Janice in the School Bathroom

This happen in Michigan in the 1960's. Janice (not real name) was a real shy girl. She didn't have too many friends as no one wanted to be around her. One day I seen her in the bathroom, we smiled. I was also a shy girl at school in my teen years and that may of made it easier to be her friend. I knew what she was going through without having any friends. It was hard for myself to make friends. If one was not out going and talked and gossiped a lot then, you were not considered a friend to those that did.

A couple of plump girls came to the school. They got shunned and no one wanted to talk to them. Well I was used to plump people as my Mom and Dad had a live bait and tackle shop, and many plump people came to buy things for fishing from them.

One day at the cafeteria while the plump girls were sitting alone, some guys came up and poured there milk on them and called them names. They were crying, I went and brought them some napkins while others at the school just looked at me. From that day on we became good friends.

I was telling one of the new girls tona (not real name) of this girl named Janice who was very shy and didn't have any friends. That maybe we could be her friends, and she would feel better about herself. Not long after I said that I seen Janice going down the hallway. I motion for her to come over she looked at me and went on her way.

I went to the bathroom, Janice was in the bathroom. I asked her why she didn't come over to where Tona and I were? She said nothing. Then out of the blue she did say to me "I have no friends I might as well hang myself". I stepped back, looked at this really pretty slim girl. I said but "Janice that is not the way to feel about anything, I will be your friend and so will Tona and Tina (not real name)". She smiled and we left the bathroom.

Tona, Tina, Janice and I became friends. One day I went into the bathroom, it felt really cold I thought maybe the heater in there was not on. I went to it and it was on. But the bathroom was really cold. I heard a noise in one of the stalls, thinking someone was in there that fell down, I went to the stall. No one was in the stall or any of them. I walked to the sink it was round, and one had to step on a bar on the floor to make the water come out.

I again heard a noise in the stall, again I went to the stall. This time I could see someone hanging from the stall. Well it took no time for me to get out of that bathroom. I ran to the first class room told the teacher what I saw. He told me to stay put. He went and got another teacher and they looked but told me they found nothing.

This got around the school that I was crazy. But my two friends Tona and Tina still were my friends and so was Janice. I asked Janice how she felt, was she okay? She told me "Yes". But I felt something wrong with her. A few days later in the bathroom I heard the same noises and this time I made sure I didn't look. Just got out of there fast. I always told my friends what took place and what I seen, and they would not go in the bathroom alone.

This would keep up for months, the noise, and the sighting of seeing someone hanging in the stall. I kept telling the teachers about this, they check and found nothing. So they thought I was making it all up.

A few weeks later I went into the bathroom, heard the noise but it seemed to sound different this time. So I edged over to the stall. I could see feet dangling and my own feet would not move, my mouth however open would not make a sound.

I was like stuck to the floor. I heard someone else come into the bathroom. "Help" I said. The other girl asked what was wrong? I pointed to the stall and said "Stall".

She looked in and started screaming, I knew then someone had hung themselves. I somehow managed to go to that stall, and there hanging In the stall was, my friend Janice. The other girl and I tried to hold her up, screaming the entire time. Someone heard us, out in the hallway came in, and saw what happened.

The water pipe that ran across the top of the stalls to the round sink, is where she had tied a belt (the type you find on a bathrobe at home) to it and around her neck. (If one climbed to the top of the stall and sat on the top, they could reach that pipe. I climbed up on the stall myself and sat on the top. Putting my feet on the sides of the stall to hold my self up there.) I can't quite remember what took place after that. I do know I was out of school for a week. And I didn't want to go back to school either.

When I did go back to school I never went back in that bathroom again. I told teachers that I tried to tell them that she was going to do this. She told me. I seen the image of someone hanging and no one would believe me. I tried to stop it and to no avail could I stop it. Janice was gone, she was seeking help I think, so she wouldn't do this. By telling me she thought she hang herself and the images I got about that. I felt really bad, like I should of helped more but how?

The school has been all remolded now and so I don't know if Janice still lurks, around the stalls in that bathroom, or if it's still there or not. Or maybe she has, finally found her peace, she was looking for.