I remember a text that said 'i will watch you through your windows tonight' and then went on to describe the exact location of my room window from outside my home."

Online, a teen girl who shared a story of being stalked received support. She later learned that it was actually her best friend and former boyfriend saying it was a prank.

The details of this story captured the interest and empathy of Redditors.

After being harassed for weeks with threatening messages from her friends, the girl began to question whether she had made the right choice by calling the police.

The beginning

In the post, it was explained that "during summer 2022, my (18f), long-term best friend "jessica", and her now boyfriend "donovan", (18m), were getting very close. This didn't bother despite the fact that i had previously dated Donovan. We were still friends and we seemed to have buried any bad feelings.

She continued by saying that "in July 2022, I receive a message on Instagram from an unknown account". She then described how the harassment started.

She wrote: "[T]he message appeared to have an undertone that someone was stalking [me]." "I checked the account, and it looked like another male I had gone to high school with. 'travis' even though me and him weren't close. I can't recall the exact words, but they were enough to make me paranoid. So, i posted a screenshot of it on my private story and asked if anyone could explain why he was messaging me in such a creepy way. No one responded, but donovan and jessica saw the story."

Then it got worse

She continued to describe the progression of the alleged abuse, "the texts persist for two more weeks and become increasingly intrusive/scary." They start stating my home address, and other details that would only be known by close family/friends. I recall a message that said 'i'll be watching you from your window tonight' and went on to describe the exact location of my room window outside my home."

The teen wrote, "[A]t that point, I had posted multiple screenshots asking anyone who knew anything to come forward." "i was paranoid and ended up crying to my mother because the texts became so severe. We decided to take the evidence to the police. I posted one final time, asking anyone who might have any information to bring with me to the police station.

The twist

She learned the truth at that moment. "I immediately received a text message from Jessica." She asked me to "please don't go" and explained that it wasn't travis but herself and Donovan who were behind the account. They were allegedly 'playing me a joke'."

"[F]or [me], pranks last less than one day and don't scare me," said the teenager. "i told Jessica that i had been afraid to leave the house for WEEKS. It was even worse because she watched my stories but didn't tell me. My dad was determined to go to the police. Donovan laughed as he begged me not to report them. I was horrified that my "best friends" could think this was funny and find it amusing.

She went to the police, but now she is questioning whether or not it was the right thing.

She wrote: "[L]ong tale short, the next morning i went with my parents to the police." "i told them i didn't want to press charges but i wanted to scare the crap out of them with the possibility of being charged with multiple counts of online harassment and cyber bullying."

Since then, I haven't heard anything from them. The teen went on to say that both had unfollowed or blocked him. "i never'mourned,' these losses of friendship because, well, what they did wasn't funny or excused in any way."

She ended her speech with a self-doubt about her decision. "But Jessica made it clear that I was a terrible, horrible person. And that i shouldn't report them to the police even though i knew they were there and that it was only a prank." So, AITA?

Reddit Community Reaction

Reddit users overwhelmingly supported the girl, noting that it was best to no longer have those people as her friends.

"NTA, That's not a joke, that is messed up." one comment read. The only bad people in this group are these two. If they don't want their actions reported to the authorities, it's simple: Don't stalk anyone. Don't let the 'it's only a prank' vibes get them away.

Another commenter said, "Definitely NTA." You've dodged one bullet, or two? These are not friends. "Would love to know what happened between you and Donovan."

The girl replied, "we are both young so i will give him the benefit in this aspect. I broke up with him, because it didn't feel right. He was pushing the relationship forward faster than I thought necessary or comfortable. I didn't feel comfortable with him going to the beach early in the relationship, so i lied to get out of the situation when he requested it. "His friend discovered that i lied, and this is why i ended things."

The following resources are available to you:

You can get help if you are being bullied or a friend of yours is. Call 9-1-1 if a crime was committed or if there is an immediate danger. For Spanish-speaking people, call 1-888-628-9454. Call 1-800-799-4888 for deaf/hard-of-hearing. You can access free and confidential resources 24 hours a days, seven days a week. You can also visit: https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/get-help-now

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Title: Teen Girl Terrorized By Online Stalker Finally Goes to Police Only to Learn It's Her Best Friend - Now She Feels Guilty
Sourced From: www.toofab.com/2023/09/08/girl-terrorized-stalker-goes-police-learn-its-best-friend/
Published Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 17:38:01 +0000

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