AITA for leaving my friend stranded because she kept us waiting for over an hour?

A user on Reddit stirred controversy by choosing to abandon a habitually tardy friend during a party bus outing. Despite “Sarah’s” continuous promises to be punctual, she delayed the group by more than an hour, causing them to miss the start of the festivities.

The original poster sent a message indicating their departure, which enraged Sarah when she arrived 10 minutes afterward. The friend circle is now fractured, with some defending the original poster’s choice to leave and others contending that they should have waited, given Sarah’s well-known lateness. Who bears the responsibility in this situation?

‘ AITA for leaving my friend stranded because she kept us waiting for over an hour?’

This occurred the previous weekend, and now my circle of friends is at odds regarding whether my actions were reasonable or completely out of line. I have a friend, for the sake of this story we’ll call her “Sarah,” who *consistently* arrives late. To clarify, she is habitually so late that “we instruct her to arrive at 6, fully aware that she will appear at 7.” The rest of us have grown accustomed to her tardiness, but last Saturday’s events exceeded everyone’s limits.

We were celebrating a friend’s birthday with a party bus to different locations. Because the bus was reserved for a particular period, everyone committed to gathering at 6:30 p.m. to ensure our departure by 7 p.m. Sarah promised to be punctual. Guess what happened? Seven o’clock arrived, and Sarah was still missing. We tried reaching out via text and phone calls, and she kept replying with “I’m almost there!”

After more than an hour of waiting, we determined that we needed to depart. I sent her a text message informing her of our departure and that if she still desired to join us, she would need to arrange her own transportation. Approximately 10 minutes later, she arrived, visibly enraged by our departure. She berated me, labeling me selfish, accusing me of abandoning her, and dominating the entire evening with her claims of being “abandoned.”

Some of my friends believe my actions were justified, while others feel I overreacted and should have been more patient, considering her personality. However, it was a collective event, not solely hers, and I believe my response was reasonable given the circumstances. Was I wrong? Should I have continued to be patient, or was it appropriate to finally assert myself?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

gastropod43 −  Yta for not leaving at 7:00. Why do you enable her.

DashingTwirling −  NTA. She wasn’t left stranded, she chose this outcome. Sarah doesn’t value anyone else’s time or money and then has the audacity to be angry with you?

Sarah, we’re departing at 6:30 sharp. Anyone who misses that deadline will have to find their own transportation. That’s it. I’m done coddling inconsiderate, self-centered “friends.”

Anxious-Routine-5526 −  YTA for not leaving when you said you would. Your entire group are aholes for enabling her behavior.

Sarah’s time management skills, or lack thereof, are her responsibility. It’s unreasonable to expect everyone else to idly stand by, delaying their plans until she decides to join. People should proceed as scheduled, and she can choose to participate or face the consequences of her tardiness. It’s entirely her decision.

mynamecouldbesam −  NTA You should’ve left by 7.15.

llamadramalover −  **ESH**
*Why. Are. You. Enabling. Her. S**fish. B**lshit.** It is unconscionable that a whole ass group of you sat there, on a bus you all paid for, waiting for *one. person.* who was 90 minutes late. Not just one of you. Not just her best friend. Not just a couple.

*Every. Single. One. Of. You.*

You all put **SOMEONE’S BIRTHDAY** on hold for that incredibly selfish individual who was **NOT** next in line. I’m not sure what’s going on with your group of friends, but it’s unbelievable that such disrespect is tolerated by everyone involved.

Malibu_Cola −  NTA. You waited long enough for Sarah, and had a specific time slot to meet. She STILL decided to be slow. She needs to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around her schedule.

Old_Lead_2110 −  What did she do between 6:30 and 8:10? Have coffee with a friend? See a movie? Go to the gym?

lurninandlurkin −  NTA. My friend used to leave on time no matter who hadn’t arrived and if asked why he didn’t wait, he would ask them what time they get to the airport for a (insert agreed to time here) flight and in the end, those that wanted to go would make sure they were there, those that were late started to realise the world didn’t revolve around them.

Bigstachedad −  Sarah is controlling and manipulating (as are most people who are chronically late). Time to reevaluate her friendship and also the people who are defending her.

FrostingPowerful5461 −  YTA for waiting for an hour.