double shadow

By Anayeli Perez Hernandez

Meeting a new friend can be exciting and animating owing to the fact that you can share good memories and have fun with that person and it can be very exhilarating too. But with time that can change real quick. Maridel De Los Reyes experienced something very similar with someone she used to call a friend

As a new middle schooler, she was very enthusiastic to see what the school year had for her. Reyes wanted to be more sociable, possibly meeting new people to interact with: “It all started around seventh grade in 2018, when I met this boy in my art class,” Reyes said. In a few weeks, a friendship can change to an obsession or toxic, which was the case with Maridel. “He was very nice at first but then things started to change in weeks”, Angeles said.

The student started to do things that in a healthy friendship are not very common, “ He started following me around school, texting me 24/7 non stop and calling me names”, Reyes said. Thinking that you may have a stalker can be terrifying, especially for a girl. “ it was very scary because I didn't know what to do, I had never experienced something like this before”.

Ignoring the problems at school or not paying attention to the stalker was the only option at the time.” I just wanted to go to school to study” she explained.

After weeks, the student continued stalking her around the school and calling her names. He wanted Angeles' full attention. One day Reyes went to school motivated to study but the stalker had a horrible surprise for Angeles, her name was all over the wall with bad words. “Seeing my name on the wall was extremely scary for me, I didn't go to school for a whole week”, Reyes said.

It was a very difficult situation for Angles and her mom, not just her, “ My mom called the police and they arrested him, he has a restriction order now”, Reyes said. Moving on was extremely hard for her, in order for the stalker to leave her one, her family had to take some actions. “ My family had to move house and my mom got a lot stricter with me, I couldn't do things alone, my freedom was gone”.

During those times she was not alone, she wanted to skip the chapter and just move on with her life, but she will always be scared of the stalker “ I don't think I will overcome this fear but ever since I moved school I feel more safe” Reyes said. Her family and friends are helping her to overcome this fear and continuing with her education, “my friends and family, they always made sure I wasn't alone and looked out for me”.

Thankfully, as time went on, Reyes learned a lot from that difficult chapter of her life, “ I really learned to be more careful with meeting new people”. Reyes got help from family and friends and she did not fight the stalker alone. One quote that stands out to me is “ Always remember yourself, tell people you trust, and report problems to the authorities. It might seem like overkill but your safety is more important”. This is good advice to me and all the girls are going through this difficult situation, to remember that you need to speak up when something is bothering you.