When Jen matches with her high school bully on a dating site, she relives the trauma of her childhood. But still, she goes on the date—as a way of getting revenge for how she was treated. The date ends up being a bust, and Jen doesn’t get what she intended, so she plans a second meeting…
I sat at the bar, pretending to be absorbed in my phone as the door swung open and my date walked in. After meeting on a dating app, Justin and I had decided that it was finally time to meet.
Except that Justin and I had met before—just that he didn’t remember it.
A person using her phone | Source: Unsplash
As he walked in, the familiar jolt of recognition shot through me, but on his face, there was only the casual scan of a man on the lookout for someone who could have been anyone but the girl he once tormented. As he approached, his smile was confident, practiced.
I steeled myself, reminding my racing heart of its role tonight—a new woman, who just wanted revenge.
A smiling man | Source: Unsplash
“Hey, Jen,” he said, sliding into the seat beside me, unaware of the storm he was walking into. “I hope I’m not too late?”
“Not at all,” I replied, my voice steady and sweet. “I was just enjoying the vibe here. This place has changed since the last time I was around.”
People sitting at a bar | Source: Pexels
When we had matched on the app, I was convinced that Justin wouldn’t be able to recognize me. Since high school, I had drastically changed—everything from my hair, my weight, and my sense of style.
I was a new person.
“Yeah, it’s got a good crowd tonight,” Justin nodded, waving over a bartender. “Can I get you a drink now?”
People sitting at a bar | Source: Pexels
I watched him closely—he had barely changed since the last time I saw him. It had been our high school graduation, followed by a party in an open field. Justin had barely glanced at me. He didn’t register that I was someone who had been attracted to him.
Then, not now.
A group of graduates | Source: Pexels
When we matched, I wasn’t interested in Justin—but after I spoke to my sister, we both thought that messing with Justin would be healing in some way.
“Sure, a gin and tonic, thank you,” I said, watching his face for any sign of recognition. There was none. It was clear as he saw me—I was just another date. Just another woman that he had picked up.
A cocktail with strawberries | Source: Pexels
As he chatted about his job and recent travels, I nodded along, my mind racing ahead to the plan unfolding around us. The bar was filling up quickly.
Justin continued to speak, and I began to space out—remembering moments from high school.
Students hanging out together | Source: Pexels
Like the one time when the dull echo of my footsteps in the empty high school corridor seemed louder than usual, reverberating off the lockers with a metallic chill.
I clutched my books tightly to my chest, my eyes downcast, trying to make myself invisible. The memory of Justin’s harsh laughter from earlier that day still stung, a cruel reminder of my daily ordeal.
A close-up of lockers | Source: Pexels
As I turned the corner, I could hear the muffled sounds of other students, their voices light and carefree. I approached the bathroom, a temporary refuge where I could gather myself away from prying eyes and sharp tongues.
I could never eat in the cafeteria. They would all look at me and laugh.
Meals on trays | Source: Unsplash
I remember pushing the bathroom door open, the familiar scent of industrial cleaner mixed with a hint of floral air freshener greeted me. I checked the stalls quickly—empty—and allowed myself a moment to lean against the cool tile wall, exhaling slowly.
The tears came then, quietly at first, then with a shuddering force I couldn’t contain. It wasn’t just the words that Justin had hurled at me—it was the relentless, grinding down of my spirit, day after day.
A bathroom stall | Source: Unsplash
Bringing me back to the present, Justin asked if I wanted to leave the bar after our drink and get something to eat at the many food stalls outside. Younger me would never, but I was different now.
As he asked for the bill, Justin began to hound the waitress.
A couple drinking at the bar | Source: Pexels
“I need you to hurry up,” he told her. “We’ve got places to be and you’re just taking up my time. Could you do your job any slower?”
She blinked back tears and went to get the bill.
“My ex-girlfriend was just like that,” he said, turning to me. “Her eyes would well up whenever I said anything.”
A smiling waitress | Source: Unsplash
The evening ended with me leaving Justin outside the bar, claiming that I had a headache and needed to sleep it off.
I was disappointed that I didn’t get my revenge.
At home, I sat with my laptop in bed and decided to take another shot at having my revenge against Justin. I logged onto Facebook and created an event—adding everyone who had gone to high school with us.
A person using their laptop in bed | Source: Pexels
I planned the reunion, making the bar that I had just left the location for our meeting. When the event was created, many of my ex-classmates indicated that they would be there—there were many shares and by the next morning, the number of people attending had grown.
A laptop opened to Facebook | Source: Pexels
On the day of the reunion, I spent a while getting dressed. This was a big moment. This was for everyone to see that I was the best version of myself—and that I was confident in my own skin.
At the bar, I went straight to the bartender and made sure that the bill would be sent to Justin at the end of the evening, giving his name and number.
A woman doing her make up | Source: Pexels
After a while, Justin came up to me with a big grin on his face.
“You seem different, have we met before?” he asked, slurping his drink.
He didn’t even have the decency to remember me from drinks the previous week.
The irony of his words almost made me laugh, but I kept my composure.
A person holding a glass | Source: Pexels
“I get that a lot,” I deflected. “Maybe I just have one of those faces.”
Justin laughed, shrugging as he turned to signal the bartender for another round.
“But you do know me,” I said. “You really haven’t changed, have you, Justin?”
“What do you mean?”
A couple talking | Source: Pexels
“Just that you’ve always had this way of making people feel less,” I pressed on, my resolve hardening with each word. “Like how you talk to the waitress, or how you joked about your ex the other night.”
Justin’s face hardened when he realized who I was—but still, I was merely the girl from the dating app, not the one who had been bullied by him before.
A person holding her phone | Source: Pexels
“What? Oh! Jen!” he said, his face contorting.
“Do you remember Jennifer from high school?” I asked loudly, hoping that people would be listening. “The girl that you tormented. The girl that you made sure knew how different she was from everyone else. That she didn’t fit your cruel standards.”
His face went pale, his eyes widening as realization dawned, connecting the past with the present.
A shocked man | Source: Pexels
“I’m that Jennifer,” I said. “And tonight, I wanted you to see exactly who I have become, despite your best efforts to break me down.”
Justin stood up, his mouth opening and closing, searching for something to say but finding nothing. Around us, the expressions from our classmates ranged from shock to support, their eyes fixed on us.
A surprised woman | Source: Unsplash
“I hope one day you’ll understand the weight of your words, how deeply they can cut,” I said.
Turning on my heel, I left him standing there stupidly, the bill for the drinks being the least of his worries.
Finally, I had done it.
A person holding a receipt | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
Childless Woman Returns from a Business Trip a Day Early and Finds a Baby in Her House – Story of the Day
When Alicia returned home from a business trip, she discovered a baby next to her husband on their bed. His explanation made no sense, but she was tired. However, the shocking truth made sense a few hours later when she woke up.
After an extended business trip to New York, Alicia was finally home in Miami and was looking forward to resting on her bed with her husband, Luke. She carefully walked around the house, taking off her jacket and trying not to make a sound. It was late at night, and Luke had no idea she was back.
She was supposed to return in three days, but Alicia managed to finish her work early and decided to catch a flight back as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that meant reaching Miami after midnight and getting home way too late. But that was fine. Luke would be surprised when he woke up next to his wife in the morning.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
They talked all the time while she was gone, but a month was way too much time for a business trip. Never again, Alicia thought when she finally reached their bedroom.
Luckily, she didn’t have to turn on the lights because the moon reflected enough light to see around. She saw her husband’s figure on the bed and heard his light snoring but moved quickly around the room, changing into her PJs.
But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a tiny bundle on her side of the bed. There was a pillow at the edge so the baby wouldn’t roll and fall to the other side. But Alicia and Luke didn’t have kids. What’s going on here? Where did he get that baby?
Luke didn’t have any family as he grew up in an orphanage, so the child couldn’t be a niece or nephew. So what was happening here? she wondered in shock.
She went to the other side of the bed and shook her husband. “Luke! Luke! Wake up!” she tried to keep a whispering tone, but she was way too startled for anything. Fortunately, the baby didn’t hear, but her husband felt her hand on his arm.
“What? Who…. Alicia? What are you doing here?” he said groggily, his hand raising to his face and wiping sleep from his eyes.
“Meet me in the kitchen right now!” she stage-whispered and walked away.
Luke followed slowly and looked at his wife sleepily. “You’re here early.”
“Yes, whatever. Who is that baby, Luke? What’s going on here?” she questioned angrily.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I’m not sure, Alicia. Someone left him on our doorstep a few days ago, and I’ve been taking care of him,” Luke said and yawned heavily.
“What? That doesn’t make sense! Let’s call the police!”
“Yes, we have to do that, but I keep forgetting while taking care of him. Listen, I’m way too tired to have this conversation. And you’re probably tired from traveling too. Let’s go to bed and figure out what to do in the morning, okay?”
“No, we have to figure it out right now!” Alicia exclaimed in exasperation.
“Shush, please. It’s too late. You’ll wake the baby. Please, let’s go to sleep,” Luke insisted and walked back to the bedroom, not waiting for Alicia’s response.
“Fine,” she whispered and followed. She laid down on the other side of the baby, and it was okay because their bed was huge. Shockingly, Alicia fell asleep quickly and didn’t dream that night.
Seven a.m. that day…
Alicia woke up to a couple of muffled voices coming from the living room. She turned on the bed and saw that Luke and the baby were gone, so she rushed up and sauntered out of the room, trying not to alert anyone.
“Luke, when are you going to tell her? This can’t go on like this!” a woman’s voice said in annoyance.
“Please, keep it down. I don’t know how to tell her, okay?” Luke said in a lower tone, hoping that Alicia wouldn’t wake.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
But she was wide awake now. Who is that? Is this about the baby? Is she his secret baby mama? Alicia worried and wondered if she should show herself and confront them.
“Please, let’s give it some time. I’ll tell her when the DNA results come out,” Luke pleaded, and Alicia’s jaw dropped.
DNA test? He got someone pregnant, and now they were testing to see the parentage? I can’t let this go on, she decided. Alicia stepped directly into the living room and saw Luke talking to a woman who was just outside the front door.
“What’s going on here? I want the truth right now, Luke. I heard everything. What DNA test? Is that your baby mama?” she demanded, crossing her arms on her chest. Luke and the woman turned around with wide eyes.
But shockingly, the stranger smiled. “Baby mama?” she said and laughed.
“There’s nothing funny about this. Luke, did you cheat on me with this woman?!” Alicia almost shouted.
“No! No! I swear! I would never do that. Please, listen to me,” Luke begged, walking towards her with his hand in front.
“You have ten seconds!” Alicia seethed, her arms still crossed in anger.
“This is my sister, Linda.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Alicia’s arms dropped. “What?”
“Linda and I met two weeks ago by chance. Look, baby. She looks just like me. We met at the supermarket and were shocked by our resemblance to one another. We started talking and realized we were both orphans. Now we’re waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm it. But we’re pretty sure because our childhood experiences were similar. I believe I remember playing with her at the orphanage, but it’s a blurry memory,” Luke explained the shocking story.
“That’s crazy,” Alicia whispered, looking at the woman. But Luke was right. The woman looked awfully like him. If identical twins of different genders were possible, they would be the perfect example.
Luke continued. “We’ve gotten pretty close since then, and she had an emergency last night. She asked me to watch her baby, Tony. I was too tired to explain earlier, but there it is.”
Alicia calmed down and invited Linda inside to hear the woman’s side of the story. It was pretty remarkable. Luke also begged forgiveness for not telling her sooner, but he didn’t want to ruin her important business trip with this complicated news.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Anyway, the results are supposed to come out in a few days, and then, we’ll see. You can see them along with my husband and corroborate that we’re not lying. But I really hope it’s true because not having any extended family is the worst,” Linda commented after they talked for a while.
Alicia was glad to hear that Linda had a husband. It made the story much more plausible, and she forgave Luke for the lie pretty quickly because Tony was super cute.
A few days later, the results confirmed they were siblings, and they decided to spend more time together. Alicia was glad that Luke had a nephew to dote on, and she always thought that family mattered more than anything in the world.
What can we learn from this story?
- Don’t lie to your spouse. Things could’ve gone south for Luke if Alicia didn’t patiently wait for an explanation. So it’s best not to lie to your partner.
- Family is the most crucial part of life. Cherish your family members because tons of people wish they had them.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a girl who asked her parents to adopt a kid she found on the bus.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story
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