Decided to post another story bc fuck it.
One time when I was in my late teens, I was walking a, at the time, neighbor's deaf dog, a man I didn't recognize or know approached me at a crossing section along the main road, in a decently sized town where a nearby city was having a college game. He asked me a few questions about the dog and which way somewhere was that he was trying to get to. At the time, I tried to be nice and polite by doing my best to answer his questions so he would leave me alone.
To make it clear here, I literally could not get away from him at this point. We were in front of a gas station and I was waiting for a stop sign to turn green so I could cross the street to head back. Well, he getting too close for comfort and kept asking about me, but ofc I didn't want to tip him off in case that would end badly. So as soon as the light turned green, I went across the street. Thing is, I didn't expect him to go across the street being me, so that terrified me since I couldn't use my phone (gloves suck for that) and I had to just hope he didn't follow me.
My neighbor and my mom had two completely different reactions. He, as an older vet and a total sweetheart who obviously likes to think positively, was just glad I helped someone. My mom, pointed out that the man could have gone into the gas station but instead went up to me, someone who has always been mistaken to be younger than I actually am, especially back then, and that he was likely on drugs. Looking back on it, I would prefer to think he was just some stoner.