I read a story on Reddit about an 18-year-old woman who got into an argument with her friend over McDonald’s while out shopping, and she’s wondering if she was in the wrong.
She and her group of friends (all 18F) planned a shopping trip at a local outdoor shopping center and decided ahead of time to have lunch at McDonald’s before starting. The storyteller skipped breakfast, thinking it would be fine since they’d agreed to eat first.
The group had to take a bus to get there, and since most of them couldn’t access public transport near their homes, they met at the house of one friend (referred to as Hannah) who lived near the bus route. On the bus, the storyteller noticed that Hannah wasn’t engaging with the group and had her AirPods in the whole time. As they passed the McDonald’s, she asked the group, “Are we still going to McDonald’s for lunch first?” The other two friends agreed, but Hannah responded, “Well, no, because we’ve passed the stop next to it. We’ll just go after. You should’ve said something if you wanted to eat first.”
The storyteller felt blindsided. She thought it was clear they’d agreed to eat first and argued that she hadn’t known where the stops were, so she had no idea when to speak up. Hannah claimed she didn’t know McDonald’s was the plan, despite it being discussed in their group chat. Meanwhile, the other two friends stayed silent. The storyteller tried to explain that skipping breakfast was a mistake, and if she didn’t eat soon, she might feel faint.
They ended up heading to the shopping center first, but after visiting one store, the storyteller convinced Hannah to let them go back to McDonald’s. However, the situation left her feeling frustrated and unsupported by her friends.
“You’re NTA. If the plan was to eat first, Hannah should’ve spoken up when you passed the stop. It’s not fair to change plans and then act like it’s your fault.”
“Skipping breakfast wasn’t ideal, but you communicated your needs clearly. Your other friends should’ve backed you up since they knew the plan.”
“Hannah sounds like she just wasn’t paying attention. It’s frustrating, but maybe have a direct talk with her about why this upset you.”
This story highlights how small misunderstandings can escalate, especially when communication breaks down. What do you think—was the storyteller justified in being upset, or was it an overreaction?