A Reddit user who goes by u/Laura_Voss703 shared a story about turning her dislike of a classmate into motivation in the subreddit r/pettyrevenge. After meeting a girl at her new school whom she found insufferable, she became determined to outperform her in everything, including academics. The competition pushed her to study harder than she normally would to earn better grades. The post has received 2,800 upvotes and 156 comments.
The post begins with the Redditor explaining that she was the new student at school and got along with most people. However, there was one girl in her class whom she found difficult to tolerate. The two were constantly competing for the highest grades, so the original poster (OP) pushed herself to study harder to come out on top.
The Redditor also questioned how someone she found so unpleasant could be so academically capable. She described the classmate's sense of humor as terrible, saying she made inappropriate comments and laughed them off as if they were nothing. The behavior made OP uncomfortable and fueled her determination to outperform her.
OP wanted to prove she could get better grades, even if it meant putting in more study time than she was used to.
“Even though I wasn't used to studying, especially not this much. I wish I was making this up, but I actually studied 14 hours straight once and didn't even shower because It was very late, once I was done,” OP wrote.
Her efforts paid off. The two classmates ended up being the only students to earn A-pluses on all their tests, including Italian literature.
Although her motivation initially came from spite, the experience ultimately changed her approach to studying. She explained that she now makes sure to prepare extra hard before every exam, turning a petty rivalry into a lasting academic habit.
Redditors praised her for turning spite into motivation
Commenters were impressed by how the Redditor channeled her frustration into academic success.
“Spite is a valid energy source, and you used it to cook everyone in biology and Italian literature. Well earned,” one commenter wrote.
Another offered a more elaborate comparison, writing, “I feel like getting into Italian Literature to spite your rivals is like getting into Russian Literature to distract from the empty loneliness that used to be your faith and from the biting Alaska winter outside your decrepit Victorian manor.”
Other commenters shared stories of how spite had motivated them to make significant changes in their own lives.
“Five years ago I was working for a company who was happy to promote everyone else around me and keep me deadended in my role,” one user wrote. “Spite made me apply to uni to get another degree. I left that place before I concluded my undergrad degree and now I’m midway through my Masters.”
Even a teacher in the comments supported the Redditor's approach.
“As a teacher, I just wanna say good on you for keeping it up. Started out of spite, continued cuz succeeding is awesome and you wanna make use of the support you have? Hell yeah,” the commenter wrote.
Overall, commenters praised OP for turning an unpleasant rivalry into something productive. What began as an attempt to beat a classmate at her own game ultimately encouraged her to develop stronger study habits and push herself academically.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made in the post, which are based solely on the author's account shared on Reddit's r/pettyrevenge community.
