When I started a new job, I was surprised to see a former coworker at orientation. I'd gotten along with her well enough that I was excited to be working with her again, but that excitement soon disappeared. Working with her was different this time. She began demanding that I take the shifts she couldn't work and refusing to do the same for me. She was also leaving her work behind for me, and she spammed my phone with Facebook messages when she couldn't contact someone in HR.
She started butting into conversations I had with other coworkers and flirting with men if she thought I was interested in them. She even told me that one of the team leads was her 'boo' and that they enjoyed staring at each other from across the store.
Her behavior wasn't exclusive to how she treated me, as she would complain about multiple coworkers. She told me how unattractive she found some of our coworkers, even claiming one of them gave her 'shooter vibes'.
While she was calling all these men names, she was also doing something else that may have been more disturbing. Whenever we'd worked together in the past, she used to show me pictures of men that looked as if they'd been taken from dating sites or Facebook profiles. She'd tell me and others that she was 'talking to' the men in the pictures. I never thought much of it until she started doing something similar to our new job.
Things only got creepier when she told me about a coworker named Harold who was in love with her. She would send me messages about interactions she'd had with him, telling me he hugged her before he left for the day and that he loved talking to her. I didn't know who this coworker was until she showed me a picture she'd taken of him and posted to her Snapchat.
The picture was one of him sitting in the breakroom, away from everyone else. He wasn't looking at her, but at his phone instead. The picture looked as though she had taken it from across the room, and she captioned it with the words, "He likes me, IDK."
I quickly recognized him and realized I'd overheard him talking to someone about what he planned to buy his girlfriend (and mother of his child) for Mother's Day. He seemed so smitten when talking about his girlfriend that I couldn't imagine he'd cheat on her with a woman he barely knew from work. I also never witnessed him talking to my coworker. He walked past us many times without even looking over. I felt uncomfortable as I realized she was lying to me, but that would not be the only time she lied to me.
She showed me a picture of another coworker. He was also sitting away from her and looking at his phone. She told me she was 'talking' to this boy, so I asked her questions about him that she should have known the answers to. I asked how old he was, and she didn't know. She ended up telling me that if he was eighteen (our workplace's minimum hiring age), it was legal for her to date him.
It soon became clear that she was taking pictures of men that she didn't know and showing them off on her Snapchat. Not only was she taking pictures of them without their permission, but she was also lying about them. What if someone who knew our coworkers saw the pictures?
It wasn't long before I needed to vent about the situation, so I made an anonymous post online. The comments shocked me. There was a girl who said one of her coworkers was doing the same to her boyfriend. Another girl said someone at her store did the same thing, and management didn't care. The comment that stuck with me the most was when a man joined the conversation and claimed that she would have been fired if she were a man. That comment stuck with me the most, even though I'm not sure I find that to be true.
Unfortunately, the only update to this story is that I blocked her. Nothing happened to my creepy coworker, even after management found out. They rewarded her for her actions, as she got to transfer to a better store.
About the Creator
Jade M.
Jade is an indie author from Louisiana. While her first book failed, she has plans to edit and republish it and try again. She has a senior min pin that she calls her little editor, and a passion for video games and makeup.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Comments (2)
Wow! That is so creepy, it makes my skin crawl. I can't even begin to imagine how creepy it must have been for the men and their partners in this situation. Just awful! :(
Wow, that's just awful.