A 19-year-old woman from San Jose endured a chaotic experience during her first San Francisco Pride event after her friend became heavily intoxicated, turning what should have been a festive outing into a three-hour survival mission.
The incident unfolded on June 28, when the two friends took the Caltrain to San Francisco, excited for the celebrations ahead. The trip started innocently enough with a few shots of Apple Fireball. While the narrator had just half a shot, her friend consumed 1.5 shots before they even reached the city.
Upon arriving at Civic Center, they planned to enjoy the festivities for about two hours. However, things quickly spiraled out of control as the friend continued drinking—ultimately taking four additional shots. As the time for departure approached, the narrator tried to rally her friend to leave but struggled to get through to her, waiting an extra 15 minutes before dragging her away from new acquaintances.
As they navigated their way through San Francisco, the narrator realized how severely intoxicated her friend truly was. With no food or water consumed, the friend was unable to help with directions, leaving the narrator to figure out how to get to the Caltrain station alone. What followed was a frantic walk through the city, during which the narrator was forced to keep a tight grip on her friend, who kept wandering off and even darting into traffic.
In a moment of desperation, the narrator’s anxiety bubbled over, prompting her to cry and beg for help. Her friend managed to momentarily regain focus, instructing her to head towards Caltrain. However, the journey was further complicated by her friend’s flirtatious antics, where she loudly asked strangers if they were lesbians, making the situation even more chaotic as they walked through areas filled with boarded-up buildings and homeless individuals.
At one point, the friend began engaging with a couple on the street, asking if they were headed to Caltrain, which led to a lucky break. The couple, understanding their predicament, agreed to guide them to the station. Relieved, the narrator followed them, navigating the city with more confidence under their guidance.
Once on the train back to San Jose, the narrator thought she could finally breathe as she managed to call her job, explaining her tardiness. Her friend, however, added to the chaos by loudly outing the narrator as a trans woman in front of strangers, complicating an already complicated situation. Another passenger’s inquiry if they were a couple was met with confusion as the narrator quickly corrected the misunderstanding.
As the train ride continued, the narrator cleverly got her friend to fall asleep in hopes of reducing her intoxication before they reached home. She managed to keep her friend asleep for the last hour of the ride. Once they disembarked, reality set in when her friend’s sister called, prompting the narrator to blurt, “Hey are you sober now?” That moment led to immediate plans to get the friend to work, leaving the narrator feeling frustrated and anxious about being an hour and a half late herself.
After the turmoil, the narrator informed her friend about what had transpired over the last few hours. To her dismay, the friend barely remembered any of it, only recalling snippets here and there. Nevertheless, the friend was apologetic and seemed genuinely sorry for her actions.
Now, the narrator is left in a quandary. While she values her friendship with this person—who she says is usually a great friend—she struggles with how to address the reckless behavior that nearly led to serious consequences. The situation has left her wondering how she might hold her friend accountable while still wanting to maintain their relationship.
One person told her on Reddit, “You have to set boundaries. This is not just about having fun anymore.” Another reader suggested that she should take some time to think about what she wants from the friendship going forward.
As she contemplates her next move, the narrator finds herself at a crossroads, uncertain about how to reconcile her feelings of frustration with her desire to keep her friend in her life.
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