My Friend Invited Me to an Expensive Restaurant and Tricked Me Into Splitting the Bill—What I Did Next Sh0cked Her

When she returned, the check arrived moments later.

$280.

She stared at the total, brows furrowing, lips parting in confusion. “Wow… that’s way more than I expected,” she said, tapping the receipt as if it might explain itself.

I looked at the number, then at her overflowing list of orders, and finally back at her face.

“Yeah,” I said evenly. “It adds up.”

She laughed nervously and said, “I guess prices have really gone up, huh?”

I paid my half without hesitation, picked up my bag, and stood.

As I left, the waiter handed me a neatly packed bag with three steaming boxes inside.

Dinner, after all, was something I planned to enjoy—on my own terms.