Were they ever your friend if they threatened you? Or harassed you in any way? Picking who’s close to you is one of the most important decisions you can make, from trusting people with the things you tell them or just being around them for company. No matter what, you want to always make sure you’re safe. Trust is a really tricky game — it can do wonders or it can leave you heartbroken.

A lot of students in high school go through situations where they eventually find out that the person that was once so close to them could turn around and be another person. Some of these situations can turn into stalking. No matter if it’s a boy or girl, they both can go through these awful experiences. If you’re in one of those situations, it is very important to tell somebody and get yourself help but also to get help for your stalker. Make sure some authority figure knows just in case something happens to you. If the situation gets more serious or that person starts to get aggressive or obsessive with you, you need to tell the right adults so they can handle the issue properly.

Some people are scared to speak up about what’s really happening so they hold in the problem and it gets worse. The problem can progress and get way more dangerous, leading to something that can really traumatize a person. That is why it is really important to speak up; you may even be standing up for a person who may cross paths with your stalker in the future.

Some people believe that it won’t ever happen to them, but facts are that it does happen, maybe even to someone who you are close to and you don’t even know it. According to the Stalking Resource Center, approximately 7.5 million people are stalked in the U.S. each year by a former partner; 61 percent of victims are female and 44 percent are male.

Here are some signs that may lead up to stalking:
They already have information about you before you provide it. They may search online, apps and even other people to get as much information about you as they can.
They have a sixth sense about knowing where you are. It’s not like they have superpowers, but they can sense when you are not at your original spot or when you leave somewhere to do something.
You get calls and texts from unknown numbers. Your stalker will try any way possible to get a hold of you even if that means calling from another phone or blocking their caller ID. When they absolutely can’t get a hold of you, they may even go through your friends or mutual friends.
They’re always driving by or showing up. It’s part of their obsession toward you. They say they are checking in so you don’t think anything of it, but the truth is they can’t stay away from you.
They use gifts to make up for abusive and obsessive behavior. They try to manipulate you with gifts so you forgive them and stay with them. These behaviors are never okay! It takes away your rights as a person.
They damage property or threaten you. If you say that you want nothing to do with them, they can get very aggressive toward you and your stuff. They might even threaten you and the people you love.
They attack your reputation. They attack your reputation because they want everyone to think differently of you, so they can blame you and not them. They try to make you vulnerable so you go back to them.

These are all the signs you should look for if you ever feel like you’re in this situation.

If this is happening to you, you should tell your parent, or your counselor, one of the principals here at school, the police, or all of these people. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself as you can also be helping other people who have gone through this or might in the future.