home, where I cried myself to sleep. This was when I was about 11 or 12. It still makes me cry retelling it. © shalene / Reddit

• My dear friend dumped me because I couldn’t do her any more favors. She pushed off my visit a couple of times, so I just quit trying. I almost lost my job because I had to pick up her daughter from school. I told her I couldn’t do it anymore. Kind of relieved because I was tired of always doing favors. © ******JanMarie / Reddit

• A friend came to visit me and saw our wedding photos. She laughed for half an hour about how my dress was “ugly.” I didn’t say anything, and she added, “If it was my wedding, I’d pick something more decent.”
  Maybe she was joking, but it hit me. When I was alone, I looked at the photos for a long time and thought: was it really that terrible? © Chamber 6 / VK

• I recently cut off my childhood best friend because he views me as an ATM. I don’t care about money. If I can help someone out, I will with zero hesitation, but I refuse to be taken advantage of.
  My breaking point was when he was finalizing his wedding party and told me that I was a backup groomsman in case anyone cancels. We’ve known each other since we were 10 years old and have always kept contact, even when he moved away, but I’m not important enough to be one of the first people considered to be there.
  During that same conversation, he said that he’d still expect me to attend and hinted at wanting a cash gift from me. We haven’t spoken in a couple of months, and I hope that trend continues for the foreseeable future. © morganfreenomorph / Reddit

• I have a best friend of 20 years. I went into labor and was taken to the maternity hospital. I let her know right away. While I was in labor, she was texting my husband, “Hi, you must be worried. Do you want me to come over and we’ll worry together?” She didn’t know that my husband was with me the whole time.
  Their texting ended with my husband texting her no. I don’t know how to find an excuse for what she did. I can’t believe she would want to do such a despicable thing. My husband swears it was the first time she ever texted him. But still. © Overheard / Ideer

• A friend didn’t go to university for a week. I decided to visit her. Her mom opened the door and said right at the doorstep that it was my fault that her daughter had fallen ill because I hadn’t taken proper care of her. She snatched the bag of goodies out of my hands, cursed at me, and slammed the door.
  The friend heard all this and didn’t even apologize for her mother’s actions. I don’t have a friend anymore... © Overheard / Ideer

It’s not just a friendship that can bring a story capable of turning our lives upside down. Sometimes we go through moments that seem straight out of movie scripts, proving that reality can be wilder than Hollywood.