So I\’ve always been a somewhat shy girl. I live in a big city where buses can get pretty crowded because of either rush hour or just nearby schools getting let out. Cool. I understand crowded buses; we all gotta get where we\’re going after all. But what I can\’t understand is why some men feel the need to take advantage of crowds to feel up other people\’s bodies.

The first time I was inappropriately touched was in 8th grade.

It was a really crowded bus as the middle school I went to was near other schools that happened to get out at the same time. The bus stopped at one of the main bus station so naturally, many people got off and there was a lot of bustling as half the bus fought their way to the door. I thought nothing of it until I felt someone\’s fingers roughly shove their way into my crotch from behind. By the time I had turned around, the person was lost in the wave of people getting off. I was literally the shyest I have ever been in my life at that time (was voted the shyest girl in the school that year actually) and so I never said anything to anyone.

The second time was on yet another crowded bus, a couple years into high school. This old Chinese man was holding onto my upper arm from behind which I was using to hold onto a strap above for balance and I thought it was a little weird but just assumed that he had nothing else to hold onto for balance so I shrugged it off as nothing. At least, until his hand reached down and started grasping at my right boob. Luckily, I was with my best friend this time who had gotten a hold of a seat and squeezed me in with her. The man got off at the next stop. We said nothing except for a few comments of disgust.

The third time, which happened a year later, didn\’t really involve me being touched sexually but was more creepy than anything. I was boarding a the bus with the same friend and as I stepped on, I could feel a guy pressed up close behind me. I thought this was very strange as the bus wasn\’t anywhere near crowded enough to justify that and the man kept this up as we got on until my friend and I were standing holding onto straps for support as we chatted. Now at this point the man had backed off a little, just enough that he was still there but not enough for anyone to go wtf at him. My friend and I were talking quietly about something about which stop to get off at, the man swaying with the bus to casually make contact with my back the whole time. Keep in mind this bus is not crowded by any means; my friend and I had chosen to stand because our stop was nearby. As we got off, the man made a remark, breaking into our conversation about something we were discussing. I later complained about this to another friend and halfway into describing the man, she quickly cut me off and finished the description for me. Apparently the man was hanging out near a mall next to a highschool and had been coming up to highschool girls and trying to give them his number. This was a young blond male in his 20s(?).

A couple hours ago, I was riding the bus home from my old highschool where I was visiting a retiring teacher. It was an extremely crowded bus because the same line ran though at least a couple schools and a few stops away from where I was supposed to get off, I gave up my seat for an elderly man and started standing by the rear exit. Not a minute later, I felt fingers stroking my left butt cheek. I thought it was my imagination at first so I shrugged slightly away only to feel the fingers return. I was 100% sure those weren\’t some stray bag at that point; those were human fingers stroking from my lower to upper butt.

I was done. I\’d gained confidence in highschool thanks to mentioned teacher and I was sick and tired of being touched. I\’ve gotten nothing but trouble from guys in college who just can\’t take a damn hint. I was called a bitch for not giving them a chance (I have a boyfriend) so I did what I felt was right. I called him out on it.

I turned to him, looked the middle age blond man straight in those sky blue eyes of his and said in the loudest voice I could manage, \”Touch my butt one more time and I will report you.\” I knew I had the right man. He met my gaze unblinkingly and slowly nodded. No one seemed to have paid attention or cared. But at that moment, I was relieved.

When I got off, I found out that my sister was on the same bus and had squeezed onto the front of the bus. If she had gotten on the back door, my little sister could have been in my position instead. She could have been the one touched instead of me. And I know she wouldn\’t have said a thing.

I know this isn\’t a big deal to many people but I had to get it out somewhere. Thank you for reading.

TL;DR Guy kept stroking my butt, I called him out on it, and my little sister could have been his victim instead of me if she had gotten on the back door instead of front.

Edit: Ahh thank you! I honestly only expected a few upvotes and a comment or two perhaps so I was honestly surprised when I came back… And only one nasty PM to boot! Thank you so much!

Edit 2: Holy…thank you for the gold! I had to refresh twice because I couldn\’t believe my eyes… Thank you!