Just because someone’s a close friend of yours doesn’t automatically make them a good person. The fact of the matter is that some folks are really great at pretending to be moral and upstanding people. But all it takes is one moment where they show their true colors for the friendship to fall apart. You then start realizing that there might have been some subtle hints that something was off, earlier on.

Redditor u/decisivevinyl sparked a viral discussion after asking people to share the most messed up things that they’ve seen their friends do. Read on for a terrifying glimpse into how low some people can go. Keep a tight hold of your remaining faith in humanity and remember that some of these stories aren’t for the weak of heart. 

Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the thread, redditor u/decisivevinyl, a vinyl decal and sticker salesperson from Australia, for a friendly chat about people acting in messed up ways. Check out our full interview with the OP below.

#1

I went on holiday for a week and asked my "best friend" to pop in and feed my cat (he lived a few doors away). When I got back, my cat was laying by the back door of my house, went inside and his bowl was empty, I called him and asked when the last time he fed him, he said "oh yeah, I forgot" .. my cat had been outside for a week with no food or water. I haven't spoken to him in 12 years, c**t !!

Image credits: AIDS_CHIMP

Redditor u/decisivevinyl was very open with Bored Panda about what had inspired them to start the online thread in the first place.

"Honestly, when I'm super bored on Reddit, I sometimes just try and come up with potentially interesting questions to ask on r/AskReddit," they told Bored Panda that it's a great way to pass the time and interact with the community. "Nothing really more to it than that."

We were very curious to get the thread author's opinion as to why some people do such incredibly messed up things, and how best to respond to them.

"Personally, I just think there are some [awful] people out there. And [awful] people will always do [awful] things," they explained their stance.

#2

A guy I worked with was about to take his wife on a trip back to their mutual hometown in another state. They had a pair of delightful kittens and they asked me if I would watch them while they were gone. I had little experience with cats but these 2 were just wonderfully playful. I gave him a call when he got back to arrange returning the kittens but he said they had picked up a non-cat friendly dog on the journey and he would just drop off the kittens in the woods. Needless to say, I kept them and they were wonderful furry friends for me and eventually to my wife and kids. I still think what would have happened to them if I had not been in the right place at the right time.

Image credits: PoloGrounder

#3

Throw McDonald’s fries and burger as hard as he could at a homeless lady asking for food… I called him a piece of s**t and never spoke to him again

Image credits: Mundane_Tour_3215

"The best way to respond to that behavior, in my opinion, is to not let it eat you up and just go about your life as best as you can. Because like I stated earlier, [awful] people will always be [awful]," the OP said.

Bored Panda was also interested to hear the redditor's thoughts on friendship red flags, and whether it's possible to figure out whether someone is an awful person before becoming fast friends with them.

"There can definitely be red flags in the traits of a person, but some people are better at hiding them than others," the OP told us.

"There might be some cases where you just honestly don't realize until it's too late and then there might just be a completely off vibe you pick up on before you get too deep into friendship," they shared their thoughts.

#4

We were working in an old ladies attic and he kicked the s**t out of a pipe on purpose then went and told her it needed to be replaced. I never worked with him again after that

Image credits: FriendlyDifference72

#5

Three years ago I made the decision to stop drinking. After about 11 months of sobriety, my “best friend” shows up at my door, several bottles of vodka with her. “I’m tired of you being sober, Stop being a little b***h and get drunk with me today.”

After a moment of shock I uttered “Uh, no, that’s not happening, and we’re never speaking again.” *door closes*

She tried to reconnect several times, immediately following. “I’m sorry, I was only kidding” and “I’ll kill myself if you really dont talk to me ever again.” To which I replied “I will not feel guilty for any choices you choose to make in your life.” Stopped her manipulation pretty good.

Eventually a relative of hers calls me asking what happened as the friend stated that I cut them out “for no reason”. As soon as I told the relative “well, I got sober and they didn’t like that and wanted me to drink with them again” the relative interjected “say no more, I respect you for what you did. She really needs to get some help, thanks for taking my call and explaining.”

In retrospect, I waited way too long to cut that “friend” out.

Image credits: EllieSouthworthEwing

#6

He had me help model for one of his photoshoots that was set on top of a very tall building. When he asked me to move to the edge, he kept talking about how cool it would be to capture someone’s death from a building in-real-time. At this point, I was getting somewhat nervous.

Then he gave me a little shove. I backed away and then almost slipped. His response, “See, that could have been so cool. You have mental health issues anyways, why don’t you just do it and you’ll be posthumously famous which will give your life meaning.” Now keep in mind, this is paraphrased, since it’s been a long time ago, but that was the gist of it…and I’ve never forgotten how it made me feel.

After that, I started to gradually cut this person from my life out of fear that he would try to hurt me for the sake of “his art”. F**k that guy.

The types of friendships that dominate your life can have a massive impact on its quality. If you have even just a handful of genuine, authentic friends, you’ll feel like someone’s always got your back. That kind of support can give you a lot more confidence, no matter what you do. Because you know that they’ll be there with a kind word, a witty joke, a hug, or an activity to take your mind off things.

They’ll be there, by your side, through thick and thin: reveling in your successes and feeling your deepest failures as if they were their own. However, it’d be naive to think that everyone has such pals in their lives. Or that everyone you call a friend is actually one…

#7

Convinced his girlfriend she was suffering from gluten intolerance instead of schizophrenia, and got her to stop taking medication.

Image credits: lightningandmadness

#8

A girl was falling down drunk, totally out of it - no drink spiked, she had been doing a crazy amount of shots without knowing they were double shots. This one friend of mine insisted on taking her home by himself. Me and three of other people in the group insisted more strongly to come along and help her home. The whole way back, he kept trying to assure us that he had things under control and didn't need our help, and it became clearer and clearer he was planning [to take advantage of] her.

We aggressively told him to knock it off, and got her home. First he tried to insist he should stay with her to "make sure she's ok" which we vetoed, then we caught him trying to get her keys out of her purse so he could come back inside. When that happened, we'd had enough and things got rough. We didn't beat him up, but we very forcefully got him out of her student residence building. She was in bad shape, so we found a friend of hers from down the hall who agreed to come over and look after her - we were worried she might throw up in her sleep or something.

Later on that night he got caught pounding on her dorm room door by the same friend after he managed to sneak back into the building by following someone else when they came in.

The whole friend group split up over staying friends with him, but f**k that guy. She was literally passed out on her feet and totally incoherent.

Image credits: MenudoMenudo

#9

Best friend was excited for me to meet his new gf. The whole evening he bragged about how she was still married and he was going to be the reason she got divorced.
Haven't spoken to him since. Did hear she broke up with him and sorted out the issues with her husband

Image credits: hmfiddlesworth

The fact of the matter is that far from everyone you meet will end up being your BFF whom you can trust with even the weirdest secrets. Some of them will turn out to be work friends whom you hang out with during lunch (and during the odd company party) but generally keep things professional. Other pals might only spend time with you because you have a shared hobby, whether that’s rock climbing or playing Dungeons & Dragons every Sunday night.

And then you have fair weather and superficial friends who love to spend time with you when things are going well but disappear at the slightest sign of trouble… or if you ask them for a favor.

#10

Brought my friend to watch my boyfriend practice his drumming…she kept spreading her legs wide wearing a skirt with no underwear. She slept with him and he left me thinking he would be with her. Needless to say she didn’t date him because she already had a boyfriend.

Image credits: Final_Objective_6204

#11

If we’re talking ex-friends? He beat his child for touching my guitar, the one I brought over specifically to show the boy and let him play with. He was 3.

Image credits: tucakeane

#12

A friend of 15 years, Let him stay with me (for 6 weeks) after being kicked out, agreed to bring him on my lease since I live in a two bedroom alone. Asked him for rent, left to take my dog out to the park.. came back to an empty apartment and my number blocked

Image credits: Meowiewowieex

Friendships are about mutual trust and respect. In short—they’re about a sense of balance. One red flag that you should definitely keep in mind is how often they ask you for help versus how often they end up helping you when you need a hand. You have to be honest about what someone else is offering you in the relationship.

Usually, proper friends offer emotional support, whether it involves gossiping over a slice of freshly-baked pie and a glass of cold milk or sitting in silence together as you fish for hours on end. Superficial friends, on the other hand, will be nowhere to be found if you’re in a dark place. They’re there just to have fun.

#13

On a night out, friend was sick, and decided the best place was into his pint glass. After the deed was done, he proceeded to say "waste not want not", downed the pint sick, lumps and all. Still makes me queasy to think about it. Animal

Image credits: KamakaseRoadKill

#14

I once saw an ex friend of mine kick her boyfriend so hard in his ribs that afterward he peed blood (he was lying on his back at the time).

His transgression? He asked her son not to eat all the chocolate pieces out of the communal trail mix they had.

He has since dumped her, now she's homeless, addicted to drugs, in and out of jail, and even her family won't have anything to do with her.

Image credits: xAndyPandax

#15

Stalk my sister. He was my best man… we are no longer friends.

Image credits: -pettyhatemachine-

Some other signs that someone’s a false friend are that they talk about you behind your back and that they feel jealous when you’re successful. For instance, they might resent you when you get promoted or if you get engaged. They also won’t think twice to take advantage of your kindness. In these cases, it’s best to have a really good think about whether or not you should continue being friends.

Though if they do anything like in the stories in this list, the question should be very clear: cut all contact, move on with your life. There are so many wonderful people out there to befriend—you don’t have to stick with someone rotten. 

#16

I had reached out to her when I was doing pretty poor mentally, and she proceeded to tell me that I couldn't [off] myself until I payed her back for helping me with some school fees. Then I was free to [off] myself if I wanted.

Image credits: kilobytess

#17

I was having a few drinks at a friend's place when out of nowhere he got up, grabbed a screwdriver and without saying anything stabbed the guy sitting next to me right in the thigh. I later found out it was over some money the guy owed him. Last I heard my "friend" is in prison for attacking 3 people with a hatchet.

Image credits: TAOS086

#18

Deliberately get knocked down by a car, in order to prove that when drunk (and we were very drunk), his bones were flexible. Fortunately, the car had been slowing to turn. There followed a couple of minutes trying to reassure the driver he was ok, whilst calling him an idiot. Meanwhile, he was laying flat on his back, maintaining he'd proved his point.

Image credits: anothercynicaloldgit

#19

Probably not as bad as some of these answers, but my friend had this super thick callous on his heels. He was picking at it, and I watched him peel a big long strip off from the back of his heel, it looked like a trimming off of a horse's hoof. Then HE JUST F*****G ATE IT. Like it was a piece of jerky. I was aghast.

Image credits: Neohexane

#20

Lesbian best friend that got kicked out of her religious parents house, and I let her stay with me. She f****d my then girlfriend.

Image credits: HooterEnthusiast

#21

Catfish their widowed and lonely HS teacher to get back at her for failing him out of her class for plagiarism…

Image credits: insecureslug

#22

We had this event at our college and my friend made a script for it, he was doing stand up comedy. He goes to the stage and then proceeds to make fun of the way I look, the way I walk and the way I talk. Everyone was looking at me. I've never felt so embarrassed in my life. I told him multiple times that I wasn't comfortable with him talking about me but he didn't want to listen to me. I was just recently getting confident about the way I look
and now I'm terrified of going to uni because I don't want to be bullied or made fun of.

#23

Had a female friend who “set me up with a friend of hers” we texted for a month or so with said friend, only to find out it was my friend or who I thought was my friend catfishing me. Why she did this was beyond me I didn’t think it was funny obviously but it f****d with my head a great deal and when me and my other friends called her out on it with more then enough evidence to prove she did it she still denied it. I couldn’t talk or wanted to talk to woman for about a year or so I was so f****d ip from it.

Image credits: Mission-Wash2796

#24

Brag about f*****g a mutual close friends very recent ex while his 8 month pregnant wife was at home by herself. Tried to show me photos... immediately removed from my wedding invite list. Don't respect your marriage, you won't be a part of mine.

Image credits: Oldscool81

#25

Date a 15 year old boy. She was 23 at the time. I reported her to social services.

Image credits: JellyBeanQueen95

#26

My best friend had just broken up with my brother—who had moved over a thousand miles and changed jobs to be with her—citing personal differences. My brother was devastated, but I tried to respect her decision and be a source of support for both of them, especially because they truly weren’t the best fit. But then she shared with me, because she knew that I loved her and would be happy for her so long as she was happy, that she’d been cheating on my brother for the past month and had found her soulmate.

The depth of my brother’s heartbreak, already immense, was further compounded by the infidelity. To my bewilderment, she truly couldn’t understand why I was ending the friendship, seemed so distraught that I would end a years long relationship over something so “small”. And I still can’t comprehend why she thought telling me would result in anything other than a complete door slam.

Hannah, you still suck. And I’m still angry.

Edit: ETA that I had also asked her to be the maid of “honor” in my upcoming wedding. Ironic.

Image credits: bitetime

#27

Spike a classmate, who was strict Muslim so didn't drink alcohol etc (but was a chill live and let live guy), because he thought it'd be funny. He didn't tell anyone what he'd done until the guy was in a full blown panic thinking he was going to die.

Suffice to say, I failed to see anything remotely funny about it, and we never associated again.

That was unfortunately not the first or last drugging/spiking incident within that friend group. But it was one of the more egregious because of it being an innocent bystander targeted.

#28

Headbutt his ex girlfriend outside the club. The sound was absolutely disgusting. He then beat up two of her friends quickly.

I grabbed him and restrained him in a doorway. Not even a big or tough guy but he completely lost it.

#29

So, I had this roommate in college. He wasn’t the most popular among my friends, but he honestly wasn’t a bad guy at all. Maybe a little smug, but, honestly, that’s not at all unusual for people that age (I certainly wasn’t any better!), and he grew out of it later. ~~But he just kept getting pinkeye~~. And neither he nor I knew why. So anyway, we were hanging out in the dorm room with two of our friends from high school, when he (my roommate) stepped out to go to class. As soon as he was out the door, Friend 1 jumped up, dropped his pants and underwear, and f*****g crop dusted my roommate’s pillow. Apparently he’d been sneaking in and doing this regularly for *weeks*, but, this time, decided to let me and Friend 2 in on the secret, and, additionally, just sharted all over the pillow. Visible flecks of s**t all over it and the bed. Friend 2 and I did not think it was nearly as entertaining as Friend 1 did, and immediately informed my roommate. Apparently Friend 1 had also been pissing in people’s soda bottles. We, uh, we dropped him from the group pretty thoroughly after all that.

Edit: I’ve been told that’s not how pinkeye works, so maybe that’s just something me and my friends convinced ourselves happened during subsequent retellings.

Image credits: Nerevarine91

#30

Get with a woman, borrow a bunch on money off her, then dump her, claiming she's a weirdo.

Wish I'd only seen it once :(

Image credits: ablativeyoyo

#31

Catch and eat a live moth, mid-conversation. Like grab it out the air, throw it in his mouth and swallow.

Image credits: TheThingsWeMake

#32

1. they were arguing and he made fun of the friend for being an orphan
2. tried to Stab the other friend cuz his ex was crushing on him

Image credits: we_are_ghetto

#33

Brag about a—then—boyfriend not leaving her despite constant cheating. Then cry when he left her. I don’t know either.

Image credits: Snapesnape716

#34

Bite the head off of a fish he just caught

Image credits: Casperkimber