Teenage girl terrorized by an online stalker ends up going to the police, only to learn it’s her best friend

Although the twisted story posted on the AmItheA–hole subreddit cannot be verified, the details of the narrative have piqued the sympathy and interest of other Reddit users.

After weeks of being terrorized with threatening messages, she finally questioned whether she had made the right decision by going to the police after learning that those behind the harassment were her own friends who were targeting her asked for help.

The post began with the explanation: “In the summer of 2022, my (18f) long-time best friend “Jessica” and her current boyfriend “donovan” (18m) became very close. That didn’t bother me too much though. I dated Donovan, that was years before, and it was me and Donovan [had] seemed to have suppressed any bad blood and remained mutual friends.”

“As of July 2022, I am receiving a text message on Instagram from an unknown account,” she continued, before going on to describe how the apparent harassment began.

“[T]The message seemed to subtly suggest that someone was stalking me,” she wrote. “I checked the account and it appeared that it was for another man I went to school with, ‘Travis,’ even though he and I were never close.” I can’t remember the exact wording, but it was enough to make me paranoid and post a screenshot on my private story asking if anyone knew why he would send me such creepy messages. No one responded, but both Jessica and Donovan saw the story.

She then described the course of the alleged abuse: “The text messages continued for another two weeks and became more and more intrusive/scary. They start giving my home address and details that only close friends/family would know. I remember a text message that said “I’ll be watching you through your window tonight” and continued to describe the exact location of my bedroom window from outside my house.

“[A]“At this point I had posted several screenshots and asked anyone who knew anything to come forward,” the teenager continued. “I was incredibly paranoid and ended up going to my mother sobbing because the texts were becoming so persistent and strict.” We made a mutual decision to go to the police with evidence. I posted one last time asking for any details anyone might have so I could take them to the train station.

Then she learned the truth: “I immediately received a text message from Jessica. She asked me to ‘please not leave’ and went on to explain that the person behind the account was not Travis, but rather herself and Donovan. They were supposedly trying to ‘prank me’.”

“[F]For me, pranks are something that lasts less than a day and definitely doesn’t scare me,” the teenager said. “I told Jessica I was afraid to leave my house for WEEKS and it was worse because she was watching me stories and neglected to tell them to me. My father was determined to go to the police anyway. Donovan called me and laughed and begged me not to give them away. I wasn’t amused and was honestly scared that my ‘best friends’ might do this and not only find it funny but find fun in it.”

“[L]Long story short, I went to the police with my parents the next day,” she wrote. “I said I didn’t want to press charges, but I wanted them to essentially ‘scare the hell out of them’ with the possibility that…” They were charged with multiple counts of online harassment, stalking, cyberbullying and identity theft “You can blame the Internet.”

“[S]I haven’t heard a word from them since. “Both unfollowed/blocked me,” the teen continued. “I’ve never really ‘mourned’ this loss of friendship because I don’t think what they did was funny or in any way excusable.”

In the end, however, she expressed self-doubt about her decision: “But Jessica made it clear to me that I was a terrible person and that I shouldn’t have reported them to the police, even though I knew it was them and that it was just a ‘smuggling racket.’ Prank.’ So, AITA here?”

The girl received overwhelming support from the Reddit community, with the verdict not only being that she was NTA (not the asshole), but also that she would be better off not having these people as friends anymore.

“NTA, this isn’t a prank, this sucks,” one comment read. “The only terrible people here are these two. If they don’t want to report it to the police, it’s simple: don’t stalk people. Serious ‘it’s just a prank bro’ vibes, don’t let them get away with it.”

While another commenter wrote: “Definitely NTA. Did you dodge a bullet – or even two? These are not friends. I’d like to know why you and Donovan broke up.”

To which the girl replied and wrote: “We were both young, so I give him confidence in that regard. But I broke up with him because things just didn’t feel right. He tried to move the relationship forward much faster than I would have thought necessary or comfortable for myself. I didn’t even feel comfortable going to the beach with him at the start of the relationship, and I lied out of it when he asked because I didn’t want to just reject his offer. His friend found out I was lying so I broke it off.

If you or someone you know is being bullied, here are some ways to get help: If a crime has been committed or there is imminent danger of harm, call 9-1-1; To speak with an expert, call 1-800-273-8255; For Spanish speakers: Call 1-888-628-9454. For the deaf/hard of hearing: Call 1-800-799-4889. Free and confidential support resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also visit: