AITA for refusing to "fulfill a promise" I made to an autistic person?
At sixteen, she navigates a friendship that feels unbalanced, tethered by proximity and shared moments rather than true understanding.
Ben, her autistic neighbor, is a puzzle of joyful gaming sessions and unpredictable meltdowns, a boy whose world she only glimpses from the edge.
When he confides in her about Sarah, the girl he likes, a fragile connection sparks—one marked by his unexpected request for her simple dolphin necklace.
What seemed like a casual refusal now hangs heavy, revealing the silent complexities of a bond neither fully embraces nor completely rejects.
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The user, a 16-year-old girl, is caught in a difficult situation stemming from a misunderstood request for a personal item.
She initially dismissed her autistic neighbor's request for her necklace as a joke, but he interpreted it as a genuine agreement.
This conflict escalated when she refused to hand it over, leading to a public meltdown and pressure from both families who believe she should comply due to the initial, albeit sarcastic, agreement.
Was the user wrong to refuse to give away a personal item, even if the agreement was based on a severe miscommunication rooted in her friend's autism, or were the parents justified in forcing compliance to protect the neighbor's emotional s**bility?
Where does personal ownership end and social responsibility to accommodate a friend's disability begin?
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What started as a simple post quickly turned into a wildfire of opinions, with users chiming in from all sides.