“Deranged Lunatic”: Woman Books Same Trip As Ex-Friend To Force Friendship, Sparks Internet Outrage

Friendships sometimes end on bad terms, but most people simply move on. However, Reddit user Finishercar1, who shared her disturbing story on r/mildlyinfuriating, cannot.

After a falling out with a woman she was somewhat close to, the situation escalated from mean texts to obsessive and intrusive behavior.

From showing up uninvited at events to booking the same flight and announcing her desire to join a trip, the ex-friend’s actions have crossed an increasing number of boundaries. The worst part is that local authorities are not yet willing to help.

You think you know a person, but then they do something that completely changes your perspective on who they are

Woman sitting with a suitcase, looking at her phone, reflecting on friendship during a trip.

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

Which wouldn’t necessarily be a huge problem if you could just cut them out of your life

Text about a woman's experience with an ex-friend joining her solo trip.

Text describing a woman's intentions to restart a friendship by joining an ex-friend's trip, with authorities unable to assist.

Text about a woman joining an ex-friend's solo trip, booking the same flight and hotel dates.

Text expressing concern about an ex-friend joining a solo trip to rekindle friendship.

Text message from a woman apologizing and proposing a fresh start to their friendship.

Text messages where a woman joins ex-friend's trip to rekindle friendship.

Image credits: finishercar1

The sad reality about friendships is that many of them do end

Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)

This fall, Grace Vieth, a researcher in social psychology at the University of Minnesota who studies friendship dissolution, said, “We [researchers] are just starting to consider how friendships might end, and that it is a very recent phenomenon… the work is really just beginning.”

However, a recent YouGov survey found that most Americans (68%) have been in a position where they decided to end a friendship and followed through with it.

Generation X (73%) and Baby Boomers (69%) are more likely than Millennials (65%) or Gen-Zers (60%) to have had this experience.

A smaller share (52%) say they’ve been on the receiving end of this and had someone end a friendship with them.

About a quarter (24%) claim this has not happened to them, while an equal percentage say they’re not sure whether this has happened to them — friendship breakups aren’t always as clear-cut as this case.

But, since friendship breakups are generally less talked about, people might feel unsure about how to handle them or how to deal with the powerful emotions that follow.

“There’s a very clear societal script for how to break up with a romantic partner,” Vieth said. “But there are no normative scripts on how to go about ending a friendship.”

Still, as illustrated by the Redditor’s story, some people are just too toxic to stay with.

“Friendships are important, close relationships, so I think that we should give ourselves grace in understanding that a loss of a friendship is going to be hard. My advice would be to turn to your other relationships, and hopefully, you have other friends that you also value and can rely on,” Vieth added.

Ultimately, numbers suggest that we are increasingly choosing the quality of our friendships over quantity. Just 13% of US adults have 10 or more close friends, compared with 33% of those surveyed in 1990. The downside of this trend is that it can also lead to loneliness — the share of people saying they have no close friends at all went from just 3 percent in 1990 to 12 percent.

This particular stalker may have seen the woman’s online post

Text message screenshot about a woman joking about joining an ex-friend's solo trip to restart their friendship.

Text conversation about friendship issues and apologies.

She continues to disregard boundaries

Screenshot of a humorous exchange about a woman's attempt to reconnect with an ex-friend.

Screenshot of a Reddit conversation about a woman's solo trip and friendship.

Reddit users discuss a woman’s attempt to rekindle a friendship during a trip.

Screenshot of advice on how to handle an unwelcomed presence on a solo trip, mentioning rescheduling and safety measures.

Woman joining ex-friend's trip, seeking fresh start to friendship via Reddit comments.

Text exchange discussing focus on the negative in a friendship.

Reddit comments discussing concerns about a woman joining an ex-friend’s solo trip.

Online chat about a woman joining an ex-friend's trip to revive friendship, featuring comments from two users.

People who read the story are seriously concerned

Reddit comment advising to cancel a trip, related to friendship renewal.

Comment highlighting concerns about a woman's behavior with an ex-friend.

Screenshot of a comment saying, "You need a protection order asap," related to a woman's solo trip story.

Text commentary about a woman joining an ex-friend's solo trip for a fresh start in their friendship.

Comment reacting to a woman joining a friend's solo trip, suggesting a hotel change.

Advice for changing airline tickets to avoid midair altercations while traveling on a solo trip.

Comment suggesting to cancel plane ticket on a post about woman joining ex-friend's trip.

Comment advising to rebook solo trip, prioritizing mental health and safety.

Comment advising on trip adjustments to avoid an unwelcome companion.

Comment from user ReFlux94: 'Baby Reindeer vibes...' pointing to a perceived resemblance.

Text from an online post about managing online safety and personal boundaries during a solo trip.

Woman looks surprised at her phone, expressing emotion during a solo trip endeavor.

Image credits: benzoix / freepik (not the actual photo)

The woman’s behavior has been extremely erratic

Text discussing a 24-year-old woman considering joining an ex-friend on a solo trip to rekindle friendship.

Text about a woman potentially dating but being called just a friend.

A message expressing surprise about a confident guy's unexpected birthday gift, highlighting friendship dynamics.

Text about rekindling friendship through shared interest in rock collecting.

Text about friend's snarky and shady comments; part of a woman's attempt to restart friendship.

Text about a person receiving a sweet drawing from a friend, discussing mending their friendship with a surprise.

Text describing awkward behavior towards ex-friend during a solo trip.

Text exchange discussing a revelation; emotions of shock over friendship dynamics.

Text expressing doubt and reflection over responses in a friendship scenario.

Text exchange between two women discussing friendship intentions and misunderstandings.

Text exchange about woman joining ex-friend's trip to restart friendship, discussing misunderstandings and feelings.

Text messages discussing issues and intentions related to friendship.

Text conversation discussing issues with an ex-friend and a fresh start to their friendship.

Text exchange between two women discussing a friend's solo trip and their friendship issues.

Text conversation between two people discussing personal issues and conflicts.

Text exchange about a friendship including tense messages and emojis, depicting conflict resolution attempt.

Text messages with harsh language exchanged between ex-friends discussing a trip and possible fresh start.

Image credits: finishercar1

Even though, at first, it seemed like she just wanted to release her frustrations

Comment exchange about a humorous sentence related to rocks and balls.

Comments discussing feelings and embarrassment about revealing personal texts.

Reddit comment discussing a humorous meme with reactions and messages about personal experiences.

Funny online comments about penguins and friendship on a social media post.

Comment thread discussing a woman's self-perception and friendship intentions.

Reddit comments discussing relationship criticism and implications.

Online conversation between users discussing relationships and intentions.

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!