Woman Boots Stepsister from Birthday Trip After Group Chat Texts Are Exposed

Shared to Reddit's infamous AITA ("Am I the A--hole") forum, the story saw OP (a.k.a. the "original poster") explain how a group trip for her own birthday eventually sparked serious drama with her stepsister --  before it bled into the rest of their friend group.

Read on to see the full story and how Redditors reacted.

"I (19F) am the daughter of separated parents, and my father's new wife has a daughter, Sophie (18F)," wrote OP, setting the scene. "Last year my friends and I, including my best friend, May (20F), Debby (20F), and another 4 girls, decided to go on a trip for to celebrate my birthday."

OP said her father asked her to invite Sophie along as well, which she noted she did even though the two don't "have a close relationship." The trip, she said, "was one of the best of my life" -- though she thought her friend May seemed "a little down" throughout the getaway. "I asked what was wrong and she said she was fine, just a little tired, so I believed her," added OP.

The vacation was so fun, they all agreed they'd try to repeat it the following year. But, when the time came, Debby showed OP "prints from a group chat" she wasn't part of, with timestamps lining up with the trip. In them, Sophie was apparently "talking bad about May and calling her names, like 'Whale,' 'Fat bitch' and other cruel things." May, she noted, is plus-size.

"I spoke to May and she confirmed that during the trip, Sophie was completely unpleasant to her, always commenting on her body and her personality, for no apparent reason," said OP. "But she didn't say anything, so as not to ruin the vibe of the trip party, and to not create tension between me and my father's side of the family, and after the trip, she ended up forgetting about [it] completely."

OP said she then told Sophie she "knew everything," claiming her stepsister "turned pale when she saw the prints I had." The woman said she then "basically kicked [Sophie] out of the trip and told her I didn't want to see her again."

Then came an unexpected reaction from her other friends.

"Now, the other girls in the group, apart from Debby and May, are saying that I was an a-hole for kicking Sophie out for something so insignificant, and that if Sophie doesn't go, neither will they," she concluded, before asking, "Am I an a-hole for kicking her out?"

Redditors overwhelmingly supported OP, earning the post an official "Not the A-hole" label. In the comments, many applauded OP for standing up for May and criticized both her stepsister and her other friends for their stances.

"NTA. Go with May and Debby and have a great time. Leave the mean girls behind now they've shown their true colours," read the most popular response.

Another wrote, "OP, For the record, May is a keeper and a true friend. She put up with a lot from Sophie so as not to ruin your trip. She is not a drama queen and neither is Debby. These are friends you can trust and depend on."

Others wanted to know how OP's father felt about the situation, with the woman revealing his reaction in the replies.

"Initially, he seemed quite neutral in the situation and didn't seem to want to get involved in our fight, but two days ago we had dinner together and he spent the time talking about how Sophie was very sad about not going on the trip, that she really wanted to be there, spending my birthday with me, etc, and that I should rethink the matter, as this situation was creating unnecessary drama with his family," she shared.

She added, "And when we were leaving, he told me that 'I shouldn't put outsiders in front of my family' referring to me protecting May (An 'Outsider') instead of my stepsister, which hurt me a lot, because he knows very well that May is practically a sister to me and Sophie and I don't even share blood or were close."

Many called Sophie a "bully," while adding that those who backed out in support of one "aren't the kind of people you want as friends anyway."

There were some who wanted to know why there was a group chat without OP in the first place, with OP explaining Sophie started it so she could introduce herself to the other girls on the trip. She added that while Debby initially believed some of the trash talk OP's stepsister said about May, she eventually realized she was actually a "very sweet and generous person" when they worked together on a college project.

What do you think?