A woman says she spent $150 on Christmas gifts for her best friend of 14 years, then received a used notebook with 3 pages torn out

A woman ended a 14-year friendship after a Christmas gift exchange left her feeling undervalued. Hailey, who shares stories on TikTok as @haileypeters, posted a video detailing how she spent $150 on presents for her friend only to receive a used, damaged notebook in return. The video has reached millions of views and thousands of comments.

As reported by the Daily Dot, the two had been planning this exchange since September. Hailey spent a lot of time at her friend’s house during those months. Hailey recalls seeing a tree in her friend’s room filled with gifts for other people, her cat, and her dog. When the day of the exchange finally arrived, Hailey felt excited to give her friend the items she had purchased. She did not need an equal monetary return, but she hoped for some level of thoughtfulness.

When the moment for the exchange arrived, her friend told her the gift was in the other room. Hailey waited for ten minutes, assuming her friend had prepared something special. The friend eventually returned with a dirty white notebook.

The first three pages of the notebook were reportedly torn out

Hailey initially thought her friend might have written something meaningful inside. The friend explained the gift was for her because she liked writing. Hailey says this was confusing because she does not enjoy writing and has never expressed an interest in it. She prefers reading.

The state of the notebook made the situation worse. Hailey noticed the first three pages were torn out. The only text inside was a note that said, “Love you, Merry Christmas.” Hailey initially thought she was being pranked given their long history and the number of other gifts sitting under the tree. She realized the lack of effort reflected a wider issue in their dynamic.

“It’s not the gift, it’s like the principle of like, effort and friendship and stuff. And that wasn’t the first time she was lacking in a friendship. Like, it was, obviously I cared more and so I’m done. That was it. Like, that was the end of a fourteen-year friendship,” Hailey says.

Many people on TikTok related to her story and shared their own experiences with one-sided relationships. One user noted, “Sometimes you can be someone’s best friend but they aren’t yours.” The comment section became a place for others to vent about similar disappointments.

One person shared a story about a partner who received a PS5 for Christmas in 2020 while providing nothing in return. “I got my BF of 5 years a PS5 in 2020 on Christmas Day & he didn’t get me anything. Nothing. We lived together. That was it for me.” 

Another user described the frustration of being excluded from a planned event. “I had friends plan a gift exchange and call me an hour before asking where I was bc they changed the time and didn’t tell me…so I sobbed and didn’t go,” the commenter said. 

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify her best friend’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Hailey’s TikTok video.