Ever heard the saying, ‘You don’t know what you have until it’s gone?’

Well that’s exactly what happened to the music club in this story.

After taking advantage of one guy’s support for a year, they disposed of his services. That was when they found out how much they needed him.

Read on to find out how this one went down.

AITA for refusing to help out my old music club after they kicked me out?

I am 21, and have been part of my university’s music club for a little over a year, up until this September.

I first auditioned as a guitarist and got in around September 2023. Because of connections I have in the music scene here (I’ve been very involved in the music industry since I was 14), I helped provide certain things for free, that weren’t available to the club before (sound engineers, studio time, access to certain events etc.)

I agreed to with the board at the time, and decided to keep my involvement on the low as it would undermine the board a bit and might cause problems.

But this was where the problems began.

The issue started when a new board was elected this semester. It just so happens that the new president, “Emma”, is someone that I was initially friends with. However, when the friend group broke up, we fell into two different sides.

As soon as Emma got elected, she decided to kick us out for “being problematic” and that was that.

At first I thought about cutting them off right after I was out, but some of my friends were still part of the club and already had performances planned and I didn’t want to ruin it for them.

So I waited until the first event was done around late October, and then I talked to my contacts and told them that I will no longer be working with that club and thanked them for all their help.

Emma had to admit defeat.

About a week after that, I got a call from the old president who told me that Emma called her and asked for her to talk to the sound engineers.

She said that they didn’t want to talk to them anymore and aren’t interested in working with them, and that’s when she told them about our deal.

Sure enough, I got an email that afternoon saying that I am invited to a meeting with the board to discuss club activities that I have been involved in over the past year.

During the two hour meeting, they basically asked me for help and said that they can’t keep the club running without it, as it would cost them a lot of money they don’t have and that they are willing to have me back.

I said no.

Now everyone in the club is playing the blame game.

The following week word got out and I was bombarded with messages from members of the club telling me that it’s not fair for me to punish them for what the board members did to me.

My friends – including the ones still in the club and the ones that were kicked out with me – are all on my side, though I can feel that some are disappointed they won’t be able to perform anymore.

I do believe that since I’m not in the club in the club anymore I don’t have to provide any help to them, but hearing the members’ reaction and seeing my friends react that way as well makes me feel like I might in the wrong.

AITA?

Woah, this guy is being guilt tripped for withdrawing support after he was kicked out, rather than being thanked for everything he did do.

He is of no obligation to keep facilitating the activities of people who have treated him like this.

Let’s see what the folks on Reddit thought.

This person pointed out that as president, Emma needs to take the fall for this.

While others pointed out that this guy had only been honest.

The message was clear: this is not his fault.

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He should be glad he got out when he did.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.