October 25, 2026 at 11:49 am

Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

by Matthew Gilligan

woman holding a t shirt

Shutterstock

Imagine having the audacity to take something that belongs to another person…and then getting upset when they took it back from you.

Sounds pretty crazy, don’t you think?

Well, we should never underestimate the straight-up rudeness of some people.

In today’s story, a woman talked about how she had to “steal” her own shirt back from a friend…and let’s just say her friend didn’t appreciate it too much.

Read on and see what you think!

AITA for taking my t-shirt back from my friend’s dresser without asking?

“My (21F) friend (21F) isn’t doing the best financially, so over the years, I’ve tried to help her make the best out of her situation by giving her clothes I don’t want anymore, makeup I don’t use, perfumes she likes in my collection.

I’ve paid for her food, and of course, I’ve lent to her many of my own items for her to borrow. She’s always been very gracious. However, recently I’ve started noticing that she’s been taking advantage of my generosity, whether it’s intentional or not.

Here we go…

The most recent instance was at the beginning of the summer. She was spending the night at my apartment and asked to borrow something to sleep in, so I gave her a t-shirt.

In the morning, she told me that she’d wash it and give it back to me when she sees me next, but I eventually forgot about it since it’s Summer, and I’ve really only been sleeping in tank tops due to it getting really hot in my room.

Last month, I remembered the shirt. I spent hours searching for it in my closet, and then I remembered I lent it to her.

What?!?!

When I saw her at our hangout later that day, I brought up the shirt and asked if she could give it back, to which she replied “I’m not giving it back,” and when I pushed a little more she said “Don’t even try. It’s mine now. Sorry.”

I felt incredibly disrespected.

I’m not a particularly possessive person, but I do believe that my generosity belongs to me, and while I’m willing to give my friend many of my things, I don’t appreciate her deciding what I give to her.

I ignored many similar instances in the past, which looking back, I should’ve used as an opportunity to place a boundary, but those instances involved items that I would’ve given her anyway had she asked. This t-shirt however, was not something I was planning on getting rid of.

I’ll take that!

Last week, I spent the night at her apartment, and while she was digging in her dresser to find her pajamas, I spotted my t-shirt. When she fell asleep, I took it out and put it in my bag. Oops.

Last night, she texts me saying she couldn’t find it, and asks if I happened to take it back, to which I replied verbatim “yes it’s mine. On a real note though, I was hurt when you told me you weren’t giving it back, so when I saw it, I took it. I should’ve just asked. I’m sorry.”

A few hours go by and she doesn’t respond, but this morning she texts me saying verbatim “are you actually serious right now? You literally forgot about the shirt anyway and I told you I wanted to keep it. You have so many clothes so I don’t understand why THIS ONE SHIRT even matters, especially since YOU KNOW I haven’t been making a lot of money.”

We ended up going back and forth for a while, but I’ll spare you.

Bingo!

The last thing I said though was “it’s not about the shirt. It’s about the fact that you refused to return it when I asked. I feel like me taking it back isn’t as bad as you taking it without intending to return it.”

AITA and what can I do to fix this?

I’m keeping the shirt. LOL.”

Check out what folks had to say about this on Reddit.

This person asked a good question.

Screenshot 2026 10 15 at 8.49.44 AM Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

Another individual said she’s NTA.

Screenshot 2026 10 15 at 8.49.51 AM Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

This reader agreed.

Screenshot 2026 10 15 at 8.49.59 AM Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

Another Reddit user weighed in.

Screenshot 2026 10 15 at 8.50.08 AM Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a mom who has to explain to her kids why they can’t keep the baby snake they found as a pet.

And this person shared their thoughts.

Screenshot 2026 10 15 at 8.50.15 AM Her Friend Refused to Return a Borrowed Shirt—So She Took It Back the Moment She Spotted It in Her House

With friends like this, who needs friends, right?

What a strange story!

Her pal is a real piece of work.

She needs to stop hanging out with this “friend” of hers…

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