‘Well played’: Office prankster gets a taste of his own medicine in a collective payback prank by his coworkers

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 11, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

Much like every class in high school has the class clown, in many offices you would be able to find the unhinged funny coworker who likes to joke around. They might not be the troublemaker that the class clown usually was, but they can be just as bad, with silly jokes and office pranks that might not be everyone's cup of tea. Sometimes this one specific coworker is accepted just the way they are, and sometimes there is a need to give them a taste of their own medicine and show them what it really is like to share an office with them.

The woman in this petty revenge story on Reddit decided she had to teach her office prankster a lesson after she was the subject of one of his silly pranks. She gets the whole office to convince her coworker that she has a massive prank lined up, and watches him become skittish and suspicious around the office while waiting for the prank to occur. The only thing is, the actual prank didn't even exist, because as they say - Revenge is best not served at all.

Scroll down to read the full silly tale. After you are done with that, click here for another story of a neighborly feud over a tree.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    Sometimes the best petty revenge is that which is never delivered at all.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 02
    TLDR at bottom, SFW. I (SML, F32) was the inadvertent recipient of a minor prank at work. Let's call the instigator Bill (M36). One lunch break, Bill had decided to poke some holes in the top of a bottle of water,
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 03
    thinking it belonged to another colleague of his (who he occasionally had minor prank wars with). Unfortunately, he accidentally picked my bottle of water instead.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 04
    Now I don't mind a bit of fun at work, but I wasn't really expecting this, as I'd had nothing to do with Bill thus far that would justify an unwarranted prank. Bill himself was known to enjoy pranks a little more than was necessary.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 05
    However, they were generally harmless and he was actually very good at his job, so everybody just let it slide as if he wasn't being mischievous, he'd be happy to help with whatever you were working on.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 06
    That being said, I can roll with a prank or two, so let's get petty! After a liberal soaking of my blouse, I pretended to be very annoyed and "stormed off" in a huff, making a point of
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 07
    slamming my bottle of water in the recycling bin for added ped off-ness. The other colleagues in the break room, not used to seeing me react this way, were initially concerned that I was in a foul
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 08
    mood and came by my desk to apologise on Bill's behalf and say it wasn't intended for me and to please not make a big deal of it. As they spoke to me, I informed them to keep it quiet but I wasn't ped off, but
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 09
    wanted Bill to think I was. They all promised to keep the charade going as, knowing I could be a prankster too, were interested to see where this was going.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 10
    So fast forward two days. Bill's not yet spoken to me as I've been giving him the stink-eye. That lunchtime I bumped into Bill coming out of a meeting room. He took the moment to apologise, quite profusely, and I
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 11
    realised he'd been thinking about this way more than I was. He genuinely seemed remorseful, even offering to buy me flowers and pay for any dry cleaning.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 12
    Fair enough, but I had to have the last laugh. I told him "apology accepted, thanks Bill. Don't worry about any of that, I've already set my revenge trap." I added a nonchalant glance towards where his desk was, just for flair.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 13
    Bill was glad that I'd accepted his apology but was obviously on alert for anything unusual. At least 3 times a day he'd inspect his desk, his car, his food, his coat, etc.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 14
    This is petty revenge, I obviously wasn't going to keep it going forever! After a few days I went over to Bill's desk and asked him if he'd found my revenge yet. He nervously said no, at which point I burst out
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 15
    laughing and said "there wasn't any, I just wanted you to think there was." Thankfully he saw the funny side and said that was the best "revenge" play he'd experienced. He said he'd had
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 16
    his guard up even over the weekend when he was at home! We shook hands and all was forgiven. Although I couldn't resist a parting note, "hey Bill, guess you didn't notice I loosened your water bottle cap,
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 17
    right?" He instinctively went to check, saw me laughing again, and admitted defeat. Bill had told the rest of my colleagues at some point that afternoon so I got a few "I
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 18
    heard about Bill, well played" type comments throughout the rest of the day. Since then Bill and I haven't pranked each other, although he did pop by my desk one afternoon to ask if I had any
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 19
    extra packing tape. When I queried what for, he said "eh, it's best if you don't know." I soon found out why, when the next day I walked into the office to hear another colleague of ours asking who the all had
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 20
    taped his keyboard and mouse underneath his desk. Apparently he'd spelled Bill's surname wrong on an external memo so this was Bill's revenge. I wasn't implicated in any way.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 21
    TLDR: Colleague accidentally pranks me, I pretend I'm super ped off and say his payback is coming. The payback was thinking he had some coming, when there wasn't any.
    via u/FMLitsSML
  • 22
    • deepdiver32086 · 3 days ago Did this to my kids for April Fools. Led up to the day saying I had an epic April Fools prank (after years of getting them good). They were jumpy the entire day long. At bedtime they said, "you didn't prank us!" I said the non-prank was the prank.
    via u/deepdiver32086
  • 23
    PetulantPersimmon · 3 days ago Non pranks are my favourite pranks. I always bring donuts to work on April Fools with "Happy April Fools!" on the box. They're just donuts. I get great pleasure out of the worried inspections and tentative nibbles.
    via u/PetulantPersimmon
  • 24
    Catacombs3 3 days ago Nice to hear about pranks that are actual pranks where no one is physically hurt or humiliated!
    via u/Catacombs3
  • 25
    Jonny_Be_Good · 3 days ago Your workplace and co- workers sound great! This post made me smile the most I have on Reddit for a while!
    via u/Jonny_Be_Good
  • 26
    FMLitsSML OP. 2 days ago Glad I could make you smile. I've recently left that job, on good terms, to further my career. As such I will probably post a few stories on Reddit from my time there!
    via u/FMLitsSML

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

workplace-stories employee petty-revenge-reddit work coworkers reddit story petty revenge Office prank workplace silly Reddit payback funny
Scroll Down For The Next Article