'Vulnerable': Man Ripped for Asking Woman to Use College Fund on Car

Thousands of internet commenters were bewildered and quick to offer stern advice after one woman explained that a man she's dating recently asked for her a generous sum of money.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/Throwrapaul447 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said the man began complaining about his costly car problems and detailed the manipulative aftermath of her refusal to lend him $2,500 to cover the repairs.

Titled, "[Am I the a**hole] for refusing to pay to get his car fixed from my college fund?" the post has received nearly 10,000 votes and 3,300 comments in the last ten hours.

Writing that she is 22, and that the man she's been seeing is 27, the original poster said the pair have gone on a couple of dates over the last two months but assumed that the arrangement is not an official relationship.

However, the original poster also said that recently, the man asked her to pay to fix his car, so he could take her on a road trip, like he had promised.

"For the past couple of weeks he's been sending me pics of his car that has been sitting in the mechanic (his cousin's) shop for weeks," OP wrote. "I look at it wondering what [it has] to do with me?"

"He told me about his financial hardship...and asked if I could help pay for his car to get it fixed quickly, so he'll be able to take me on that road trip he promised," OP continued. "I felt uncomfortable [because] the money he was walking about was around 2.5K and I don't have that kind of money [on hand]."

"He brought up my college fund and suggested I skip one semester so I could pay for the car," OP added.

In response to the man's shocking request, the original poster said she turned him down, but was almost-immediately scorned for refusing to pay.

"I was shocked he brought that up...he knows how important college is for me but he assured me he'll pay me back on time and that I only have to skip one semester and that's it," OP wrote. "I decided to just give a polite 'NO.'"

"I told him it's because my education is my priority and I can't handle skipping a semester," OP continued. "He hung up saying he needed time then texted me saying that I did not show support after he made himself open and vulnerable, and that I chose money over him by refusing to lend it."

"[He said] that he is struggling and in need and that didn't matter to me," OP added.

Loaning a spouse or longtime partner a large amount of money can be risky and is sure to spark multiple difficult conversations.

Loaning $2,500 to a man you've known for less than two months, meanwhile, is highly inadvisable.

While the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts reports that disagreements over money are the third leading cause of divorce in North America, disagreements over money long before marriage have the potential to create other issues—especially when a college fund is involved.

In recent months, Newsweek has reported on numerous Reddit threads involving college funds and the mayhem they cause within certain families.

And from a father who threatened to cut his son's college fund based on the results of a DNA test, to a wife who was scolded for purchasing a designer purse instead of contributing to her children's secondary education, Redditors have remained adamant that students are too often subjected the selfish actions of their stubborn parents.

In the case of the viral post authored by u/Throwrapaul447, however, Redditors overlooked the issue of her college fund and focused directly on the man who so flippantly requested she pay for his car to be repaired.

"[Not the a**hole]," Redditor u/ohdulcenada wrote in the post's top comment, which has received more than 25,000 votes. "RUN GIRL RUNNNNNNN."

"And in case you STILL don't get it," Redditor u/Specialist_Ad_7507 added, receiving nearly 13,00 votes. "RUN. RUN FAST, RUN FAR, BUT F**KING RUUUUUN!!!!"

Redditor u/BaltimoreBadger23, whose comment has received nearly 10,000 votes, echoed that sentiment.

"Get away - someone you aren't even officially in a relationship with...wants you to give them $2500 and skip a semester of college to do it," they wrote. "He either is grooming you for abuse or has zero sense of boundaries."

"Run, do not walk, away from this deadbeat," they added.

In a separate comment, which has received more than 2,000 votes, Redditor u/krik2019 speculated that if the original poster was to lend this man the $2,500 to his repair, she will likely never get the money back.

"He is 100 [percent] using you for money and you will not get it back," they wrote. "Dump his a** and go to college. The fact that he has the audacity to say you aren't supportive and won't talk to you until you compromise is absolutely mind boggling."

"Holy f**k," they exclaimed.

Newsweek reached out to u/Throwrapaul447 for comment.