AITA for pretending not to recognize my old classmate at the gym?
There’s this guy I went to high school with who used to make my life miserable. Nothing insane enough to report or anything, but he constantly made jokes about me, especially in front of other people. The type of person who’d say “relax bro I’m kidding” after embarrassing you.
We graduated a few years ago and I haven’t talked to him since.
Recently I started going to a gym near my apartment and apparently he goes there too. First couple times we just kinda noticed each other but didn’t say anything. Then last week he walked over smiling like we were old friends and started talking to me.
I’m not gonna lie, I genuinely didn’t want to interact with him. So I acted like I barely remembered him. I hit him with the “sorry man I’m bad with faces” thing and kept my headphones on.
The look on his face changed instantly and he just went “oh… alright” and walked away.
Later that day one of our mutual friends texted me saying he told people I acted like a dick for no reason and embarrassed him in public. Apparently he was “just trying to be nice.”
Now I kinda feel conflicted because maybe he really did mature and was trying to move on, but at the same time I don’t feel like I owe friendliness to someone who treated me badly for years just because time passed.
AITA?