AITA for not making my friends birthday dessert?
My friend Star (25F) has been having a special dinner party for her birthday for the last few years. The very first year, I (26F) made her a fancy birthday dessert that everybody loved. The next year, I was going to surprise her with another fancy birthday dessert, but another friend, Moon (25F) “called it” before I could say anything. This year, I told Star a few months in advance that I wanted to make her special birthday dessert again this year and she approved. Well Star called me a few weeks ago and told me that other people are making some other smaller desserts like cookies and cake pops and requested I do not make anything at all out of fear there will be too many desserts. Well her party is coming up now and Moon texted us that she will be making a cake again this year. On top of that, Star sent a sign up sheet with blank spaces next to some of the food AND desserts. So I signed up for a dessert but texted Star to double check that she still wanted them since Moon is making a cake now and reminded Star that she told me she was worried there would be too much dessert. So first of all, I’m conflicted because Star told me not to make anything at all but then sends a sign up sheet. And second of all, Star replied and told me to not make the desserts I signed up for because Moon is really adamant and excited about wanting to make the cake. So I’m feeling slighted because Star is sparing my feelings to accommodate Moon. I’m also just hurt in general because I have been wanting to make the special dessert two years in a row now and am getting slighted again. If she never wanted me to make anything at all she should have just said so.
So am I the asshole for being upset that I can’t make Stars special birthday dessert?
For additional context, I did move a few hours away from my hometown when these special birthday dinners started. I was renting but this year just bought a house. I also am working full time and started going back to school for my masters degree. It’s a lot all at once. So I thought maybe Star didn’t want to burden me with baking anything but after sending the sign up sheet I’m feeling conflicted.
Since moving away, I have put in a lot of effort to show up for things, host parties at my parents house in my hometown where my friends live so they don’t have to drive hours to visit me, bring decorations and food to other parties and more. But I enjoy doing those things as a labor of love to still prove my efforts to maintain my relationships that are strained by distance. I don’t think I have ever made my friends feel like it’s a burden to do those things but I guess i dont know.
Posted Sep 11, 2026, 3:33 PM UTC