He's Just Being Friendly

Alyssa was walking home from her best friend’s house through dark and mostly empty streets. She was wearing baggy grey sweatpants, a bulky winter coat, and worn-out sneakers. Her eyes were glued to her phone, her crimson hair was draped over her dull grey eyes, and she had her headphones on with her music on full blast. A man was walking behind her, but she did not notice the various obscenities and derogatory remarks he was yelling at her due to the volume of her music. It was not until she felt someone’s presence almost directly behind her that Alyssa finally turned around. She jumped in horror as she noticed a slightly older man behind her. He was bald, had a dark beard, and eyes that were yellow with dark pupils. He had on a baggy red hoodie and ripped blue jeans. When Alyssa turned around, he smiled at her. When he opened his mouth to smile, it was revealed that his teeth were perfectly white.

“Finally.” The man said. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes.”

Alyssa, already used to receiving such unwanted attention from creepy men on the streets, stuck her nose up at him and put her headphone back in her ear. She learned that if she just kept her headphones on and ignored the creep’s presence, they eventually would just go away.

This man, however, was persistent. The faster she walked, the more he picked up his pace to keep up with her. “Come on, sexy.” The man yelled. “I just want to talk to you a bit.”

Alyssa tried to continue to ignore the old man, but she could still feel his presence just a few feet behind her. She did not respond to him, but she lowered the volume of the music and continued to walk faster and faster. She sped up so much that she was practically running. Her heart was racing, and she began to feel sweat dripping down her forehead. A lump formed in her throat, and she managed to push out a sentence, “Leave me alone, please.”

She looked behind her, and she saw the man just inches behind her. He was running and laughing, almost as though this was a game to him. “Come on, beautiful, why you gotta be so difficult?”

Alyssa looked ahead and saw the deli across the street. This man clearly was not going to leave her alone, so she decided that she would run into the store to ask for help. She went in that store all the time, and she was familiar with the workers, Desmond and Jay. Desmond occasionally engaged in friendly conversations with her, while Jay would sometimes smile at her even though he was not that talkative. Surely, they would help her, right?

As Alyssa approached the street, however, the red hand stopped blinking on the stoplight. It was just her luck that there were still cars passing even though it was the middle of the night. She had no choice but to stop. As she stopped, she felt her eyes tear up and her heart beat even harder against her chest. She looked ahead and tried to avoid making eye contact with the man, who she knew was close to catching up to her. “Come on, change already.” She murmured to herself, as she shook her leg.

The man caught up with her and stopped right behind her. She could feel his body so close that it was nearly touching hers. He leaned his face close to hers and began to speak. She could feel his warm breath, which reeked of cigarettes, against her ear. “Finally, I caught up to you.”

Alyssa closed her eyes. “Go away.” She muttered.

“Why? Come on, baby, I just want to get to know you.” The man placed his hand out. “What’s your name, sexy?”

“Fuck off.” Alyssa’s eyes filled with tears, but she tried to blink them back.

“That’s such an odd name, but okay. Nice to meet you, Fuck.”

He began to laugh menacingly. Alyssa kept her eyes focused on the stoplight, which now changed. Alyssa began to run across the street. She felt the man grab her shoulder, but she smacked his hand away. Alyssa ran across the street, and she heard the man shout from across the street, “Damn, mama, you got a nice ass.”

Alyssa shot a quick, disgusted glance back at the man. He still had a menacing grin across his face, but he didn’t move from where he was standing across the street. As Alyssa ran into the store, she heard him say something to himself that was almost inaudible.

As Alyssa entered the store, she saw Jay standing behind the counter. He had his headphones on and was staring at his phone. He was also wearing sunglasses, even though the lights in the store were dimmed. He didn’t even notice Alyssa standing before him.

“Um, excuse me? Jay, Jay!” She yelled.

Jay’s eyes didn’t seem to leave his phone, but Alyssa couldn’t tell for sure because of his sunglasses. She shook her head and took out her phone. When she tried to turn it on, however, it died. Alyssa let out a frustrated groan. “Goddamnit!” She yelled. “Just my fucking luck.”

Alyssa looked up at Jay, and his eyes were still on his phone. He put his headphone back in his ear and resumed ignoring Alyssa’s presence. Alyssa stared at Jay, hoping he would look back at her again. Jay continued to stare at his phone through his sunglasses, and even if he noticed Alyssa staring at him, he didn’t react.

Alyssa let out a loud sigh, and she began to stomp toward the door. “Ugh, forget it!” She yelled. She didn’t know why she thought Jay would be of help. She began to internally scold herself for foolishly believing that Jay, someone who she exchanged nothing more than casual exchanges and smirks with, would be willing to help her.

Just as Alyssa reached the door, she heard a voice ask, “Hey, everything okay?”

Alyssa turned around and saw the store’s manager, Desmond. Desmond was scruffy, slightly chubby, and he wore a stained white t-shirt and baggy jeans. Unlike Jay, Desmond was much more friendly and welcoming. He always made small talk with his regular customers, including Alyssa. He ran out from the back of the store when he heard Alyssa’s screams.

Alyssa responded, “No, I’m not okay. Some guy has been following me for blocks, and I tried to ask this asshole here for help, but he ignored me.”

Alyssa shot a glare at Jay, who did not look up from his phone.

“Take your sunglasses off, Jay. You look like a fucking tool.” said Desmond.

Jay still did not look up.

Desmond shook his head and turned back to Alyssa. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear. Have you called 911?”

“I was going to, but my phone died.” Said Alyssa.

“You know, if you’re going to walk alone at night, you should charge your phone. I always tell my daughter that.” Desmond pulled out his phone. “Here, I’ll call 911 for you.”

“Thank you.” Said Alyssa. As Desmond spoke on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, she looked outside through the door to see if there was any trace of the man. The streets were completely empty, and she did not see him anywhere. She wondered if he gave up and left. He followed her for blocks, yet he didn’t seem to want to follow her into the store. Alyssa’s house was only five blocks away, though the blocks were a bit long. She wondered if she should just take the risk and run home from the store. Though Desmond called 911 for her, she felt that waiting in that store was pointless.

“They’re on their way.” Said Desmond. “Need me to call your mom too to tell her what’s going on?”

“Nah, she’s probably asleep.”

“Really, she doesn’t wait up for you?”

“Not really. I mean she used to when I first started staying out late, but now she doesn’t. She’s tired from working all day, and she sees no sense in waiting up for me since I always usually make my way home by myself.”

Desmond shook his head. “That’s not good. Even if she thinks you’re safe, she should stay awake or keep her phone near her at least if she knows that you’re going to be out late. That’s what me or my wife would do if my daughter stayed out late.” Desmond paused, thoughtfully. “Though I don’t let my daughter stay out once it gets dark. She hates it, says that she should be allowed to go out whenever she wants, but I’m not taking no chances with all these crazies that lurk around at night. You shouldn’t have any girls walking around at night, honestly, especially when you know that they are more likely to be targeted.”

Alyssa wanted to respond, but she began to feel a discomfort in her gut. She didn’t want to argue with Desmond, but his tone almost felt condescending.

“What does this guy look like, anyway?” asked Desmond. “Just in case he decides to come in here.”

“Um, he was bald, had a dark beard, red hoodie, ripped jeans…”

“Oh shit, I know him!” Jay exclaimed, suddenly.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, that’s the dude that always asks for loosies.” Said Desmond. “Jay usually lets him get away with not paying for them.”

“He does pay for them eventually.” Jay said, taking off his sunglasses. “He’s a cool dude, honestly. Always joking around with the other customers.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a creep.” Said Alyssa, her tone switching to slight annoyance.

“That dude’s harmless.” Said Jay.

“How would you know? You barely ever speak.”

“I see him with the other customers when he comes in. He’s always polite, especially to the ladies.”

“Of course he is.” Said Alyssa, then she turned to Desmond. “Did they say how long they’d take exactly?”

Desmond just shrugged. “They just said they’d be here soon, but honestly I doubt they’re coming.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they get a lot of calls every minute. Someone got stabbed, someone’s dying, someone already dead. You think they’re gonna waste their time to come save some girl that probably isn’t even in danger? They got more important shit to worry about.” Jay said, his voice remaining monotonous.

Alyssa’s fists curled, and tears began to fall down her face. Desmond gave Jay a disgusted look, and then he said to Alyssa, “Well, I wouldn’t say that this isn’t important, ‘cause it is, but I think Jay is right in a sense where they’re not gonna consider it as important as actual emergencies.”

“This is an actual emergency!” Alyssa snapped. “So what if he hasn’t done anything to harm me yet? So what if he’s nice to other people? That doesn’t change the fact that he thinks it’s okay to follow and harass someone who’s just minding her own business! Even if he hasn’t done anything to me, he could still try if I go back out there right now. Even if he doesn’t come after me, he could still target some other innocent young woman!”

“You’re overreacting.” Jay responded, maintaining his robotic tone. “Like you said, he hasn’t tried to physically harm you. He just probably saw a pretty girl he liked and wanted to shoot his shot. Sure, his approach is a little aggressive, but he doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just being friendly.”

“How the fuck is he just be-you know what? Fuck this, I don’t know why the fuck I expected you guys to help me. Of course, you would back him up.”

“I never backed him up!” Desmond shouted, “I’m just telling you the truth! This isn’t as big of a deal as you’re making it. If he wanted to, he would have hurt you already.”

“This isn’t a big deal?” Alyssa’s voice cracked, but she continued. “Imagine if this was your daughter being harassed by some guy in the street? How would you feel?”

“It wouldn’t happen, because she wouldn’t be in a position where she’s walking alone at night.”

“You do realize that this shit can happen in the daytime, right? I’ve had guys catcalling me and trying to follow me during the daytime, too.”

“Listen, I’m sorry you had these scary experiences with creeps, but it’s starting to feel like you’re projecting all your shit out on us. I was just trying to be blunt with you in the nicest way possible, and this asshole,” Desmond pointed his finger at Jay, who put his sunglasses and headphones back on, and he was staring at his phone again. “He was just trying to be honest too, even if he was much crueler about it. You’re a young woman, men are gonna sexualize you whether you like it or not. The most you can do is try to avoid doing anything to allow yourself to be harassed by guys.”

Desmond’s tone switched to cold, and his eyes were widened as he continued to stare down at Alyssa. Alyssa’s body trembled with rage, and her lip was quivering. However, she closed her eyes to prevent any more tears from falling, turned around, and stomped out of the store.

“Have a nice night, ma’am.” Jay said nonchalantly.

Desmond shot a nasty glance at Jay. “Why do you have to be such a dick sometimes?”

Jay put his arms out. “What? I’m just wishing her a good night.”

Desmond sighed and looked back at the door. He began to feel a heaviness in his chest. He didn’t know what it was, but it made him feel uneasy. He felt a sudden temptation to go outside and find Alyssa. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to protect Alyssa suddenly, until he began to think about his daughter. Desmond thought of all the times he told his daughter not to allow herself to be a target of perverts in the street. Anytime his daughter said that she was uncomfortable with the way a man spoke to her or looked at her, his first instinct was to ask her what she was wearing, how she was behaving, and what she could have possibly said that might have caught the man’s attention. He never asked her what the man did or said to her, and he never said anything negative about the guy who was targeting her.

Desmond imagined his daughter running into a store and begging for help because some crazy man was following her. He imagined that the people in the store told her the same things he told Alyssa. He imagined his daughter having the same fear he saw in Alyssa’s eyes, and he imagined her crying like Alyssa did because she felt helpless. Desmond’s body tensed up, and he felt his blood boil.

Desmond ran out the store immediately. He could hear Jay yelling out, “Hey man, where are you going?” He still ran out the store and down the block, hoping that he could find Alyssa. He called out her name, but there was no response and no sight of her anywhere. He still continued to run around the block in any possible direction she could have gone in and yelled out, “Alyssa!” He didn’t know what he’d do if he found her, but he knew that he didn’t want her to walk the streets alone.

Minutes passed, and Desmond was still unable to find her. He stopped to catch his breath, and he felt sweat begin to drip down his forehead. He began to fear that he was too late.

____________________________________________________________________________

Alyssa decided to take a detour home that she never usually took. She hated the idea of being out any longer, but she also did not want to take her usual route home. The fact that the man went to the store often made her feel worried that he had seen her and followed her before without her even realizing, and that he knew which route she usually took home. Alyssa refused to take any chances and risk running into him again.

Alyssa tried to walk quickly, but the winds were heavy and almost pulled her back. She wrapped her arms around her body, which was aching from the pressures of the wind. As she fought her way through the dark and desolate streets, she began to chastise herself for trusting Jay and Desmond to help her.

“They don’t understand what it’s like to have to live with the constant fear every time they walk down the streets that someone is going to force themselves on them or get murdered just for rejecting someone’s advance.” Alyssa thought to herself. “Of course they’d defend him.”

Alyssa thought about all the times she was objectified on the streets. The catcalls, the whistles, the names she was called, the insults hurled at her whenever she ignored or turned a random man down, the threats, and hearing men talk about all the things they wanted to do to her. She had been dealing with this before she was old enough to understand what “sexy” meant or why an older man put his hand on his crotch while staring at her on the bus, and it had gotten significantly worse over the years.

And throughout those years, she kept on receiving different kinds of advice to avoid being the target of unwanted attention or advances from men. She had to watch how she dressed, how she talked, and how she behaved. If she wore anything revealing or spoke and behaved in a certain matter that caught another man’s attention, anything that happened to her was her fault and she was asking for it. She had to ignore men that tried to get her attention on the streets, but she also had to acknowledge their existence somewhat or else she was being rude and put herself in danger of being the victim of a guy who couldn’t take no for an answer. She had to be attentive of her surroundings at all times, yet she also needed to keep headphones on so that other people wouldn’t bother her. She shouldn’t walk around alone at night, because that was when the creeps preyed on women the most, but what if she had no choice? Why did she have to fear being able to do something as simple as walk the streets alone because men liked to target her when she was just minding her own business?

She always abided by these rules she was given to avoid catching the attention of these creepy men in the streets, yet somehow she was still sexually harassed no matter what she did. As a result, she was always blaming herself.

Alyssa was just two blocks away from her house, and she could see it from a distance. She sighed in relief, eager to get inside and text her best friend that she made it home safe. She’ll probably also tell her about the craziness she dealt with on the way home, though she didn’t want her best friend to feel guilty for not being able to bring her home.

Suddenly, Alyssa heard footsteps behind her. A silhouette popped up almost directly behind hers, and she began to feel her heart thumping with full force against her chest. She didn’t want to look back because she did not want to seem paranoid or, if it was the man again, give him any attention. She kept her arms around her chest and walked faster, but she still felt the presence of the person behind her. She felt tears come to her eyes again but blinked them back and tried to focus her attention on her house. It was just a few steps away. She could run inside and figure out what to do from there. It was unlikely that the man would stick around once he saw her go into her house, but she could still wake her mom and tell her what happened, or she could try her luck by calling the police again. Either way, she just wanted to finally escape this man.

Alyssa approached her front door, and nervously fumbled for her keys. She could hear the footsteps approaching her, and her heart continued to race. She stuck her keys in her door and turned them.

Before she could open the door, however, she felt something strike her from behind multiple times. Her eyes widened as shock instantly took over her body, and she could feel a sharp pain running down from the back of her head to the bottom of her back. As she fell backwards, everything faded to black.