13x16: Childhood Sociopath

[00:00:00] This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. Enjoy the show.

[00:00:38] In 2018, I moved into a small two-story property in England with my then-boyfriend. It was in a quiet cul-de-sac with houses crammed together, all facing each other.

[00:00:51] I'm very introverted and don't typically make it a habit of socializing much with the neighbors. Still, I naturally ran into a few and exchanged pleasantries, as anyone would.

[00:01:03] One of my new neighbors, Greg, was incredibly welcoming right off the bat. He was an older gentleman, the kind who would stop you for a chat that would drag on and on until you had the opportunity to make up an excuse for why you had to get going.

[00:01:17] He shared local stories, took notes of everyone's birthdays, and even invited anyone who was around for a garden party. Everybody was welcome.

[00:01:29] His house was directly across the street from where I lived, with his windows in clear view of mine.

[00:01:35] A couple of years passed by, and during this time my boyfriend and I split. Although I never expressly shared this news with my neighbors, word must have gotten around,

[00:01:45] as his car was suddenly absent from the driveway. When he and I broke up, he moved out of my house and left the country, but we stayed in touch regularly as friends.

[00:01:56] Having the house to myself felt lonely, so I got a cat to keep me company. He quickly became my world, and he still is.

[00:02:03] Greg would often flag me down to talk when he caught me leaving or returning to my house.

[00:02:09] Although I found this annoying, it wasn't anything I couldn't live with.

[00:02:13] I would update my ex about weird little interactions that I had with Greg as they were happening.

[00:02:18] We both found it amusing to gossip about.

[00:02:20] One such incident was when Greg came to my door to hand over two of my parcels, one of which was a large table that he had yet to retrieve from his house.

[00:02:31] I had been raiding in Elder Scrolls Online at that time, and I was doing a deathless speedrun for an achievement.

[00:02:39] Given the time constraint in this style of gameplay, I told him I'd leave the door unlocked so he could simply put it by my door.

[00:02:47] Then I sat back down at my desk, put my headset on, and my group charged in at the final boss.

[00:02:54] As I continued playing, I heard my front door opening, followed by the sound of my large parcel being placed down.

[00:03:03] I then heard footsteps approaching my direction from behind.

[00:03:07] I peered behind me to see Greg standing there, eyes fixated on me.

[00:03:13] I didn't want to disappoint my raid group, so I continued playing until we killed the final boss before taking my headset off.

[00:03:21] Greg's face lit up, and he went on to tell me how amazing it was to watch me play.

[00:03:26] I got the impression he had never seen someone use a keyboard, let alone play games.

[00:03:32] He begged me to teach him and rambled on.

[00:03:35] He was clearly intoxicated, so I just laughed it off and gave a noncommittal response.

[00:03:41] Despite repeated and polite attempts to get him to leave, he could not be persuaded.

[00:03:46] He seemed disappointed when I walked over to my door and opened it to imply that it was time to go.

[00:03:52] But he left without further incident.

[00:03:56] In the United Kingdom, houses have individual outdoor bins for trash,

[00:04:01] which have to be rolled out to the street the night before collections take place.

[00:04:07] You are then expected to bring the bins back to your property after collection.

[00:04:11] I noticed that someone kept bringing my bins back for me.

[00:04:15] Around the same time, I noticed someone had been using my bins.

[00:04:20] I brought it up to Greg when he pulled over to talk, and he said the same thing had been happening to him.

[00:04:26] Maybe it was petty of me, but I decided to tape an old phone with a surveillance app to my window so that I could oversee the bins and try to figure out who it was.

[00:04:38] Lo and behold, it was Greg.

[00:04:41] I chalked it up to him having run out of bins space after the local council moved from weekly to biweekly collections due to staffing issues,

[00:04:51] although it bothered me my desire to avoid confrontation won in the end.

[00:04:57] One late evening, around Christmas time, when the pandemic was in full swing, I heard a knock at my door and walked over to see who it was.

[00:05:05] I didn't have a peephole, so I opened the door, not knowing what to expect.

[00:05:11] Greg was standing on my doorstep, which wasn't particularly unusual as I had gotten used to his antics.

[00:05:18] I immediately caught the strong scent of alcohol, but he spoke before I had time to process this.

[00:05:25] He told me he had a Christmas present for me and handed over a red gift bag with colored tissue paper covering the contents.

[00:05:34] I really want to give you a kiss on the cheek, but I can't, not with this pandemic going around, he said.

[00:05:42] It was really off-putting, so I did all that I could to politely end this interaction and retreat back inside.

[00:05:50] He held me up by rambling on about God knows what.

[00:05:54] I firmly told him that I was busy and needed to go.

[00:05:58] That's when he put his hand on my shoulder, leaned in, kissed my cheek, and then walked off in the direction of his house.

[00:06:05] I closed the door and simply stood there in shock for a few moments.

[00:06:09] The present was odd.

[00:06:12] Underneath the tissue paper were two bottles of Belgian beer, a can of half-eaten sour cream and onion Pringles, and a small plastic bag containing little chocolates.

[00:06:23] I recognized the latter item.

[00:06:26] Another neighbor with young children had come around to put these plastic bags with chocolate and a handwritten note through everyone's mail slots a few weeks prior.

[00:06:36] It was a sweet gesture and probably something that they came up with to keep the stir-crazy kids busy, but upon inspecting the re-gifted chocolates, I noticed that he had even forgotten to remove the note from the neighbor.

[00:06:50] This kiss and gift gave me a very bad feeling, and I regretted accepting it.

[00:06:58] I decided right then that I was done being Miss Polite and resolved to be firm in my future rejections.

[00:07:06] On the second day of the new year, I was feeling lazy and ordered food.

[00:07:11] A mere five minutes after receiving my order, there was a knock at the door.

[00:07:16] Knowing that the delivery driver hadn't forgotten anything, I concluded this had to be Greg.

[00:07:21] And then it clicked for me.

[00:07:23] I realized he must have been constantly watching my house, as he would often turn up immediately after anything was delivered.

[00:07:32] Then I wondered, was he dumping trash in my bins as an excuse to hang around my house?

[00:07:38] He called out for me through the door.

[00:07:41] I felt too uncomfortable to answer and retreated upstairs to be out of view from the windows.

[00:07:48] Later that night, he came back and kept knocking.

[00:07:51] But once again, I ignored it in hopes that he'd just go away.

[00:07:55] The following day, I contacted the police to file a harassment report.

[00:08:01] I felt so sheepish doing so and even questioned myself.

[00:08:05] Was it really that bad?

[00:08:06] He seemed like he was just a lonely old man, and I figured I hadn't been firm enough.

[00:08:13] Upon being asked whether I wanted the police to speak with him, I told him, I'd do it myself.

[00:08:19] I just wanted the report on file in case anything else happened.

[00:08:23] I would later become grateful for filing that report.

[00:08:26] Greg turned up at my door a few days later, telling me how worried he was about me.

[00:08:31] I told him verbatim, I think it's best if we don't have any contact going forward.

[00:08:37] His response was equally as eerie.

[00:08:41] I just want to be your friend.

[00:08:44] I held my ground, cut the conversation short, and closed the door as I thought, it's finally over.

[00:08:52] A year went by without incident.

[00:08:55] Everything was fine, no knocks at the door or unwanted conversations while I was outside.

[00:09:01] Then, one night the following winter, I was leaving my house to get groceries.

[00:09:07] It was completely dark outside save for the lamp post casting some sparse light onto the street.

[00:09:13] My driveway was at the side of my house, where the bins were stored.

[00:09:18] The driveway was blocked in by a tall panel fence to add some privacy, seeing as the kitchen window was directly next to it.

[00:09:26] You could see right into my kitchen and living room through this window.

[00:09:31] As I was outside, locking the door, I saw a figure in the dark, slinking out of my driveway and behind the fence.

[00:09:38] I immediately unlocked the door and went back inside.

[00:09:42] It was dark, so I certainly could have imagined it, but my gut told me otherwise.

[00:09:48] Ultimately, I trusted my instincts and decided to forego the groceries for the night.

[00:09:53] I also bought and mounted a light with a motion sensor to illuminate my driveway.

[00:09:59] The memory of the shadowy figure quickly faded from my mind, and the new light gave me some comfort,

[00:10:05] knowing that I'd at least be alerted if somebody was lurking around outside my window.

[00:10:11] A couple of months after the incident, I was in my kitchen getting some food from my beloved cat.

[00:10:17] The window was directly to my left, around three feet away from where I stood.

[00:10:22] As I dumped the cat food into a bowl, I suddenly became aware of my motion sensor lights being on.

[00:10:30] I looked outside, not seeing anything, until my eye landed on something in the bottom corner of the window.

[00:10:37] I squinted, trying to make out what it was.

[00:10:41] It somehow wasn't properly illuminated, so I kept staring for what must have been thirty seconds,

[00:10:48] all the while the light outside remained on.

[00:10:52] Suddenly, Greg popped into view, directly outside my window.

[00:10:56] He had been crouched down, peering in from the corner of the window.

[00:11:01] I'm normally someone who keeps a cool head.

[00:11:04] I never raise my voice or yell, but I truly lost it at that moment and screamed,

[00:11:10] What are you doing?

[00:11:12] He just stood there, undeterred, and nonchalantly asked,

[00:11:17] Are you alright?

[00:11:19] I kept screaming, Why are you there?

[00:11:23] I never...

[00:11:23] Then, he just walked off into the dark, providing no explanation.

[00:11:29] I immediately called the police.

[00:11:31] Now, typically the police in England leave something to be desired,

[00:11:35] but I have to give them credit for how they handled this situation.

[00:11:40] They took my statement over the phone and gave me a reference number.

[00:11:43] I received a couple of phone calls with updates, and I was told that they'd bring him into the station.

[00:11:48] I was also informed that he was known to the police for having previously followed young women.

[00:11:54] Some time later, he was arrested at his property in front of a wife who I didn't even know existed.

[00:12:02] They did this to scare him, according to the officer I spoke to.

[00:12:06] They wanted to make a point.

[00:12:09] Sadly, I received nothing more than a police caution which forbade him from being on this side of the cul-de-sac, or contacting me.

[00:12:18] In any case, it did seem to work.

[00:12:22] The window incident was the last real interaction I had with Greg.

[00:12:26] However, I did see him staring at me in the shower from his window one time when I forgot to close the blinds.

[00:12:33] But nothing else.

[00:12:34] And I have since moved far away.

[00:12:37] So, Greg, you are gross.

[00:12:40] And now everyone in the neighborhood knows that you're a creep.

[00:12:43] Let's not meet ever again.

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[00:14:43] A few weeks ago, I was driving in the middle of nowhere, headed to one of my friends.

[00:15:02] My wife was sleeping in the passenger seat next to me, while my teenage daughters were watching a movie in the back.

[00:15:09] My toddler was also in the back with my daughters playing with his toys.

[00:15:14] It was around 1am.

[00:15:16] I was starting to get a bit nervous, because the drive seemed to last forever.

[00:15:21] Driving along the unlit, dirt road was giving me chills.

[00:15:26] All that I could see around us were dark, desolate fields.

[00:15:30] The road had many potholes, and I was trying to avoid them as much as I could.

[00:15:36] I was focusing on that when I suddenly spotted a piece of luggage in the middle of the road.

[00:15:42] On the other side of the road, there was a car, parked, facing us.

[00:15:46] The car was completely dark.

[00:15:49] No lights on inside or outside.

[00:15:52] I didn't want to drive over the luggage, so my first instinct was to stop, get out of the car, and go move it.

[00:15:59] I was lucky to have my wife with me, since she grabbed my hand and pointed out that there was something on the right.

[00:16:07] I looked over and I saw a person in the field, intermittently looking at his phone,

[00:16:13] which was the reason my wife saw him in the first place.

[00:16:16] I turned my car around since I was ready to leave the road,

[00:16:20] and then two more people emerged from the field and jumped out in front of us.

[00:16:26] They jumped out so quickly, leaving no space on the road,

[00:16:29] so I had to sit there with two people in front of my car,

[00:16:33] while the piece of luggage and the person we first saw in the field remained behind me.

[00:16:39] I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of.

[00:16:44] I turned around, facing the luggage, and then drove over it.

[00:16:49] Fortunately, this wasn't damaging to my car,

[00:16:52] so we got out of the situation completely unharmed.

[00:16:56] We arrived at my friend's house and everything was fine.

[00:16:59] We had a great time there.

[00:17:00] However, I still have chills whenever I think about this incident

[00:17:04] and the random people in the dark, desolate field.

[00:17:07] So, to the people from that field, let's not meet again.

[00:17:25] This happened earlier this year, in January.

[00:17:28] My friend and I had just started working on our film project,

[00:17:32] and we were thinking of ideas for locations of where we could shoot the film.

[00:17:37] We wound up driving to a swinging bridge about an hour away from our hometown.

[00:17:43] It was an unsteady bridge that was about 400 feet long and 60 feet above water.

[00:17:49] This bridge was only meant for walking.

[00:17:51] So, running, biking, etc. was never allowed on it.

[00:17:56] It was parallel to another bridge, which was for vehicles.

[00:18:00] My friend and I took a couple of shots of the bridge itself

[00:18:04] before we made our way to the other side,

[00:18:06] where the train tracks and the neighborhood were.

[00:18:09] As we were about halfway across the bridge,

[00:18:12] we heard yelling coming from the other bridge.

[00:18:15] We looked, and there appeared to be a woman,

[00:18:18] waving her arms like she was trying to get our attention.

[00:18:22] She called out a name, but it was unclear.

[00:18:25] I thought it sounded like Hayden or Aiden, something like that.

[00:18:30] Neither of our names were remotely close to what she was shouting,

[00:18:34] so we yelled back,

[00:18:35] We're not them, thinking that would be the end of the conversation.

[00:18:40] The woman continued to stand there, staring at us.

[00:18:44] We tried to shrug it off as we both thought that it had been settled,

[00:18:48] but then the woman took off in a full sprint, running across the bridge.

[00:18:53] She ran in the same direction that we were going.

[00:18:57] We thought that it was a bit strange,

[00:18:59] but we just laughed it off and carried on.

[00:19:03] We made it to the other side of the bridge,

[00:19:05] and began shooting footage near the train tracks.

[00:19:08] I know that it's unsafe to hang out around train tracks,

[00:19:12] but this was a regular crossing point for the bridge trail.

[00:19:16] While in the middle of a scene,

[00:19:18] I heard a familiar voice yelling from behind me.

[00:19:22] It was the same woman,

[00:19:24] now yelling the same name again.

[00:19:27] She was standing on top of the hill of the neighborhood.

[00:19:31] It was just across the train tracks.

[00:19:33] We again yelled back that we weren't who she was looking for.

[00:19:38] The woman then took off running once again,

[00:19:41] but this time, she was running right towards us.

[00:19:46] This was frightening,

[00:19:47] because why would a woman need to get to us with such urgency?

[00:19:52] My friend and I quickly grabbed our things

[00:19:54] and headed back across the swinging bridge.

[00:19:57] We knew that we weren't supposed to run across the bridge,

[00:20:00] but we wanted to get out of there,

[00:20:02] so we just walked quickly,

[00:20:04] which made the bridge sway.

[00:20:06] By the time the lady had made it to the bridge,

[00:20:08] we were halfway across.

[00:20:09] She was still yelling out for us,

[00:20:12] but this time her voice sounded hateful and angry.

[00:20:16] It made our fight or flight kick in.

[00:20:18] I turned around to look and see

[00:20:21] how much distance was between us.

[00:20:23] The lady stopped right at the bridge.

[00:20:25] She hadn't started to cross the bridge just yet,

[00:20:28] and I noticed she was holding something behind her back.

[00:20:32] Even though she had stopped running after us,

[00:20:34] we continued to bolt across the bridge.

[00:20:37] We turned back once we reached the other side of the bridge

[00:20:40] and saw that the woman was still standing there,

[00:20:43] fiddling with whatever she had in her hands.

[00:20:45] My friend pulled her phone out

[00:20:47] and began recording the woman.

[00:20:50] This made the lady turn back immediately

[00:20:53] and walk the other way.

[00:20:55] We never found out why she chased us

[00:20:58] or what she was holding in her hand.

[00:21:00] Sometimes I wonder if maybe she needed help,

[00:21:03] but if that were the case,

[00:21:05] why didn't she scream for help

[00:21:07] instead of screaming someone's name?

[00:21:09] I just find it strange that she pursued us

[00:21:12] after we told her multiple times

[00:21:14] that we weren't whoever she thought we were.

[00:21:18] I've had difficulty sleeping since this happened.

[00:21:21] I haven't been able to stop thinking about that woman

[00:21:23] and what she could have possibly wanted to do with us.

[00:21:28] Being chased by her was a scary moment.

[00:21:31] I've never been so scared in my life.

[00:21:43] In the past, I've had some rough times around the holidays,

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[00:21:56] Last year, half of American consumers

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[00:22:49] Now back to the show.

[00:23:07] When I was in college from 2008 to 2014,

[00:23:11] I was an avid metal detectorist.

[00:23:14] Back then, I knew of an old military trail

[00:23:18] and river crossing that was back

[00:23:21] in a secluded portion of the woods,

[00:23:23] and I didn't know many others who were aware of it.

[00:23:26] I hadn't gone on the trail

[00:23:28] until finally one winter morning

[00:23:30] when I decided it was time to go out there

[00:23:33] and metal detect the area.

[00:23:35] The trail is about one to two miles away

[00:23:37] from the city park

[00:23:39] along the South Concho River

[00:23:40] in San Angelo, Texas.

[00:23:43] I parked my truck,

[00:23:45] got all of my gear,

[00:23:46] which included a serrated knife for digging,

[00:23:48] and began my trek through the raw woods and brush

[00:23:52] to find the trail.

[00:23:54] About half a mile into the trees,

[00:23:57] I got into a clearing

[00:23:58] and found an isolated campsite

[00:24:01] complete with a tent

[00:24:02] about 40 yards away from the river.

[00:24:05] There were cans strewn all around,

[00:24:07] as well as some clothes and other stuff

[00:24:09] that made it evident someone had been using it.

[00:24:13] I didn't hang around there for long

[00:24:16] before continuing on my way.

[00:24:18] As I was getting past the tent,

[00:24:20] this rough-looking guy came out of the brush

[00:24:22] just a few feet away from me.

[00:24:24] I startled him just as much as he startled me.

[00:24:27] After some innocent chit-chat back and forth,

[00:24:30] he asked me what I was doing in the woods.

[00:24:33] I told him about the old trail

[00:24:35] and my metal detecting stuff.

[00:24:37] I lied about the trail

[00:24:39] and said that it was a pretty well-known site

[00:24:41] for hobbyists like me,

[00:24:43] which seemed to make him a bit anxious.

[00:24:45] He started asking me

[00:24:46] if I had messed with his campsite at all.

[00:24:49] And I let him know that I didn't,

[00:24:51] aside from accidentally stepping on one of the cans

[00:24:54] that were on the ground.

[00:24:55] He was mostly concerned about

[00:24:56] whether I had looked into his tent,

[00:24:59] which, truthfully and thankfully, I hadn't.

[00:25:02] The guy told me that his wife

[00:25:04] had kicked him out of their apartment

[00:25:05] a few days ago

[00:25:07] and he was just staying in the woods

[00:25:09] until he got back on his feet.

[00:25:11] Nothing about this really added up in my mind

[00:25:13] and I didn't ask him anything else about it.

[00:25:16] When our conversation wound down,

[00:25:19] I told him that I was going to be on my way

[00:25:21] and with a weird expression on his face,

[00:25:23] he suggested

[00:25:24] that I not go behind his campsite

[00:25:27] since he had recently used the bathroom back there.

[00:25:30] I went a little further towards the trail

[00:25:33] that I wanted to metal detect on

[00:25:35] but never felt quite comfortable enough

[00:25:37] to keep going.

[00:25:38] So, I made a quick turn towards the river

[00:25:41] and headed back to my truck.

[00:25:43] I never saw the guy again

[00:25:44] until his picture was all over the local news

[00:25:48] for being apprehended by authorities

[00:25:50] for the murder of his wife.

[00:25:53] He killed her

[00:25:54] and then buried her

[00:25:55] in the same exact area of the woods

[00:25:58] where I encountered him that day.

[00:26:01] I can't recall if I met him

[00:26:03] on the very day of the crime or not

[00:26:05] but from what I've been able to gather,

[00:26:07] I know he had completed the matter

[00:26:10] when we met.

[00:26:24] I was a bit of a late bloomer

[00:26:26] when it comes to getting my driver's license.

[00:26:29] I was living in the city

[00:26:30] so this wasn't a big deal

[00:26:32] because walking, public transit,

[00:26:34] and rideshare apps

[00:26:35] were all extremely accessible.

[00:26:37] Although I didn't drive,

[00:26:39] I had no trouble getting where I needed to go.

[00:26:42] Most of the time I used Uber to get to work.

[00:26:45] So, I met a lot of the local Uber drivers.

[00:26:48] Some of them knew me by name.

[00:26:51] There were a few encounters

[00:26:52] of drivers being creepy

[00:26:54] but it was never too bad.

[00:26:57] However, there is one driver

[00:26:59] who sticks out in my head

[00:27:00] and thinking about him

[00:27:01] scares me to this day.

[00:27:04] I was 23 at the time.

[00:27:06] I had an office job downtown

[00:27:08] and on this particular day,

[00:27:10] I ordered an Uber

[00:27:11] to take me home from work.

[00:27:12] I didn't recognize the driver

[00:27:14] as he pulled up

[00:27:15] but everything seemed pretty normal

[00:27:17] so I hopped in.

[00:27:18] We said our hellos

[00:27:20] and he confirmed the destination address

[00:27:22] before we started driving.

[00:27:24] The driver was a man

[00:27:25] who appeared to be in his mid-30s.

[00:27:27] He was heavier set

[00:27:29] and very smiley.

[00:27:30] He was continually glancing

[00:27:32] in the rear view mirror at me

[00:27:34] noticeably more than

[00:27:35] other drivers would on average.

[00:27:38] Almost right away,

[00:27:40] he insisted

[00:27:41] that he had picked me up before.

[00:27:43] At the time,

[00:27:45] I Ubered almost daily

[00:27:46] so this didn't strike me

[00:27:48] as all that odd

[00:27:49] but then things started to get weird

[00:27:52] and what he was saying

[00:27:53] was oddly specific.

[00:27:56] He asked me

[00:27:57] why I no longer worked

[00:27:58] at my former job.

[00:28:00] I was surprised

[00:28:01] and a little bit alarmed

[00:28:02] that he had remembered

[00:28:03] where I used to work

[00:28:05] as I hadn't worked there

[00:28:07] since I was 19.

[00:28:09] This meant

[00:28:09] he had to remember me

[00:28:11] from at least

[00:28:12] three or four years back.

[00:28:13] He also remembered

[00:28:15] my hometown,

[00:28:16] where I went to high school,

[00:28:17] what college I went to,

[00:28:19] what I was studying

[00:28:20] and how many siblings I had.

[00:28:23] Now,

[00:28:23] I still shrugged it off

[00:28:24] and figured this wasn't

[00:28:25] too strange

[00:28:26] given that

[00:28:27] he was an attentive

[00:28:28] and friendly driver.

[00:28:30] Except,

[00:28:31] I was never a talkative passenger

[00:28:33] and usually avoided small talk.

[00:28:36] I typically kept quiet in Ubers,

[00:28:39] so I have no memory

[00:28:41] of ever telling

[00:28:41] any Uber driver

[00:28:43] information that specific,

[00:28:45] let alone him.

[00:28:47] When Uber drivers

[00:28:48] ask me questions,

[00:28:49] I generally keep it short

[00:28:51] and vague.

[00:28:52] For example,

[00:28:53] if someone asked me

[00:28:54] where I was from,

[00:28:55] I'd say,

[00:28:56] oh, about 40 miles south of here.

[00:28:58] Or,

[00:28:58] if someone asked me

[00:28:59] about my siblings,

[00:29:00] I'd reply,

[00:29:01] yeah, I've got a few.

[00:29:02] I'm not close with them though.

[00:29:05] I made a pretty conscious effort

[00:29:07] to avoid getting too specific

[00:29:09] about details to a stranger.

[00:29:11] I figured,

[00:29:12] having them know my address

[00:29:14] was enough.

[00:29:15] So,

[00:29:16] it struck me as extremely odd

[00:29:17] that this friendly driver

[00:29:19] remembered such detailed

[00:29:21] information about me.

[00:29:23] He then went on

[00:29:24] to ask a bunch of

[00:29:25] personal questions

[00:29:26] such as my relationship status,

[00:29:28] what year I graduated high school,

[00:29:31] where I liked to go out

[00:29:32] with friends,

[00:29:33] and he also knew

[00:29:34] about my male roommate somehow

[00:29:36] and inappropriately asked

[00:29:38] about my relationship to him.

[00:29:40] At this point,

[00:29:42] I was getting extremely uncomfortable

[00:29:43] and my answers

[00:29:44] were becoming more and more curt.

[00:29:47] But he wasn't taking the hint.

[00:29:49] So,

[00:29:50] I stopped being cooperative

[00:29:51] with the questioning

[00:29:52] and I started giving

[00:29:54] one-word answers

[00:29:55] and pretending not to hear

[00:29:56] the questions

[00:29:57] until he gave up asking

[00:29:59] and moved on

[00:30:00] to another subject.

[00:30:02] Despite my obvious discomfort,

[00:30:04] he did not stop

[00:30:05] questioning me

[00:30:06] about my personal life

[00:30:07] for the entirety

[00:30:08] of the 10-minute drive.

[00:30:09] And all the while,

[00:30:11] he continually glanced back

[00:30:12] at me in the rearview mirror

[00:30:14] any chance that he got.

[00:30:16] Towards the end of the ride,

[00:30:18] he began complimenting me.

[00:30:20] He told me that

[00:30:21] my name was pretty

[00:30:22] and that I was very beautiful

[00:30:24] and smart.

[00:30:25] He told me

[00:30:26] that he hoped

[00:30:27] we'd be paired again

[00:30:28] since I was

[00:30:29] his favorite passenger.

[00:30:31] Upon approaching

[00:30:32] the apartment,

[00:30:33] he asked which door

[00:30:34] was mine

[00:30:35] so that I wouldn't get wet.

[00:30:37] But it wasn't raining.

[00:30:38] I pointed at my landlord's door,

[00:30:43] but he pulled up

[00:30:44] to my door anyway.

[00:30:46] Before he unlocked the door,

[00:30:48] he turned around,

[00:30:49] smiled,

[00:30:50] and said,

[00:30:51] This is the longest ride

[00:30:53] we've taken together.

[00:30:54] I really hope

[00:30:56] to see you again.

[00:30:57] Have a good night.

[00:30:59] Without saying another word,

[00:31:01] I got out of the car,

[00:31:03] walked around

[00:31:04] the side of the building,

[00:31:05] and waited for him to leave

[00:31:06] before reporting him

[00:31:08] on the Uber app.

[00:31:10] Thankfully,

[00:31:11] this occurred back

[00:31:12] when Uber had real humans

[00:31:14] working for customer service.

[00:31:16] They responded

[00:31:17] and let me know

[00:31:18] that they would be

[00:31:18] blocking him

[00:31:19] from being able

[00:31:20] to match with me

[00:31:21] for future rides.

[00:31:23] They also said

[00:31:24] that they would be

[00:31:25] investigating further

[00:31:26] to determine

[00:31:26] whether or not

[00:31:27] he would be allowed

[00:31:28] to keep using the app.

[00:31:31] I took the bus

[00:31:32] for the next few weeks

[00:31:33] and thankfully

[00:31:33] never saw him again.

[00:31:35] I also never had

[00:31:36] another Uber ride

[00:31:37] like that ever again.

[00:31:39] It still creeps me out

[00:31:41] how he knew

[00:31:41] all that information

[00:31:42] about me though.

[00:31:44] I'm so glad

[00:31:45] I've moved

[00:31:46] since this happened.

[00:32:03] It's easy to lose

[00:32:04] a ton of time

[00:32:05] switching between tasks

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[00:32:09] a consistent workflow.

[00:32:10] Your time and expertise

[00:32:11] are valuable.

[00:32:13] And with professionals

[00:32:13] spending nearly half

[00:32:15] the work week

[00:32:15] on written communication,

[00:32:17] focus is one of the most

[00:32:18] important things

[00:32:19] to have while at work.

[00:32:20] With Grammarly

[00:32:21] as your AI writing partner,

[00:32:23] you can stay focused

[00:32:24] and get through

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[00:32:28] Download Grammarly

[00:32:30] for free

[00:32:30] at grammarly.com

[00:32:32] slash podcast.

[00:32:33] I use Grammarly

[00:32:34] across all my apps

[00:32:35] so I can strike

[00:32:36] the right tone

[00:32:37] and be sure

[00:32:38] to sound concise

[00:32:39] wherever I'm writing.

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[00:33:03] Download Grammarly

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[00:33:05] at grammarly.com

[00:33:06] slash podcast.

[00:33:08] That's grammarly.com

[00:33:09] slash podcast.

[00:33:11] Now back to the show.

[00:33:21] I live on the outskirts

[00:33:23] of one of the largest

[00:33:23] cities in the Northeast.

[00:33:25] My home is located

[00:33:27] in a quiet area

[00:33:28] of the city

[00:33:29] so it has

[00:33:30] a small town feel.

[00:33:31] I went to a gym

[00:33:33] in the suburbs

[00:33:34] and was headed home.

[00:33:36] After a pretty

[00:33:37] intense workout,

[00:33:38] I was ready to get home,

[00:33:39] pet my dog,

[00:33:40] and take a much-needed shower.

[00:33:42] Now,

[00:33:42] to get back

[00:33:43] into my section

[00:33:44] of the city

[00:33:45] from the suburbs,

[00:33:46] there's an old

[00:33:47] four-lane bridge

[00:33:48] that leads into

[00:33:49] a few of the main streets

[00:33:50] of the neighborhood.

[00:33:52] Markings don't

[00:33:53] separate the lanes,

[00:33:54] but there are signs

[00:33:55] on the bridge

[00:33:56] and everyone adheres

[00:33:58] to the two-cars-per-lane

[00:33:59] policy.

[00:34:01] As I was driving

[00:34:02] across the bridge,

[00:34:03] I stayed in the right lane

[00:34:05] to go straight across,

[00:34:07] as the left lane

[00:34:08] is a turn lane.

[00:34:10] As I reached

[00:34:10] the end of the lane,

[00:34:12] I noticed

[00:34:12] that the car

[00:34:13] at the end

[00:34:14] drifted into my lane

[00:34:15] by about one foot.

[00:34:17] I did my best

[00:34:18] to cut around him,

[00:34:19] but one of my tires

[00:34:20] ended up on the sidewalk

[00:34:22] as I had maneuvered

[00:34:23] in my lane.

[00:34:24] I glanced over

[00:34:25] at this guy

[00:34:26] as I passed.

[00:34:27] I didn't flip him off

[00:34:28] or act aggressively,

[00:34:30] but I'm sure

[00:34:30] my face conveyed

[00:34:31] the message of

[00:34:33] what the fuck

[00:34:33] are you doing?

[00:34:35] The light turned green

[00:34:37] and I went

[00:34:37] straight through it.

[00:34:39] I noticed that

[00:34:40] the car

[00:34:41] that had been

[00:34:42] blocking my lane,

[00:34:43] despite being

[00:34:44] in the turn lane,

[00:34:45] went straight as well.

[00:34:47] Looking at

[00:34:48] my rearview mirror,

[00:34:49] I could see

[00:34:50] an illuminated

[00:34:50] Uber light

[00:34:51] in his windshield.

[00:34:53] I continued

[00:34:54] up the residential

[00:34:55] street,

[00:34:56] stopping at each

[00:34:57] stop sign on the way,

[00:34:59] and this car

[00:34:59] remained behind me

[00:35:01] the entire time.

[00:35:02] I kept an eye

[00:35:03] on my rearview

[00:35:04] as I approached

[00:35:05] another main street

[00:35:06] in the area.

[00:35:08] As I was waiting

[00:35:09] at the next light,

[00:35:10] I noticed that

[00:35:11] this guy had

[00:35:11] turned off his Uber light.

[00:35:13] I'm not sure why,

[00:35:14] but something in me

[00:35:16] realized that

[00:35:17] something was wrong.

[00:35:18] I think that

[00:35:19] the Uber light

[00:35:20] initially gave me

[00:35:22] some sort of comfort,

[00:35:24] as that indicated

[00:35:25] that the guy

[00:35:25] was working,

[00:35:26] so this conscious

[00:35:27] act of turning it off

[00:35:29] made me feel uneasy.

[00:35:32] As I turned

[00:35:33] onto a main street,

[00:35:34] I made the first

[00:35:35] left turn I could,

[00:35:37] and the Uber

[00:35:38] made the turn

[00:35:38] behind me.

[00:35:39] I was now

[00:35:40] on a residential street

[00:35:41] and drove

[00:35:42] at a safe pace,

[00:35:43] but I made

[00:35:44] a couple of turns

[00:35:45] until I was headed

[00:35:46] toward the highway.

[00:35:48] The Uber

[00:35:49] pursued,

[00:35:50] his bumper

[00:35:51] about a foot

[00:35:51] and a half

[00:35:52] from mine.

[00:35:53] Halfway down

[00:35:54] the residential street,

[00:35:55] there was no doubt

[00:35:56] in my mind

[00:35:56] that I was being

[00:35:57] intentionally followed.

[00:35:59] Now,

[00:36:00] despite having

[00:36:01] a very buttoned-up

[00:36:02] office job

[00:36:03] and a soft-spoken

[00:36:05] personality,

[00:36:05] I don't necessarily

[00:36:07] think I'm a prime

[00:36:08] target for being

[00:36:09] chased.

[00:36:10] I'm a really big guy,

[00:36:11] about 6'6",

[00:36:13] a little under

[00:36:14] 220 pounds,

[00:36:15] muscular,

[00:36:16] and I have a lot

[00:36:17] of tattoos.

[00:36:18] I'm sure that this

[00:36:19] guy saw me as I

[00:36:20] pulled up next to him

[00:36:21] on the bridge,

[00:36:22] and from my glance

[00:36:23] at him,

[00:36:23] he looked older

[00:36:24] and much smaller

[00:36:25] than me.

[00:36:26] While the thought

[00:36:27] of pulling over

[00:36:28] and seeing what

[00:36:29] would happen

[00:36:29] did cross my mind,

[00:36:30] with the rate

[00:36:31] of gun crime

[00:36:32] in my city,

[00:36:33] that thought

[00:36:34] quickly went away.

[00:36:35] All I could focus

[00:36:36] on was getting

[00:36:37] to a safe place

[00:36:38] and making sure

[00:36:39] that this maniac

[00:36:40] didn't find out

[00:36:41] where I lived.

[00:36:43] As I turned

[00:36:44] onto the highway,

[00:36:45] he followed again,

[00:36:46] cutting across

[00:36:47] several lanes

[00:36:48] and accelerating

[00:36:48] to catch up with me.

[00:36:50] I made the first

[00:36:51] ride I was able to,

[00:36:53] then led him down

[00:36:54] a winding maze

[00:36:55] of back streets,

[00:36:56] with his car

[00:36:57] inches from my bumper

[00:36:59] the entire time.

[00:37:00] I wasn't paying

[00:37:01] attention to

[00:37:02] one-way streets,

[00:37:03] stop signs,

[00:37:04] or speed limits

[00:37:05] at this point.

[00:37:05] I just knew

[00:37:06] I needed to get

[00:37:07] away from him.

[00:37:08] All the while,

[00:37:09] the Uber followed,

[00:37:11] consistently matching

[00:37:12] my speed

[00:37:12] and taking every

[00:37:13] sharp turn

[00:37:14] that I did

[00:37:15] through the maze

[00:37:15] of streets.

[00:37:17] Realizing that

[00:37:18] I needed to get back

[00:37:19] to a more populated

[00:37:19] area in case

[00:37:20] this guy decided

[00:37:21] to shoot me

[00:37:22] or hit my car,

[00:37:23] I headed back

[00:37:24] in the direction

[00:37:25] of the main street.

[00:37:27] I spotted the

[00:37:28] parking lot

[00:37:28] of a fast food

[00:37:29] restaurant

[00:37:30] out of the corner

[00:37:30] of my eye,

[00:37:31] which provided

[00:37:32] a shortcut

[00:37:33] to the main road.

[00:37:34] So,

[00:37:35] I blasted

[00:37:35] through the

[00:37:36] parking lot.

[00:37:37] When this man

[00:37:38] sped after me,

[00:37:40] I felt

[00:37:40] hopeless.

[00:37:42] I figured,

[00:37:43] if the guy

[00:37:44] was willing

[00:37:44] to follow me

[00:37:45] through all of that,

[00:37:46] he probably

[00:37:47] would not stop

[00:37:48] until he caught me.

[00:37:49] I weighed my options

[00:37:51] as I turned

[00:37:51] onto the main street.

[00:37:52] There was a police

[00:37:53] department about

[00:37:54] a ten minute drive

[00:37:55] away,

[00:37:55] but there were

[00:37:56] several lights

[00:37:57] and crosswalks

[00:37:58] between where I was

[00:37:59] and the police

[00:38:00] department.

[00:38:01] So,

[00:38:01] I decided that

[00:38:02] I would head

[00:38:02] through the back

[00:38:03] streets in that

[00:38:04] general direction,

[00:38:05] trying my best

[00:38:06] to lose him

[00:38:06] as I went.

[00:38:07] As I headed

[00:38:08] in that direction,

[00:38:09] I prayed

[00:38:10] that I wouldn't

[00:38:11] hit any red lights.

[00:38:12] I didn't want

[00:38:13] to give this guy

[00:38:14] an opportunity

[00:38:14] to get out of his car

[00:38:15] at a red light

[00:38:16] and hurt me

[00:38:17] in some way.

[00:38:18] As I rounded

[00:38:19] the corner

[00:38:20] out of the parking lot,

[00:38:21] my worst case scenario

[00:38:22] was revealed.

[00:38:23] The first light

[00:38:24] I saw

[00:38:25] was red

[00:38:26] with a car

[00:38:27] already stopped.

[00:38:28] This was a one-way street,

[00:38:30] so,

[00:38:30] I was opposing traffic.

[00:38:32] I know it was

[00:38:33] irresponsible,

[00:38:34] but I didn't hesitate

[00:38:35] to continue.

[00:38:36] I merged onto the lane

[00:38:38] and made a left turn

[00:38:39] going the wrong way

[00:38:40] down a one-way

[00:38:41] residential street.

[00:38:42] A few beeps

[00:38:43] from the other drivers

[00:38:45] around me rang out,

[00:38:46] but I didn't care.

[00:38:47] I prayed that I had

[00:38:49] made an irresponsible

[00:38:50] enough maneuver

[00:38:51] to throw this guy off.

[00:38:52] I hoped that this

[00:38:53] created enough confusion

[00:38:55] so that I could get away,

[00:38:56] and when I looked

[00:38:57] in my rear view,

[00:38:59] I didn't see headlights.

[00:39:01] I then drove

[00:39:02] to the end of the block

[00:39:03] of the one-way street

[00:39:05] and made a few random turns

[00:39:06] down some side streets.

[00:39:08] From there,

[00:39:09] I pulled into the parking lot

[00:39:10] of an apartment complex,

[00:39:12] found somewhere to park,

[00:39:13] and turned off my engine.

[00:39:15] My adrenaline

[00:39:15] was starting to wind down,

[00:39:17] but I couldn't stop shaking.

[00:39:19] I reclined my seat

[00:39:21] all the way back

[00:39:21] and called the police

[00:39:22] non-emergency line.

[00:39:24] The woman who answered

[00:39:25] the phone was entirely unhelpful

[00:39:27] and directed me

[00:39:28] to call 911.

[00:39:30] The police then came

[00:39:31] to the apartment complex

[00:39:32] and talked to me.

[00:39:34] All I had was the description

[00:39:35] of the car and guy,

[00:39:37] whose face

[00:39:38] I couldn't really recall

[00:39:39] that well.

[00:39:41] They told me they were

[00:39:42] going to ride it up

[00:39:43] as a disturbance.

[00:39:44] They told me to go ahead

[00:39:45] and drive home,

[00:39:46] as some time had passed

[00:39:47] between the chase ending

[00:39:49] and their arrival

[00:39:50] at the apartment complex.

[00:39:51] Being the ever-paranoid

[00:39:53] person that I am,

[00:39:54] I parked several blocks

[00:39:55] away from my house.

[00:39:57] Then I changed clothes

[00:39:58] in my car

[00:39:59] and put on a hat

[00:40:00] before walking home.

[00:40:02] The coast was clear,

[00:40:03] but that didn't stop me

[00:40:05] from being on the lookout

[00:40:05] for this guy

[00:40:06] and his car

[00:40:07] the whole day.

[00:40:08] I thought I saw

[00:40:09] his car turn left

[00:40:10] down another block

[00:40:11] as I walked,

[00:40:12] but I told myself

[00:40:13] that even if it was him,

[00:40:15] he wouldn't be able

[00:40:16] to recognize me

[00:40:17] since I was no longer

[00:40:18] in my car.

[00:40:19] Even though I got home

[00:40:21] safely,

[00:40:21] I've been feeling helpless.

[00:40:23] I'm scared to drive

[00:40:24] my car in the city

[00:40:25] and run into this

[00:40:26] crazy person again.

[00:40:27] I'm scared of what

[00:40:29] he might do to me.

[00:40:30] I'm worried that this guy

[00:40:31] would drive around

[00:40:32] and see my car,

[00:40:34] finding out where I live,

[00:40:35] and try to come after me

[00:40:36] or my family in some way.

[00:40:38] I've never felt

[00:40:39] this vulnerable before.

[00:40:41] I've never considered

[00:40:42] purchasing a weapon,

[00:40:43] but this encounter

[00:40:44] has made me consider

[00:40:46] doing it.

[00:40:47] If I did,

[00:40:48] it would be legal,

[00:40:49] of course.

[00:40:50] All I can do now

[00:40:52] is try to move on

[00:40:53] and hope that he doesn't

[00:40:54] get any ride requests

[00:40:55] to or from my area.

[00:40:57] So to the deranged

[00:40:58] Uber driver

[00:40:59] who chased me

[00:41:00] through the back streets

[00:41:01] of my city

[00:41:01] because he didn't

[00:41:02] understand traffic patterns,

[00:41:04] let's not meet.

[00:41:23] I was in a toxic,

[00:41:25] borderline abusive

[00:41:26] friendship with a girl

[00:41:28] from the ages

[00:41:29] of 9 to 12.

[00:41:31] Here's some background

[00:41:32] information to give you

[00:41:33] a little understanding

[00:41:35] of life back

[00:41:36] in the late 2000s.

[00:41:38] I grew up in a very

[00:41:39] tumultuous household.

[00:41:41] My family hated each other,

[00:41:42] and everyone

[00:41:43] in my extended family,

[00:41:45] along with my immediate,

[00:41:46] were plagued

[00:41:47] by mental illness

[00:41:48] and drug addiction.

[00:41:50] So needless to say,

[00:41:52] I was very anxious

[00:41:53] as a child.

[00:41:54] I was drawn

[00:41:55] to unstable people

[00:41:56] and suffice it to say,

[00:41:58] they were drawn

[00:41:59] to me.

[00:42:00] I was a shy

[00:42:01] 11-year-old girl

[00:42:02] who,

[00:42:03] like many others,

[00:42:04] used the internet

[00:42:05] to vent my frustrations

[00:42:06] and anger

[00:42:07] about my home life.

[00:42:09] This was the time

[00:42:10] when AOL

[00:42:10] was the main source

[00:42:12] of communication

[00:42:12] between friends,

[00:42:14] and I was no stranger

[00:42:15] to this along with

[00:42:16] MySpace

[00:42:17] and soon after Facebook.

[00:42:19] However,

[00:42:20] I wasn't like

[00:42:21] the typical preteens

[00:42:22] of this era.

[00:42:23] Or so I thought.

[00:42:24] I kept my profiles

[00:42:26] private,

[00:42:27] never accepted

[00:42:27] a follow or friend request

[00:42:29] that I didn't know,

[00:42:30] and never shared

[00:42:31] my location

[00:42:32] on any of these profiles.

[00:42:34] This is where

[00:42:35] I'll introduce

[00:42:36] Tanya.

[00:42:37] Tanya isn't her name,

[00:42:38] of course,

[00:42:39] as I don't want

[00:42:40] to use her real name

[00:42:41] in case she just so happens

[00:42:43] to encounter this story.

[00:42:45] Tanya and I met

[00:42:46] in elementary school.

[00:42:48] This was one of the points

[00:42:49] in my life

[00:42:50] where my family situation

[00:42:52] was quite volatile.

[00:42:54] Honestly,

[00:42:54] in respect,

[00:42:55] I think she sensed this.

[00:42:58] I was vulnerable,

[00:42:59] and she took advantage.

[00:43:01] She never really displayed

[00:43:02] any signs of her

[00:43:03] true intentions

[00:43:04] in the beginning,

[00:43:05] and they never really do.

[00:43:08] She would, however,

[00:43:09] do shady things

[00:43:10] every now and again.

[00:43:11] She manipulated me

[00:43:12] into begging my mom

[00:43:14] to stay on the computer

[00:43:15] until the wee hours

[00:43:16] of the morning

[00:43:17] so that we could go

[00:43:18] to not-safe-for-work

[00:43:20] websites.

[00:43:21] She ghosted me

[00:43:22] when I didn't give her

[00:43:23] my favorite pen,

[00:43:24] yelled at me

[00:43:25] when I couldn't perfect

[00:43:26] a guitar solo

[00:43:27] on Guitar Hero.

[00:43:28] There were additional things

[00:43:30] that she did,

[00:43:31] but I believe

[00:43:32] my brain blocked

[00:43:33] it all out

[00:43:33] due to trauma.

[00:43:35] My mom didn't like her either.

[00:43:37] Parents always have

[00:43:38] a strong intuition

[00:43:39] when it comes

[00:43:40] to their kids' friends,

[00:43:41] and I wish to God

[00:43:42] I would have listened

[00:43:43] to my mom

[00:43:44] before Tanya

[00:43:45] did what she did to me.

[00:43:47] That being said,

[00:43:49] Tanya's behavior

[00:43:50] changed for the worst

[00:43:51] when we turned 11.

[00:43:54] Tanya was openly jealous

[00:43:56] of my success in school.

[00:43:57] Granted,

[00:43:58] she was incredibly smart herself,

[00:44:00] but she always made

[00:44:02] a point of mocking me

[00:44:04] for having great grades

[00:44:05] and frequently commented,

[00:44:07] Having good grades

[00:44:08] is a nice balance

[00:44:09] for you

[00:44:10] since you're not

[00:44:11] very pretty.

[00:44:13] It took me a while

[00:44:14] to rebuild my self-esteem

[00:44:16] after all of the snide remarks

[00:44:17] that she would make

[00:44:18] about my weight

[00:44:19] and my face,

[00:44:21] both of which,

[00:44:21] I realize now,

[00:44:23] are perfectly fine

[00:44:24] and even beautiful.

[00:44:26] As a result of her jealousy

[00:44:28] and growing resentment

[00:44:29] towards me,

[00:44:30] she began to plot

[00:44:31] my downfall.

[00:44:33] This is no exaggeration either.

[00:44:35] This girl literally

[00:44:36] tried to ruin my self-worth

[00:44:37] even more

[00:44:38] than she already had.

[00:44:40] When sixth grade started,

[00:44:43] Tanya and I

[00:44:43] were remarkably close

[00:44:45] as far as I knew,

[00:44:46] and I wanted to do

[00:44:47] everything with her.

[00:44:49] We would talk in school

[00:44:50] all day,

[00:44:51] and then once we were home,

[00:44:52] we would chat on AOL Instant Messenger

[00:44:55] all night.

[00:44:56] On one particular evening,

[00:44:58] Tanya and I

[00:44:59] were talking about boys.

[00:45:00] Being that we were

[00:45:02] hormonal preteens,

[00:45:03] our conversations

[00:45:04] would usually turn into

[00:45:06] talking about

[00:45:06] who we thought

[00:45:08] was cute in school

[00:45:09] that day.

[00:45:10] Being that I had

[00:45:11] a horrible relationship

[00:45:12] with my father,

[00:45:13] I didn't trust boys,

[00:45:15] even at an early age,

[00:45:16] so it was rare for me

[00:45:18] to develop a crush

[00:45:19] on anyone.

[00:45:20] Do you know Mark?

[00:45:22] Mark, Tanya asked.

[00:45:23] Yeah, he's in my class.

[00:45:24] Why?

[00:45:25] I replied.

[00:45:27] I heard that he likes you,

[00:45:29] she explained.

[00:45:30] Shocked, I responded,

[00:45:32] What?

[00:45:32] No way.

[00:45:34] Totally, she confirmed.

[00:45:36] He told me.

[00:45:38] You want me to talk to him

[00:45:39] and give him your username?

[00:45:41] My heart was racing,

[00:45:42] but I agreed.

[00:45:43] A boy liked me?

[00:45:45] I was surprised

[00:45:46] since it seemed impossible.

[00:45:49] When Tanya told me

[00:45:50] that she would give Mark

[00:45:51] my AIM username,

[00:45:53] I exploded in my seat.

[00:45:56] Eleven-year-old me

[00:45:57] couldn't believe

[00:45:58] I was going to have

[00:45:59] my first real boyfriend.

[00:46:02] Fast forward

[00:46:03] to the next night,

[00:46:04] I was getting ready for bed

[00:46:05] when I heard the famous

[00:46:06] AOL instant message chime

[00:46:08] sound off

[00:46:09] on my iPod Touch.

[00:46:11] When I checked

[00:46:12] the notification,

[00:46:13] it was a message

[00:46:14] from MarkyBoy99.

[00:46:17] I turned red,

[00:46:19] but I was excited

[00:46:20] since this meant

[00:46:21] that Tanya really did

[00:46:22] talk to Mark for me.

[00:46:24] After Mark and I

[00:46:25] broke the ice

[00:46:26] by exchanging a casual

[00:46:27] hey,

[00:46:28] we talked all night.

[00:46:30] We talked about everything.

[00:46:32] Our days,

[00:46:32] how school was,

[00:46:33] what type of silly bands

[00:46:35] we liked,

[00:46:36] typical eleven-year-old stuff.

[00:46:38] I have to admit it,

[00:46:40] I was smitten

[00:46:41] right off the bat.

[00:46:42] And I think it was partly

[00:46:43] because I never had

[00:46:44] a boy interested in me before.

[00:46:47] This was also partly

[00:46:48] because my self-esteem

[00:46:49] was so low

[00:46:50] that I never thought

[00:46:52] a boy would be capable

[00:46:53] of even liking me.

[00:46:55] Plus,

[00:46:56] Mark was one of the most

[00:46:57] popular boys in school

[00:46:59] at the time.

[00:47:00] He played football,

[00:47:01] was mouthy to the teachers,

[00:47:03] and was extremely outgoing.

[00:47:05] He was all the things

[00:47:07] a young girl

[00:47:08] would be attracted to.

[00:47:10] We continued to talk

[00:47:11] for months,

[00:47:12] and my puppy love

[00:47:13] was growing for him

[00:47:14] more and more

[00:47:15] every time we chatted.

[00:47:17] Of course,

[00:47:18] I never spoke to him

[00:47:19] on the phone,

[00:47:20] nor did I get

[00:47:21] his phone number.

[00:47:22] But I didn't clock this

[00:47:23] as strange

[00:47:24] as we were so young.

[00:47:25] All the while,

[00:47:27] as I was speaking to him,

[00:47:29] Tanya

[00:47:29] would be gassing me up.

[00:47:31] She would tell me

[00:47:32] how proud she was of me

[00:47:33] and that I deserved

[00:47:35] a boyfriend.

[00:47:36] My suspicions of Mark

[00:47:38] only began to grow

[00:47:39] when I attempted

[00:47:40] to approach him

[00:47:41] during school hours.

[00:47:42] I had anxiety,

[00:47:44] so I would never speak

[00:47:45] to Mark outside

[00:47:46] of AOL Instant Messenger.

[00:47:48] Whenever I would

[00:47:49] talk to him,

[00:47:50] he looked confused,

[00:47:51] as if he had never

[00:47:53] had a conversation

[00:47:53] with me before

[00:47:54] in his life.

[00:47:56] Whenever I'd approach him,

[00:47:57] he'd always walk away

[00:47:59] to be with his friends.

[00:48:01] I just thought

[00:48:02] that it was strange.

[00:48:03] I didn't think

[00:48:04] this behavior

[00:48:05] was like him at all.

[00:48:06] I was used to him

[00:48:07] being so chatty

[00:48:08] with me online,

[00:48:09] so I expected him

[00:48:10] to welcome me

[00:48:11] with open arms

[00:48:12] in person.

[00:48:14] My little 11-year-old mind

[00:48:16] tried to rationalize

[00:48:17] his behavior

[00:48:18] by chalking it up

[00:48:19] to him

[00:48:20] not wanting to talk

[00:48:21] to the nerd

[00:48:21] so openly

[00:48:22] since he was

[00:48:23] so popular.

[00:48:25] I assumed

[00:48:26] he simply preferred

[00:48:27] to keep our relationship

[00:48:28] online.

[00:48:29] I told Tanya

[00:48:30] about this

[00:48:31] and she seemed

[00:48:32] to be genuinely

[00:48:33] heartbroken for me.

[00:48:34] She was just as angry

[00:48:35] as I was

[00:48:36] and vowed

[00:48:37] to confront Mark

[00:48:38] later that day

[00:48:39] during music class.

[00:48:40] I was happy.

[00:48:41] Tanya had my back

[00:48:42] and I was confident

[00:48:43] that she was going

[00:48:44] to tell Mark off

[00:48:45] about being a total

[00:48:47] jerk to me.

[00:48:48] Whatever she did

[00:48:49] worked.

[00:48:50] Later that night,

[00:48:51] I got a message

[00:48:51] from Mark

[00:48:52] telling me about

[00:48:53] how sorry he was

[00:48:54] for ignoring me

[00:48:55] and he explained

[00:48:56] that he was just

[00:48:56] going through

[00:48:57] some family things.

[00:48:59] And just like that,

[00:49:00] I was back in love.

[00:49:01] I didn't care

[00:49:02] that Mark

[00:49:03] ignored me

[00:49:03] during school.

[00:49:04] I didn't care

[00:49:05] that he rejected

[00:49:06] my advances

[00:49:07] in person.

[00:49:08] As long as I had him

[00:49:10] to talk to online

[00:49:11] and Tanya's support,

[00:49:13] I was fine.

[00:49:15] I even told my mom

[00:49:16] about him

[00:49:16] and she was

[00:49:17] extremely happy

[00:49:18] for me.

[00:49:19] Another month

[00:49:20] passed

[00:49:20] and Mark

[00:49:21] messaged me

[00:49:22] to tell me

[00:49:22] that he had

[00:49:23] something very

[00:49:23] important

[00:49:24] to tell me

[00:49:24] the next day.

[00:49:26] My anxiety

[00:49:27] was spiking.

[00:49:28] What could it be?

[00:49:29] What did he have

[00:49:30] to tell me?

[00:49:31] At that point,

[00:49:32] I considered myself

[00:49:33] and Mark

[00:49:33] to be dating

[00:49:34] so I was anxious

[00:49:35] that he was

[00:49:36] either going

[00:49:37] to break it off

[00:49:38] with me

[00:49:38] or make us

[00:49:39] public

[00:49:40] in school

[00:49:41] the next day.

[00:49:42] I told mom

[00:49:43] and Tanya,

[00:49:45] almost on the

[00:49:46] verge of tears

[00:49:47] with how excited

[00:49:47] and nervous

[00:49:48] I was.

[00:49:50] The next day,

[00:49:51] which happened

[00:49:52] to be April 1st,

[00:49:53] rolled around

[00:49:54] and this is

[00:49:55] what followed.

[00:49:56] At around

[00:49:57] 7pm,

[00:49:58] I heard that

[00:49:59] familiar

[00:49:59] AOL Instant

[00:50:01] Messenger

[00:50:01] chime.

[00:50:03] It was Mark,

[00:50:04] which meant

[00:50:05] it was time

[00:50:06] for the news

[00:50:07] that I had been

[00:50:07] waiting for

[00:50:08] all day.

[00:50:09] Hey babe,

[00:50:10] Mark greeted me.

[00:50:12] Hey,

[00:50:12] I've been waiting

[00:50:13] for you

[00:50:13] to chat with me

[00:50:14] all night,

[00:50:15] I replied.

[00:50:16] Sorry,

[00:50:17] I was at practice.

[00:50:19] Are you ready

[00:50:19] for the news?

[00:50:21] I was now

[00:50:22] shaking with

[00:50:22] anticipation

[00:50:23] at this point.

[00:50:24] Even writing

[00:50:24] this now,

[00:50:25] a whole swell

[00:50:26] of emotions

[00:50:27] are resurfacing.

[00:50:29] Yeah,

[00:50:29] of course,

[00:50:30] I answered.

[00:50:32] It was then

[00:50:33] that Mark

[00:50:33] sent me a picture.

[00:50:34] I opened it

[00:50:35] and it wasn't

[00:50:36] Mark.

[00:50:37] It was Tanya

[00:50:38] and she was

[00:50:39] holding a

[00:50:39] handwritten sign

[00:50:40] that said

[00:50:41] Happy April

[00:50:42] Fool's Day.

[00:50:44] At first,

[00:50:44] I started laughing.

[00:50:46] Of course,

[00:50:47] it was a prank.

[00:50:48] Tanya got me

[00:50:49] so good,

[00:50:50] I rationalized.

[00:50:51] But then I

[00:50:52] started to cry.

[00:50:53] She betrayed me.

[00:50:55] I felt like a loser.

[00:50:57] Tanya had been

[00:50:58] behind Mark

[00:50:59] all along.

[00:51:01] She had been

[00:51:02] planning and

[00:51:02] executing this

[00:51:03] big joke

[00:51:04] for six months

[00:51:06] since the

[00:51:06] previous October.

[00:51:08] She had been

[00:51:09] so eager to

[00:51:09] try and spend

[00:51:10] some more time

[00:51:11] with me

[00:51:11] that she pretended

[00:51:12] to be somebody

[00:51:13] else.

[00:51:14] She was stringing

[00:51:15] my emotions

[00:51:15] along when she

[00:51:17] knew I was

[00:51:17] already in a

[00:51:18] rough place

[00:51:18] mentally.

[00:51:19] And the cherry

[00:51:20] on top,

[00:51:21] well,

[00:51:22] she told me

[00:51:22] that I was

[00:51:23] stupid to

[00:51:24] even think

[00:51:24] that Mark

[00:51:25] would like me

[00:51:25] in the first

[00:51:26] place.

[00:51:26] I told my

[00:51:28] mom,

[00:51:28] who then

[00:51:29] called her

[00:51:29] mom.

[00:51:30] My mother

[00:51:31] was livid

[00:51:32] to say the

[00:51:32] least.

[00:51:33] She told

[00:51:34] Tanya's

[00:51:34] mom to

[00:51:35] tell Tanya

[00:51:35] to never

[00:51:36] speak to

[00:51:37] me again.

[00:51:38] I was

[00:51:39] crushed.

[00:51:39] I was so

[00:51:40] disappointed

[00:51:41] to find out

[00:51:41] that my

[00:51:42] best friend

[00:51:42] of three

[00:51:43] years had

[00:51:43] catfished

[00:51:44] me because

[00:51:45] she simply

[00:51:45] wanted to

[00:51:46] pull this

[00:51:46] prank.

[00:51:48] I was

[00:51:48] loyal to

[00:51:49] her and

[00:51:49] she toyed

[00:51:50] with my

[00:51:50] emotions for

[00:51:51] her enjoyment

[00:51:52] because she

[00:51:53] could.

[00:51:54] In the

[00:51:55] months that

[00:51:55] led into

[00:51:56] seventh grade,

[00:51:57] Tanya tried

[00:51:58] multiple times

[00:51:58] to guilt

[00:51:59] trip me

[00:51:59] into being

[00:52:00] friends with

[00:52:00] her again.

[00:52:01] One of

[00:52:02] her more

[00:52:02] memorable

[00:52:03] and honestly

[00:52:04] messed up

[00:52:05] attempts was

[00:52:06] when she

[00:52:06] messaged me

[00:52:07] a few days

[00:52:08] after my

[00:52:09] birthday in

[00:52:10] August.

[00:52:10] She told me

[00:52:11] that her

[00:52:12] mother had

[00:52:12] just passed

[00:52:13] away in a

[00:52:14] horrible car

[00:52:15] crash.

[00:52:16] She went

[00:52:16] into gruesome

[00:52:17] details about

[00:52:18] her mother's

[00:52:19] body was

[00:52:19] dismembered and

[00:52:21] only her

[00:52:21] head and

[00:52:22] wedding ring

[00:52:23] could be

[00:52:23] found in

[00:52:24] the wreck.

[00:52:26] As anyone

[00:52:27] would be,

[00:52:28] I was in

[00:52:29] tears.

[00:52:30] Tanya's

[00:52:30] mother was

[00:52:31] nothing but

[00:52:31] lovely to

[00:52:32] me and

[00:52:33] learning that

[00:52:34] she had

[00:52:34] passed away

[00:52:35] in such a

[00:52:36] violent way

[00:52:37] crushed my

[00:52:38] soul.

[00:52:39] So I started

[00:52:40] talking to

[00:52:40] Tanya again,

[00:52:41] asking her

[00:52:42] when her

[00:52:42] mother's

[00:52:43] funeral was.

[00:52:45] Seconds later,

[00:52:46] Tanya revealed

[00:52:47] that she was

[00:52:47] kidding about

[00:52:48] the grisly

[00:52:49] details over

[00:52:49] her mother's

[00:52:50] passing.

[00:52:51] She said

[00:52:52] that she was

[00:52:52] just pulling

[00:52:52] another prank

[00:52:53] on me and

[00:52:54] that I was

[00:52:54] so stupid

[00:52:55] to believe

[00:52:55] her.

[00:52:56] She even

[00:52:57] sent a

[00:52:57] video of

[00:52:58] her laughing

[00:52:58] at me.

[00:52:59] I was

[00:53:00] disgusted.

[00:53:01] Who would

[00:53:02] even say

[00:53:02] something like

[00:53:03] that?

[00:53:03] What kind

[00:53:04] of 12-year-old

[00:53:05] girl would

[00:53:05] message someone

[00:53:06] and say that

[00:53:07] their mother

[00:53:07] was dismembered

[00:53:08] in a car

[00:53:09] crash?

[00:53:10] She then

[00:53:10] revealed her

[00:53:11] ugly and

[00:53:12] quite frankly

[00:53:12] evil intentions

[00:53:13] when we were

[00:53:15] in the beginning

[00:53:15] of 7th grade.

[00:53:17] Tanya quickly

[00:53:18] became friends

[00:53:19] with a girl

[00:53:20] named Kaylee.

[00:53:20] Both of

[00:53:21] them invited

[00:53:22] me to sit

[00:53:23] with them

[00:53:23] at their

[00:53:23] lunch table.

[00:53:24] Since I

[00:53:25] felt desperate

[00:53:26] for friends

[00:53:26] at the time

[00:53:27] I naively

[00:53:27] accepted,

[00:53:28] only to be

[00:53:29] met with

[00:53:29] hordes of

[00:53:30] insults and

[00:53:31] laughter behind

[00:53:32] my back

[00:53:32] every time

[00:53:33] I wasn't

[00:53:34] looking.

[00:53:35] Tanya then

[00:53:36] messaged me

[00:53:36] one night

[00:53:37] and told

[00:53:37] me that

[00:53:38] I should

[00:53:39] kill myself.

[00:53:40] She then

[00:53:41] had Kaylee

[00:53:42] tell me to

[00:53:43] go jump

[00:53:43] off of a

[00:53:44] bridge.

[00:53:45] Tanya

[00:53:45] told me

[00:53:46] that she

[00:53:46] hated me

[00:53:47] and I

[00:53:47] deserved

[00:53:48] all of the

[00:53:48] pain that

[00:53:49] she put

[00:53:49] me through

[00:53:50] the year

[00:53:50] prior.

[00:53:51] At that

[00:53:52] moment,

[00:53:53] I felt

[00:53:53] like the

[00:53:54] last four

[00:53:54] years

[00:53:55] came to

[00:53:56] a head.

[00:53:57] I had

[00:53:58] been putting

[00:53:58] up with

[00:53:59] Tanya's

[00:53:59] inexplicably

[00:54:00] malicious

[00:54:01] behavior

[00:54:01] and I

[00:54:02] just

[00:54:02] couldn't

[00:54:03] handle it

[00:54:03] anymore.

[00:54:04] I told

[00:54:05] my mom

[00:54:05] and she

[00:54:06] and I

[00:54:07] decided

[00:54:07] that we

[00:54:08] had had

[00:54:08] enough.

[00:54:09] So she

[00:54:10] called the

[00:54:10] police

[00:54:11] and made

[00:54:11] me delete

[00:54:12] my AIM

[00:54:13] account.

[00:54:13] She also

[00:54:14] spoke with

[00:54:15] Tanya's

[00:54:15] mom again

[00:54:16] and told

[00:54:17] her that

[00:54:17] Tanya can

[00:54:18] never

[00:54:18] contact me

[00:54:19] again or

[00:54:19] else.

[00:54:20] My mom

[00:54:21] also advised

[00:54:22] that I

[00:54:22] move lunch

[00:54:23] tables,

[00:54:23] but I

[00:54:24] was hell-bent

[00:54:24] on not

[00:54:25] letting

[00:54:25] Tanya win.

[00:54:27] For the

[00:54:27] entirety of

[00:54:28] the seventh

[00:54:28] grade,

[00:54:29] I sat at

[00:54:30] the same

[00:54:30] lunch table

[00:54:31] as Tanya,

[00:54:32] but I only

[00:54:32] spoke to my

[00:54:33] friends who

[00:54:34] sat on the

[00:54:34] other side

[00:54:35] of the table.

[00:54:36] I never

[00:54:36] spoke to

[00:54:37] her,

[00:54:37] looked at

[00:54:38] her,

[00:54:38] or gave

[00:54:38] her any

[00:54:39] sort of

[00:54:39] attention.

[00:54:40] Kaylee

[00:54:41] was scared

[00:54:42] to death

[00:54:42] of me

[00:54:43] afterward

[00:54:43] too,

[00:54:44] because the

[00:54:44] police had

[00:54:45] been in

[00:54:50] years and

[00:54:50] I

[00:54:50] haven't

[00:54:50] spoken

[00:54:51] to

[00:54:51] Tanya.

[00:54:52] I'm

[00:54:52] now 22

[00:54:53] and I

[00:54:54] have a

[00:54:54] bachelor's

[00:54:55] degree,

[00:54:55] one in

[00:54:56] psychology

[00:54:56] and the

[00:54:57] other in

[00:54:57] history.

[00:54:58] I'm now

[00:54:59] working towards

[00:55:00] my master's

[00:55:00] in clinical

[00:55:01] social work.

[00:55:02] Tanya did

[00:55:03] so many other

[00:55:04] things to me.

[00:55:05] I could

[00:55:06] honestly write

[00:55:06] a whole

[00:55:07] different story

[00:55:08] about it,

[00:55:09] but writing

[00:55:10] this out has

[00:55:10] helped me

[00:55:11] get closure

[00:55:12] on that part

[00:55:13] of my life

[00:55:14] that scarred

[00:55:14] me for

[00:55:15] years.

[00:55:16] I thank

[00:55:17] God for

[00:55:17] my mom

[00:55:17] stepping in

[00:55:18] when she

[00:55:18] did because

[00:55:19] I don't

[00:55:19] know where

[00:55:20] I'd be

[00:55:20] without her.

[00:55:21] As for

[00:55:22] Tanya,

[00:55:22] I don't

[00:55:23] know where

[00:55:23] she is

[00:55:24] or what

[00:55:24] she's

[00:55:24] doing,

[00:55:25] but I

[00:55:25] genuinely

[00:55:26] would

[00:55:27] rather

[00:55:27] not know.

[00:55:29] On the

[00:55:29] off chance

[00:55:30] that she

[00:55:30] stumbles

[00:55:30] upon this

[00:55:31] story,

[00:55:32] I have a

[00:55:32] message

[00:55:32] for her.

[00:55:33] Your

[00:55:34] jealousy

[00:55:34] and wishes

[00:55:35] for death

[00:55:36] upon me

[00:55:36] did not

[00:55:37] win and

[00:55:37] I really

[00:55:38] hope that

[00:55:38] karma

[00:55:39] does not

[00:55:40] come around

[00:55:40] one day

[00:55:41] to bite

[00:55:41] you in

[00:55:41] the ass.

[00:55:42] Tanya,

[00:55:43] let's

[00:55:43] never meet

[00:55:44] again.

[00:55:56] Thanks for

[00:55:57] listening and

[00:55:58] stick around

[00:55:58] after the

[00:55:59] music if

[00:55:59] you're a

[00:55:59] patron for

[00:56:00] your extended

[00:56:01] version of

[00:56:01] this week's

[00:56:02] episode.

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[00:56:03] like to

[00:56:03] get access

[00:56:03] to that,

[00:56:04] head over

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[00:56:12] and bonus

[00:56:13] content every

[00:56:14] single week

[00:56:15] with stories

[00:56:15] you won't

[00:56:16] hear anywhere

[00:56:16] else.

[00:56:17] This week

[00:56:17] you have

[00:56:18] heard

[00:56:18] My Nice

[00:56:19] Neighbor

[00:56:19] Just Wanted

[00:56:20] To Be

[00:56:20] My Friend

[00:56:20] by Roman

[00:56:21] Trash,

[00:56:22] Country Road

[00:56:22] by Adam

[00:56:23] 51,

[00:56:24] The Woman

[00:56:24] at the Bridge

[00:56:25] by Maddie

[00:56:26] Is Okay,

[00:56:27] A Metal

[00:56:27] Detecting

[00:56:28] Experience

[00:56:28] by Banshee

[00:56:29] Maggie,

[00:56:31] Creepiest

[00:56:32] Uber Driver

[00:56:32] I've Ever

[00:56:33] Encountered

[00:56:33] by Kindly

[00:56:34] Cost

[00:56:35] 6810,

[00:56:36] A Late

[00:56:37] Night

[00:56:37] Car Chase

[00:56:38] with a

[00:56:38] Deranged

[00:56:39] Uber Driver

[00:56:39] by Legit

[00:56:40] Wannabe,

[00:56:41] and finally,

[00:56:42] I'm Convinced

[00:56:43] My Childhood

[00:56:44] Best Friend

[00:56:44] Was a

[00:56:45] Sociopath

[00:56:46] by Rihanna

[00:56:47] JD.

[00:56:47] All of the

[00:56:48] stories you've

[00:56:49] heard this week

[00:56:49] were narrated and

[00:56:50] produced with the

[00:56:51] permission of their

[00:56:51] respective authors.

[00:56:53] Let's not meet

[00:56:54] a true horror

[00:56:54] podcast,

[00:56:55] is not associated

[00:56:56] with Reddit or

[00:56:57] any other message

[00:56:57] boards online.

[00:56:58] Make sure you

[00:56:59] send your stories

[00:56:59] in to

[00:57:00] letsnotmeetstories

[00:57:01] at gmail.com

[00:57:02] to hear them

[00:57:03] on the show.

[00:57:04] Finally,

[00:57:05] be sure to check

[00:57:05] out the new

[00:57:06] episodes of my

[00:57:06] other podcasts

[00:57:07] like Odd Trails,

[00:57:09] Cryptic Encounters,

[00:57:10] and the Old Time

[00:57:11] Radiocast at

[00:57:13] crypticcountypodcasts.com

[00:57:14] or wherever you get

[00:57:15] your podcasts.

[00:57:16] We'll see you next

[00:57:16] week.

[00:57:17] Everyone,

[00:57:18] stay safe.