It’s a lame thing to say and he admitted it. Like I said the best way to say it would be “sorry I have xyz to, I can’t.” In terms of payment…who pays friends for that stuff? Like I said normally you just offer food and drinks in exchange. But that’s for her to figure out with her female friends.
I don’t care what a lame dude admits to or not. He gave the right answer but apologized because he wants to stay in the “simp sunken place”. You’re calling the honest answer lame and recommending he lie...that’s lame.
Also I have no problem paying friends for help with things I would pay others to do. But in this situation they are not really friends in the first place because she ignored him when he asked to hang out time after time and when she finally reaches out it’s to ask to help her paint.
She’s trash, he shouldn’t have apologized, and saying what you honestly feel is always better than lying. Her reaction shows him that they are not real friends, when she doesn’t get her way she’s quick to blast him out for the whole world to see