I don’t know about you, but every time I ever had a crush on someone, I would get super nervous and barely utter a word in front of them. However, most of us have enough sense to know that we should never go after someone who is already committed, right?
Not this 18-year-old, who was well aware that her crush already had a girlfriend. Despite that, she tried to push things with him, but he had no clue about her feelings and rejected her when he found out. Here’s how she sparked more drama afterwards…
More info: Reddit
Some people just don't understand how unethical it is to go after folks who are already in a relationship
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster really liked his girlfriend, so he was hesitant to let his friend sit on his lap during a car ride, but she did it anyway
Image credits: Whole_Butterscotch_1
Image credits: wirestock / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When he asked her to sit on another friend's lap, she broke down into tears, called him a jerk, and he realized that she had a crush on him
Image credits: Whole_Butterscotch_1
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
He had no idea about it at all, and didn't think twice before rejecting her, as he was completely into his girlfriend
Image credits: Whole_Butterscotch_1
However, she couldn't take the rejection well and started badmouthing him to their mutual friends, but he and his girlfriend were unbothered
In today’s story, we take a look at all the drama that happened between the original poster’s (OP) friend group. They were going on a drive when a friend (Sarah) joined them, and insisted on sitting in OP’s lap as there was no space. The thing is, everyone in the group knew that the poster had a girlfriend whom he liked a lot, so he was weirded out by her demand.
Well, he put a jacket on his lap before he let her sit. However, he asked her to sit on another friend's (Joe) lap when they had to fill gas. OP thought it would be perfect as Joe had a crush on Sarah, but she started crying when she sat on his lap and even called the poster a jerk. He was totally confused by this behavior, but when she texted him later, he found out that she had a crush on him.
Sarah accused him of giving her “mixed signals,” but he explained that it was just how friendly he was with everyone. He also clarified that he was very happy with his girlfriend and wasn’t even thinking about anyone else. Well, Sarah and her friends again called him a jerk, but he sincerely had no clue that she liked him in the first place.
When he told his girlfriend about the situation, she found it hilarious except for the fact that Sarah was wrong for going after a guy who was already committed. Unfortunately, she didn’t stop there, for Sarah went and started badmouthing OP to their common friends. However, the poster and his girlfriend were transparent with each other, so her lies didn’t really bother them.
Image credits: lookstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
“Honestly, this kind of mix-up happens all the time. When someone likes a person, they start seeing everything that person does through that lens. It’s called projection or wishful thinking. A friendly smile, a joke, or just sitting close can feel like flirting if you already want it to mean something,” explained Eden Lobo, a counselor and psychology professor that Bored Panda interviewed.
She also claimed that human behavior is really ambiguous. As per her, most gestures, like being nice, laughing, or physical touch, can be totally platonic or romantic depending on the context. So our brains tend to fill in the blanks in whatever way fits our hopes or insecurities, she added.
Having said that, our expert also believes that some people don’t have a lot of experience reading social cues yet, especially when they’re young. That’s why it’s easy to confuse kindness for flirting, especially when you’re hoping for a spark. We also spoke with Prof. Lobo about rejection in young adults, and she explained that, comparatively, it can hit them harder.
“Around that age, their sense of self-worth is still really tied to how other people see them: their friends, their crushes, their peers. So when someone rejects them, it can feel like a reflection of their value as a person, not just a single moment of incompatibility. However, that doesn’t justify that they demean or badmouth the person who rejected them,” she noted.
Even I think that what Sarah did was really mean, and netizens wondered whether Joe still wanted to be with her. What would you have done if you were in the poster’s shoes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Folks called her out for going after a guy with a girlfriend, and also admired the couple for being so loyal and chill about the whole situation
