Here's my explanation.

I'm usually very unapproachable in my personality when I first meet someone so I don't make a lot of friends. However, the ones that stick around to see me open up to them tend to become my really close and valuable friends.

I have a friend that was supposedly my best friend for the past 10 years. We met when we were freshmen in high school. I became very close with her family as well to the point where they always said I'm like their other daughter. The problem lies in the fact that over the past few years, I began to feel like this friend didn't really appreciate me. Like when she got her first boyfriend, I didn't find out until almost a year later. In fact, any relationship she was in, I was always the last to know. Or anytime I called, she would tell me she can't talk now and then never call me back or I would never really hear from her unless I was the one who called. I mean I flew over to attend her graduation, but I couldn't even get a "congrats" when it came to mine. I recently moved out my parent's home and into my own apartment for the first time and not once did she ask me about it. Not a single "how's the new place?" or "how's it feel be on your own?" And those were questions I got asked by acquaintances at work.

I thought I was close with her younger sister as well because we did everything together, but as soon as she went away for college. I didn't hear from her anymore. I get that college life is exciting and that she's meeting new people. But I didn't expect to get dropped like I did. What did it in for me was that we were planning a trip down to the beach for a weekend over the summer. I rented the hotel with my money and she was to pay her portion when we got there. She and I both had plus ones so we were to split the bill 4 ways. I have relatives who live in that town, so my mom wanted to tag along so that I could drop her off at my aunt's house. Of course, it's just my mom and I thought we were all cool with my mom so I told her ok. Since she's only there for the road trip person. My plus one had to cancel so when I informed my friend of this, suddenly there was an issue of my mom going. Apparently it's wierd. My mom was only going to be there for the 4 hour drive. And then it's just us. She didn't want to hang with my mom for that period of time. I thought we were supposed to be like sisters? Why do you suddenly have an issue with my mom? I hang out with your mom all the time. I told her that my mom is coming so that she can visit her sisters. I'm not going to kick her out. Then she suddenly didn't have the money for the trip anymore and canceled altogether. So now I have this hotel room I paid almost $300 for and no one to split it with. I couldn't cancel it either. So I ended up going down there with just my mom and we stayed at the hotel. That whole event upset me so much that I told myself, maybe I need to distance myself from this person. We'll still be friends, but the next time she calls, I'm going to tell her why I was upset with her. And guess what, she didn't call me for a whole year. And the only reason she called was to ask me to give her the spare key I had for her parent's house.

This past weekend was their oldest sister's wedding. It was the wedding of the century in my book because they have been saving for this wedding for years and I knew it was going to be large-scaled. The event lasted 3 days, with a family dinner on Friday, a cultural wedding on Saturday and a modern wedding on Sunday. All weekend they had me driving up, down and across town running errands. I even lent them $1000 to pay for some last minute items. In the back of my head, I was hoping that I would get reimbursed for all this gas I used up but then I felt bad because we were friends and I should be willing to help. On Sunday, the wedding was to take place at 5p, so at 12p I asked if they needed me for anything and they asked me if I could pick up the grooms suit from the tailors on the way. My "best" friend never gave me an address. I texted her a few times for the address and she didn't reply. So I ended up just going to the hotel. When I got there, she asked where the suit was and I told her she never gave me an address. She gives it to me and I head all they across town to the tailor that is not even "on the way". It was in the opposite direction of where I lived and the direction I would take to go to the hotel. I pick up the suit and I stop by the parent's house to pick the mom up to bring to the hotel for hair and makeup. At the house, the dad tells me it's my responsiblity to make sure all the relatives they have staying with them, which is about 7 or so people, get to the wedding location. My car only fits 5 people. I asked how am I supposed to do that because #1 I am not going to be making all these trips again and #2 I'm not dressed either. I take the mom and leave and the bride calls to tell me to stop by costco to by brownies. Her mom speaks up and says that I can't since we're pressed for time to get to hair/make up. Its 130p by this time and the wedding photoshoot was supposed to be at 3p. We get to the hotel at 2p. The mom and dad both get dressed and head down for the shoot. At 3p I get dressed and head downstairs. I had nothing to do for the next 2 hours so I asked my "best" friend if I need to do anything. She tells me no.

Now at 4p I see the dad just sitting in the lobby with his friends so I ask him, who picked up all those relatives that were left at your house? Apperently he never arrainged transportation for them. It would take an hour for me to go there and come back so I told him I'll run over there and get some of them, but he has to find a ride for the few I would not be able to get. He said Ok and I went on my way. Now when I was literally 10 min away from the house, my "best" friend calls to tell me to forget the relatives, I need to pick up her 7 year old brother who was left at tailors. He is all they way on the east side of town and it would take me 30 min to get to him. Now its 445p when she calls to tell me this. She says that I need to get him to the hotel by 5p because he is the ring bearer. Now I'm stressed out and try to rush over there and when I get to him, he is not only still in street clothes, he tells me that his shoes for the wedding are at the house. So I drive all the way back to his house, the boy can't find his shoes. I tell him to just bring any shoe at this point and let's just go because its already 6p. The wedding is running too late. During all this I kept calling everyone in my "best" friend's family to find out if they have his shoes but no one is answering. We get to the hotel at 630p and it is storming like crazy.

When I get inside, my "best" friend asks where I have been and how come I just got there. I told her what happened and I was saying I don't know how they are gonna have him walk the aisle when he has no shoes. My "best" friend tell me the wedding is already over. At this point I feel my eyes burning because the wedding was the one event I was looking forward to for all this time. And I missed it because one of you guys apparently forgot that you left your little brother at the tailors. I went to the bathroom to cry it out but I was so mad I decided it was best I just go home or I'm going to ruin the wedding pics or something. I left my umbrella in the bridal room so when I went back to get it, one of the guests asked me what was wrong. I told her that I was leaving because I'm pretty upset with all that's going on. She tries to stop me to the point were it's beginning to make a scene when I was trying to leave quietly. She tries to tell me that they'll be upset that I left. At that point the reality of it all sinked in and I told her, they aren't even going to notice that I'm gone. I end up leaving eventually and I sent a text to my supposed "best" friend to tell her that I was going home. That was at 645p. It's now 3a and I still haven't heard from anybody. Not even a lecture to say, Why did you do that? I drove home bawling because to me, I consider this the end of our friendship. Because no one bothered to consider me even though I was "part of the family". I was really just a glorified servant. I unfriended them on facebook during my period of being upset. I think at this point, I just needed to vent. Although I have already complained to my siblings and my other real best friend. I have been complaining for years that I feel like I'm being used by these people and each time they told me that maybe I should distance myself. I should have listened.

tl;dr My "best" friend of 10 years and her family have been using me for years even though I'm supposedly "part of the family". I do so much and go out of my way to help them, but they literally never do the same for me. I was helping my "best" friend with her sister's wedding all weekend. I did so many errands and acted as their free assistant basically. They sent me last minute to pick up their little brother that they apparently forgot about. When I return, I learn that they went on with the wedding without the both of us. I became really upset and walked out. This was the last straw for me. And I'm ending what I thought was a friendship, but was acutally a give-and-take relationship. Where I give and she took. And what's funny, is that no one even noticed I'm gone.