'AITA for laughing at a girl singing karaoke?' 'This is her main character moment.'
"AITA for laughing at a girl singing karaoke?"
So last weekend my (25F) boyfriend (27M) went out for a friend's birthday to a karaoke place. Important to note it was one of the ones where you rent out a private booth, you can order food and drink there and there’s one karaoke machine for everyone to take turns singing, but most the time it’s just everyone singing at once.
It was a really good night, there were six of us in total and between us we all got relatively hammered. The song options they had were pretty limited to anything from the 80’s to the early 2010s and no one was taking super seriously.
One of the girls who we were with (I’ll call her Emma) has a crush on my boyfriend. They never dated and my boyfriend is (up until this story) clueless of her feelings. He doesn’t have a lot of confidence, is pretty shy and struggles at reading a room so has never really been able to tell at all despite how obvious Emma makes it.
Now it’s Emma's turn to sing and like I said, all tipsy at least. She starts singing Taylor Swifts You Belong With Me (for anyone who doesn’t know the title basically implies what the song is about: your girlfriend sucks and I’ve always loved you).
At first we all started singing along with her but the more serious and intense it got the less people were laughing and joining in and just staring at me, as if to see what I would do. And I didn’t do anything, I smiled and clapped at the end. Who cares?
This is her Rachel Berry, main character moment and it wasn’t really hurting anyone. My boyfriend looked mortified, I’ve never seen him look like he wanted to be swallowed by the ground more than in that moment. I figured this would be nothing more than a “I told you so” moment in the taxi ride home.
The awkwardness eases somewhat until it’s Emma’s turn again. She gets up and sings at my boyfriend again. The. Same. Song. We’re all just staring at her, dumbfounded. Meanwhile she’s staring at my boyfriend who’s holding my hand so tightly as though he’s afraid he’s going to float away.
It’s so tense and weird and I can’t help it, I laugh. Not a belly laugh but a quick loud “HA” before instantly clapping my hand over my mouth. Emma storms out mid song, one of our friends follows her and we get a text saying they’re not coming back to the party.
It’s been almost a week and I got a text last night in the group chat calling me a bully and a mean girl for laughing, not by Emma, but the friend who followed her out. But I don’t know if I am. Tbh I think I deserve a damn medal for sitting through the first song without saying anything.
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
BeMandalorTomad said:
If one of my friends was actively making a play for my significant other in front of me, laughing would be the kindest response possible, even if it was as cringey as this. Totally heartless toward you, totally tone deaf where your boyfriend is concerned, but truly and utterly cruel. At the heart of the matter, this person is trying to tell your boyfriend to leave you and be with them. NTA, not by a long shot.
Beginning-Credit6621 said:
NTA considering how wildly inappropriate Emma's behavior was, extra points for the Rachel Berry reference. Hasn't this whole scenario been an actual scene in a different show, though?
Just about any other circumstances, laughing at someone doing karaoke is maximum-penalty AH - it shatters the delicate trust that everyone in the room relies on to sing freely without fear of ridicule. Yeah, your laugh was the final nail in the coffin for that party, but Emma's Swift reprise had killed it for you and your partner anyway, so you get a pass.
susi_sa_ref said:
NTA. Emma is the mean one for ruining the happy atmosphere of the birthday celebration. If I were you, I'd respond to the friend along these lines "You must have felt the secondhand embarrassment for you to say that.
You are basically acknowledging how Emma's behavior that day weirded us out. Don't even pretend you didn't know Emma's intentions in doing that. If she disrespects me and makes my boyfriend uncomfortable, I'll give the same energy."
Apart-Ad-6518 said:
NTA. "It’s so tense and weird and I can’t help it, I laugh." The best response to have in the circumstances. "I got a text last night in the group chat calling me a bully and a mean girl for laughing." What else were you supposed to do?
Key-Veterinarian7061 said:
NTA. You did alright. Singing the same song twice is super weird and intentional. I don't see how anyone would view you as the AH here.
Annatolia said:
NTA- Girl, I aspire to have your level of patience and grace! And laughing was probably the best response you could have given, considering your so-called friend ruined the party by being weird as hell and disrespectful of your relationship. I'm unsure of what her friend is smoking, but you definitely are not in the wrong here.