A lot of times, the term stalker is used loosely. In most situations, it is used to describe the act of thoroughly researching a person's social media activities. This is a misnomer, because social media is for publicizing peoples' everyday activities to others. If you are 174 weeks deep into that cute boys' Instagram, you aren't stalking. Stalking is when that behavior steps over the line to become a little more murder-y. You don't think it will happen to you or those you love until it does.
A friend of mine has had a recent run in with a stalker, and I'll be the first to say that her stalker is ridiculous, and slightly terrifying. She is a literally beauty queen, so it isn't surprising that she has boys always vying for her attention. This dude took it a step too far. What started as a magical first date turned into a late night of girl talk gushing over how chivalry isn't dead. He left her surprise flowers, and a cute little note. It seemed endearing that he drove 45 minutes out of his way to leave her a little something.
About a week or so later, he asked her to define their relationship. This was the first red flag. She sweetly told him that because they had only been on one date, she did not consider them to be an official couple. This seemed rational to us. Did her stalker find this rational? Nope. He became upset that she did not reciprocate the same levels of affection. He felt she was unclear, but there are only so many polite ways to say "I'm not in love with you." We assumed that at this point he was just a hopeless romantic. We were wrong.
Less than seven days after clarifying their lack of relationship, he made his stalking intentions very clear. After being repeatedly told that he could not come to see her while she was home for the weekend, he made the drive to her parents' home. Because of the seclusion of her parents' home, the scene became increasingly horror movie-esque. While they were able to lock the gate that led to their dirt road, they were not able to keep him from leaving her a sonnet. On a tea-stained piece of paper, inside a wax crest-sealed envelope, he left her a creepy poem. The scariest part of this situation is that it is a waiting game. He has made no threats, and he hasn't done anything illegal.
Humans are fascinating, beautiful, and endlessly entertaining. It's easy to see why we are such social creatures. Every aspect of our lives is sprinkled with interactions with each other that we crave. Sometimes, there are people in our lives that crave that interaction too much. They crave it so much so that they get creepy. Creepy in a "I wonder if 'Silence of the Lambs' was based on you" kind of way. Keep these people out of your life. Contact campus police, let the people you trust know the situation, and trust your gut. If you think they are crazy, they probably are.
