Sometimes, standing up for yourself means taking an uncomfortable step that others might not like.

So, what would you do if a guardian’s partner tried to withhold something you desperately needed on the first day of school?

Would you argue with them and hope they change their mind?

Or would you get outside help to make sure the situation was handled fairly?

In the following story, one teen finds herself in this exact predicament and decides to get help from the police.

Here’s how it all played out.

AITA for calling the police on my guardian and her partner after refusal to return my school Chromebook?

I (15f) live with my dad now, but I used to live with my legal guardian, Sam (26) (not a parent), who’s about to officially lose guardianship.

I moved out a while ago, and all my things were returned in trash bags except for my school-issued Chromebook, which I really need for school.

My first day is tomorrow.

Back when I lived with her, Sam sent me a file on it (an editor’s copy of her book), and now she and her partner are refusing to return the Chromebook unless it’s deleted.

When they wouldn’t cooperate, she called the police for help.

Five days ago, I showed up, and it was dead.

Sam told me she’d charge it and delete the stuff so I’d have it before tomorrow.

By today, I have never gotten any update on the Chromebook, so I asked for it back when we moved Little Sister’s stuff from there.

Sam’s partner (23), in a very hostile tone, told me I “wouldn’t have it for the first day of school,” and said this was a “boundary” they were setting.

I didn’t feel comfortable or safe and didn’t want to argue, so I called the non-emergency police line to help resolve it calmly and legally after another warning that I needed it by tomorrow, which was ignored.

Keep in mind that Sam wasn’t there for whatever reason.

After I’d called the police, she tried to call me and pressure me into giving her partner the password and ID.

I said I’d delete in front of them, wait for the police or for her to get home, but that partner couldn’t have unprecedented control over my Chromebook.

Now, they’re mad and trying to make her look bad online.

The officer was calm and kind, and I left with the Chromebook without issue after Sam deleted the document in front of me and the officer.

I didn’t even care about the book or give them any reason to think I did.

During the ordeal, they tried saying I was wrong for not calling Sam directly. She later claimed she was in the middle of a surgery when it happened, which I forced her out of, so I’m not sure what good calling her would’ve done anyway.

Now they’re making vague posts online about karma and consequences, trying to make me look like the bad guy for handling it the way I did.

I just didn’t want her hostile partner to have control over a device that isn’t theirs.

AITA?

Yikes! These two “adults” sound very immature.

Let’s see how the folks over at Reddit feel about how these people are acting.

This person thinks the guardian and her boyfriend are terrible.

Here’s a reader who offers advice.

According to this person, it’s Sam’s own fault.

As this person points out, she’s lucky no one looked into the file.

She did the right thing. It’s amazing how a teenage girl is more mature than two so-called adults.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.