We all believe as children that friends are forever, but in reality, friendships are like any other relationship in that oftentimes they run their course.
That said, it can definitely be awkward if both parties don’t let things die naturally, and one has to “break up” with the other – but after these 17 moments, these people realized things had to end, one way or another.
17. That hurts.
Friends for 34 years. Besties. Never checked on me when my father died. No card. No flowers. Not even a text message on the day of his funeral.
Had the nerve to call a month and a half later looking for me to celebrate her birthday.
16. A toxic cycle.
I had a close friend from childhood who was very into the traditional lifestyle, with wife, kids, part of the PTA and church.
Even in high school. He would date anyone that would have him, and ignore us until they broke up and he’d come crawling back. We were best of friends so we always were glad to have him back involved in our group.
He went to college literally because he was looking for a girl to marry. He ended up dropping out after 2 yrs, and getting a job delivering auto parts where he started dating and married his boss’s daughter.
They popped out 3 kids right in a row, and every time i talked to him things were “great” but he just would stop responding to me more and more often. He was 110% devoted to his little family which was great, but he just stopped being my friend. I’d invite him to get together and he would always just say “oh why don’t you come over here, you can see the kids”. That was fine, but his wife and he would just be on me the whole time about how I’m not really an adult because i dont have a family, my job was putting my ability to have kids at risk (firefighter) and that I basically only had value if i was breeding. So part of the distancing was me honestly. I didn’t like having to put up with that just to see my friend.
Long story short, his wife cheats on him, they divorced and she’s instantly pregnant with other guy’s baby. He comes to me broken over this and we get close again. Really close. I was driving over to his house at 3AM because he was feeling like hurting himself, and stayed with him until he felt better. I drove him to therapy, watched his kids while he was laying in bed all day, unable to get up and brought food for his family. We got really close again and i opened up about why i felt we drifted apart.
He actually apologized and admitted he suspected that was why. I thought i had my best friend again.
Untill he met another girl. And i started seeing less of him. He started flaking on me to hang out. When i did come over, the remarks about “doing the adult thing” would come out again. His new girlfriend had 3 kids too, so he started joking about being the Brady Bunch. I hung on trying to keep the friendship together because i felt bad for not trying enough last time, but he was sliding back into the old him.
I was sitting looking at a text he sent after ignoring me for a week that said “lol, yes, well maybe you’ll find a good woman like i did and finally grow up” and realized i was the only one trying to be a friend, and i just didn’t give a shit anymore. I deleted his number and haven’t heard from him in 2 years. Last thing i heard from him was that text.
I realized he didn’t want to be my friend so much as I was his “backup wife”. I was an easy fill in to fall back on when he found himself single. I’m thinking he may reach out again when he finds himself single again, and i wont be there to answer
15. An intentional snub.
When somebody who I considered a very close friend didn’t invite me to his wedding, despite inviting literally every one else in our social circle.
14. They’re not in your corner.
He seemed to enjoy when I failed.
I was waiting for news of a big career opportunity for a few months, and the sound of relief and satisfaction in his voice when I told my friend it fell through made me realize how hard she had been internally rooting against me.
I think he genuinely liked me, but not being the “star” in our friendship was too much for him.
13. They only care about themselves.
I tried to talk to a guy who I thought was my friend about something going on between me and my Dad for a few minutes during a drive.
He flat out silently stared at his phone until I said something semi related about him, which is when he perked up and started telling me about how much money he’d made recently, and how he got all of this free weed from someone and boy was his life sweet.
I sorta just mhm’ed my way through it, and when he got to the end of his brag session he in all serious told me he was pretty offended at how little interest I showed in what he’d been saying.
12. That seems gross.
When I took him aside to ask him to stop bullying our classmate (we were adults in college) and he tried to flip it on me and started fake crying.
11. They make bad choices.
When she told me she didn’t take birth control anymore, without telling her boyfriend.
When I tried tp talk some sense in her, she just freaked out and told me to mind my own business
10. Is this abuse?
She had invited me to see her 4 yo daughter perform in a beauty pageant. Ugh, I know.
The little girl sang a sob song about some kid praying to Jesus about their dead mommy. My friend whispered to me that the song ‘always won brownie points with the judges’. Again, ugh.
After the girl performed she came to stand by us in the audience and my friend SMACKED the child’s tummy and scolded “suck it in, no one likes a fat kid”.
Yep, I was DONE. I walked out. And yes, my friend, the mother was obese.
9. They can’t just do the right thing.
I cut ties with a best friend. We all worked together, too, and I had met her now-husband’s wife. They cheated for a solid year before he finally broke it off with the wife.
Her defense, when I flipped out on her, was that he really was the one, and there were logistical reasons for him not to break it off. They’re still together, 15 years later, three kids, etc.
Ok do he’s your soulmate – so f**king sack up and do the right thing, asshole. Break it off.
8. Two different friends.
When they started treating me different around other people.
Together just the two of us, everything was great.
In a crowd I became ignored except for when I was the butt of jokes. I’m not thin skinned, I’m not talking about not being able to take a joke.
It’s more that they act embarrassed to know me or want to distance themselves. I don’t have time for that insecure bullshit.
7. He never had anything nice to say.
Everything I mentioned to him he cut down and said everything wrong with it. Never had anything nice to say and always seemed to try and compete with me for some reason.
Blocked and deleted his number from my phone.
6. They’re an awful person.
When she threw a big 30th birthday party for all her friends, where she invited the one girl she’d had a falling out with to come in 2 hours later and told everyone she was a b*%ch and we should all shun her.
The poor girl came in with a big ass expensive present, being so happy her friend and her where making up, just to be ignored and belittled by over 30 people.
She left crying. I left not long after and ghosted the s*%t out of her.
5. The last straw.
When I was stressed out in the middle of a sudden move and she freaked out because I asked if she could come get the jersey I’d borrowed from her, rather than me bringing it to her.
It was the last straw after years of the relationship being 95% my effort, literally dropping everything when she “needed” me, yet her not even returning my calls when i needed support.
I showed up at the ER when she was feeling suicidal, I took her into my home for a few nights when she and her husband were arguing, I listened for hours when she needed an ear and a shoulder to cry on.
And then she tore into me because I asked if she could pick up her jersey.
4. He’s a liar.
We kinda fell out a while ago but TIL he seems to have been using me as an alibi to cheat on his wife. She’s texting me about us having drinks the other night & we haven’t done anything socially outside of work since before COVID.
edit: Without going into detail I’m certain my confused reaction blew up whatever bs he’s been telling her.
You can all rest assured I am not in the habit of lying to people & wouldn’t cover for someone in this situation unless it involved a psycho abusive spouse, a “we went on one date” stalker – that kind of thing… Even then I’d need some kind of heads up beforehand!
3. They take advantage of you.
It was several friends at once.
I’ll truncate this story the best I can, there’s a lot more detail and context.
My vehicle in high school was a minivan. That meant I was the preferred driver whenever our friend group went anywhere.
My mom also happened to be an expert at winning radio contests, particular concert tickets. That meant I was take one to three friends to all sorts of concerts over the course of two summers (Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Incubus, the list goes on and on and on)
I drove a van full of friends to numerous concerts that I’d given them tickets to.
One time, the core group of my concert buddies decided they wanted to go to see a band that they definitely knew I liked. By this point, one of them was working at the local Rock Station and was best friends with one of the late night DJ’s for the station, and the DJ offered to take them in the station’s Suburban down to the concert.
They just didn’t even f**king invite me, even though I’d have just bought my own ticket.
Wait, there’s more.
What happened when the DJ decided to be a douche bag and bail on them because he clearly had mental problems and had a breakdown for no apparent reason?
Yeah. They called me, and asked me if I could drive two hours to pick them up because I was the only one with a car big enough for everybody.
That was a big NO from me. Parted ways with them for quite a while, started hanging around new people. They obviously knew what they did was s*%tty because when I did eventually come back around (not for them, just incidentally through other friends) they were all extra friendly toward me.
2. They blame you for their bad decisions.
When he told me I should have been in the car with him when he rolled his car drunk driving, and that I could have helped keep him awake.
This happened after we had been bar hopping the night before and I kept trying to convince him not to drive and refused to get in the car with him.
1. They leave you alone.
At uni, I was friends with a girl, who lived in the dorms. I didn’t live in the dorms. She had a hernia and I would go to uni early to help her carry her bags to class. (All our lectures were shared.)
I supported her with everything, we would hang out all the time.
We both wanted to carry on with our studies and attend a different degree/major. She was desperate to get into a course, and it was really important to her. I would help carry her portfolio to various interviews etc. meanwhile I was wanted a change of direction and had my eyes set on a different degree/major.
On the day of finding out if we got into our courses. We were waiting outside the facility office, waiting for our names to be called. It was me and my friend, the only ones left in the waiting area.
My friend was so nervous. I was comforting her and telling her she’s got this. My friend also bought another girl with her, who did live in the dorms. My friends name was called, and all three of us went inside the office with her for support.
My friend asked me to leave the office but she wanted the other girl there. So I left and sat back down. I heard shouts and screams of joy, she clearly got accepted into her course. I was really happy for her. My friend and the other girl left the office and walked straight pass me, ignoring me completely, and left the area.
I am the only person left in the waiting area. My name was called into the office, and I was told I didn’t get into the course I wanted. I left the office. Left the building and cried by myself. I never spoken to her since.
You can break up with friends, y’all. Any relationship that’s not serving your life in a positive way has to go.
Have you ever had to break up with a friend? Tell us why in the comments!
