If your life is a story, you’re obviously the main character. But aside from your family and friends, who would the other characters be? What role would the people who cross your path play? Further, what kind of role have you played in those other people’s lives?
People don’t often have an issue with remembering those who have slighted, angered, hurt, or betrayed them, whether it was a major, life-altering event or a minor altercation. What’s a lot rarer and more difficult is being able to recognize—let alone admit—when we are the ones in the wrong. It’s an interesting thought: Sometimes our role in a story isn’t as the protagonist, but as the villain.
There are some people willing to accept this, such as these Reddit users who recently shared stories about the times they were the bad guy in someone else’s story.
Don't forget to check the comment section below the article for more interesting stories!
#42 Trying Too Hard To Get A Drink
I saw an open spot at a very crowded bar and thought “SWEET!” I went to go order and right when I got the bartender’s attention I heard, “Excuse me?” I looked down and I was leaning over the head of a guy in a wheelchair, hence the open space at the bar. Drunk me didn't put it together and said, “Hey, what's up?” Then I put my order in. When I sobered I realized what a horrible thing I'd done. My heart is pounding just typing this up.
#41 A Not-So-Special Birthday
A year ago today I was interviewing for a job. I was in the lobby making small talk with the receptionist. It was her birthday and also happened to be my friend's birthday. She told me what she was doing for her birthday. I don't remember exactly, but her boyfriend was taking her to dinner. I piped in with, "My friend's husband is taking her to the beach for the weekend."
Huge mistake. I immediately noticed a change in her posture. She hated me instantly. She has hated me ever since. I have always been nice to her, and have no idea how to change the situation. I wish I could. I get that I was an unintentional one-upper at that moment. I've always even been avoiding anything that might seem braggadocios around her.
I was the devil for a day, one year ago today. Been paying for it since.
#40 Playing A Little Too Rough
I once broke my friend's neck playing recess football. It was a complete accident and I felt horrible, but that didn't help him not have to wear a neck brace and sleep in an upright position for two months.
That's how I remember it anyway, it was a long time ago.
#39 Stepping In With Social Services
I reported a (former) friend to social services for neglecting her toddler.
I knew she was having a hard time—she was a single teen mother—but she shouted at her son a lot. However, alarm bells really started ringing after I turned up at her place one morning. The kid was wandering about alone in a room full of broken booze bottles, rotten food, overfilling ashtrays, and dozens of filled diapers. She was nowhere to be seen, and it later became apparent that she was in her bedroom with some random guy. Even though she knew I was there, she didn't appear. So, I cleaned the room to make it safe and played with him until she finally got up. Then I took my leave and got straight in contact with the right people.
I later found out the kid was placed with his father and grandmother. I probably really messed up her life but I have no regrets.
#38 Chad, Destroyer of Betas
I went to a show by some emo cover band and I ended up at the front by the stage and talked/danced with this pretty cute girl who popped up next to me. After a while, I decided to ask for her number. I gave her my phone and as this happens a guy comes from the crowd with a drink for her. I find out shortly after that he invited her to this show, but she didn't realize it was meant as a date.
She takes the drink then gives me her number right in front of the guy, pretty much ignoring him. At that moment I become Chad, Destroyer of Betas.
We go somewhere quieter in the venue and flirt for a bit. I feel bad for the dude having been in that situation before, and tell her she should clarify that she's not interested. They go off and have an uncomfortable conversation which is probably for the best as she said she was never going to be into him. But yeah, he probably sees me as the bad guy and I don't blame him.
#37 Derailing A Political Campaign
A local politician reneged on a promise he had made me. I got mad so I started plotting to throw him off the board he was on. It took me about a year but I successfully isolated him and removed him from power. He didn't even see it coming, he was too busy laying the groundwork to run for mayor. It's been four years and he still won't look at me in the supermarket.
#36 Too Young To Settle
Probably when I broke up with my girlfriend that I started dating in high school. We had made some plans about me going into the military or joining the police force so I could provide for us once we got married. Then I was like, "yeah, I don't want to do any of that, I'm 19" and I left. She was pregnant by another man less than a year later.
#35 Haunted By Playground Cruelty
It happened in 5th grade and it still makes me feel bad. I had become rather popular in school. I had a group of friends and most of the other boys wanted to be in our circle. There was this other kid named Trevor. He kept trying to be friends with us and hang around with us. He wasn't that bad but he just didn't know how to react to things. He was always over the top or super talkative when something happened. I finally got tired of him and said something along the lines of, "Hey, no one wants you around." It was during some event and most of the grade heard it and he pretty much got shunned.
We ended up moving an hour away for my Dad's work before the end of the year. I still feel terrible about it. I never really found out what happened to him. I am not sure if I made him an outcast for more than that year, but I did at least make him an outcast for a few months. I just didn't want him bothering us but I took it too far. I was a bad guy that day. I've gone out of my way several times since then to try to make up for it, even if it doesn't have a huge impact. I am sorry Trevor.
#34 Mistress Made A Fool
I pursued my ex who had a girlfriend because he led me to believe that he was breaking up with her, and was sexting me. He ended up not breaking up with her, and when word got out about me and him, he told everyone that I was crazy and obsessed with him and trying to sabotage his relationship. He made no mention of the fact that he was the one who was trying to sext me. So I guess I'm the crazy ex-girlfriend in his narrative. And his current girlfriend's.
#33 Foul Ball On The Beach
In Mexico, I was on the beach and see a ball come flying at me. I thought I saw one of the kids in the ocean yelling at me to kick it back. I blasted that ball way into the ocean, overshooting the kid who asked for it. Turns out it was someone else's ball, who was actually on the beach. It literally looked like I picked up their ball and just kicked it away into the ocean. The look on their faces said it all.
#32 Cycling In The Snow
We hired a guy for my department at work. Turns out he has no driver's license and has to ride his bike to and from work every day. In the summer this was no big deal but not so much when winter comes. Then he moved to a new apartment farther away and out past where I lived. I gave him a ride home every once in a while but told him that he needed to get his license back because I would not get up earlier to drive away from work to pick him up. Winter came and he was still riding his bike and asked me for a ride in the morning. I was the bad guy for telling him no.
#31 The Bearer Of Bad News
I'm a college admissions counselor. I get to tell a lot of prospective students and their families that they've been denied to the university. I've been doing this for years and it still gets really awkward when they cry.
The College Solution
#30 Not The Way To Make Friends
I was at a rush event in college and ran into a friend I knew in middle school. We were talking and catching up and there was a girl bothering him and just shamelessly hitting on him. It could have been the overly masculine atmosphere or the many 40s I drank that night, but something made me tap him on the shoulder and say, “Dude, you can do better.” To which he replied, “That’s my girlfriend." Then my face went cold and I ran away.
It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever done. Every time I’d see him around for the rest of college I’d avoid him like the plague.
#29 Post-Divorce Manipulation
The person I dated directly after my divorce. I didn't realize how much trauma I was still dealing with, and how manipulative it had made me.
#28 Ghosting Out Of Necessity
The guy I ghosted. After he kissed me, it turns out this insane girl liked him (like actually insane, the kind who would get banned from school for carrying a weapon). She came to my house and threatened my mom saying she was going to hurt her.
I wish I could let him know I was sorry, I just was trying to keep my family's safety in mind. Thankfully he's married now!
VideoBlocks
#27 Scaring Away Rugby Recruits
I said once during orientation to three freshmen how rugby can be pretty scary since I got knocked out once, and people are still quoting me saying how scary rugby is. The rugby team blames me for their lack of new members.
#26 Partying Versus Praying
I was probably the bad guy in my freshman roommate's story. The guy was super religious, straight edge, and worked super hard but still was getting mediocre grades. I was partying all the time, stumbling into our room blackout regularly, threw up on his bed with him in it one time, and still was doing way better in school than him.
#25 The Evil Stepmother
I am the evil stepmother. So, technically, "bad girl" instead of "bad guy". I was 23 when I entered my stepson's life. He was 12. Super annoying, but most 12-year-olds are. In retrospect, I did a lot of things wrong trying to help guide him through some very tumultuous teenage years, but it was always with the best of intentions. Seventeen years later, he still resents me for wrecking his life, nevermind his conscious adult choices to commit multiple felonies and end up in prison. I will go to my grave regretting our (lack of) relationship.
#24 Chipping Away At Her Confidence
When I was a teenager I made “friends” with a girl who liked me and liked to tell me all her problems. Being the screwed up teenager I was, I always told her that stuff was her fault and if everyone said those bad things about her they were probably true. I definitely messed up her confidence.
BUT we stopped talking eventually and she got really good at gymnastics and turned into a happy, confident, and successful person.
Once I got a little older I realized how terrible I was for manipulating her and made changes to start being a better person. In the end, everything worked out pretty well once I completely cut off contact with her.
#23 Sensibly Throwing Shoes
I was the bad guy to my entire class from 1st grade through 5th grade. I got bullied by this one kid I’ll call Colton. Colton here used to call me names and stuff, but I had a huge anger issue, so, like any sensible child, I would take off my shoes and throw them at the kid calling me names. These names weren’t even like the usual “Fatty” or some berating words. Nah, I’d get mad at just different versions of my name. Really stupid looking back. Also, I had a terrible aim, so I didn’t hit Colton too often, but, my other classmates got a face full of shoes more often than he did.
So, sorry people I went to elementary school with. I hope I’m not as bad now.
#22 Scarring Story Of Stealing Mailboxes
When I was 15 years old I went out with my girlfriend in her car with a couple of buddies. We thought it would be fun to steal some mailboxes and drink some beers. My friend and I thought it would be a good idea for me to drive, although I had not gotten my license yet, because it would be easier for us to get out of the Mustang together to rip off mailboxes. We got about three mailboxes before I tried to cross a highway and pulled out in front of a car. Both cars were totaled and my girlfriend got cut up from flying glass. She wound up with scars on her neck and hands from this. Naturally, her parents forbade me from having contact with her and the relationship ended soon after. When someone asks about her scars I am pretty sure her story starts with something like “Well, there was this jerk I dated in high school...”
#21 The Tortuous Substitute Teacher
I'm a substitute teacher.
I'm basically the bad guy to a classroom full of kids anytime the lesson plans don't include the word, "movie".
#20 A Rendezvous With His Roommate's Girlfriend
I slept with my roommate’s girlfriend. To be fair, I had been on the island for about a week, had not met my roommate yet, and had an attractive girl seduce me to her room after a 12-hour shift pulling evening watch. I only came to find out later when I bragged about it to some buddies that it was my roommate's girlfriend.
The Independent
#19 Her Price Wasn't Right
In the last round of contestants row on The Price is Right, I bid $1 higher than the contestant before me who had just got called up, thus eliminating her chance to win out of the row. The death stare was legendarily hilarious.
#18 A Dislocation On The Slopes
I collided with this giant German kid while skiing once. He was younger than me but like a foot taller. Somehow I was fine and his shoulder was dislocated. It was totally my fault and I'm sure it put a bit of a damper on the rest of his vacation in Canada.
#17 Called Out For Cheating In Coach
I once shared a plane with a girl who was making out with the guy in the seat next to her. It turns out her boyfriend was waiting at arrivals when we landed. I told him and got a lot of abuse and denials until Plane Guy chimed in. Then Plane Guy, the boyfriend, and I had a bro huddle and hashed out what happened between us while Shouty McKissyFace was trying to muscle in and save her relationship. I don't know what happened to them in the end, but I doubt I was the good guy in their minds. I felt I did the right thing though, so yay for morals!
Fox News
#16 A Proposal Gone Bad
I broke up with my first college girlfriend after about six months of dating when she proposed to me during our art appreciation class.
We still had class together so she made a big deal about how she was coming out as a lesbian and later when we started learning about theater, she made her project a play about how I cheated on and lied to her.
Lipstiq
#15 Buying And Evicting
I bought a house recently for a fantastic deal. The catch was that it came with an awful tenant in it. Today I evicted him and his wife/kid. I was not enjoyable, but he took it well I think.
Avvo
#14 Connecting The Dots
Once I was playing connect four with my friend. He put two tiles in and I said, “not the first time you cheated!” He and his wife are getting divorced now.
#13 Being A Bully In Burger King
A few friends and I were in a burger king at a window seat. It was really dark outside so I could only see the reflection. I was making faces at a friend when a woman came in shouting at me for making faces at a disabled person. I tried to explain, but she wasn't having any of it. She ended up punching my friend for laughing when I did it... But yeah I was making retarded faces at a retarded person without realizing it.
Washington Post
#12 The Drunken Disstrack
I made a diss track about my classmate in college and another one for my crush's boyfriend while I was drunk. My friends recorded me and my shenanigans. Although for me it was just a joke, it ended up looking like something real, so, yeah.
#11 Pocketing The Pizza Delivery Man's Money
When my husband was a teenager he paid $50 to a pizza delivery guy to drive him from a music festival back to his campsite. While they were driving the pizza delivery guy was telling him how he was saving up money so he could buy a better car than what he had, because his car was such a piece of crap. When he went to get fuel, my husband noticed a big wad of money in the console. About $600 worth. He ended up stealing the money, getting a lift back to the campground, and paying the delivery driver with his own $50.
Toopanda
#10 Tearing Up The Dance Floor And Dress
I stepped on the wedding dress during the reception. There was an audible tear and visible tears.
#9 Flooded With Regret
I was going on a date after a big rain. As we were driving, I didn’t notice a pretty big puddle and drove through it kind of fast. It created a huge tidal wave that hit all the people standing at a bus stop.
#8 An Morally Unwarranted Arrest
I arrested a single mother after a desk supervisor found out she let her kids walk to school by themselves—on a military base about two blocks from the school. Rules were rules to him. More to the story, but we let her go after my patrol supervisor found out.
#7 The Facebook Reveal
A few years ago, a buddy of mine asked me out of the blue how I knew this one girl. Turns out, the girl he was asking about was his first fiance who cheated on him 15 years ago.
And guess what... I was the guy she was with. Back when it happened, she didn't tell me about him, so I was totally in the clear. Still felt kinda scummy though.
The power of Facebook, man.
#6 Call Centre Woes
I work in a call center for an insurance company. So you know, I'm always the bad guy to customers...
It's my fault for raising rates in Florida for absolutely no good reason. It's not like cars are more expensive, medical care has gotten more expensive, and the state, in general, is sinking into the freaking ocean...
It's my fault for not making sure Marsha paid her bills on time. And it's in no way her fault that she never checked her balance statements because her account was set to auto-pay.
Sigh.
#5 Sorry For Ruining Your Wedding
I went to my friend's wedding, but before I continue with that story, here's some important context:
I left my best friend to live with a guy in Los Angeles. Soon after, my relationship with the guy ended abruptly and I had to fly home to the East coast just two days before her wedding. Long story short, I showed up at her wedding, uninvited and beyond tipsy.
I didn’t interrupt her ceremony, but when cocktail hour came, I completely lost it. I locked myself in the country club bathroom and was sobbing and screaming. I was in there for hours and refused to come out, so they broke down the door and about four guys had to drag me out. I was sent to the hospital that night.
Fast forward to today and I’m still in recovery. I’m also on medication... but my best friend has officially cut me out of her life, even after I apologized.
#4 It's Mr. Steal Yo Girl
When we were 15, my best friend told me he fancied this girl at a party we were at. She started coming on to me and we ended up getting together, much to the despair of my best friend. Terrible move on my part.
Anyway, fast forward 12 years and I'm engaged to the same girl. My best friend, on the other hand, got pneumonia whilst traveling in Norway and died alone.
#3 The Blame Game Regret
I totally blamed the weird kid when I vandalized a seventh-grade classroom, and he ended up getting suspended.
#2 Words Will Always Hurt Me
I was a stupid kid back then and I hung out with a lot of the bullies in my grade. One day in Algebra class, they're all in a group talking badly about some of the larger women in our grade. I chime in. I name drop one of my female friends into the conversation, not realizing she's just five feet away from me.
As we're leaving class at the end of the day, she's bawling her eyes out and I'm clearly confused as to what happened to her. Then our mutual friend comes up to me with a death glare and simply repeats what I said.
I will never live this day down and it always reminds me to watch what I say.
#1 No Bro Code
I stole my friend's girlfriend when he cheated on her.
I told her that he was cheating on her, so she broke up with him. About a month later she asked me out. We have been together for a little over a year now.
He no longer talks to me. I know bro code says to cover for him no matter what but, I didn't care. People deserve to know when they are being cheated on.
