So my friend let’s call her Jazz (22F) and I (22F) were talking about tattoos. Well one of my best friends (29F) lets call her Mandy is a tattoo apprentice, she had offered to give me a free tattoo whenever as she was doing her 50 free practice tats. (But also just said she’d get me for free because we’re good friends regardless.) While me and Jazz were talking she had expressed a desire for new ink but was distressed about the price.

I knew Mandy was still doing free tattoos so I asked her if she would consider doing something small for me and my friend on a day she wasn’t super booked up, she said yes and had told me that her boss just allowed her to start charging but since it was me and one of my friends she’d do it for free no problem. We set the date for Thursday as she had no clients and that was that. She asked what we had wanted and I sent her some pictures.

The night before Jazz texts me and asked how much I would be tipping “the girl” I ask, “my friend?” To which Jazz says “yeah tattoo girl.” I don’t know why but it rubbed me the wrong way, I had said Mandy’s name about a hundred times so it’s not like she didn’t know it. I had even texted it to her previously. But strangeness aside I had reminded her of her name and then said I wasn’t sure how much I would be tipping her and then asked why she was asking. She said she wanted to be sure to know how much to tip her because she had never had an apprentice do her tattoo before and wanted to tip based off of her “service and skill.” Mandy has several art degrees and is about to be legally certified… again she’s doing these free tattoos as a favor for me as she had already been told to start charging. I told Jazz her tip was up to her discretion and that was it. She asked me what time we would be going and I asked her what time she would be free.

Jazz didn’t respond so I asked her the next morning and the day of the tattoo appointment what time she would be free. She then tells me she is at work, after previously stating she was free to do the tattoo that day at anytime so I was confused. She said she would be at my house around 2:30 so we could go together. I had then received a call from Mandy letting me know that her mentor/boss had to have his dog in surgery and would only be working 11-3:45 so she could still tattoo us but wanted to know when we would be coming.

I then told her about Jazz’s schedule and thought a reschedule should be fine as Mandy isn’t supposed to tattoo us without her mentor present. I told Jazz about this and she immediately sent me a text about how my friend was unprofessional for saying she was free for the day and then saying she would only be at the shop until 3:45. I explained to her the situation and how she would have been fine but her mentors schedule is her schedule and life happens. Jazz was not understanding. She wanted to attempt to have Mandy start the line work tattoo and then finish it later if she had to be gone by 3:45, all of this was just so much.

I was on the phone with Mandy when Jazz called her unprofessional and honestly it rubbed me the wrong way I let Mandy know what she had said and she was upset too we both agreed that if Jazz was going to be ungrateful and frankly rude that she didn’t deserve to get a free service from my friend anyway. Honestly would I be the asshole for dropping Jazz as a friend? I don’t like the way she talked about my friend who was honestly doing me a favor and this is not the first time she has been rude and disrespectful towards someone I care for.