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AIBU?

AIBU or is she? housemate-related, long.

42 replies

MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 13:22

This is half-rant, half-please help me understand why she is doing this and what I should do.

I'm at uni, living in a shared house with my boyfriend, a couple of friends I made last year off my course - not my best friends, but I'd say fairly good mates. I was friends with him first - call him T - and then we both became friends with her - call her P - later in the year. In March, T and P started going out. And there are a couple of other housemates in the house who were strangers at first, but we get on pretty well with them.

T is very quiet, not shy but likes his own company, laid back and easy going. P is the absolute opposite; she is loud and can seem a bit 'self-important' at times - I thought it was just par for the course with the nature of our degree, but it's above and beyond anyone else. However it was easy to deal with last year.

This year, everything has changed completely. She has become a nightmare to live with and to be around, to the point where I stay in our room most of the time.

My boyfriend and I decided to share a room, to keep the rent costs down (turns out to be a very good idea in hindsight). On viewing the house, the LL asked what room we'd like - we asked for one of the bigger ones downstairs, as it had more room for our things. The LL contacted them when the tenancy was agreed, said that we were having one of the larger rooms downstairs - she told them that we'd changed our minds and wanted the smaller upstairs room, because she wanted her and T to have the bigger rooms downstairs next door to each other. Ok, they want separate rooms, fair enough - but they lied to the LL and told her we wanted the smallest room in the house to share?

We overlooked it, made the best of it, somehow got all our stuff in there and are living there now. In August I found out I was pregnant, waited until 12 weeks before telling people etc, and things went from bad to worse. I didn't talk about it much but every time someone brought it up when she was around, she'd say "Well I was pregnant once", leading everyone to ask what happened, and she'd say "I was responsible and got rid of it". OK, getting pregnant at my age isn't the most responsible thing to have done, but it took me ages to decide against abortion and I spent weeks wondering if I'd done the right thing, so her comment hurt.

She is what I saw referred to on a thread the other day as a 'topper' - everything that is wrong with you, she has something much worse. My boyfriend works until quite late at night, a physical job on top of full-time uni. She asked how he was one morning, he just said "Oh, a bit tired", and she turned around and snapped "YOU'RE tired? You should try doing my job!". She spent two weeks working three hours an afternoon in a call centre, before the job finished. My lecturer was chatting to me about the pregnancy the other day when she butted in and spoke for fifteen minutes about a friend who'd been pregnant - every time the lecturer asked me something and I answered, she'd 'top' it in some way.

There's all the usual 'perks' of living in shared accommodation too - she does a lot of baking but never washes up, 'borrows' food from the cupboard with no intention to replace, uses our utensils but if we borrow hers, we have to show deep neverending gratitude - but she's so hypocritical with it all. She and T went away for a weekend, leaving all of the saucepans etc in the house dirty on the side, along with all the baking things she'd been using. I sent her a text asking if it was hers, and she sent a moody one back saying "Yes but we're away for the weekend and I was too exhausted from uni to clean before we left". I'm doing exactly the same course as her, trying not to use the pregnancy excuse but by this point I was 25 weeks and beginning to struggle a bit, and it doesn't stop me cleaning up.

Fine, people get tired, we did their washing up because we needed plates and cutlery. Last week we had a dash into hospital with complications, I had to stay in, and OH was with me 9am-9pm and then straight out to work. When we got back the next day, there was a really nasty message from her about how T's mum had been 'forced' to do our washing up because we hadn't done it - even though we'd informed people that I was in hospital. This was the same day as she criticised me to all my friends on the course because I emailed the lecturers and texted my mum when I knew I was going to have to stay in, because it meant missing lectures the next day and well why wouldn't I text my mum? But I didn't let her know straight away, and she had to find out with the rest of my friends the next morning poor thing Hmm my boyfriend thinks it's because she wanted to be the one telling everyone, looking like she was involved, and also because she's 'jealous of the attention I was getting'. I don't understand people like this Sad I'd much rather be pain and complication-free and have no-one thinking about me! Thankfully my friends told her where to go but it hurt when I found out.

I could write a book about other things she's done but I need to stop there because I've already written way too much. I'm struggling to understand what I'm doing wrong, because I seem to be constantly annoying her. I've tried to get as much info in there as possible because I don't want to dripfeed, but if there is anything I've left out, sorry Blush that turned into more of a rant, but I'm just wondering how to deal with her - I'm going to have to see her for at least the next year and a half of uni, anyway! - and whether I'm doing something wrong here?

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Rommell · 26/02/2014 21:26

Tbh she sounds like a very unhappy person (I know that's a bit of a cliche but she really does). You're pregnant, you're happy with your boyfriend, you'll both be moving on soon. She, on the other hand, sounds like she was under some pressure to terminate her pregnancy, may have mixed feelings about doing so and is insecure and unhappy with her boyfriend. I know that none of that is your problem, but it may help to you realise that how she is acting towards you has little to do with you yourself and lots to do with how she is finding life which your life is throwing into sharp relief. So, basically, I wouldn't take it personally. Be pleasant, as you would to an acquaintance in the SU, but don't get drawn into anything either positive or negative, and cross the days off on your calendar. Pretty soon you'll be all overwhelmed with new-baby love and life and trust me she will be just a distant memory.

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AlpacaPicnic · 26/02/2014 20:54

Tbh I would practice your serene smile and have lots of alone time away from her.

She does sound incredibly jealous - not just of your baby but your relationship with your mum and your bf. Of course you would tell your mum that you were in hospital, not her... Any reasonable person would know this!

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hiccupgirl · 26/02/2014 20:27

Once the baby is here and you're not having to put up with her all the time you won't care about her believe me....she just won't be as important in your life anymore. And soon she will be nothing but an entertaining story from uni days.

I had the flat mate who seemed like a normal person till we moved in together for our final year. She constantly made snide remarks about how awful all men were when my bf was over, through hissy fits if there was any washing up left out by anyone other than her, spent loads of money on cleaning stuff without asking anyone and then demanded the money back and lots of other things. I moved out after 8 weeks and she didn't speak to me again for the rest of the course. The world didn't end.

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Driveway · 26/02/2014 20:15

It probably seems like forever but you will just have to get through the nine weeks and put it behind you! You don't want next year to be awful and awkward. She sounds really really annoying!

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pinkyredrose · 26/02/2014 19:55

Well chin up, not long now till you're out of there.

You'll have your lovely little baby and all this crap will fade into history.

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pinkyredrose · 26/02/2014 19:53

Aaaaaarrrrggghhhhhh.

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 26/02/2014 16:16

I saw no (lighthearted) in your post!! It cannot possibly have been lighthearted Grin

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pinkyredrose · 26/02/2014 10:21

I was trying to be lighthearted, sheesh!

my boyfriend studies History Grin

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parkin2010 · 25/02/2014 20:15

She is very very jealous of you. If you are nice though (as you sound) you will never understand this and will not understand why she is behaving in this way. 9 weeks feels ages but in the grand scheme of things is nothing. In a years time she will just be a distant memory. Keep plodding on, and best of luck with the new baby. X

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 19:48

Pinky if it's any consolation, my boyfriend studies History? Not sure what us being drama students has to do with it though - we aren't all overdramatic idiots people, and nor do we all want to be 'famous actors'.

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pinkyredrose · 25/02/2014 19:35

Well it's obvious you're all drama students that's all I can say.

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 18:30

I hear what you're saying about envying the pregnancy etc and I think you're both probably right Sad I've tried to be as sensitive as possible about it anyway as SIL is TTC so I haven't been singing it from the rooftops - my friends aren't so subtle though so I can imagine it must be hurting to have it kind of thrown in her face every day.

I hope she does calm down because I want to be able to work with her and at least be civil to her, because I still get along great with her boyfriend (but that's an issue of contention because she thinks we flirt with each other, then again she thinks everyone flirts with him Confused ) and I don't want the drama of a massive falling out! Sometimes it feels like she does though.

I knew I'd meet people like this doing an acting degree but I've learned my lesson now about living with them Grin

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ReputableBiscuit · 25/02/2014 18:18

sounds like her mum pressured her to have an abortion, and now she envies you.

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LastOneDancing · 25/02/2014 18:09

Just a thought - and not your fault at all - but if she really was 'pregnant once' and didn't continue it, she might be going through a fairly uncomfortable time watching you bloom & have the excitement (stress!!) of an imminent new baby. Maybe it brings back some painful memories which she's dealing with by being a dick.

This in no way excuses her weirdness towards you or her entitled behaviour but who knows, she might calm down when you're living apart.

Good luck with everything OP!

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WitchWay · 25/02/2014 17:54

Urgh shared houses! As a student I rented with my then boyfriend - we had the biggest room - a close female friend, a bloke we all knew slightly & his mate. It was awful. I suspect we (me & bf) were insufferable as we were in luuurrvve & having lots of loud sex, I fell out with the other girl for a while but we made it up, the other bloke was just a pain & his friend had the worst BO I've ever smelt - he never washed his clothes but left his sweaty heavy rock t-shirts to "air" on his radiator - grim - he also left pale, floating & unflushable turds in the loo resulting from his diet of pure lard.

Shock

Glad it's not for much longer & I'd love to be a fly on the wall when she realises about the lack of godmotherhood!

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 16:42

But that's the thing is I thought if there were any issues, they'd possibly come from them being a couple and us being a couple... but we've not had any particularly couple-y related fall-outs, unless I'm missing something Hmm

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whois · 25/02/2014 16:32

Well it all sounds like a nightmare, but pretty much everyone has a nightmare house mate at uni story!

You become better at choosing housemates as you go on, prioritising clean and quiet people over fun friends.

It sounds a bit of a messy situation anyway, a house with two couples. No way would I have shared with a couple at uni.

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 16:00

Finance The other housemates bring their own share of drama, trust me! The atmosphere in the house to everyone else is very amicable, apparently - my friends have commented that you wouldn't know there's housemate wars happening Grin and I get on well with the other housemates - she doesn't.

sorry, drip-feeding again but we had discussed it before when we first found the house, and it was agreed that we'd be having one of the bigger rooms as we were sharing.

We paid a fair bit extra to rent it as a couple so it wasn't like two people paying one person's share of rent, and all bills were included in rent with no need to pay council tax as we're all students.

The other housemates are all couples too - including T and P, they just chose not to share a room because they hadn't been together very long. The only one who was on his own has now apparently moved his girlfriend in without telling the landlord or paying any extra.

It was all agreed and then P went behind our backs to the landlord and asked to have the two biggest rooms.

We didn't really have much of an option until now - it was either halls or shared housing, and I'll be honest after this year I wish I'd gone back to halls! Shock

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Financeprincess · 25/02/2014 15:40

Most people you share houses with when you are young are bastards, that's a rule of life!

Actually, it's the other housemates - not you, your BF, T or P - that I feel sorriest for. Imagine putting up with all that drama!

Maybe T and P thought it was a bit off for you to tell the landlord that you and your BF were having the big room without discussing it with the others, and perhaps they thought that your plan to pay rent for one room only when there are two of you was a potential problem? I've known people do this then claim that they are only one person for the purposes of bills and council tax, too.

You should also know that shared houses including a couple can be very difficult to live in.

Shared houses, especially the larger kind, are a recipe for disaster. Move out. As others have noted, you will find out on this in a few years. I certainly have!

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lottie82 · 25/02/2014 14:37

she does sound a nightmare, I have a few good stories as well after house sharing for 9 years. the fact is, once someone starts getting on your nerves like this, IMO it will just get worse, never better.

try to keep yourself to yourself until you move out, and congrats on the pregnancy!

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aturtlenamedmack · 25/02/2014 14:18

Hi op,
I don't have any real practical advice for you but just wanted to say that she sounds like a nightmare and a massive drain on your emotional energy, which you need for more important things at the moment!
I was pregnant with ds in quite similar circumstances and I really sympathise.
If you find yourself stuck re your housing situation, don't be afraid to go to the council for help.
It may also be worth seeking some advice (possibly from your students union) about housing and also check to see whether your uni has a maternity/hardship fund if you are struggling with the cost of moving or anything else to do with your pregnancy.
Hope everything goes well for you and the wee one!

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Cariad007 · 25/02/2014 14:12

I'm not usually an advocate of violence but I don't know how you've lasted so long without slapping her OP! What a dreadfully shallow and selfish person she sounds. She is heading for a very lonely life if she doesn't change her behaviour.

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mistlethrush · 25/02/2014 14:08

One of my housemates spent most of our year together telling one of the others that she was 'going to hell'... and she meant it too.. Grin

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MoominIsWaitingToMeetHerMiniMe · 25/02/2014 14:04

Thanks everyone. The thought of not having to think about her other than when swapping crazy housemate stories is something I'm really looking forwards to! I am dreading the fall-out when she finds out she isn't being made godparent, apparently she thinks it's guaranteed Confused

We probably will have to work on projects together as it's a very practical acting degree, but I'm lucky in having very close friends on the course who feel the same way about her as I do! And my boyfriend feels exactly the same too (many of us have a suspicion that her boyfriend can't stand her - he's just too scared to tell her, as he is very much under her thumb, and her family are the sort to pile on the pressure too. Apparently her mum told her to make it perfectly clear to me that she thinks I'm a bad influence on her daughter for getting pregnant young and keeping the baby - at first I didn't believe her but I saw her just before Christmas and her dad was still perfectly pleasant, her mum glared at me the entire time!

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HermioneWeasley · 25/02/2014 14:02

I dine out on my crazy housemate stories 20 years on. Make notes and savour the experience!

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