Just A Girl
College freshman Tiana Carter is just trying to navigate dorm life and grow her modest social media following when a foray into online dating goes terrifyingly wrong. A polite rejection triggers a vicious backlash from a toxic group of self-proclaimed "high-value men." In this disturbing short story by Alyssa Cole, the dark side of the internet bleeds into reality as online trolls become hell-bent on destroying Tiana's world.
- Tiana - QuarantineDream, 19
- Josh - JoshWolfPack
- Conner - Josh’s friend
- Jared - Josh’s friend
- Concerned1@smail.com - Anonymous person helping Tiana
- Tiana joins a dating app called ConnectMore.
- Josh sends Tiana nasty messages, and she posts the conversation on TikTok.
- Josh organizes his friends to bombard Tiana’s socials with nasty comments, porn, etc.
- Tiana starts getting bullied by people who think she shouldn’t have shared the conversation or that she is enjoying the attention it brings.
- An anonymous person e-mails Tiana with tips on keeping herself and her family safe from the men attacking her online.
- Tiana moves into college, but the men quickly find her and harass her by leaving a box of roaches at her door and tampering with her food delivery.
- The stranger e-mails Tiana again, saying they identified the person behind the roaches and sent him a box of roaches in return.
- Someone swats Tiana by calling in a fake emergency at her address.
- Josh, Conner and Jared all get arrested and charged with stalking and harassment.
- Tiana e-mails the stranger to say thank you, assuming they were behind the arrests, but the message is undeliverable
Alyssa Cole's Just a Girl was a 127-page novella told entirely through mixed media: TikToks, Reddit threads, tweets, and emails. I liked this unique format, and it grabbed my interest early on. However, the narrative became repetitive as the story progressed. It served as a solid cautionary tale about the dangers of online overexposure. Ultimately, it was an interesting read, but not a true thriller.
- Stalking
- Bullying
- Harassment
- Death threats
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
ASIN: B0C78KKFP5
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
