My Best Friend Betrayed Me So Deeply That It Ruined Our Friendship

Longtime friends sometimes become closer to us than relatives. We trust them with our secrets, know all about their problems, and try to help. But sometimes, a person you’ve known for years suddenly changes. This is what happened to the heroine of our story: her childhood friend changed and did something unforgivable.

She shared her story on Reddit.

“Fast forward to a week before the party. Anna starts hinting that she’s ‘a little stressed’ about costs and how ‘tight things are right now.’ I get it, having a baby is expensive, but she kept bringing it up in every conversation. I offered to help with decorations or pick up some snacks, but she waved it off, saying she had everything under control.

The day of the party comes, and it’s chaos, balloons everywhere, a bouncy house, and tons of people I didn’t even know. I show up early to help set up, and Anna’s running around like a headless chicken. Then, as we’re putting out the decorations, she casually says, ‘Oh, by the way, I put the catering on your card.’

I hadn’t even seen a catering bill, let alone agreed to pay for one. ‘Uh, what do you mean, you put it on my card?’ I asked, trying to stay calm. She looked at me like I was being dramatic and goes, ‘Yeah, you know, I’ve been struggling. I figured you wouldn’t mind covering it, and I’ll pay you back later.’ Excuse me?!”

“I just couldn’t believe the audacity. After everything, I blocked her. I couldn’t deal with the guilt-tripping, especially over something so ridiculous.

Now, some mutual friends have reached out, saying I was too harsh and that I should’ve just helped her out because ‘she’s struggling.’ But I feel like she crossed a line. You don’t just throw someone’s money into your plans without asking them, right?

To everyone, asking why she has access to my card, is still a question to me. Maybe she went through my things when I visited her to help babysit her son a day before his birthday. How she did it? I don’t know, but I already filed a dispute with my bank about the charge. I will be checking my card to see if there are any other things she purchased using my card. I really can’t imagine that she could do this to me.”

What people had to say about this situation.

• You are not a bad person for blocking your friend. It’s completely unacceptable for her to use your credit card without your permission, especially for such a large expense. Her actions were not only inconsiderate but also financially irresponsible. You have every right to be upset and to protect yourself from further financial exploitation. © FairyCamila / Reddit
• She overstepped majorly by charging $500 to your card without permission. It’s understandable that she’s stressed, but it’s strange to expect you to cover a cost you didn’t agree to. Friends should recognize your boundaries. © confidentialasher / Reddit
• I hope you called the credit card company and told them it was a fraudulent charge. And your friends... what’s wrong with them? She used your credit card without your permission! Would they be okay with that? Oh, and you should probably cancel that credit card and get a new one, since she apparently has the number. © Regular_Boot_3540 / Reddit
• Using your card without even asking is way out of line, especially for something as expensive as catering. You’re not responsible for her party costs just because she’s ’struggling.’ You had every right to block her after that. © prettyassty / Reddit
• She stole from you to pay for an unnecessary extravagance. Report the theft to the police and report the fraud to your credit card company. Don’t worry about the “friends” saying you were harsh. If they care about it so much, maybe they’ll give her the money to pay you back. © Runneymeade / Reddit

This is not an isolated case. Unfortunately, sometimes close friends keep terrible secrets.