Hi Aisha,
Yikes that doesn't sound like the mark of a good friend. I hope the gift wasn't too expensive. Do you think that there might be financial problems in your friend's life which is why she couldn't pay for the gift?
Is this the first time that she's done this? Or is such manipulative dishonesty a frequent problem with her? If it's a frequent problem, then maintain a distance from her.
As others have suggested, it would be better if you try to move on from this. If you press your friend any further to pay her half...........then this might do more damage than good. Because your friend showed some serious CUNNING by lying and saying that the gift was from "both" **of you when she had no sincere intention to pay for the gift. And I have heard of people STALLING or MAKING EXCUSES about paying their half. **BUT **I have **NEVER **heard anyone outright **REFUSE to pay for their half. That is really twisted and immature. And I've dealt with people like this, Aisha. So, I'm telling you from experience........be careful around her in the future. This "cunning" behavior usually is not only confined to material things like gifts...........it is often reflected in other situations as well.
If you feel that you ABSOLUTELY MUST talk to her about her behavior.........then do it without pressing her to pay for her half.........and instead focus on the real issue which is honesty. You can nicely tell your friend that "Hi, I wanted to briefly talk about the gift. I think we picked out a great gift and hope that our friend likes it. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not going to demand that you pay for it because it's over and done with. I was just baffled by your behavior. I couldn't understand why you would insist on paying for the gift and then refuse later on. If you were encountering difficulties paying for the gift, then I want you to know that as a friend you can be honest with me and trust me. Honesty and trust are important in a friendship. Once again, you don't have to pay me back if this is not a good time for you. I just want you to know that you can be open with me."
^ I don't know if this will help because you know this friend better than I do. In my opinion if the gift wasn't too expensive then....its better to move on without complaining and be careful next time. Also, in future, try to get the money first before purchasing.