AITA for blanking the girl who accused me of assaulting her?

I (23F), live in the midwest. I'm an out lesbian. This situation happened about three years ago. Im a bass player in a band, but in 2022 I was in a practice space in this building that a lot of local musicians rehearse at, with some other guys, all are straight, and this girl - Lana (23F).

Lana and I would flirt sometimes, she's queer, but came from a super religious bg and she had a long term boyfriend. I matched with her on hinge, asked her about it, but she was pretty vague. Anyway - it's spring we're all getting pretty faded. We meet the guys at a beer garden. Lana and I walk together. We're being handsy - hugging each other as we walk, holding hands, shoving each other into things, flirting etc.

Her and I are the only girls, eventually she invites a few of us back to hers so we're watching old movies on her sofas, I share a sofa with her, we're cuddling under a blanket sort of spooning. I run my hand up and down her thigh and let it rest at her knee. I go to the kitchen to get water, but when I come back she had moved to sit on the floor. I feel guilty like I had misread the sit, so I sit and drink my water. I ggo to leave but she says I can stay over if I want. I don't reply, get some of my things but she offers again. I say OK. She invites me to her room to stay in her bed with her. Takes off her pants and I do too, we cuddle and fall asleep.

The next day Lana is in my arms texting her BOYFRIEND. I'm confused, spiralling about touching her thigh. I bring it up she says 'why did you do that'. I apologise saying I thought I was picking up a vibe. She says it was friend vibes. I felt ashamed, so instead of challenging her I just said sorry again and that I hoped she didn't think I was a creep. A few days pass and I text her again to apologise for misreading the vibe.

The next time I'm in our building, all of the guys are weird with me. I start freaking out and spiralling. One of them eventually takes me aside and says that Lana told everyone that I s**ually assaulted her. That she was crying, that she always thought I had a 'thing' for her and that I begged her not to tell anyone in our building. I was having a breakdown. I asked this guy to ask her if we could speak but she said no. I moved out of the building.

I felt like my life imploded. My whole life was in that space, I'd been there since I was 17 and I started to believe I was a predator. I wanted to take my own life. I started going to therapy at the behest of my stepmom and she (thank god) helped me work through it and realise that wasn't what happened.

So flash forward three years - I'm still in the city and I'm in a band with a bunch of other queer people, I have a girlfriend of 11 months who is amazing, and great friends. However, Lana is still on the scene. She is in a new band now too. She makes it a point to come up to my band and talk to every one of my bandmates except for me. It infuriates me. I feel like she nearly ruined my life so I just ignore her. AITA?

Posted Aug 13, 2025, 11:30 PM UTC · locked

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