I was 14 years old, and he was 19 years old. He was twice my size and was known for anger issues. 

He had first texted me on Instagram during the break. He first acted like he was my friend, but I realized he wasn't friendly to be friends with me but rather to receive explicit photographs of me. He asked me to play the game "Truth and Dare" with him. When I agreed, he used this opportunity to try and "dare" me to send him explicit photos. When I told him that I didn't want to and wasn't comfortable with it, he seemed to agree, but after some reluctance, of course! At first, however, he kept pushing and trying to reassure me it was okay and that I could "trust him" and that "it was just a game." Being uncomfortable with the situation, I stopped talking to him on Instagram as I assumed I would likely never be around him again. 

When school reopened, I spent a lot of time in the Visual Arts center, trying to learn from my teacher. This often ended with me staying in the room alone doing my own thing. He happened to be close to my teacher and would often come with his friends to spend time with her before graduating. We all ended up spending more time together than I thought and were often left alone with them while the teacher went about her errands. This was when I felt that I misunderstood him too quickly as even my art teacher, who I looked up to, enjoyed his presence. So, I kind of became friends with him, as well as his other friends. This was when I was warned about his anger issues, which seemed to have existed since his childhood. I heard stories of him beating people up for the smallest of reasons, and overall, I was warned to not mess with him. His friends would narrate his stories to me, followed with " Yeah, you should never mess with him," "I wouldn't say/do that if I were you, he could have you pinned against the wall in a second," and many more "warnings." 

Anyways, he started texting me on Instagram and Snapchat again. He would act like my friend and give me a lot of advice and, in general, made me feel like he was a good guy just looking out for me. But he also became very pushy and intimidating. He started asking for explicit photographs and told me that if I was ever left alone with him, he would "do so many different things to me." I was intimidated by him, by his size, as well as his demeanor. The family that he came from was also very "powerful." His entire family was a scary bunch. So, I just listened to him because I was afraid to go against him. Plus, I felt like there was no one I could go to and confide in because I felt like most people were afraid of him or loved him and that I would be ashamed for it. The school I went to had most people who would rather shame and blame me rather than realize that he was at fault, so I kept quiet.  

I decided to avoid the Visual Art Centre until he graduated, which was only a little successful. I was very, very dry with him on Instagram. This went on for almost a year. Soon it was almost summer, and he would be graduating. I knew I would never see him again. So I was confident in telling him I was uncomfortable and didn't want to engage with him anymore. I would block him, as I did not have to worry about seeing him again. 

When I texted him in the summer saying that I didn't wanna do this anymore that I was uncomfortable and that it would be "best if we just stopped talking,". He got very, very mad at me and started threatening me. He started telling me that I was "disrespectful and that no one gets to disrespect him" and to "watch what he'll do to me the next time I see him." There were a lot more things he said that scared me. Although I was frightened, I was glad I wouldn't see him ever again and talk to him. I was terrified of him, and I just hoped that I wouldn't have to speak to him again and that he wouldn't be able to do anything to me. I really didn't want to know what he would be capable of if he ever got me alone. The following school year, however, he just happened to visit one day. The moment I saw him, I started panicking and had a full-blown anxiety attack. Thankfully, I had many people around me, so he did not approach me, but I did notice him staring at me in an intimidating manner. 

I'm 18 now, and even when I think about the situation I was put in or talk about it, I start having an anxiety attack and feel like crying. I can barely get through two sentences of the situation without needing a break. I'm just glad that I never had to find out what he would have done to me, and I'm so happy that I've graduated and will not have to see him again. I'm definitely a lot stronger about my comfort. I am more confrontational, so other similar situations have been avoided. However, whenever I think about him. I still feel like a child, and I feel the fear wash over me. 

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