Attempting to make plans with friends is already hard enough as is when everyone is busy and has different schedules.

But throw the wrench of a chronically late friend into the group dynamic?

Well, that’s a whole other obstacle to overcome.

One guy recently took to Reddit to ask for insight on how he dealt with a chronically late friend.

Here’s what happened.

AITA for leaving my chronically late friend behind this one time?

Before I get into the situation, here’s some background. I have a friend let’s call him Danny who’s known for being chronically late.

For example, he once told everyone to meet at the mall at 2:30 but showed up at 4:30, no warning, saying he went to the gym.

Even when we pick him up, he takes 10+ minutes to come out.

I’ve missed teacher appointments and lost homework time because of him, which hurt my grades.

But I’ve never once left him behind.

Sounds like they’re all a bit on the younger side, lateness isn’t a good habit to enable in someone early in life.

Now, here’s what happened.

We planned a beach trip for 3:00.

It was originally set for 12:00, but one friend couldn’t leave that early, so we pushed it back.

Another friend had to be somewhere at 8:00 (an hour from the beach), so we had to leave exactly at 3:00 no flexibility.

We also needed Danny’s car to fit everyone.

It’s never good to have to rely that heavily on someone who is pretty inherently unreliable.

At 1:40, Danny texted that he was at the gym.

This annoyed me—he’s always late when the gym is involved, and his workouts usually take 2 hours.

He said he’d be done by 2:50, but picking him up would take 20 minutes, and based on history, I didn’t trust he’d actually be ready.

To get from the gym and back, then be ready to go? Absolutely not.

At 2:30, I had another friend call him to say I could come get him now, or we’d have to leave without him.

That friend said Danny got mad and didn’t want to come anymore. So we left.

Based on his track record, this doesn’t seem like an entirely unjustified move.

Later, a friend (Pat, who couldn’t come) said Danny was really upset.

When we talked, Danny said we shouldn’t have been so strict, that I shouldn’t have assumed he’d be late, and it was unfair that I adjusted the time for others but not for him.

He claimed I only left him because he’s “always late,” and that I would’ve waited for someone else.

Does this mean he’s self-aware? At least in part?

I admitted I could’ve handled it better maybe should’ve called myself but he also could’ve told us earlier he was going to the gym.

All he said was, “I’m at the gym, I’ll go fast, trust.”

I try to accommodate everyone, and his choice to hit the gym right before a hard leave time made things harder.

Acting like I should’ve ignored another friend’s fixed schedule felt unfair.

His comment that I’d wait for someone else felt manipulative.

He even said, “I know I’m not that good of a friend, but you would’ve waited for someone else.”

Oh yeah, this guy knows exactly what he’s doing for sure.

I honestly believe I’d have done the same if it were anyone.

I apologized for not communicating more directly, and I even offered to pick him up and bring him back to the gym after the beach.

But after a year of always waiting, this was the one time I didn’t. So, AITA?

On the surface, this situation seems pretty cut and dry.

Let’s see if Reddit commenters felt the same way.

Most acknowledged that the chronically late friend was undeniably in the wrong.

Though, some disagreed!

However, some took a more nuanced approach.

Some other chronically late folks even chimed in.

But ultimately, honesty was encouraged on the side of all parties involved.

Friendship is a two-way street, and this guy always seems to be stuck in traffic.

But sometimes it happens.

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.