When you have to live with extended family, you can expect that there is going to be some friction and fights.

What would you do if your older cousin was constantly bothering you and not cleaning up after herself, but trying to make you do it for her?

That is the situation that the young man in this story is in, and he wants out of this toxic household as soon as possible.

Let’s read the whole story.

AITA for refusing to clean up after my 28-year-old cousin who disrespects me every school holiday?

So I (16M) live with my aunt and uncle, and their daughter (my cousin, 28F) and son (21m), who still live at home.

We’re currently not on speaking terms, and honestly, this has been building for a while.

It sounds like this living situation is very stressful for everyone.

This all started during the school holidays.

My sister (15F) and I were doing the dishes, and I heard ducks making noise on the roof of a nearby 5-story apartment building.

I sometimes imitate animal sounds just for fun, and apparently my cousin thought it was me. She snapped at me, telling me to “STOP MAKING THAT SOUND.”

I calmly told her it wasn’t me — it was the ducks.

She never apologized or acknowledged it. I left it, but from that day on, I stopped talking to her.

It escalated when they did dishes later that week.

Later that same week, I was packing away dishes and needed to open a drawer she was standing in front of.

She looked at me and didn’t move.

When I tried to go around her, she asked, “Why can’t you ask me to move?”

I told her, “You never ask, so why should I? You can’t want respect when you don’t give any.” I also told her how she always picks fights with me but never sees when she’s wrong.

This type of thing can be very annoying.

I even phoned her mom (my aunt) to explain what was going on, but she did nothing.

That same day, my cousin only washed her own dishes and left the rest for others — which she often does.

Fast forward to today: She left her dirty dishes on the kitchen island for two hours and spilled coffee on a chair — just walked away and left it.

When she came back and saw it was still there, she looked visibly annoyed but didn’t say a word. She ended up cleaning it herself, but it clearly bothered her.

There is a lot going on in this family and it isn’t good.

Later, my aunt got home and asked me (with attitude) why I hadn’t mopped the floor.

I genuinely forgot, and as she was scolding me, I saw my 28-year-old cousin smirking like she was enjoying it. She even gave me a dirty look when she noticed I saw her smirk.

And this isn’t new behavior.

Every school holiday, she finds a way to start drama with me. It’s like clockwork. She does nothing all holiday, just sits around, but somehow acts like we’re the ones who need to go.

She literally treats me and my sister like intruders, even though we live here too.

One time I asked if I could use a little cheese to make something for her brother (older than me), and she said “no.” When he came to ask, she flat out denied ever saying it.

I would try to avoid her if possible.

She lies, plays victim, talks over me when I try to explain, and constantly tries to make me look crazy or unstable.

I know she doesn’t want me in the house — and I’ve accepted that. So when I eventually move out, no one better act surprised.

Anyway, was I wrong for refusing to clean up after her or treat her with respect when she constantly disrespects me?

AITA?

I would try to keep the peace as much as possible until he can move out on his own, which hopefully won’t be too far away.

Let’s see what the people in the comments on Reddit have to say about this.

This cousin is definitely petty and immature.

The cousin may cause more problems if he ignores her.

This commenter recommends standing his ground.

It is weird that the cousin still lives there.

Yes, his cousin is very toxic.

This is a toxic environment and he needs to get out as soon as he can.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.