I’m a 27-year-old guy and I’ve been part of the same tight friend group since college—about eight of us in total. But two people in the group, Susan and Greg, have a reputation: they’re complete freeloaders.
Anytime we go out, they order the most expensive items on the menu, then start talking about how “money is tight,” and somehow the bill magically gets split so everyone else ends up covering a big chunk of their meal.
Last weekend, my friend Dan invited me to a casual dinner. I told him straight up that if Susan or Greg were going, I wasn’t interested. Dan admitted they’d be there, but asked me to come anyway and “just put it aside for once.” Against my better judgment, I agreed.
We meet up—only six people actually showed—and everyone starts ordering. Most of the group chose normal meals around $40. Then Susan and Greg order these ridiculous dishes… around $200 each.
When it was my turn, everyone looked at me like I was about to order food too. Instead, I pointed to a $4 Miller Lite and told the waiter that was all. Dan asked why I wasn’t getting anything, and I just said I’d lost my appetite. After that, two other friends stood up, canceled their food orders, and decided to just get drinks as well.
When the food arrived, Susan and Greg barely even touched their meals. Then the check came.
Greg immediately tried to play the usual game—he waved the waiter over and asked to split the bill six ways. That’s when I stood up and corrected him: “No, split it three ways.”
Greg looked confused and asked why, since we “always” split evenly. I reminded him that three of us hadn’t eaten any food—so we were only paying for our drinks. Suddenly, the math wasn’t working in their favor anymore.
In the end, Dan—who’d only eaten about $50 worth of food—was left holding a $146.98 bill. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw the total.
I slid $10 toward the check to cover my drink, said goodbye, and walked out.
The next morning, my phone was packed with messages. Susan and Greg were furious, calling me an AH for “not ordering food” and making them pay more than they expected. Meanwhile, Dan messaged me saying I should’ve just stayed home instead of pulling a stunt that got him stuck with an outrageous bill.
For context: where I live (Australia), most places don’t do separate checks, and at this restaurant the bar bill is separate anyway. Dan could’ve asked Susan and Greg to transfer him the money—but he’s always been the type to “help” them through their so-called money problems, even when they’re obviously taking advantage.
Honestly? Maybe it was petty. But I’m tired of being forced to play along while they use everyone like an ATM.
