Okay, so first off, IDK, if I'm posting this in the right place, I usually just lurk and read other people's chaos. But I got to get this out somewhere because honestly, what the actual hell? If you've ever had a moment where you're just like, am I the only one seeing this?
Plus, let me know because I swear I started the night thinking I was just being paranoid. But by the end, I wanted to dropkick someone and I do not mean that as a joke. So anyway, some context.
Me, Haley, 27F, hi. Plus, Douglas, 28, me, BF, of almost 2 years, if you can call it that now, have been living together for like 13 months. It's not a cute, OMG, we moved in for love thing.
It was mostly practical. His lease was up and my place was falling apart. And NGL, I thought it'd be fun, and at first it kind of was until it wasn't.
I'll come back to that. So, this weekend, we get invited to this party. Wasn't even our friends.
It was the daughter of our landlord, Claire, who's like, "Hey, you guys are always super chill. Why? The rent stuff.
Come hang. " I've only met Clare in person one time. She's big on group texts for rent reminders, not face to face.
But Douglas is all over it. Saying it'll be good for networking. For what?
No idea. He's always saying that about random events. Like, "Bro, you're not running for office.
" Anyway, I just said, "Sure, because I honestly haven't been out in weeks and figured at least there'd be free snacks and if things got boring, I could dip early. " We show up and it's way fancier than I thought. like not rich fancy, but there's actual glassware and someone's already playing a Spotify playlist on a Bluetooth speaker that doesn't sound like it's been dropped in a toilet, which is rare for these situations.
There's a weird vibe right away, though. Claire is wearing this velvet top that looks vensive, and everyone seems to know each other except us. And Douglas is acting like he's on I don't even know, like a talk show or some she's all handsy, laughing too loud, and keeps nudging me like he wants me to work the room with him.
I'm just there for the chips for so at first I'm just wandering talking to Clare about how our shower pressure sucks and the dryer makes a weird noise sometimes and I notice Douglas is already drinking fast like second cup in his hand by the time I finish my first. I make a joke about him going hard for a Saturday and he just shrugs and says something about how he needs to loosen up after a week of dealing with my nagging. Not even a smile.
Idk it stung but I just brushed it off because whatever, right? He's always got a snarky comeback, but lately it's like more pointed. I know I can be a little too on top of things sometimes, but if I don't remind him about Bill's, guess who gets the angry text from Claire?
Spoiler, not him. So, like 30-ish minutes in, I realize I'm basically following him around, picking up after him. And he's just talking to these two guys I barely recognize.
And I overhear him say this thing like, "Oh, Haley's super helpful. Could not keep my place clean if she wasn't around. " Except in his tone, it's not a compliment.
It's like he's laughing at me. I try to brush it off again, but then he starts going off about how he never has to worry about rent being late because someone is basically his accountant made combo. The guys kind of laugh, not really sure if it's funny or not.
I just give him this look and he just winks at me. I go to the kitchen to get another drink, except now I'm annoyed. Here's where it gets worse.
I guess I should say Douglas has always been one of those guys who's joking, but it's actually just mean. Like if I call him out, he'll be like, "Lighten up. It's just a joke.
Why are you so sensitive? " But it's always about stuff I do for him or stuff I forget. And he never lets it go.
He'll remind me about the time I accidentally shrunk his hoodie like it's a running bit. But if I bring up his stuff, it's old news. So yeah, the whole night I'm watching him just get drunker.
And I'm texting my friend Avery under the table like, "Paws, distract me before I throw a chip at his head. " By the time it's IDK, maybe 11. Most people are kind of tipsy, but Douglas is definitely gone.
I try to get him to drink water. He ignores me, starts talking louder like he's performing for the room. Clare comes over and sits next to me and quietly goes, "Is he always like this?
" I just shrug. She looks uncomfortable. I just say, "He's had a rough week.
" Which is the dumbest excuse. His week was not rough. He just forgot his laundry in the washer and now everything smells like mildew.
That's on him. So, at some point, someone starts talking about living with partners and the worst chores. And that's when Douglas decides it's his time to shine.
He stands up holding his drink up like he's making a toast and goes, "Oh, you want to know what it's like living with Haley. She's basically my maid with benefits. Good for scrubbing toilets, paying rent, but way too boring for anything else.
" Yeah, he really said that out loud to the whole group and everyone just freezes. Like I can see Cla's face like, "Did he just say that? " A couple of his friends laugh, but mostly it's that awkward, "Oh god, please don't drag me into this laugh.
" I just stand up. I'm not loud or anything. I just start walking toward the hallway and Douglas, this guy literally grabs my wrist, not hard but enough to stop me.
And he does this thing where he's like, "Oh, look. She's going to leave. Sit down, Haley.
Come on. " And he turns to the group, waving my purse in the air, and says, "Look, guys. " She doesn't even have the guts to walk away.
Pathetic, isn't she? And people actually laugh. Like, not all of them, but enough that I feel my face go hot.
Claire is just staring at the floor. I pull my wrist away. He doesn't let go at first, but I yank it.
Nangle. It was not gentle. And I just stand there for a sec, not sure what to do because I don't want to make it weirder.
But also, I'm not about to cry in front of these people. So, I just sit back down. I take my purse from his hand and just hold it on my lap.
He's still standing there trying to get more laughs, but it's kind of dying out for the next hour. I barely move. I scroll through my phone, pretending to text, but really, I'm just staring at my lock screen.
I'm thinking of all the times I picked up his slack, all the times I covered for his late payments with Clare, all the times I did his dishes because he forgot. And I feel like a total idiot because this is the guy who when we started dating would bring me coffee in bed and say he appreciated me so much. Now I'm just the butt of his maid jokes.
Eventually a couple people come over and sort of awkwardly ask if I'm okay. I just say I'm fine. I'm just tired.
Claire sits next to me and quietly says, "You don't have to stay. " But I just shake my head because I don't want to make a scene. Plus, Douglas is still hovering around the door like he's guarding it.
At some point, he's leaning against the wall, scrolling on his phone, and I see him type something out on Instagram. I know he's probably messaging his group chat about how crazy I'm being. I want to leave so bad, but every time I stand up, he's suddenly in the way.
There's this one point where Clare tries to get past him to let her dog out, and he just ignores her, and keeps blocking the hallway until she literally pushes him out of the way. He stumbles a bit, almost drops his phone, gets mad at her for shoving, but she just tells him to move. I watch all of this and think, "Okay, so it's not just me.
He's just like this, I guess. " He's always got to be the center of attention, and if he feels ignored, he'll drag everyone down with him. It's so obvious.
Now that I'm sitting there actually paying attention the whole night, my phone keeps buzzing. I get texts from Avery asking if I'm okay, and I just say, "It's fine. I'll call her later.
" I get a couple from my mom, too, which is weird because she never texts this late, but she's asking if I'm coming by tomorrow. I almost reply just to have a reason to leave, but I don't want to start anything in front of these people. I know if I leave, he'll make a scene, so I just wait.
Finally, it's like 2:00 a. m. and people are leaving.
I get up, grab my coat, and walk to the door. Douglas is standing there, arms crossed, and he just stares at me. I don't say anything.
I just walk past him. He mutters something under his breath. Couldn't even tell what.
Probably more of the same. I get outside and just stand on the porch for a minute trying to catch my breath. And Clare comes out to give me my charger.
I left it plugged in. She looks at me like she wants to say something, but doesn't. Just tells me to text her about the dryer if it gets worse.
I nod, thank her, and leave the walk home as like 10 minutes. And I spend the whole time replaying everything in my head. I get to our apartment, go straight to bed, and don't say a word to Douglas when he finally comes in, slamming the door behind him.
He doesn't even look at me, just kicks off his shoes and goes to the bathroom. I lie there scrolling through Reddit, typing this out in my notes app so I don't forget anything anyway. That's how my Saturday night went.
And to I'm so mad I'm shaking. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next. But I'm not going to just let this slide.
Part two coming. if anyone actually cares. I just needed to get this out.
Sorry if this is a mess. I'm still so angry. First update.
All right. I didn't think I'd be back this quick, but a bunch of you wanted the next part, and honestly, typing it out is keeping me from screaming at my phone. Plus, I think I'm still too mad to do anything else right now.
Idk. If this is even readable, I'm running on like 4 hours of sleep and a giant iced coffee that is not helping my nerves. Okay, here we go.
So, I woke up after that disaster party, checked my phone, and the notifications were wild. 20 missed calls from Douglas's parents, texts from his mom with all these, "Please call us, are you okay with Douglas? Can we talk messages?
" And even a missed FaceTime from his sister and Gal, I just put my phone on silent and stared at the ceiling for a while. Could not deal. Douglas was snoring on the couch, which is weird because he never sleeps out there unless he's trying to be dramatic, but I guess he passed out after coming home.
I walked past him to get some cereal and he just mumbled something and rolled over the kitchen. Was gross. BTW like there's still solo cups from last week.
Sink full of his dishes. The counter sticky from that time he tried to make homemade margaritas and got sugar everywhere. It honestly looked like someone had thrown a toddler party in there and forgot to clean up.
I just stared at it and thought, I'm the only person who ever does any of this. Every single time. Like I don't even remember the last time he took out the trash without me reminding him.
He always says he's just bad at noticing mess, but somehow he notices when I miss a spot. I sat with my coffee and tried to work out what to do. I could just leave.
I could text Clare and tell her the rent's on him now. I could pack up my stuff and stay at my mom's or Avery's for a few days. But honestly, I want him to feel it.
I want him to actually have to deal with the mess he's made, literally and figuratively. I want him to realize just how much I do because he doesn't. He never has.
And after last night, I'm not in the mood to be the bigger person. I'm petty and I'm proud. So, I started making a list like literally in my notes app.
Every single thing I paid for, every time I covered his half of the rent, every bill I set up, every cleaning supply I bought, every random thing he forgot at the store, so I just picked it up. And the list is long. Like, I scrolled for a solid minute just looking at all the little things.
Toilet paper, paper towels, Swiffer refills, laundry cards, light bulbs, trash bags, that stupid scented candle he likes, literally everything. I even found Venmo receipts from last year when he couldn't access his account. And I covered his share of the internet for 3 months straight.
Never paid me back. Just kept saying, "I'll get it next time. " Right.
The more I went through it, the matter I got. I started taking pictures of stuff around the apartment that was mine. The couch, mine, the TV.
I bought that when I moved in. The plates, the silverware, the microwave, the sheets, literally all mine, except for this ugly lamp he got from his parents and the broken kettle that he swears he's going to fix but never does. I started grouping stuff together mentally, like, "What can I take without needing a U-Haul?
What do I actually care about? What would he even notice is gone. " I texted Avery and asked if I could borrow her car next weekend.
She just sent back a middlefinger emoji and say less. Love her. I ignored Douglas all morning.
He shuffled into the kitchen around noon, looking like absolute death. He made a big show of pouring himself water and rubbing his temples. I just sat there scrolling through my phone, not even pretending to be interested in fixing him breakfast.
Eventually, he tried to make small talk, saying he didn't remember much from last night. I just said, "You said enough. " He looked confused for a second, then got defensive, like, "Oh, come on.
You know, I was kidding. Everyone jokes like that. " I just stared at him and didn't respond.
He got annoyed and went back to the couch my mom called again, asking if I was coming to dinner. She could tell something was up, but I just said I wasn't feeling great. I'd text her later.
She asked if Douglas was coming, and I just laughed. She didn't push, just said to call if I needed anything. Honestly, I should have told her then, but I didn't want to deal with the whole we warned you about him speech.
Parents never let that go. Douglas spent the rest of the afternoon on his phone scrolling Tik Tok and texting his friends. I heard him laugh a couple times, then he got super quiet.
I peeked and saw he was in a group chat with Carson and Andrew, his two ride or die friends from college, and they were talking about how awkward last night was. Someone said Clare looked pissed. Douglas just said she'll get over it.
She always does. I took a screenshot and saved it just in case. Not for blackmail or anything, just IDK, proof that he knows he's an ass.
Around 5, I started packing my stuff. Not everything, just little things. My chargers, my makeup, my favorite hoodie, my headphones, some books, my laptop, stuff he'd never even noticed missing.
I put it all in my bag and put it in my car. He didn't even ask where I was going, just told me to bring back some chips if I stopped at the store. I slammed the door when I left.
I sat in the car for a minute, just breathing, then drove to Avery's to drop off my bag. She didn't ask questions, just handed me a soda and put on some music. Gell, I almost cried, but I didn't.
When I got back, Douglas was playing Xbox, yelling at some kid online about camping and spawn. I went into the bedroom and started looking through the closet. Half the clothes in there are mine, but he always leaves his stuff in a pile on the floor.
I started folding my stuff into a laundry bag. He walked in and asked what I was doing. I just said, "Lundry.
" He shrugged and went back to his game. I made dinner just for myself. He came in and asked where his was.
I told him he could make his own. He actually pouted, like genuinely like a child. I just walked past him and went to my room.
I spent the night texting Clare. I asked her if she was okay after last night and she said she was just embarrassed for everyone. She said she was sorry I had to deal with Douglas and that if I ever needed anything with the apartment to let her know.
I asked if she thought her dad would let Douglas stay if I moved out. She said, "Well, you're not on the lease, are you? Just him.
" I said, "Yeah, just him. " because when we moved in, he said he'd handle the paperwork and never put my name down. Just said it'd be less complicated.
She said, "Then he's responsible for the rent. " I said, "Good to know. " She sent back a thumbs up emoji.
I started to feel a little better next morning. I started moving more of my stuff. Douglas barely noticed.
He was busy arguing with Andrew about fantasy football and complaining about the Wi-Fi. I started unplugging things that were mine and putting them in boxes. I took the router.
I pay for it. the coffee maker, the kitchen knives, my blender, my throw pillows, even the air fryer. I left all his crap.
His old laptop, his gaming chair, his pile of random wires he swears he'll organize someday. I texted Avery to come help me with the big stuff. She pulled up around 2.
We loaded up her car with boxes. He came out and asked what we were doing. I said, "Moving some things.
" He just nodded and went back inside. I left the essentials for the next day. My bed, my dresser, my bathroom stuff.
I figured I'd come back when he was at the gym. He goes every Tuesday at 6:00 like clockwork. Always posts a sweaty mirror selfie on Snapchat.
I texted Clare and told her I'd be out by the weekend. She said, "Just let me know if there are any problems. " I told her I'd leave my keys in the mailbox that night.
Douglas acted like nothing was weird. He asked if I wanted to watch something. I said, "No thanks.
" He pouted again. I almost laughed. He complained about the kitchen being empty.
I said, "Maybe go to the store. " He said, "Why are you being like this? " I said, "You know what you did?
" He rolled his eyes and walked away. I slammed the bathroom door and stayed in there for like 20 minutes. My mom called again.
I finally answered and told her I was moving out. She said, "Oh, honey. " She didn't even sound surprised.
She just said, "Do you need help moving? " I said, "Maybe, but Avery's got it. " She said, "Do you want to stay here for a bit?
" I said, "Maybe, but I think I'll be okay. " She said, "Okay, just let me know. " I almost told her everything, but I didn't.
So, here's where it gets good. Next day, Douglas leaves for the gym at 6:00. I text Avery.
She comes over. We grab the last of my stuff. I leave a note on the counter with a list of everything he owes me for the last year.
Rent, bills, groceries, cleaning supplies, all of it, plus a note. Your turn to pay. Don't forget the toilets.
I put my keys in the mailbox. I take one last look at the apartment. It looks sad.
Endgur in the air, calling me pathetic. I walk out without looking back. I go to Avery's.
She hands me a drink and we watch dumb YouTube videos for hours. My mom texts to say she's proud of me. I don't reply right away.
I just want to be alone for a bit later that night. I get a string of texts from Douglas. He's mad.
Says I blindsided him. Says I'm selfish for leaving him with all the bills. Says he can't believe I do this to him.
I don't reply. He calls me. I ignore it.
He calls again and again. I block him. I block his mom.
I block his sister. I block Andrew and Carson, too, just in case. I text Claire and tell her I'm out.
She says, "Thanks for letting me know. " I ask if Douglas has paid the rent yet. She says, "Not yet.
" I say, "Good luck with that. " So, yeah, that's where I'm at. I'm out.
I'm gone. And I left him with a mess he can't ignore. He always wanted to be the big man, the one in charge, the one who never did anything wrong.
Now he gets to figure out how to clean up after himself. Literally and figuratively. I'm not saying I'm done either.
If he wants to play games, I can play, too. But for now, I'm going to let him stew. Maybe now he'll realize who's actually pathetic.
Let me know if you want more updates. I have a feeling this isn't over yet. Sec update.
Okay, so NGL, I didn't think I'd be posting again this soon, but people keep asking for updates. And honestly, things got messier than even I expected. I also kind of need a place to vent because if I keep yelling at my group chat about it, Avery is going to show up at my door with a bottle and a baseball bat and Idk who she'd hit first, me or Douglas.
So, right after I moved out, I really thought Douglas would just ghost me. Maybe try to trash talk me to his friends and then just deal. But nah, he went full drama mode.
Like, I'm not even out of Avery's car and I get the first angry text and then another and another. All caps, too. He's saying I set him up, that I'm ruining his life, that his parents are freaking out because they thought I was missing.
And now they're calling him non-stop asking what happened. Like, bro, maybe you should have thought of that before you started calling me your maid in a room full of people anyway. I ignore all of it because I'm not about to play into his hands.
Avery keeps telling me to block him and I already did, but he starts using other numbers. Sends me a DM on Insta, then on Facebook, which I haven't checked since last year. I just leave everything unread.
I think he's hoping I'll come back just to shut him up, but nah, not this time. What I didn't expect was how fast his money problems would catch up. Claire texts me maybe 2 days after I left asking if I know when Douglas is going to pay rent.
I just send her a screenshot of his last I'll get it next time text and say not my circus anymore. She just sends back a bunch of laughing emojis and then a yikes. Apparently he told her I'd cover for him if there were any issues which is hilarious because I literally told her I was out.
I guess he really thought I'd keep running his errands from a distance. The group chat drama gets spicy here. So background.
Douglas and I were in a shared chat with a couple of his friends. Andrew, Carson, Gabriella, plus some of their girlfriends, mainly for dumb memes, party invites, and arguing about where to get takeout. I've been quiet in there for ages.
But I decide, you know what? If he's going to try to spin this like I'm the bad guy, I'm not staying quiet. So, I send a message, not in a rage, just facts.
Hey, since Douglas keeps messaging me about abandoning him, here's all the rent receipts. Here's the stuff I paid for. Here's screenshots of his made with benefits joke and his texts about having me trained.
Not trying to start a war, just clearing up the facts. NGL, that chat blew up. Two of the guys try to defend Douglas, saying he was just drunk and didn't mean it.
Gabriella says she always thought he treated me badly, and she's glad I finally left. Andrew tries to say I'm being dramatic, but I just send a pick of the note I left on the counter with the total amount he owes me for the year. Silence for like an hour after that.
Carson eventually messages me privately asking if I'm okay and if I need help moving anything else. I say, "I'm good, but thanks. " And he just says, "Douglas is having a rough time.
" I don't reply. Meanwhile, Clare tells me her dad is now involved because Douglas missed rent for the first time ever and apparently tried to blame me to him, too, which like, good luck. My name's not even on the lease.
Her dad's annoyed and tells Douglas he has one week to pay or he's out. I can almost picture Douglas trying to talk his way out of it. All fake charm, but it's not working this time in regular life.
I'm trying to just keep it moving. I'm at Avery's for a few days, sleeping on her couch, and we're joking about how I should invoice Douglas for maid services. My mom calls every day asking if I'm okay and I keep saying I'm fine, but she keeps offering to bring over groceries or pick me up if I need a break.
I finally go over there for dinner and she makes lasagna and doesn't say I told you so, which is basically her version of a hug. He tries texting Avery asking if she'll talk some sense into me. She sends him a single don't ever text me again and blocks him.
Love her for that. He tries Carson who just leaves him on red. Andrew tries to call me and I let it go to voicemail.
He leaves this rambling message about how Douglas is in a bad place and everyone makes mistakes. I just delete it. I'm not interested in being guilted into fixing his problems.
So yeah, the social pressure is actually working. People aren't buying his poor me act. Clare says her dad is over it and ready to start showing the place to new people if Douglas can't pay the rent by Friday.
That's like 3 days away. I'm not going to lie, I get a little satisfaction out of that. I mean, for over a year, I've been the one quietly handling everything, cleaning up, paying bills, apologizing to Clare for late payments, covering for him with his parents.
Now, he has to answer for it all himself, and he's flailing. The best part is there are real consequences. Clare's dad isn't mean about it, just business.
He says if Douglas doesn't pay, he's got to leave. I hear from Carson that Douglas is trying to borrow money from everyone, but nobody wants to lend him anything because they all know he won't pay it back. Even Andrew, who's usually his number one hype man, says he's got bills, too.
Gabriella tells me she's sorry it took her so long to notice how he treated me. I just tell her it's fine. I'm good now.
I get a text from Douglas's mom from a random number since I blocked her main one, asking if I'll help Douglas out just this once for old times sake. She says he's really struggling and doesn't know how to keep up with everything. I just text back.
I'm not his maid. She never replies. Oh, and this is petty, but I'm not sorry.
A couple days after I left, I went back to the apartment with Clare. She let me in to grab the last of my stuff, a box of books and my old blender. Douglas never used, but insisted on keeping just in case.
He was there, and he tried to argue with me, saying I ruined his life and that I didn't have to make it public. I just said, "You did that yourself. " He tried to get in my way, standing in the hallway and refusing to move, so I pushed past him.
He slammed his door behind me. Clare just rolled her eyes and said, "He's not your problem anymore. " I took my stuff and left.
So, idk. I feel like I'm finally seeing how much of his attitude was just entitlement. Like, he genuinely believed I'd always cover for him, clean up after him, pay his bills, and just laugh off his jokes.
He used to say I was good at keeping things together, but really, he just didn't want to do any of it. And when he got called out, he tried to make me look like the villain. Now, he's stuck.
He has no one to blame but himself. And every time he tries to make me the bad guy, it just backfires. People are starting to see through the act.
Even his parents who used to call me for every little thing. Haley, did you remind Douglas to call his grandma? Haley, did Douglas find his insurance card?
Are realizing they can't guilt me into fixing it. I'm not being mean, just done. If anything else wild happens, I'll update.
But tbh, I think this is finally the start of him dealing with his own mess. And if you're reading this and you're the Haley in your relationship, trust me, you don't owe anyone your sanity or your credit score. I guess that's it for now, unless he tries something else, which honestly would not surprise me at all.
Last update. All right, so this is probably going to be my last update for a while unless something else truly wild happens because NGL, I'm exhausted and I need to finally get on with my own stuff. But I promised a final wrap-up.
And honestly, this one is a lot. So, if you're still reading, thank you for the support, the DMs, the girl same comments, all of it. I'm seriously not used to random internet strangers rooting for me.
So, it's weirdly nice. So, after the last post, I was mostly just waiting to see if Douglas would actually pay his rent or if he'd get kicked out. And Tub H.
I genuinely didn't think he'd go down without some last pathetic move. I wasn't wrong. But before all that, let me just start with the weirdest part, his parents.
So, the morning after I left for good, I still had those 20 missed calls stacked up from his mom, dad, even his sister on her old number IDK. I kept ignoring them and NGL. It got to the point where I started feeling a little petty for not even texting back.
I'm alive. Leave me alone. But then around noon, my phone starts blowing up again.
Same numbers, but now with long voicemails, his mom all frantic, asking me to just talk to her, saying Douglas is in bad shape, that he hasn't eaten and can't sleep, and that he's never been like this before. I listen to like half a message, roll my eyes, and just delete and yell, "I'm not cold-hearted, but I'm not his mediator anymore. I'm not his parent, not his therapist, not his maid.
The next thing, and this is the part that really just makes me want to flip a table, is she starts texting my mom. Like, my actual mom. I guess she still had her number from that one time they met at a holiday thing.
I only found out because my mom called me and was like, "Uh, is everything okay? " Douglas's mom says he can't pay rent and he needs you to come back and talk some sense into him. My mom just sounded tired, like she was expecting me to say I was getting back together with him, but I told her straight up, "Nope, I'm done.
He's on his own. Please don't answer her anymore. " She just said, "Okay.
" And asked if I needed her to bring over groceries. So Douglas keeps calling. Now he's switching between mad and sad.
Like one second it's you ruined my life. The next it's I'm sorry, come back. I'll change.
I ignore every single call. He tries new numbers, even tries to FaceTime me. I block everything.
It's honestly like whack-a-ole. Avery keeps laughing about it. Says I should start charging him by the call.
Meanwhile, Clare texts me that her dad finally gave Douglas the official notice. He's got to be out by Friday if he can't pay. Apparently, he tried to get an extension by saying his ex sabotaged him.
Clare's dad just said, "It's not my business. Pay or move. " So, Douglas tries to guilt everyone else.
Carson texts me that Douglas tried to borrow money from him, saying I stole his stuff. Nope. I literally only took what was mine and left the rest, receipts and all.
Gabriella messages me saying Douglas DM'd her asking if she'd vouch for him if Clare's dad asked about payment history. She just sent him a gift of someone laughing and Gull that made my night. The only person who doesn't seem to be taking sides is Andrew, but that's just because he hates drama, not because he's neutral.
He texts me, says he doesn't want to get involved, which is basically his motto for life. So by Thursday, Clare texts me that Douglas is full panic mode. He's behind on everything, rent, internet, probably even his random subscriptions.
I still get emails about his old food box service, which not my problem. I guess he tried to call Cla's dad again. And when that didn't work, he called his mom, who then called me again.
This time, I pick up mostly because I'm so annoyed. She starts in with a whole, "Please, Haley, I know he messed up, but he's so lost without you. He's not good at handling life stuff.
You know how he is. " I just said, "Sorry, I'm not part of this anymore. You need to talk to your son, not me.
" She starts crying a little, which is awkward, and I just say goodbye and hang up. I think the real reason Douglas treats people like this is because he's always gotten away with it. Like, his parents baby him.
His friends either ignore it or laugh it off. And I was just the latest person to pick up the slack. He gets loud when he's embarrassed.
Jokes when he's nervous, and when that doesn't work, he just expects someone else to come fix things. I mean, I kind of knew he was lazy, but I never saw just how much he depended on people cleaning up after him until I stopped doing it. So anyway, Friday comes.
I'm at my new place, which is honestly a shoe box, but at least it's mine. Eating leftover noodles, and I get a text from Claire. Just a thumbs up, and he's out.
Apparently, Douglas didn't pay, didn't pack up half his stuff, just left it there. Claire's dad said he could come get the rest if he wanted, but the locks are changed, and he's not living there anymore. I ask if he made a scene.
She just says he cried a little, slammed the door, and left. I almost feel bad for a second, but then I remember how he acted at that party and I'm just nah. I don't.
And get this. He tries to show up at my new place. Like literally knocks on the door.
I hear it and peek out the window, see him standing there with his hoodie pulled up and holding a grocery bag. I don't open the door. I text Avery, who's actually in the next building over, and she comes out, stands on the sidewalk, just stares at him until he leaves.
He doesn't even try to talk to her, just walks off. Avery texts me. Dude is lost.
I block his number again just in case. Next day, I get a letter in my mailbox. It's from Douglas, handwritten, which is wild.
He never writes anything unless he has to. It's like three paragraphs of apologies, excuses, begging for another chance, saying he can't do this alone, that he didn't mean any of it, blah blah. He even says he'll pay me back for everything if I just come back.
I rip it up and toss it, not even tempted to reply. So that's it, I guess. Douglas is out.
I'm out. Claire's family is already cleaning the apartment for new tenants. His parents tried everything, even called my mom again.
She just ignores them now. Gabriella says Douglas is couch surfing at Andrew's place, but Andrew isn't loving it and is probably going to kick him out soon. Carson's still neutral, but he texted me that Douglas is talking about moving back in with his parents.
I'm honestly just glad I'm not the one cleaning up after him anymore. next time someone calls me boring, I'll just laugh and move on because honestly, I'd rather be boring and free than stuck picking up after some guy who thinks he's the main character. So, yeah, thanks for reading my unhinged saga.
If you're ever in a situation where you're doing all the work and someone treats you like the help, don't wait for a big epiphany. Just start packing. You'll be shocked how fast the trash takes itself out.
And no, I never called his parents back. Not my circus. Not my monkeys.
If Douglas wants to get his life together, he can start by learning how to do laundry. or at least how to pay his own damn rent. That's all for now.
Maybe next time I'll write about something fun.