College Grad Secretly Excludes Friend From New Year's Hangout, But Things Get Awkward When They Eventually Find Out
The awkward moment when you realize you weren't invited...so you invite yourself.
Some people don’t get the hint, they get the invoice. In this Reddit story, OP and the friend group have been quietly steering around Max, and the New Year plan is where the whole thing finally blows up.
Here’s the mess: OP and others started avoiding Max because of his toxic behavior, so OP booked a flight to celebrate with another friend and left Max out on purpose. Naturally, Max found out, took it personally, and acted like the exclusion was a personal betrayal.
Then Max did the one thing that turns awkward into unavoidable, he booked a flight to the same city to show up anyway.
Let’s dig into the details
Reddit.comA bit of backstory
Reddit.comOP and some others in the friend group started avoiding Max due to their toxic behavior
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OP sidestepped Max and booked a flight to celebrate the New Year with another friend. Max found out and took offense to this
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Max eventually let it go, but has now booked a flight to that same city to join OP and the other friend
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OP is eager to know if avoiding Max is the right thing to do, considering their energies don’t mesh
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Important edit
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It continues…
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And yes, this awkward New Year exclusion has the same chaotic energy as those 45 Valentine’s surprises that hijack the spotlight.
Final part of the edit
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“You need to be way more clear with them on boundaries and your intention.”
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“Grow up. Be an adult and tell Max you don’t want to hang out with him for New Years.”
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“YTA, because you can't say no. You aren't setting boundaries and just expect someone to clue in.”
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“You need to be consistent and stop sending him mixed signals.”
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While OP is trying to enjoy the New Year with a different friend, Max is treating the flight booking like a full-on insult to his ego.
The awkward part isn’t just that Max is coming, it’s that OP’s group had already been avoiding him for toxic behavior, so nobody’s exactly starting from neutral.
When Max “lets it go” and then immediately books the same trip, it makes every previous sidestep feel like it had hidden strings attached.
Reddit commenters went straight for the jugular, telling OP to stop the mixed signals and be clear before the New Year hangout turns into a blowout.
The Reddit community scolded OP for not being bold enough to set boundaries with Max. It makes no sense to not like being around someone but keep leading them on to think they are wanted.
As OP said, Max is not a bad person, but their inability to be empathetic towards others makes them a menace to be around.
Hopefully, OP can find the courage to sit Max down and tell them how their behavior affects others. Possibly, they could change, or they could cut OP off for good. Either way, the conversation needs to be had.
We’d love to get your thoughts on this story. Drop something in the comments.
Max might end up in the same city, but OP is about to find out whether peace requires a real boundary or a clean break.
That grocery line shaming gets even worse when the stranger tries to cut ahead, and everyone calls them out.
