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Agreeing to cover an expense for a friend usually comes with the basic expectation that you’ll actually get that money back in full.

The woman in this story soon discovered the opposite when she agreed to pay for a friend’s expensive concert hoodie to avoid holding up the merch line, trusting a quick verbal promise of repayment.

But what should have been a simple transaction turned into days of unanswered reminders, followed by a weak offer to repay only half of what she owed.

Soon the favor started feeling a lot more one-sided than she originally intended.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTA for refusing my friend’s request to pay me back half of what they owe me?

So I (20f) have a friend (19f) from school who I have been very close to for about 7 years, but both of us recently have moved to university, meaning we don’t see each other or talk much anymore and are on different sides of the country.

We went to a concert together recently for the band which we first became friends over, which was super exciting.

But here’s where things got a little messy.

In the lead up to the concert my friend told me they would be getting a hotel room, because by the time the concert ended there would be no trains running back to their university town.

They asked me to stay as well and split the money, but I politely declined as I was heading back to our hometown after the concert (about 50 minutes journey as long as you make the last train), and offered that they come and stay with me at mine for the night, since their parents no longer live in our hometown.

They said no because the train back to mine, then all the way back to their university the next day, was too long and too expensive.

But her friend wouldn’t leave it at that.

Over the course of the day leading up to the concert, they suggested that I come stay with them in the hotel, reminding me what the price would be if we split it (about £100 each). I kept refusing as I didn’t want to spend that much and would rather have just gone home.

So when we get to the venue for the concert, we decide to go to the merch stand.

I know I’m not going to buy anything because again, I wasn’t planning on spending that much money, but they really wanted a hoodie.

Soon her friend made a big request of her.

We get to the front of the queue, and they pick out the hoodie, before turning to me and asking if I have enough money in my bank currently to cover it so they don’t have to hold up the line while transferring themselves money from another account.

Also worried about holding up the queue, I said yes in a split second decision and paid for the hoodie (which was about £80), while my friend told me they’d pay me back, just to remind them to do it.

The concert was awesome and we had a great night, and I honestly forgot about the hoodie until I got home, which annoyed me as this friend has been known a couple times in the past to be fickle and unreliable with paying people back.

So she tries to get her friend to prioritize this, but her friend throws yet another curveball.

The last 3 days I have been sending text reminders to send the photos and money. Today I get this: “Hey, I hope it’s okay but can I pay you back £40 for the hoodie? Because I had to stay in a hotel which was already really expensive.”

I don’t really know what to do.

Part of me wants to just give in and take the money because I fear I probably won’t see any of it if I say no, but at the same time I’m pretty annoyed.

Now the rest of her social circle is getting involved.

My parents and our other friend think they’re being unfair, but they did have to travel farther than me, and they had to stay in a hotel. I just don’t see why that means I’m having to pay for half of their hoodie they decided to buy.

So, WIBTA for denying their request to pay me back for half of what they owe me?

This friend needs to get her head out of the clouds and come back down to planet Earth.

What did Reddit think?

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This user would tell it exactly like it is.

It’s time to show this friend how ridiculous her mindset really is.

Her friend shouldn’t try to wriggle her way out of doing what’s right.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a sister with a bad history who found herself staying in a hotel instead of with family.

She really needs to learn some accountability.

The whole “I had to pay for a hotel, so here’s half” argument really doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

Ultimately, nobody asked this friend to book a hotel, and definitely nobody signed up to help cover it via a hoodie discount three days later.

Fronting the cash in the queue was a favor, not a gift. Combine that with the history of being sketchy about paying people back, and this starts looking less like an honest mix-up and more like a convenient excuse to get her way.

This woman needs to find some friends who can actually follow through.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.