Did I do the right thing
I am a Canadian High school student
Because it was Victoria Day, we were supposed to leave the school building immediately after our exam and not go back to our lockers. However, my friend and I had mistakenly left our belongings (phones and backpacks) in my locker, which we shared because her locker wasn’t working (she have my locker password so she can open it by herself).
After the exam, the teacher was upset with students who had used their lockers. At that point, I noticed that my friend—who had actually left the exam room earlier than me—did not say anything to the teacher about her belongings being in the locker. Instead, she walked out of the building as if the situation did not involve her.
This frustrated me because it felt like she expected me to handle everything alone. Since we both used the locker, I felt it would have been fair for her to come with me or at least acknowledge the situation. Instead, I was left to face the teacher and the awkwardness by myself, while she avoided it entirely.
In the past, she often seems to assume that other people will take care of her belongings without directly asking. For example, there have been times during lunch when she leaves her bag at the cafeteria table and expects others to bring it to her in class. One of my other friends usually helps her with this, even though she never explicitly asks. She rarely communicates a clear request like “can you bring my bag,” but instead seems to rely on the assumption that someone will do it for her.
At that moment, I chose not to take her belongings from the locker along with mine. While I felt a small amount of guilt, I mostly felt justified. I didn’t want to enable behavior where I am left to take responsibility for something we both contributed to.
Did I do the right thing?