Run on Red

by Noelle W. Ihli

“Be vigilant, stay alive,” “Screw politeness,” “Stay safe, get weird,”

The brake lights blazed red, a clear stop sign. Gritting my teeth, I moved toward the warning glow. If this was a stop sign, I was about to run it.

Narcissists think they’re smarter than everyone else. But that doesn’t mean they are. That’s how they get caught. They make mistakes. They underestimate the intelligence of police. And they underestimate the intelligence of their victims.

What it came down to was this: We were all targets. Even if you made the right choice, followed the right rules, took the right risks, kept your cool, made the right friends, didn’t walk alone home after dark, kept a rape whistle in your pocket, and guarded your drink at bars.

I’d always thought I could skip the bad parts of life if I tried hard enough. If I was smart enough.

But sometimes the trouble came to you—for the simple fact that it co...