I lied to my pick-me "friend" and she got a tattoo based off of it

AITA For Lying About My Tattoo Idea So A Petty “Friend” Would Copy The Wrong Design?

When a mean-spirited “friend” kept trying to compete with her and even copied her tattoo idea, this woman decided to serve a little poetic justice — and two years later, it finally paid off.

The OP (25F) met Peggy (25F, fake name) through mutual friends. From the start, she got bad vibes — Peggy gave backhanded compliments and tried to one-up everyone. Still, OP gave her the benefit of the doubt and invited her to a game night. Huge mistake.

The Game Night Disaster That Started It All

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During a drunken game of Sardines, Peggy “pretended” to fall and shoved OP’s head into a shelf — then bragged about it. Later, during a round of Kings Cup, she loudly called OP out for being divorced, trying to shame her in front of everyone.

For the next six months, every time a mutual friend named Mark (28M) was around — tall, funny, kind, basically catnip for Peggy’s type — she went out of her way to embarrass OP. The petty rivalry escalated until Peggy found a new way to one-up her: stealing her tattoo idea.

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The Tattoo Trap

OP had been planning a dragon tattoo for over a year — something deeply meaningful that incorporated her late mother’s favorite flowers. When Peggy overheard her talking about it, she started asking suspiciously specific questions: where, what kind, and why.

That’s when OP decided to lie. She told Peggy she was getting a Spirited Away-inspired tattoo of Haku the dragon wrapping around her arm — even though her real design was completely different.

“She had never seen the movie before, so I encouraged her to check it out. I didn’t think she’d actually do it.”

But two weeks later, Peggy proudly revealed a massive new tattoo — the exact one OP had made up. A huge Haku dragon wrapped around her arm, straight from OP’s fake description.

“She probably thought I was upset she took it from me. I just went home switching between guilt and hysterical laughter.”

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Two Years Later… Sweet, Tattooed Karma

Two years later, OP finally found out the truth: a mutual friend who had gone with Peggy to the tattoo appointment confirmed she’d done it purely to upset OP. Word for word, Peggy told the artist, “She’s going to be so upset — this is like the exact tattoo she wanted.”

But OP never wanted that tattoo. She just made it up — and now Peggy is permanently branded with someone else’s fake design.

OP admits she felt a little bad for lying… but mostly amused that Peggy was that desperate to compete. “It’s been two years, and I’m still alternating between guilt and laughter,” she wrote.

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Reddit was in stitches over this one — most commenters agreed that Peggy got exactly what she deserved.

“You didn’t lie — you gave her the chance to prove how ridiculous she is.”

“Imagine being so jealous that you tattoo someone else’s lie on your skin forever.”

“That’s not petty revenge. That’s an artful masterpiece.”

The verdict was unanimous: OP wasn’t the asshole. She simply gave Peggy enough rope — or in this case, enough ink — to embarrass herself permanently.

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🌱 Final Thoughts

Sometimes the best revenge is letting people expose themselves. OP didn’t plan to humiliate Peggy — but Peggy’s need to compete made her do it anyway. And now, the only thing permanent about their friendship… is the tattoo.

What do you think?
Was OP wrong to lie, or did Peggy bring it on herself? Share your thoughts below 👇

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