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Am I The Asshole?

Mars Mars 2026-11-06 20:59:45 About question
My friend and I have been friends for the past three years, and over time we've built a strong bond despite being complete polar opposites in almost every aspect of our personalities and because of this accommodating to each other's differences and understanding each other can sometimes be difficult, we don't talk very often even though she's someone I genuinely consider myself close to, but I think that our friendship has been falling apart lately and that we're constantly going back and forth between awkward brief interactions and arguments. our last argument was when she had asked me what day an extra class was scheduled for, and I told her, however the class was rescheduled afterwards and the announcement was posted in our class gc which we are both members of, since I tend to double check I noticed the message and simply went back to sleep without thinking of notifying her personally because I assumed that she would see the message herself considering she was in the gc but that wasn’t the case, she didn't see it and ended up going to class on the wrong day, so she texted me asking what was wrong with me and saying that I tend to twist situations and make her look like the villain before blocking me, I was dumbfounded upon reading that and told her later that I thought her reaction was disproportionate considering the situation and that I’m not her personal assistant to keep track of her schedule but we eventually made up once she had calmed down, we didn't talk after that for a while but when we finally reconciled, we ended up in another argument, this time she texted me about having smoked and asked how to get rid of the smell, my mom who has a habit of snooping through my phone which my friend is aware of, saw the messages and the only thing she said was that I shouldn't smoke so I jokingly mentioned this to my friend but she became extremely angry, her concern was that my mom might tell her own mother, who is very strict and could potentially harm her if she found out, I tried reassuring her repeatedly that this wouldn't happen because before even mentioning this to my friend, I had spoken to my mom about it, who explicitly told me that she never considered telling anyone and that she wouldn't do anything to put her in that position and I even deleted our conversation about smoking as a hopeless attempt in protecting her privacy, despite my attempts to reassure her, she called me gullible and dumb for trusting my mom which I can understand why she might be distrustful, given her own relationship with her family, but I have told her that my mom and I have a very different dynamic, we are always honest and upfront with each other even if the truth is uncomfortable or hurtful so I thought this reaction was odd considering that my mom have repeatedly lied and covered up for her before, even in worst situations so that wasn’t inordinate ,my friend eventually said that she won’t tell me anything anymore and that I’m inconsiderate of her. I don't want her to feel unsafe because of something she shared with me and I don't think I'm entirely blameless in either situation, and I'm willing to acknowledge that there were things I could have handled better but I also feel that my friend has been unfair in some aspects, I think that our relationship have been an endless cycle of trivial arguments where she keeps implying that I’m inconsiderate and deliberately sabotaging her argument after argument which is extremely dramatic in my opinion, I also want to acknowledge that, since we have different ways of processing emotions and expressing them, when these situations happen she tends to be extremely angry, aggravated and frustrated where I tend to stay calm which can sometimes make her believe that I’m disinterested, dismissive, and that I simply don't care, during the smoking argument, she told me that I should at least act like I care and do something to protect her or hide my apparent indifference better, I understand how my reactions might be interpreted that way but I can’t simply change it overnight, and it doesn’t negate the fact that I do care, I talked to another friend of mine and my brother about this, my friend said that I should have been more considerate of her while my brother said that my friend is dramatic, I’ve been conflicted and truly don’t know whose fault this is and if I’m in the wrong how do I fix this

Messages

lazybuns November 7, 2026 6:29 am

NTA. Don't look at it from a fixer perspective. Look at it from YOUR perspective. What did you feel? How were you treated in every one of these situations? Inversely, what did she feel? Did y'all talk about it? That's the problem.

From a larger perspective, it's no one's fault---i'm extremely tempted to say the friend itself has issues that are potentially non-negotiable stuff [for me] when it comes to relationships---but the ones you said are all simply just that: misunderstandings. That's all there is; there's nothing to fix. But the problem is how y'all handled this. I feel like you guys don't talk enough about your needs or had a talk about vulnerable emotions or insecurities. Even your worries are something to talk about to the friend. Y'all have to talk about your needs, not what's right or wrong. And then accomodate each other. Reconciliation is about active/willing repair. What can i do / what can they do / what can you both do to help each other feel safe and feel trust? How can you both showyou love/care for one another in your friendship? How can i make it up to them? How can you guys repair a broken relationship? How do you help each other? You have to ask, you have to talk or communicate about these things, about vulnerable emotions. You have to express that you want things and you want to make it work best or better for both of you. These are all based on trust, communication and responsive actions that require "doing".

Mars November 7, 2026 11:58 am

I agree, but I've tried initiating these conversations before and she ends up shutting them down because she sees it as me scolding and criticizing her, she usually lashes out at me and then be completely silent after I respond, and just agreeing with whatever I say as a way to deescalate the situation , so I find it difficult to try to have a discussion because she refuses to engage with it and views it as me complaining too much and I don’t know how to get my point across

lazybuns November 7, 2026 12:20 pm
I agree, but I've tried initiating these conversations before and she ends up shutting them down because she sees it as me scolding and criticizing her, she usually lashes out at me and then be completely silen... Mars

I don't really know how these conversations go so I can't really help you with that, but if the conversation is about how you feel and that's the response, then you can only do so much with a friend that's 1. mostly reacting from projection or a flight/fight response 2. Unwilling to engage in an honest conversation 3. Has no initiation for repair or action. I think by this point, it is very obvious that there's no "better", at least right now. What do you get out of pouring more into this?

lazybuns November 7, 2026 12:25 pm
I agree, but I've tried initiating these conversations before and she ends up shutting them down because she sees it as me scolding and criticizing her, she usually lashes out at me and then be completely silen... Mars

Or you can also ask if that's actually how she thinks (like she's humoring your complaints) , and you have a problem with it

Mars November 7, 2026 3:20 pm
I don't really know how these conversations go so I can't really help you with that, but if the conversation is about how you feel and that's the response, then you can only do so much with a friend that's 1. m... lazybuns

I don’t know honestly, I think the main reason is that I want us to remain friends, I’ve felt deeply connected to her since the moment we first talked, but I can’t ignore how our relationship is deteriorating, my brother who is somewhat biased because he isn’t particularly fond of her keeps telling me that she’s taking advantage of me and reminds me of not so great situations and I feel that this has been getting to me after each silly argument she does that leaves me completely exhausted and I personally don’t even think she likes me anymore

Ivan November 6, 2026 10:11 pm

No youre not the asshole that’s an exhausting friendship to be in honestly you did your best

Wideasspig November 6, 2026 10:09 pm

NTA for the love of god dropthe friend please. She's treating you like a doormat and she seems very reactive while guilt tripping you.
She doesn't need to feel that entitled. I very strictly don't condone smoking cause it's highkey bad and ruins your health. Besides having a friend who smokes will one day encourage you to as well. Your social circle shapes who you are.
At the very least distance yourself from narcissist people with big egos like these. It's not worth it.

Mars November 7, 2026 3:21 pm

Thanks for your insight!!

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