North Carolina woman’s Punta Cana birthday trip spiraled over $25. She got into a fistfight, went to Dominican jail, and then got stranded
She had a birthday trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Rhegan McKenzie (@rheganmckenzie), from North Carolina, thought she would spend her trip under clear skies by the beach. But an argument over the bill derailed her trip, leading to a fistfight with a best friend of over a decade.
“I got kicked off a resort, went to Dominican jail, got into my first fistfight with my best friend of eleven years, and then got stuck in Punta Cana, all in my birthday trip,” McKenzie told TikTok. She included her family and her best friend, whom she called “Abby.” Her best friend brought another girl along, called “Sadie.”
“Before we even get to the resort, Abby and Sadie, they were on a connecting flight,” McKenzie explained. She said the pair couldn’t reach the resort until three hours after McKenzie’s group. After their flight was delayed, McKenzie said she sent the women transportation information so they could book their own transport to the Punta Cana resort.
“From what I heard, they had some animosity left over from that. I don’t know if that’s what started the chaos,” McKenzie said. The second day of her birthday trip came, which was the day of her birthday. McKenzie and the rest of the group were at the swim-up bar. Although Abby texted her happy birthday, she and Sadie allegedly didn’t join the group until McKenzie’s sister called them over.
Her best friend was acting strange
Despite feeling irritated by Sadie’s lack of a greeting and Abby’s initial absence, McKenzie let it go because it was her special day. However, at the swim-up bar, Abby started acting strangely after having drinks. McKenzie alleged that Abby started coming up to strangers, cussing them out, and asking for racial slurs.
“This girl comes up to a Black man and asked him if he thinks we’re a ‘hard-er,'” McKenzie said. She excused her friend’s actions, thinking that it must have been because of the alcohol. However, they ended up apologizing to the man for her friend’s behavior.
“That night, we go to dinner. Everything’s cool, everything’s fine, until that check comes out. The check’s $600, mind you, there’s ten of us at the table,” McKenzie said. They divided the bill based on who got a certain dish. A balance remained, and McKenzie suggested splitting it, which would mean Abby and Sadie would only have to pay $25 each instead of the bigger bill.
“But they didn’t hear that, because they were by themselves, kiki-ing and kaka-ing the whole time,” McKenzie alleged. She said Abby got up and started screaming at her, telling McKenzie she wasn’t going with her proposal. McKenzie tried de-escalating the situation by offering to pay with her card.
“Well, money’s a problem for me,” Abby allegedly told McKenzie. She went to a corner and started crying.
Getting into a fistfight
McKenzie’s sister eventually confronted Abby. Earlier in the day, she apparently pulled Abby and Sadie aside to reprimand them for their behavior during a bus ride. Abby and Sadie took issue with it, allegedly called their mothers, and told them they felt “unsafe” during the trip. Instead of going with McKenzie’s group for a boat ride, they ended up staying behind.
When they came back, McKenzie’s brother called her. He told her that he overheard Abby say that McKenzie could “drown and die” for all she cares. McKenzie commented, “At this point, I’m heated.” With her sister standing by, McKenzie confronted Abby about her comment. McKenzie alleged that Abby started backing her up, screaming and cussing at her. She claimed she’s never been in a fight before, but she had to shove Abby because she was getting too close. In response, Abby punched back.
“After that point, I blacked out. You’re no longer my friend. You just put your hands on me. You’re my enemy now,” McKenzie said. A fight ensued shortly after. McKenzie’s wig got snatched, but she said she “dogged” Abby in the end.
Going to jail
Security came, and McKenzie’s family members started explaining the situation. Abby, however, accused McKenzie of hitting her first. She allegedly suggested that McKenzie needed to go to jail. To make matters worse, even though the resort staff was speaking to them, everyone else was speaking Spanish.
McKenzie said authorities took her in, supposedly to take a statement. But instead, McKenzie claimed that she was brought straight to jail. Authorities allegedly tried to make McKenzie and the other girls stay until Monday, but her family waited for her to emerge. McKenzie was freed early, and so were Abby and Sadie. The pair left early, and although McKenzie’s birthday trip was derailed, her family rented a villa to continue the celebration.
“It wasn’t funny in the moment, but we can laugh about it now,” McKenzie said of her experience. McKenzie isn’t the only one who recently had a hard lesson in friendship. Another woman from Houston planned her friend’s birthday trip, only to be beaten and ditched by her company.
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