I (33m with adhd and a slight tism) was at my local game shop trying to make some friends because it’s hard to meet people with common interests as an adult when you move to a small town. I’ve been up there a total of 4 times. Two of those times were in winter and it was dark and cold outside so I asked someone for a ride. I hated even asking but I was worried I might get hit walking. Any time I tried to talk to someone it felt like the owner would interrupt and tell me to not talk to them. I got kinda frustrated because I went up there to try to make friends and every time I tried it felt like he would step in.

Today I said I was going home after this happened so I could cool down in my car (which I got so I wouldn’t have to ask for a ride anymore). I came back in after calming down and asked if I had offended him and if there was something I could do about it (I’m slightly autistic so I get I can be misunderstood or might not pick up on social cues).

I didn’t get it the first time he explained it and asked if there was another way he could explain it. He told me “this conversation is going nowhere. Get out of my store and never come back.” I begged him not to but ended up leaving the store.

This sent me into an anxiety attack so I had to calm down in my car. Before I could even do that he followed me outside and was yelling at me to leave his property and I tried to explain I was trying to calm down before driving so I didn’t get in an accident. He eventually relented and I even park on the other end of the parking lot so it didn’t look like I was staring into his store and so I could talk to my mom and help me calm down.

Every time I looked up he was staring at me Next thing I know I have two cop cars behind me asking me a bunch of questions (he told them that I had been up there causing problems for three hours when I was only inside for like 10-15min went to my car for like 20min to calm down back inside for less than 5 and in my car for like 35min) my anxiety attack started getting so bad they had to call a paramedic because I seemed to be having a seizure.

Eventually, they let me go after getting checked out and followed me (at my request) to the gas station down the street so I could finish calming down. So, am I the asshole?