Much like a cat, introverts will exit noisy environments as fast (and as silently) as they can.

This is what this introvert did when she realized her friend had thrown her the exact opposite of the party she dreamed of for her birthday; she slipped right out to a quiet coffee shop.

Now she’s wondering if she’s in the wrong for leaving her own birthday party.

Let’s find out.

AITA for walking out of my birthday party because my roommate said it would be “small”?

I (25 year old woman) share a condo with my roommate Sara (26 year old woman).

Sara and I have been friends for a few years, and since we live together, she offered to throw me a small birthday party at our place.

I was on board with it because I don’t like huge gatherings and prefer intimate celebrations with close friends.

I have slight social anxiety as well.

She sounds like an introvert willing to socialize a bit.

Leading up to the party, I asked her what the plans were, and she assured me it would be a “small get-together,” just a few of our mutual friends, cake, and maybe a movie.

That sounded perfect to me.

Well, the day of the party rolls around, and when I came home, I quickly realized it was anything but small.

She did not feel that this was an appropriate celebration of her birthday.

Sara had invited a ton of people—at least 50.

Some were mutual friends, but a lot were people I barely knew or hadn’t even met before.

She had also set up a bunch of party decorations, hired a DJ, and there was even a huge table of food and drinks.

It felt like a full-blown house party, not the chill gathering I was expecting.

She was lied to. As a fellow introvert, this party sounds great, but very exhausting.

I immediately felt overwhelmed.

I don’t do well in big social situations, especially when I’m the center of attention, and this was way more than I had anticipated.

I pulled Sara aside and asked her why she invited so many people when we had agreed on something small.

She shrugged it off and said, “Oh, come on, it’s your birthday! I wanted to make it special!”

Sara didn’t understand not everyone enjoys the same things.

I appreciated the effort, but this wasn’t what I wanted at all.

I felt completely uncomfortable and anxious.

After trying to stick it out for a bit, I just couldn’t handle it and decided to leave.

I ended up going to a nearby coffee shop to calm down and clear my head.

Classic introvert move and I approve! But her friend felt personally offended.

After I left, Sara texted me, asking where I was.

I told her that I wasn’t comfortable with the party and that I needed some space.

She was upset and said I was being ungrateful for everything she did for me.

Now some of our friends are saying I overreacted and that Sara was just trying to be nice by throwing me a big party.

I feel bad for leaving, but I also feel like she completely ignored what I wanted.

AITA?

It was nice of her friend to throw a party, but it was not the party she wanted.

Let’s see what Redditors have to say.

A commenter shares their point of view.

This reader shares their thoughts.

Another commenter chimes in.

Yup.

This person adds good points to the discussion.

This reader thinks they need to sit down and talk.

Hopefully, Sara learned a valuable lesson.

All she wanted was a low-key party.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.