Pool Stranger
When I was about 14, I used to go swimming with my girlfriends every weekend. These guys started following us, asking us out even though we’d told them we weren’t interested. They were older and bigger than us, and they started making us uncomfortable, but we tried to ignore them. Ultimately, they decided to grab me and my friend’s behinds. That was bad enough, but their insolence didn’t end there.
We decided the best action would be to tell a lifeguard, so we started making our way to the pool steps. One of the guys thought it would be OK to swim underwater and try and grab me between the legs. Then, he came out of the water, looked back, and smiled at me. I just saw red. Despite being a couple of years younger and way smaller, something snapped.
I waded over and punched him in the face. I doubt it hurt, but the shock and the added embarrassment of everyone staring at him were enough. I thought I would be in trouble, as that was pretty out of character for me, but my dad said he had never been prouder.