I (26M) live with my roommate (24M). Two weeks ago, I left my HP Envy laptop on the kitchen counter while making lunch. When I came back 20 minutes later, he was using it for a Twitch stream without asking. Worse, he’d left his iced coffee (with extra caramel drizzle ) right next to it.
Of course, he knocked the drink over. The keyboard shorted out, and the repair shop said it’ll cost $250 to fix (yes, I got the receipt ). When I asked him to pay half, he said:
It was an accident! Why do you keep your laptop in the kitchen anyway?’
Meanwhile, he’s posting Instagram stories from his weekend trip to Cancun , bragging about his self-care splurge’.
I started password-locking my laptop and keeping it in my room. Yesterday, he yelled at me:
‘You’re so paranoid! I just wanted to check Discord!’
Our mutual friends are split:
– Team Me: He’s irresponsible! He once “borrowed” my gaming headset and broke it!’
– Team Him :You’re too uptight. It’s just a laptop!’
AITA for not trusting him anymore?
Bonus Drama: He still has my favorite hoodie that he ‘borrowed’ 6 months ago. When I asked for it back, he said: ‘Relax, it’s just Nike!’
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I (26M) live with my roommate (24M). Two weeks ago, I left my HP Envy laptop on the kitchen counter while making lunch. When I came back 20 minutes later, he was using it for a Twitch stream without asking. Worse, he’d left his iced coffee (with extra caramel drizzle ) right next to it.
Of course, he knocked the drink over. The keyboard shorted out, and the repair shop said it’ll cost $250 to fix (yes, I got the receipt ). When I asked him to pay half, he said:
It was an accident! Why do you keep your laptop in the kitchen anyway?’
Meanwhile, he’s posting Instagram stories from his weekend trip to Cancun , bragging about his self-care splurge’.
I started password-locking my laptop and keeping it in my room. Yesterday, he yelled at me:
‘You’re so paranoid! I just wanted to check Discord!’
Our mutual friends are split:
AITA for not trusting him anymore?
Bonus Drama: He still has my favorite hoodie that he ‘borrowed’ 6 months ago. When I asked for it back, he said: ‘Relax, it’s just Nike!’
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> (1) The action I took was password-locking my laptop and refusing to let my roommate use it after he damaged it by spilling coffee while using it without permission.
(2) I might be the asshole because locking the laptop could be seen as overly distrustful, especially since he claims he “just wanted to check Discord.” Additionally, some friends argue I’m being too rigid by not giving him another chance, even though he has a history of damaging borrowed items (e.g., breaking a gaming headset and keeping my hoodie for months).
Why I might be wrong:
By not openly addressing his pattern of irresponsibility earlier or setting clearer boundaries, I may have escalated the conflict instead of resolving it collaboratively. Locking the laptop without further communication could come across as passive-aggressive, especially if he genuinely believed his use was harmless.
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA he’s a terrible roommate. Tell him he owes you $250 and that’s the price of you ever trusting him again. If he doesn’t want to pay up he gets to deal with the no trust and you never letting him use anything of yours ever again.
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Breaking a glass is something you overlook, breaking an expensive laptop is something to take seriously, NTA.
I did not even bother reading it. Just the title shows that you’re not.
NTA. Why doesn’t an adult have his own laptop?
This guy belongs on entitled people! No one who’s not grossly entitled or criminally insane uses your laptop and spills something shorting the keyboard, refuses to pay, then is trying to use it AGAIN?! Why does he not have his own laptop? If he can go to Mexico, he can buy a laptop.
NTA – he should not be using your laptop in the first place
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Who borrows someone else’s laptop without asking? That’s AH behavior even if he didn’t ruin it. Its a computer, not a coffee pot or fridge.
INFO: are you genuinely unsure if trying to protect someone expensive you paid for from damage is an assh thing to do?
NTA, why would he enter your laptop????, if he did the mistake he has to respond to the consequences and worse if he have the money just don¿t want to pay
NTA start locking up everything of yours. Take your hoodie back even if you have to go into his room to get it.
Find a new room mate. This guy is an a-hole
NTA- He is a huge AH and seems like a delusional child. He tried to downplay his role in directly causing the damage to your laptop. You were even nice enough to not make him pay all the of the cost for something he did. Screw him, keep your laptop locked. If it’s “just a laptop” then he can get himself one.
NTA
He is a dick.
NTA, except maybe to yourself for living with this leech. Let team him loan out their stuff to this waste of space. You should also be locking your room so he doesn’t “borrow” anything else.
You need a new roommate.
NTA. I wouldn’t even ask for Nike jumper back. Just go through his room and grab it. When he sees his clothes rummaged through, say, “You go through my things without asking, well I’m not asking again for my jumper, so relax”
NTA. I saw the pricelist for the aforementioned model. If anything, I would ask for reimbursement for the whole repair, and I would even put in a laptop bag and lock it more, showing passive aggressiveness.
Then smack both yer room mate and that friend of yours a dm with the pic, yes i am uptight!
Holy shit. No, nobody uses my laptop, that’s got a lot of personal shit on it. It stays locked.
Nta: this guy has no respect for your belongings. Get your hoodie back, keep your laptop locked and don’t let him borrow anything.
He sees no value in your things and feels entitled to use them because. Don’t worry about what your friends say or think, they are not the ones having to pay for the laptop that he damaged. I guarantee that if it happened to anyone of them, they would feel the same way you do. You made a decision that works for you and your best interests, his comments mean nothing. You could be petty and treat him in the exact same way that he treats you and your things just to see how he likes it but, that would make you no better than him. I would demand my clothes back and make it clear that he is never to “borrow” or use your things again.
Trust your decision, NTA.
What ever happened to hitting people in these situations?
Screw that guy and give him a spartan kick then rip the money for your laptop from his wallet and tell him to stay out of your room or next time it will be his ass that pays for any repairs.
Tell team roommates that it costs the price of the repair to take that position. Otherwise they’re ahs too
Your roommate is a bad person. He stole your laptop, Brooke your laptop, stole your hoodie and won’t make any of it right. NTA – completely unacceptable behavior
If all of your things are so inconsequential, then they can just not touch them.
Are you seriously this much of a doormat? He took your computer and spilled coffee on it. Of course you only asked for half of which he paid zero. Why wouldn’t you lock him out. Anyone that supports him is not your friend. You’re an adult which means thinking for yourself. I hope this is fake
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Everyone should be locking their computers when they are not using them. It’s the minimum of basic security. Imagine sometime walked in and took it, do you want them being able to access everything that you have open and every password you’ve stored in your browsers?
NTA. Make him pay for the damage he caused. ALL of it, don’t split it. And absolutely insist.
NTA. Anyone claiming you’re too uptight over your laptop being damage isn’t and likely never was your friend OP. They’re enablers for your mooching roommate.
Yeah nta at all. He’s just feeling entitled to your stuff for some odd reason. He broke your stuff, so he is now not allowed to use your stuff. Broke it WITHOUT EVEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION mind you, and then tried to use it again without asking you and that’s why he got upset.
This post screams ChatGPT
Lock all your stuff in your bedroom
This guy is actually just a thief. Tell your friends who take his side you’re gonna start taking their things for him to use like they are his and see if they like that idea. Also drop him and all your lousy friends that defend him.