I have a coworker, "Jake" (30M), who I’m friendly with but not super close to. He doesn’t have a car right now because his broke down last month, and he’s been asking people at work for rides or to borrow their cars. Most people have been polite but said no.

A few days ago, he approached me and straight-up asked to borrow my car for “a few days.” I was immediately uncomfortable. I use my car daily for work and errands, and honestly, I’m not comfortable lending it out—what if he gets in an accident or something happens?

I told him, “Sorry, I can’t do that,” and he got really annoyed. He said I was being selfish and that he’s “struggling” without a car. I get that it sucks, but it’s my car, and I’m not obligated to hand over my keys, right?

Now he’s giving me the cold shoulder at work and apparently told a couple of coworkers that I’m “stingy” and don’t care about helping others. A few people have hinted I should reconsider because “we all need to look out for each other,” but I feel like they wouldn’t lend their cars either, so why am I being singled out?

It’s causing so much tension at work, and I’m starting to wonder if I’m the bad guy for sticking to my boundaries. AITA?