The famous Grease song says, “There are worst things I could do”, but this doesn’t apply to people in these stories. Whether their intentions were good, bad, or ugly, the results were utterly catastrophic. Let’s take a deep dive into the deepest, darkest places of the human soul.
1. Relax, It Was Just A Phone Call
Once upon a time, when my sister and I shared a home, I was the one with the mobile phone while she had none. Consequently, she relied on my device to stay connected with her friends. Initially, I didn't mind sharing, but her friend's incessant calls gradually became unbearable.
She would ring up a dozen times or more in a day, seeking my sister. Honestly? It was starting to bug me. One particular day, my sister and I were in the kitchen preparing a meal when my phone buzzed. As soon as I saw the caller ID and recognized her friend’s name, I reached my breaking point. I lashed out at my sister.
"Good heavens, I wish she would stop breathing so that she'd quit pestering me with these constant calls."
I can never erase those words from memory because, shockingly, that was the call informing my sister that her friend had just perished in a car crash. Her mother dialed all the numbers her daughter frequently contacted to break the tragic news...
Even now, reminiscing about that moment makes me feel extremely guilty.
2. At Least I Brought It Back
My busted PlayStation got swapped with the one from the kid next door. While he was away eating dinner, I dashed to my place and made the switch before he returned. He later rang my home, wondering if his PlayStation had any issues while he was gone. I pretended as if I had no idea what he was talking about.
Overwhelmed with guilt, I found another chance that same weekend to trade them back. I felt a slight relief when I heard his elated voice on the phone, thrilled that his PlayStation "miraculously repaired" itself. Ah, the wicked antics of my mischievous 12 year-old self.
3. I Owe You A Phone
While I was in university, I went to a residential bash with some buddies of mine. Roughly three hours in, I observed everyone gravitating towards the backyard. Curious, I trailed after them and found out that my mates had run into trouble with some other guys.
As I came closer, I overheard a lass exclaim, "This is absurd! I'm contacting the police!" I glanced at her, noticing her slightly off state, and said, "You've had a few. You're slurring your speech. Allow me to handle this."
She extended her phone towards me, which I promptly tossed as far as I could, then hollered at my pals, "Hey, it's high time we skedaddle!" And just like that, we vanished into the night. To this day, I feel a twinge of guilt about the phone fling incident, but then again, I did solve the crisis on hand.
4. Leave A Message After The Beep, Or Not
Once when I was in college, I had these two girlfriends who figured out my voicemail password. Secretly, and quite mischievously, they recorded a fun, flirty message, switching back and forth, saying, "We apologize, Zid's a bit busy at the moment. Please leave a message. If he behaves, we might just let him return your call."
The funniest part? About two weeks passed before I discovered this little prank, thanks to my deeply religious mom...
5. A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
A high school girl started spreading rumors that I had vandalized her house by throwing eggs and became romantically involved with her boyfriend.
In truth, I hadn't taken part in the egging. It seems like she had made a ton of other rivals besides me. To be honest, I wasn't surprised. Furthermore, there was no truth to the gossip about me being with her rather unappealing boyfriend, not even the faintest interest from my side.
Initially, all this drama was just irritating. However, as more people started making snide remarks, and even threatened to get revenge by egging my house, it became intolerable. The last straw was someone making a snarky comment on the rumor at my workplace, right while I was in the middle of my shift.
Fed up with all the accusations, I decided to retaliate by actually egging her house and engaging with her boyfriend. After all, if I was going to bear the brunt of these false claims, she might as well be held accountable for sparking them.
6. That’s Gross
So, I was working this delivery gig for a local food delivery service, similar to GrubHub. You know, bringing pizza and pasta right to people's doors. Well, while hopping out of my not-so-clean Jeep Wrangler, the pasta order tumbled out and scattered across the vehicle's messy floor.
A more respectable move would have been to return to the restaurant, swallow the $10 loss, and get a fresh order. But, not me. Instead, I swept up the pasta, brushed off the grime and bits of random fluff, and packed it right back into its container. Yup, then went on to deliver it to the unsuspecting customers.
Man, it didn't take long before they fired me—I mean, it was literally two hours later. Ever since that day, my buddies can't resist calling me "Pasta Fingers". Thanks, guys.
7. Girls In Uniforms
Back in my youth, I was cruising down a major city avenue with a pal the day following a massive downpour. At a traffic light, our attention was drawn to a gaggle of boisterous high school girls, clad in distinctive private school uniforms, waiting for their bus at a bus stop.
Right in front of them was this gigantic puddle, impossible to miss. It was like demon mischief took hold of me right then...I made a quick roundabout at the next intersection, drove a few blocks back, and then sped past those girls as the traffic light turned green, steering my vintage 1970 Chevelle straight into that gigantic puddle.
It turns out, the puddle was deceptively full. A torrent of muddy water soaked those unsuspecting girls from head to foot. Presently, as a 48-year-old father, I can see the foolishness of my actions then. But in that moment, my friend and I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as the girls shrieked and hurled expletives our way.
MAHATHIR MOHD YASIN , Shutterstock
8. Blame It On The Wheelchair
Before we dive in, it's worth noting that I indulged in a lot of Taco Bell just before bedtime, the night before the funeral. I couldn't keep track of all the food items, but, surely, there was a burrito supreme among them.
Now, let's rewind a bit. There was this much-anticipated annual trip to Chicago that was meant for people in my field. However, around the same time, the grandma of my on-and-off-again ex-girlfriend passed away.
My ex wasn't the warmest person, but I offered to skip the trip and stand by her during this difficult time. And that's when things started to get rather...complicated.
Fast forward to the morning after Taco Bell. I woke up with an ungodly amount of gas that didn't seem like it would dissipate. You know when it's going to be one of those bad ones. We were staying with her relatives, who lived in a comparatively small house with lots of family members, meaning there was no place vacant enough to vent.
So, the gas remained in me, churning. We got ready and headed to the viewing, and luckily the gas appeared to calm down...but it wasn't gone by any means. As the family members started to engage in conversations with each other, I saw a golden opportunity to expel at least a part of this, let's call it Cinematic Disaster, lurking in me.
It seemed perfect. Some respite, finally! So, I stayed put as everyone moved away and let it rip. I was well aware it would be silent. However, I had underestimated the aftermath.
It was as if the temperature and humidity in that room spiked. The odor was thick, strong, and unpleasant. It could have easily been blamed on a dog or a dog-human mix. Soon, the family started to pick up on the smell, followed by others who were close by. As they began tracking down the source, my heart sank.
Normally, I'm a chill person. And in addition to that, I was exhausted that day. I may not be an actor, but my basic survival instinct kicked in to avoid getting the blame for that infernal stink. I played it cool, denied all responsibility, and somehow managed to sidestep the blame. But the ensuing incident puts me in the hall of shame.
Soon after the disaster, a wheelchair-bound man entered the gather up. Someone in the family suggested that he might be the culprit, and I, maintaining a poker face, played along by saying, "Yeah, I didn't pick up on the smell until he arrived".
I could say that I feel guilty, but honestly, I chuckle every time I recall my ex's mother trying to rationalize the smell by saying, "I wonder if he accidently rolled his wheels over something".
Call me the shmuck that I am, please.
9. Never-Ending Purchases
This may not be the worst thing ever, but I feel some regret about it now. Here's my story from back when I was attending trade school. The snack, soda, and energy drink vending machines accepted cards, which was pretty handy.
The drill was, you swipe your card, punch in the codes for your desired items, and finally, finalize end-to-end purchase. But the tricky part was, the finalization step wasn't clearly communicated.
So, I used to hang around the machine, wait for someone to swipe their card, and then make my move after they left. I'd score two or three items on their tab. Hello, free energy drinks! I'd enjoy one and exchange another for cigarettes. Yup, that was not cool of me.
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10. You Missed Your Movie Ending
In high school, I was a classic geek—all limbs and awkwardness. Part of an advanced honors class, there was a clear divide between students who were finding it easy and those who were struggling.
I was pretty much right in the middle, while this interesting girl named Ann found the workload pretty tough. She had this beautiful hair and a figure that had all the guys chatting, even though I'd never spoken to her since she seemed to be part of the popular crowd. One day, one of her friends, coincidentally quite good looking too, awkwardly approached me in class.
She didn't seem to get my hints when I tried clarifying I wanted alone time with my book. Quite bluntly then, she informed me that Ann found me attractive and wanted to get to know me better.
Being the odd-one-out and not part of the 'cool group', I immediately suspected some prank. My mind raced, is she asking for homework help or setting me up for public humiliation?
Unable to remember word-for-word, I do remember responding harshly, loud enough for Ann to hear and then criticizing her quite severely. This resulted in the friend storming off, close to tears, shouting something along the lines of regretting having suggested that Ann reach out to me. Turning to Ann, she too seemed rather upset.
Oddly enough, in my freshman year, my lanky appearance had begun to fill out a bit, as I'd gained about 30lbs. But my self-perception remained that of the geeky, skinny kid. Looking back at Ann, she did seem genuinely kind and smart, even though she found this advanced class rather taxing.
She wasn't the type to be cruel with her friends and seemed to actually appreciate a good intellect. On later reflection, I realized I had completely botched my very first romantic overture. My lack of self-belief clouded my thinking.
I was viewed as worthy by one of the most attractive girls in school but my insecurities sabotaged that potential connection.
Mental Health America (MHA) , Pexels
11. Blinding Drinks
My buddy once asked me to come over for some drinks while his folks were out of town. This was quite some time ago and we were both just 14 years old. We got pretty tipsy. That night, after he fell asleep, I decided to play a prank on him and filled his eyelids with glue.
The next morning, he woke up thinking he had drank so much that he'd lost his sight. We laughed so hard!
ShotPrime Studio , Shutterstock
12. What’s In The Box!
My dad once spent six weeks volunteering for the Student Conservation Association, trekking through the Everglades and fixing up trails. There were five of them in the team, and one of them was regularly receiving care packages but wouldn't share a single thing.
My dad decided to teach this guy a lesson—he replaced the chocolates in his trail mix with laxatives. This happened right in the middle of the deep woods, during the heat of summer!
Ever since then, that fellow didn't hesitate to share his Oreos.
13. Waiting For You
I once had a colleague that I just couldn't stand, and one day he revealed that he was heading over to New York. I casually mentioned that I was going to be there too and suggested maybe we could meet for lunch. He took the bait, handed over his number and we arranged to meet exactly at noon at the TGIFridays in Times Square.
The twist? I was actually at home, remotely controlling a live video feed with a camera in Times Square, while he stood there by himself waiting for me. I kept sending messages saying that I'd be there shortly. Eventually, however, I excused myself by saying that I'd gotten lost and had to cancel our meeting.
Just for an added jab, I combined the footage of him waiting alone with tracks like "The Waiting" and "Right Here Waiting for You" for a bit of cheeky irony. I then sent this video to him as well as everyone else in our office.
14. Prank Gone Too Far
My buddies and I decided to pull a little prank on some acquaintances throwing a house party. This house was out in the forest with a winding gravel road leading up to it. Our joke involved a cheap red and blue strobe light, which we affixed to our car before driving up.
As we approached, everyone freaked out, believing we were the police. They high-tailed it out from the house and scattered in every direction into the forest. Interestingly, with the house empty by the time we arrived, we found ourselves in possession of their leftover drinks. We grabbed what was left and headed out. Needless to say, we had a blast organizing our own impromptu party that evening.
15. I Didn’t Mean To Do That
I accidentally crushed a kid's skateboard with my car, locked eyes with him, and then left the area.
Just to set the scene for you, he had been showing off his skills, weaving in and out in the middle of a rather narrow road. His friends were sensibly skateboarding on the sidewalk. It was too risky for me to overtake, forcing me to follow him for a frustrating quarter of a mile while he took his sweet time.
Finally, as we reached where our paths diverge, he attempted a fancy maneuver onto the footpath but miscalculated. His skateboard didn't make it and sprung back onto the road. Meanwhile, he had fumbled onto the sidewalk and turned around horror-stricken as he heard the crack of his skateboard under my car wheels.
I must confess that I hadn't intended to do it, but neither did I make an effort to avoid it. Despite feeling a twinge of guilt, I couldn't help but find the whole situation rather amusing.
16. Welcome To The Family
Back in February, my cousin, who was jobless and crashing on my couch, began seeing this girl. He used my ride to pick her up. After a couple of weeks, we'd all settled into a routine of hanging out together. But, my cousin was dealing with a hangover from a past relationship which made him less than kind to this new girl. He would even compare her to his ex.
Because this new girl was really cool and needed someone to vent to about my cousin, she and I began chatting frequently. Naturally, I'm a bit of a flirt, she responded in kind, and one thing led to another—we even started making plans to meet up the next day.
This marked a turning point. I picked her up for a park date, following which I dropped my cousin off at his grandmother's place to end his extended couch-surfing session on my living room furniture.
Once he left, this new girl and I returned to my apartment and continued where we left off at the park. This cycle went on for some time until finally, I decided to come clean to my cousin about being together with this girl. Clearly, this did not end well for me...
Today, my cousin and I are not on talking terms and this girl is now my steady sweetheart.
17. She Loves You Not
You know how every class, whether it's elementary or middle school, always has that one child who struggles more than others, may have issues at home, or needs extra support from a tutoring aide?
I'll not name the person, but in my seventh-grade year, I ended up being seated next to such a kid. His personal troubles involved a mom who relocated to Australia with her partner, leaving him behind. Seeking laughter from peers, he'd pull pranks. And because we were all immature, amusement typically meant someone else's misfortune.
I had a pretty average appearance and I attempted to improve—or worsen—that by adding a bit of flair to my daily attire. One day, I chose to wear sandals adorned with purple leather flowers. They were deemed quite stylish for a Grade 7 kid.
I couldn't ever forget what he did to me—he chose to rip off the flower from my sandal while I was busy. He continued to tear each petal away, all while playfully mimicking the "She loves me, she loves me not" phrase. I was so shocked at the magnitude of his audacity that I was momentarily speechless, simply seething in my seat.
Naturally, all my classmates were eagerly observing the spectacle. Eventually, brandishing the last petal, he declared triumphantly, "She loves me!"
Without a moment's hesitation, I retorted, "No she doesn't. She moved to Australia."
I've never seen a kid appear so heartbroken before. He excused himself to the restroom and spent the rest of the day shedding tears. He never said or did anything remotely cruel to me again.
18. Stupid Boy Deserved It
In my university days, my best friend was dating a guy that I simply couldn't tolerate. He was a frequent, unwelcome visitor to our room, was pretty unintelligent, and really didn't treat her well at times.
One evening, we were all headed to a party when he realized he'd misplaced his bag of joints somewhere in our dorm's lobby. So we all started searching and, by luck, I stumbled across it in the laundry room.
I couldn't believe the level of his stupidity, though. Whether he got them from a retailer or rolled them himself, his little bag was labeled with his unique surname. Being at a school with less than 1500 students, a unique last name stood out like a sore thumb.
I pocketed the bag without telling a soul. The next day, I put the joints in a new bag and sent him a text saying that a friend from Denver dropped by and gave me some joints to sell. And then the unimaginable happened—this clueless fellow bought his own joints back from me without even blinking.
He shelled out money twice for the very same mediocre stuff, and I managed to keep a straight face through it all.
19. My Game Boy, Your Game Boy
When I was just a tadpole of 12 years, there was this pal of mine from the very same apartment block where I resided. So here’s the thing, one sunny day he and his mom escort my family on a daylight excursion to the lakeside.
He brings with him a fancy schmancy glacier-blue game boy advance, leaving me green with envy clutching my simple game boy color.
At the end of our little adventure, we saw them off at their place. That’s when I spotted his forgotten game boy tucked between our car's rear seats. I mince my words. My lips remain sealed.
The real sting in the tale is that whenever he visited, I put on my poker face and fibbed that it was a new gadget from my mom, which coincidentally was the exact same game that he had misplaced.
20. Who Let The Lizards Out?
My first year in high school was marked by my diagnosis of Crohn's disease. This chronic illness took a significant toll on my physical growth. Weighing a mere 70 pounds at 14, my appearance was gaunt and frail.
As expected, people often remarked on my thinness and rumors circulated that I might be anorexic.
As part of my curriculum, I had to take a Health and PE course. There was this one classmate, a real numbskull, who never missed a chance to make a snide comment. Seated diagonally ahead of me in class, he seldom held back. But I was soon going to teach him a lesson.
One day, while we were at the track, I noticed him being especially jumpy around a lizard that another classmate had found on a fence. Seeing his reaction, the classmate couldn't resist chasing him around with it—and his faced turned white with panic.
The following day, I decided to play a prank on him. I caught a few lizards, put them in a portable carrier, and sneakily unleashed them on him during class. While nobody knew who was behind it, everyone had a good laugh while watching him jump out of his seat, shrieking in fear and struggling to shake off the lizards. His squealing became a running joke for the rest of the year among our classmates.
It wasn't exactly the most mature reaction, and I harbor a bit of remorse for it. But I must admit, it was utterly funny and, at the time, satisfying to get my little revenge.
21. Stay Silent
Sure, we were those kids—we'd chuck snowballs, eggs, practically anything, at cars as they passed through our neighborhood.
There was this one night, we were up to our usual shenanigans. The layout of our neighborhood was such that it favored our mischief—it was set on a peninsula, with just one entrance and exit, and a long road that we could keep an eye on.
It wasn't too long until we got into enough trouble to be able to identify the incoming vehicles merely by their headlights. We even knew when it was a police car!
We devised this strange snowball trap for unsuspecting cars. The drivers would come around a blind turn, only to find a hose tied across the road linking two signs on either side. Naturally, they'd stop, get out to remove it and that's when we'd let loose our snowy barrage before making our escape via a secret path.
Then, one day, someone didn't spot the hose in time. The hose got tangled in their wheel, causing them to skid and halt abruptly in a snowstorm around a blind turn. As fate would have it, a police car was close behind and collided with them.
We raced back to my house, just managing to evade detention, and soon we were all peering out of my window at the town's entire police force patrolling outside.
Our neighbors had a good inkling it was us and tried to snitch to my parents about our little escapade. Fortunately, they could never definitively pin it on us.
22. Unlocking A New Level Of Evil
In the early days of middle school, I was the new kid on the block who was eager to make new friends. I was particularly kind to a fellow student, let's call him Steve, who had some learning difficulties. Steve, however, mistook my friendliness as us becoming best buddies and he started clinging to me incessantly throughout school.
We shared the same classes and Steve always made sure to sit by my side. Meanwhile, I was just a naive kid, worried about appearing peculiar to others. During a recess in a history lecture, I decided to use the restroom and like always, Steve accompanied me.
I spotted a key in the lock on the exterior of the restroom block, left there by a janitor. Seeing this as a chance for some personal space, I finished my business, stepped outside and told Steve I'd wait for him, but instead, I locked him inside and hid the key. Feeling slightly relieved, I returned to class.
The restroom door had a glimpse panel, allowing everyone to observe what was going on inside. Soon, Steve's unintended seclusion turned into a spectacle, drawing a crowd of his classmates, who erupted into laughter. After school, about three hours later, I unlocked the door and dashed home.
Looking back, the guilt weighs heavily on me, knowing that despite this horrendous trick, Steve never held it against me. He always tried to build a friendship and I wish I had been kinder to him. This one's for you Steve, hoping you've found joy in your life. I'm genuinely sorry for my past actions.
23. Wrong Pixie Stick
Around the time I was 13, I used to be a pretty good-natured and calm kid. However, my cousin, who was more on the wild side, managed to bring out the mischievous youngster in me. We found ourselves at a gathering where a lot of parents had brought their kids along.
My cousin and I had a playful, if somewhat thoughtless, idea to share a pixie stick we'd purchased earlier with one of the younger kids.
We secured an empty pixie stick wrapper we'd previously had, filled it almost to the brim with sand, and then sprinkled a little bit of candy powder from a new pixie stick on top to disguise the sand.
We tricked the young kid into believing that we were simply being kind and sharing our treat. Without suspecting anything, he took the candy and dumped it into his mouth, filling his mouth with sandy grit.
Immediately after biting down on what he assumed was a sweet treat, the kid knew something was off. His face twisted into a mix of shock and revulsion as he began to frantically spit out the sand.
The sand, however, had clung to the insides of his mouth, making it difficult for him. Tears started to flow and he scurried off to find his mother, while my cousin and I quietly slipped away, giggling until we had tears in our eyes.
We observed the kid attempting to explain the situation to his mom through his tears. He was so upset, he had trouble actually articulating what had happened. Even though my cousin and I had initially found it funny, we quickly felt a pang of regret. It's a feeling that still stays with me.
24. A Good-Old Shoplifting Story
When I was 14, my friend and I decided to visit a store with our gym bags. We had an agreement to swipe something off the shelves. We filled our bags with a selection of snacks, candies, and soda. Then, my friend proposed taking some drinks too, and I didn't object.
While my buddy was loading up on Smirnoff ice and other stuff, I was on the lookout for anyone who might spot us. We managed to exit the store with our loot, and surely, we should've stopped at this point—but we kept going, until we almost took it too far.
Next, we visited another shop with the audacious thought, "Why not pilfer some more?" While wandering around, we noticed the shop was nearly deserted. Unfortunately, we found nothing worth taking, so we decided to leave.
Just as we were exiting, an employee noticed us and asked to check our bags. Panicking, we refused and bolted. Needless to say, we haven't returned to that shop since.
25. St.Patrick’s Day Got Out Of Control
I was attending a St. Patrick's Day celebration with my college friends back in the day. We were on Chicago's south side, where the Irish Catholic crowd takes their "St. Paddy's Day" very seriously. We arrived around 7 am and the party was already in full swing with coffee spiked with Baileys, beers, and Jell-O shots everywhere.
The atmosphere was electric as everyone was in high spirits gearing up for the downtown parade. As Jell-O shots started running out and a few early birds headed to catch the train, all remaining Jell-O shots were stored in the refrigerator in the basement, right next to the washing machine.
In a moment of stupidity that even now I can't completely justify, I decided to fill an empty Jell-O shot cup with laundry detergent. The resemblance to a blue Jell-O shot was uncanny. I casually placed it on the tray with the rest and returned upstairs.
Within five minutes, we heard a shriek from the basement, followed by retching and more shrieking. Turned out a girl had consumed it, or at least attempted to.
Suspicions were directed towards several people by her boyfriend, but I was just one among the hundred guests—nobody suspected me. We departed roughly 20 minutes later and hopped onto the train. Unluckily, at a train stop, I grabbed a bottle and got spotted by a cop.
The train was packed and it took the cop a while to navigate through the crowd to get to me. Using that time, I took off my jacket, hid it under the seat, changed my seat and acted like nothing happened. Surprisingly, the cops went straight to the girl's boyfriend who had a hidden bottle in his jacket and they arrested him for underage drinking.
That was by far the wildest day I've ever had.
26. Another Kid Did It, Mom
Back when I was just a kindergartener, I got this crazy idea of pretending to be a superhero. My mission? Charging headfirst into a chair of all things...
Unfortunately, there was a hefty metal part of my teacher's desk right behind the chair, which left me with a major bump/bruise right on my forehead.
At that time, there was this kid I wasn't too fond of. To spare myself from the impending embarrassment of admitting I'd hurt myself in such a silly manner, I instead spun a tale for my mom that he'd whacked me on the head with a stick...
Picture this: my parents in a meeting with my teacher and this kid's parents. The teacher interrogating the other students about what they saw. The innocent kid nearly got suspended—if kindergarteners even can be.
Eventually, guilt got the better of me. I confessed to my mom about my lie, and she made me apologize...
Turns out, he was a genuinely nice guy who I happen to know even through high school. Every time I saw him, a pang of guilt hit me. I often wonder if he still remembers my ridiculous antics.
27. Lazy O’Clock
A few years back, my friends and I were freelancers, given the task of a hospital job. All we had to do was remove some plastic and fill in the gaps across the seven to eight-story building—it was a breeze and we estimated it would take about a week to complete.
As we quickly worked away, the hospital's project manager spotted our efficiency and came up with a new deal. He suggested we extend our timeline and charge by the hour instead of the original quote for the entire project, which was a nice chunk of change.
Pausing to think it over, we quickly realized the project manager seemed pretty clueless about our work. So, we decided to stretch out the job, opting to dispose of the plastic bits by hand and carrying each piece outside rather than using a trolley to transport a large amount in one go.
We chose to move away from using power tools, claiming we wanted to lessen the noise. It was quite the sight seeing my friend devoting near an hour removing a piece of plastic, only to reaffix it to the wall and then head off for a break.
To our surprise, we were able to extend this simple job for much longer than initially anticipated. It dawned on us that the hospital had a fire safety grant that it had to exhaust. So, we started working sporadic hours, checking in at peaceful hours in the hospital and then heading off to a bar until we were ready to clock out.
We were left unattended throughout our shift. Hilariously, during one of our later days, we discovered a glitch in the hospital ATM. Excited by the discovery, we ran up our cards, withdrew the excess cash, then drove straight to our bank to redeposit the cash into our accounts—all while still on the clock.
We kept this slow-paced work for six whole months, until the project manager asked us to wrap it up. Finally, we completed the task in just four more days.
Looking back, I really miss that job.
28. No Family Trip For Me Please
A close relative was visiting me once. It was my day off and I was supposed to drive them quite a distance, taking around six hours, before catching a bus back to my place. My relative was significantly older and had leg trouble, making long drives discomforting.
Honestly, I didn't fancy dedicating my whole weekend to this task—so I devised a hastened escape plan. On the morning we were due to set off, I took the trash out. On my way back, I rang my apartment's buzzer from the main entrance that triggered the phone in the apartment.
Walking back inside as the phone was 'ringing', I 'answered' it, pretending it was an urgent call from work requiring my immediate presence.
"Man, I was psyched about our road trip this weekend, but, you know how it goes when work calls for an emergency."
My relative seemed understanding. But I had to make things more believable. Since I had no car of my own, I requested them to drop me at work. Afterward, I hiked a bus back home.
This act of mine still fills me with guilt today. That relative was genuinely kindhearted and didn't deserve my deceit. Sadly, they're no longer with us. I prefer not to specify their gender to dodge the wave of guilt it brings, a guilt I certainly deserve.
29. Bang!
During my eleventh grade year at high school, we had to dissect fetal pigs in my biology course. Our classroom was situated on the building's fourth level, with a clear view of the football field and its seats. The team usually practiced in the afternoons, coinciding with our class times.
One day, our teacher had to step out for a brief moment to use the restroom. Seizing the opportunity, my best friend—still my best pal today—cracked open the window. With adrenaline pumping, I threw a fetal pig across the room and towards the open window with all my strength. Risking a quick glance, we could see the fetal pig splattered across the lower seats close to where the football team was catching their breath. Swiftly, my friend shut the window. As if on cue, the final bell sounded and we made our escape.
30. Clever Move
A couple of years ago, I had a bit too much to drink at a house party. Despite my inebriation, I ended up spending the night with a lovely girl from the party at her place—quite a surprise given the way the night was going.
Fast-forward to the wee hours of the morning, around 5 AM. I woke up to find myself lying in a large puddle of my own urine. I'm not usually prone to this sort of thing, but given the excess of beer consumed, my control faltered that night. A sense of mild panic set in—especially as this girl was quite well-connected within my circle of university friends.
This was a disaster I wanted to keep secret, but the large pool of evidence was proving to be a problem. Thankfully, it hadn't seeped over to her side, so she remained oblivious. For the moment, I decided to put things on hold till daylight.
I fetched a towel from the bathroom and placed it over the wet spot to limit its spread and cushion myself for the next few hours of misguided sleep. The next morning, awakened by the light, I found her awake and engrossed in a game on her phone.
She was still unaware of the transgression, and I managed to keep her away from the soggy towel and its secret. To my dismay, the towel remained soaked and a solution was still needed. After a quarter of an hour in silence, I worked up the courage to ask the girl to fetch me a drink of water.
She extracted herself from the bed, surprisingly did not notice the situation, brought me a glass of water, and dove back into her game. As she focused on the game on her phone again, I sat up and sipped a bit of water. Seizing an opportunity when she wasn’t looking, I ‘accidentally’ spilled the remaining glass of water onto the stained mattress.
With a quick “Darn!” I pretended to discover the towel beside the bed and gently dabbed at the water and urine mixture. She was a bit startled by this sudden flurry of activity, but to this day, she believes it was my clumsiness, not incontinence, that caused the stain on her mattress.
After the successful execution of my plan, I promptly bid her farewell. We cross paths on occasion, but we do not engage in conversation.
31. Hello? Who’s There?
When I was around eight or nine, I had an experience at a friend's house that I'll never forget. They had just bought the latest gadget—a cordless telephone. These were brand new at the time, and they were among the first to own one.
I was over and during my visit, the phone rang. My friend's mom picked it up, casually strolling into the other room for a chat. I was amazed at this. Later on, when she was done and had put the phone down, I had a little mischief in mind. With no one watching, I stealthily slipped the phone into my jacket sleeve and set it near the front door.
When it was time for me to leave, I slyly removed the phone from the house. In my head, I somehow thought that I would now have the freedom to call anyone anytime. But, as you can guess, the phone was rendered useless as soon as I stepped onto their driveway. I toyed around with it for a couple of days before eventually forgetting about it, tucking it away in a drawer.
Years later, I stumbled upon the old cordless phone, which instantly filled me with dread and guilt! I could only imagine the maddening search they must have embarked on for that brand new, exclusive gadget they had just bought.
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32. Bullying The Rich Kid
When I was younger, I took some swimming classes. In another age group, there was this boy who was always showing off because he was well-off, and for that, most people didn't really like him. He owned a pair of oversize swimming goggles which earned him the nickname "the Martian".
At the swimming school, there was a usual practice to leave one's belongings such as sports bags, backpacks with towels, and shower essentials in the designated shower area. This gave me a mischievous idea. One day, after our swimming class, my friend and I decided to do a little prank on him.
We took some unpleasant 'gift' and packed it up in a plastic bag, carefully hiding it in one of the unnoticed pockets of the Martian's backpack. To our surprise, even a week later, the weird odor was still lingering around his bag, though we guessed he'd just gotten used to it.
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33. Stress-Eating At Its Peak
When I was in the eighth grade, I went through a tough time dealing with depression. I was on medication that reduced my appetite significantly. Often, I'd go a whole day eating only one meal or none at all. On top of that, I was actively involved in four different sports, so I was burning up calories my body didn't have to spare in the first place.
Every now and then, I'd become ravenously hungry because of the lack of food and I'd devour multiple school lunches despite not always having the means to pay for them.
One day, heading to class after talking to a teacher, I noticed a forgotten lunch bag in the empty hallway. It belonged to a student who, I knew, couldn't afford lunch from the cafeteria. Despite knowing he might remember and pick his lunch, I still ended up grabbing it and quickly left.
My classroom was located in a remote area, far from the main hall, so there was no chance of running into the lunch's owner. Once I got to my class, I felt safe in the knowledge I wouldn't be caught.
During the lesson, I started munching on the food that was tucked in the bag. I wasn't thrilled to find the sandwich had mayonnaise, something I typically found unpalatable. To avoid most of it, I picked at the edges and the very top of the sandwich where I could.
Eventually, though, my teacher spotted me eating and told me to stop. Promising that I would, I nevertheless went right back to eating as soon as I could.
I have to say, even though I've done things that were probably worse but just don't come to mind right now, that day has stuck with me. I felt guilt afterwards, especially when I had my regular meal that day along with the food I'd taken.
I couldn't shake the thought that someone else may have gone without lunch because of my actions. It's one of those memories that's stayed with me all the way till now, years later.
34. We Don’t Need No Education!
When I was in kindergarten, I staged an uprising against my Physical Education (PE) teacher.
I was quite a mischievous youngster, known for chit-chatting during classes but equally skilled at evading trouble. On this particular day, my PE teacher decided she had had enough. She tried to scold both me and my friend, whom I was chit-chatting with.
As always, I zipped my lips just in time. My friend, however, wasn't as fortunate. Although I didn't get into any trouble, I resolved right then—I would pay back this teacher.
During a later recess, with the same teacher monitoring the playground, I saw my chance. I decided her rule was over and rallied almost 15 fellow students to run after the teacher, pelting her with pebbles and wood chips. The ironic part? Once I had stirred up the kids, I simply stood back and watched the chaos unfold. I didn't lift a finger.
That day landed me in the principal’s office and brought my mom to school for the second time in one day.
In those early days, I was indeed quite a handful.
35. Sly
There was a shy girl in our 6th-grade group who always sat quietly at the back. One day, she had to step out of the class mid-lesson. As she walked by my desk, I unfortunately caused her to trip and she fell down hard.
She was holding onto a see-through pencil box at the time. It was made of the type of plastic that breaks easily, and that's exactly what happened. It seemed like she had about 30 pens and pencils in that case that scattered across the floor. She became intensely embarrassed, her face turned scarlet, and she began hastily gathering up the pencils.
What struck me was the eerie silence that engulfed the room. No one stepped forward to assist her, even our teacher didn't move. We sat there watching. It felt like forever before she managed to collect all her pencils and flee the room. Surprisingly, nobody ever figured it was me.
36. Golf Gone Bad
My pal, Ben, used to work at a golf course which stayed shut on Mondays. He offered us a chance to play a round of golf for free on that day, an offer which was exclusive to employees. A few of us thought it would be an amusing outing and cheerfully accepted the proposal.
However, the night before our scheduled game, Ben rang us up with disappointing news—he couldn't join us. Despite his absence, he generously suggested that we head on without him and said he would leave the keys to the golf carts in the shed.
The three of us decided to proceed with the plans and each got hold of a golf cart. When other workers finished their round and inquired about our identity, we explained that we were acquaintances of Ben and he had extended the privilege of a round of golf to us.
We started out playing the initial three holes, but our perfect golf outing was soon disrupted. After indulging in a couple of beverages, the harmless fun escalated, shifting towards a bit of havoc. We found ourselves revving around in the sand pits, attempting jumps with the carts, and turning the fairway into a bumper car arena.
We misplaced a cart in the woods and another one was left with broken headlights and a punctured tire. The subsequent day, Ben gave us a ring with yet some more disappointing news—he had been sacked, uncertain about the cause.
Looking back, I wouldn't exactly say I'm proud of our little escapade that night. However, there's no denying it was a blast and I'm glad Ben looped us in.
37. You Put The Idea Inside My Head
When I was eight years old, I had an unexpected encounter with a very friendly kid at the park. All by myself that day, we ended up hitting it off and spent around six or seven hours chatting and playing various games. He eventually had to leave, but not before saying, "I have to head home after this swing ride, but why don't you drop by my house sometime for more games?"
That chance encounter was my first experience making friends outside of school. This kid was way friendlier and kinder compared to my school buddies. But regretfully, I ended up spoiling everything.
We found ourselves sitting on one of those tire rides—you know, the ones where the tire is strung up from a platform and you get to fly across after a good leap.
Just before his turn, he requested, "Don't push me after I leap, okay? I'm terrified of too much speed." Despite his request, what did I do the moment he went airborne? I pushed him! Panic set in, which led to him falling off mid-flight and ending up with a broken leg.
His wails were heart-wrenching. Instantly, his mom rushed to his side, scooped him up and hurriedly took him away, his cries of pain echoing in my ears. I never got to see him after that day.
If by chance you're reading this, I truly am sorry.
Oleksandr Canary Islands , Pexels
38. The Underlying Reason Was Sweet, But The Act Wasn’t
Back when I was a teen, I mischievously sneaked into my best friend's old house. They were forced out by the landlord, making my friend move to a distant part of the city, which meant we wouldn't be able to hang out as much. I was so upset that, on impulse, I turned on the bathtub faucet upstairs and exited the house.
The incident left the house in total chaos. Water flooding the upstairs caused the tub to crash through the floor. A neighbor spotted me leaving and tried pointing the finger at me, but I shrugged it off and nothing came of it. Now that I'm older, a homeowner myself, I'm overwhelmed with guilt and regret for my thoughtless action.
I did notice that the house has been superbly renovated since then. I tell myself that the landlord likely lodged an insurance claim and benefited from it. I sincerely hope that's how it turned out. I keep hoping.
39. A Well-Planned Revenge
My buddy refused to give me a pencil during a test, which really ticked me off. I mean, he had three and it was a multiple-choice test, he didn't need that many. So for the following week, I hatched my payback plan.
Whenever we got together to study, I'd snag a pencil from his backpack and stash it in our shared locker. Since he's the type to do everything on his device, I was pretty sure he wouldn't notice. Fast forward to exam day, and as we're about to step into the test room, he suddenly realizes he's out of pencils.
That day, I had moved them out and placed them in a clear spot within the locker. Seeing him panic, he asked me for a pencil. I casually responded: I believe there are some pencils in our locker. Mind you, our locker was situated across the campus.
40. Pardonne-Moi
When I was in grade school, I lived in the same area as my French teacher, and a friend and I enjoyed playing the old 'ding-dong ditch' prank on her. There was this one incident where my friend had just gotten some new black suede indoor soccer shoes like everyone else was wearing.
He asked me to hold his shoes while he rang her doorbell, claiming they were too big or something. Things escalated quickly after he rang the doorbell. I ended up with his new shoes as he had to choose between a swift escape or retrieving his shoes.
He opted for the former, leaving his shoes with me as he ran off in a frenzied dash. We later had to return to the scene because our French teacher had taken the abandoned shoes inside. So, we had to muster the courage to go ask her to give them back.
41. Regrets
Growing up, we didn't have much, living in the countryside with our troubled parents. Money was tight and us kids often felt the pang of hunger. Being the eldest, I did my best to watch out for my younger siblings, though there were times when I wasn't successful—one incident in particular has stuck with me.
When I was around seven, my then-five-year-old younger brother proudly pranced over while I was playing, clutching a bologna sandwich he'd managed to cobble together from our meager pantry. It was a sad sandwich, just one piece of meat pressed between two stale slices of bread. Not a slice of cheese or a smidgen of spread in sight.
Seeing his offering, a childish surge of envy washed over me and, in a regrettable instant, I knocked the sandwich out of his small hands. It fell onto the dirt, causing him to cry out and start scrambling to retrieve it.
Before he could recover his precious sandwich, though, our typically friendly neighborhood dogs that we'd kept as pets, seized the opportunity, knocking him off his feet and stealing the sandwich. My brother was left crumpled in the dirt, crying and repeating in between sobs, "I made it to share with you."
Here I am, three decades later, reminiscing about that day with a sense of sorrow. Though we now have a solid relationship, not a day passes when I don't wish I could turn back time and act differently out of petty envy. I want to apologize, but part of me hopes that he has forgotten, or at least, won't recall that unfortunate episode.
42. Are Those Clouds?
I used to keep a routine of mowing my folks' yard every week, using a ride-on mower. As summer eased into autumn, I would often complete their massive lawn under a moonlit sky. I was just about done with the last patch when I heard a loud, splitting sound and saw a huge burst of fuzz erupting from the mower.
Hopping off the machine, I shone my phone's light and discovered a devastating sight. Unknowingly, I had run over a burrow full of about ten little bunnies, scattering them across the lawn up to our neighbor's fence. With a heavy heart, I shed some tears while cleaning up the tragic scene into our fire pit.
I often try to put this memory out of my mind.
43. Why Would You Do That?
When I was about eight or nine years old, I met a delightful little girl named Rachel while on a family holiday. We shared lots of laughter, games and memorable times together. However, she had an unusual fear – she genuinely believed that monsters roamed the woods nearby.
Her fear wasn't limited to a simple 'fear of the dark' type. Instead, it was an intense terror of mythical creatures lurking in our natural surroundings. So to help her overcome this fear, her mother gave her a special weapon. It was an old perfume atomizer, filled with water, which she told Rachel would keep the monsters at bay.
Then came a day when Rachel unfortunately forgot her unique 'monster deterrent.' After pondering over what to do with the abandoned spray bottle, I made a rather regrettable decision. I peed in it. Yes, you heard it right. I filled it up and nonchalantly left it where I found it.
The next day, Rachel wore her amulet, the spray bottle, unknowing of the unsanitary act I'd committed. A pang of guilt overcomes me every time I recall the incident.
Inside Creative House , Shutterstock
44. Averting A Disaster
When I was a teenager, I vividly remember an instance when I was really upset with my mom. We were all on this grand family vacation at a beach house that we had rented. This house was enormous and around 15 of our family members were with us.
I was about 13 at the time and I got a serious scolding from my mom for going out alone without notifying anybody for about an hour. So there I was, grounding it out in the room I was sharing with my parents. At that point, I was expected to stay put for the rest of the day which translated into another three hours.
I was fuming with anger, but a silly idea came into my head—I grabbed my mom's saline solution for her contacts. I decided to mix some random stuff into it.
I refilled her empty contact lens case with this mix as well. After two hours of contemplating the consequences, panic set in. I hurriedly emptied out the solution, replacing it with water instead. I guess my mom never really noticed.
45. Same Old Love Triangle
Two years ago, I fell head over heels for a girl in one of my classes. Once I managed to get her number and text her, the first thing she told me was that she had a boyfriend. Despite this, I decided to keep trying to win her affection. They lived together, but when he left for holiday break, I spent three consecutive nights at her place before she left town too.
After that, our relationship remained purely platonic, passing time together as friends for several months. Eventually, we stopped seeing each other completely. Yet, we're in the same department and she's still dating the same guy, who's also at our school. He remains oblivious to our past encounters.
Remorse eats at me for what I did, but I also pity her boyfriend who's in the dark about the whole situation. Even though we've never met, recently, I've entertained the idea of writing him a letter to spill the beans. My motivation isn't crystal clear to me, but there seems to be a desire to cause her some pain.
Perhaps I'm hoping he'll break up with her. Seeing her as regularly as I do in the corridors and such makes my blood boil. Once we stopped hanging out, she treated me poorly and I've found myself craving retaliation. Understandably, this isn't my finest thought.
46. Enjoying The Chaos
During my freshman year of high school, I found myself spending time with older guys whose behavior was questionable. I would often accompany my friend when he decided to ditch class. We had a habit of breaking into lockers and taking whatever was inside.
On one occasion, we cracked open a locker and found a new iPod, a brand-new mobile phone, and $100 in cash. It felt like I'd won the lottery! Later that day, though, a group of girls approached me.
They were distressed because their Mexican exchange student friend had had her phone stolen, a phone that contained all the contact numbers for her family. To make matters worse, the last bit of money she had was also taken.
She was due to return to Mexico in just a few days. I pretended not to know anything about the theft and even offered to help them look for the stolen items. I couldn't help but feel guilty; I felt like I had done something truly bad.
47. That’s Not My Fault Though
Back when I was in third grade, my neighborhood buddy, Chris, came over for a playdate outdoors. At some point, he asked to use our restroom, but for some odd reason, I thought he was unhygienic or something, and said "No." So, Chris made the long walk home, about a mile, just to use his own bathroom.
After that day, his mom prohibited him from visiting us. It was only later that I discovered it was because he'd had an accident on his way home that day, and had to rush into a woman's house to tidy up.
Many years later, I sadly found out that Chris had taken his own life.
48. Childhood Traumas Are The Worst
When my buddy was 14 or 15, he found himself looking after the baby of the family next door. The baby happened to be lying on the ground as the doorbell sounded. That's when the worst happened. He abruptly got up to answer the door, not noticing his footing, and accidentally stepped, almost leaping onto the baby's head. Oddly enough, the baby didn't start crying.
Jump forward a few years. Presently, the child has developmental difficulties. On his side, the family also has an older daughter who struggles with a learning disability. And to clarify, the parents have never been informed about this incident.
49. Video Games Are More Important Than Being Ethical
If you're a '90s kid, you might recall the old Toys R Us. The video game department had a unique system: you'd grab a paper slip from a pouch on the aisle if you wanted a game, then head up to the front to collect it.
So picture this: Resident Evil 2 had just been released, and I was desperate to have it. I rock up to the game aisle and see a young boy in a wheelchair, straining to reach the last Resident Evil 2 paper slip. It was perched just beyond his grasp. He was loudly calling for his dad to help him out. Seeing an opportunity, I seized my chance. I swiftly walked up, took the slip and power-walked to the front to buy the game.
I could hear the kid calling after me, expressing his outrage and pleading with me to return the slip: "You can't do that!! I was here first! Please..."
50. Don’t Ignore Me!
I used to pull in late from night shifts, often arriving home by 5 in the morning. When I got back, I found a man screaming for assistance since his mother wasn't responding—he lived in the same peaceful area as I do, making his loud cries for help unusual.
The chap making a racket was somewhat intellectually impaired and visibly agitated. I stepped out of my vehicle and, without taking notice of his pleas, headed straight to my cozy bed. I still rue that decision of ignoring the distressed man.
Ron Lach , PexelsSource: ,
