A Night I Can't Forget

If you’ve ever been nervous before a first date, or had the feeling, "maybe I shouldn’t do this," you are not alone. This was years ago, but the memories of these events have always stayed with me.

First, let me give you some backstory. I met this guy in freshmen year of high school. We’ll call him Jack. Jack was tall, stocky, and very goth. I thought he was cute, but he moved away and that pretty much ended my 14-year-old crush. Fast forward to senior year, my first long-term boyfriend had just dumped me for some bodacious blonde, and I thought it was the end of the world for me. A couple months had passed since then, and I thought that I might as well put myself back out there again. We were friends on Facebook and he had hit me up after the break-up and acted like a totally harmless guy.

It was the last day before winter break. I had finished my classes early and was hanging out in my office given to me by the broadcasting teacher. Luckily, he had work to do after school or I’m not sure what I would have done, because Jack was almost three hours late picking me up. He said he got caught up and that he was busy, and I brushed it off, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The closer he got, the worse I began to feel. They tell you to trust your gut and I really wish I had. I wasn’t driving yet, so I had to wait for him. There was no other choice. So, I walk out to find him, and he immediately holds my hand. I’m thinking to myself, "This isn’t so bad." Before we are even out of the school building, he touches my butt, makes a joke about it, and kisses me, within the span of a few seconds. I kept going though, knowing he hadn’t seen me in a while and was just trying to rush into things. I smile and laugh politely, getting into his tiny, beat-up car. It was littered with trash and empty wrappers and I clutched my belongings, afraid I might lose them in the mess of his front seats.

We head to the mall, because Jack had told me he needed help finding Christmas presents for the ladies in his family. I was more than excited to help originally, but then we had turned it into a date. When we arrived, he parked in the very back parking lot, where there were no cars around and we sat there for a moment. He held my hand and kissed me. I was fully aware he was attracted to me, but the more time I spent with him, the more uneasy I began to feel. We kissed over and over, and my stomach began to feel slightly nauseous. He raised the console of the seat and pointed to the contents. They were condoms. “I brought them for just in case things get a little heated,” he said. That’s when I told him my stomach wasn’t feeling that great and that I needed to get inside and out of the cold.

He huffed about it, but it wasn’t something he could argue. My second mistake—the first one being agreeing to come on this date—was leaving most of my things in his car. We went inside and the first place we went to was a candle shop. I sighed in relief, hoping that things would maybe take a turn for the normal, but after that we went to RadioShack to look at parts for a sonic screwdriver he was building. That wasn’t part of the plan, but Jack insisted that it would only take a little bit. I was messaging my friends the whole time, them advising me on how I could escape, but each plan meant abandoning my belongings that were in his car, and I wasn’t willing to do that. I tried to make small talk, to ask him about the screwdriver, but he wasn’t interested in talking to me, I realized. Due to this incident, the very idea of watching Dr. Who has turned me off. Yes, I've seen a few episodes, but I just don't think I could give it my all.

Almost two hours later, he asked me if I was hungry. At this point, I was so hungry my stomach was in knots and I really didn’t feel good, but I wanted us to have a nice date. I tried to have an enjoyable time. We went to the food court, where we got pizza, because it was cheaper. I only got one piece, because they were huge, but he got four. I have never judged anyone for the quantity they can eat, but for each piece, he would dab it with napkins and show the grease to me like he was a child saying, “Look at all of this.” I had told him I wasn’t feeling good and still he continued to show me. At one point I gagged, and even though I finished my food, I had to force myself to keep it down. I told him my mom was starting to get angry and wanted me home.

He got huffy again, but didn’t fight it. We get back to his car and I continue to clutch my things, covering my chest and crotch area. Even though I was wearing clothes, I could feel his gaze every time he looked at me. He began to complain that the way to take me home was inconvenient for him, when I knew that it wasn’t. I apologized, saying that my mom was angry at me for staying out so late. It really wasn’t that far from where we were. However, he began to get restless as he drove, and honestly I started to get really scared, but at this point I was trying to play it off like I was some mean girl.

As we got closer to my house, he started to ask if he could touch my boobs, and if maybe he could watch me take my shirt off. I was appalled but I said no to each request. He asked me if I would take my bra off or if I would strip for him sometime. I shivered, but he pulled into my driveway then and I practically jumped out as the vehicle was still moving. Then as if he hadn’t already tried hard enough, he yelled, “Send me nudes!” as I was getting out of the car. I slammed the door shut and he angrily sped off. A couple years ago, he messaged me and apologized for the way he behaved and actively admits he was in the wrong, but I don’t think I can ever erase these memories. #WorstDateStory