Chapter Sixteen. Step 13: Act to Avoid Harassment and Bullying


Caroline opened the door of her apartment slowly, looking around the small one-room studio and kitchenette as if she expected to see somebody waiting for her there. As she hurriedly shut and locked the door, her cell phone beeped, indicating that she had a text message. As an emergency medical technician, the 23-year-old had to keep her phone on even when she was off duty, in case she was needed. She hesitantly checked the message.

"Caroline. It's me, Kevin. I know you're home. Shall I come over so we can be together?" the message read.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed at the phone, punching the power button in panic. Kevin had been calling and text messaging her for a week. As she turned on her computer to check her e-mail, she knew there would be messages from him there, as well.

"He keeps coming at me," she had told a friend the night before over a glass of wine. "I don't know if I can stand this much longer. We dated only three times. It's not like I led him on. Why can't he understand I don't want him in my life?"

As she opened her e-mail, a message from Kevin with an attachment appeared in her inbox. He'd never sent an attachment before. She opened it fearfully. It was a photo of her leaving her friend's house the previous night, after having a couple of beers to celebrate her birthday. She had walked home afterward to clear her head. The photo was a little grainy, possibly taken with a cell phone, but she was clearly identifiable. The message said, "Maybe your folks or your boss would like to see what you do in your spare time?"

"Oh no," she moaned. She sat down on her couch, quietly sobbing as she tried desperately to think of a way out.



Look Both Ways. Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
Look Both Ways: Help Protect Your Family on the Internet
ISBN: 0735623473
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 157
Authors: Linda Criddle

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