r/NuclearRevenge I PEPPER SPRAYED MY ROOMMATE! - Reddit Stories

today we have a crazy story of Revenge involving  pepper spray in ey drops we'll get into that in a   bit but first The Strangers in the neighborhood  I grew up in the beautiful city of Los Angeles   and I must confess that my childhood through  my teenage years were such a roller coaster   one of the spectacular memories I hold fondly  is the experience I had with two boys I would   tag strangers when I was about 16 at that time  I assisted my mother in our local grocery store   which was a One-Stop shop in the neighborhood  we lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew   one another so it was easy for me to identify  most of the faces that patronized us daily but   this was not the case during festive Seasons  most families received their loved ones in   their homes and it was not unusual to see our  store flooded with people who were mostly in a   hurry to pick up their groceries one time during  Christmas a lot of people flooded the neighborhood   and I was surprised at how many sales we made  daily in the rush of those moments I wondered   if it was possible for anyone to pick up what they  didn't pay for more than once we recorded the loss   of items that weren't accounted for during that  period when it happened the third time we knew we   had to brace ourselves to catch the culprit before  our entire store got stolen it was so painful to   accept that someone was trying to rip us off our  sweat or should I say my mother's sweat my mother   was a single mother who toiled hard to put our  store together Against All Odds she wanted to   have something else to fall back on aside from  the part-time job she did for so many years so   the store had been our major source of livelihood  and a huge part of our Lives I knew my mother was   worried about the safety of the store and I hated  to see the pensive look written all over her face   to show how worried she was I hated any situation  that would make things look uncertain for us I   remember when I was a child I always dreamed of  the time I would be rich enough to transform the   store into big stuff it was a dream I've held dear  for so many years so I knew much more than anyone   that I had to make sure to put an end to that  Menace that was threatening our peace first my   mother suggested that we install cctvs around the  store which obviously was a good idea but I knew   it was going to to cost us a lot which we couldn't  afford at that time so I suggested that we should   keep a closer eye on the store because I believed  it was possible to apprehend the culprit when I   made that suggestion I had made a resolution to  keep a close eye on every customer that came to   the store thankfully we had come to the end of the  festive period so it was easy to notice the people   who came to the store daily but there had been a  particular boy who was about 13 years old I had   noticed how frequently he paraded the neighborhood  like a lost sheep I wasn't sure I'd seen him   before and the way he paraded the neighborhood Ood  was something that baffled me there were times he   had company a small boy who looked 1 to 2 years  younger than him and was equally as weird as the   older boy one evening I heard an elderly woman who  lived close to the store let's call her Mrs D say   that she didn't want to see those boys around her  home it was strange to hear her say that because   everyone knew Mrs D to be someone who kept to  herself I knew there must be something about   these boys that triggered people especially me but  despite the reservations I had about the situation   I knew there was there was nothing I could do  day later when they came to the store to get   some groceries I was a bit startled I was startled  because nothing in the world would have prepared   me for the plot twist that accompanied their visit  to the store for the first time I realized that   these boys who had brought all manner of thoughts  to my head were the grandchildren of someone all   call Mrs L A woman who was about 65 years old  at the time there was something spectacular   about Mrs L that made her a sinosure of All Eyes  around the neighborhood history had it that she   spent her gay years modeling for a huge fashion  line in California and across the United States   together with her Poise elegance and Beauty she  also made some wealth for herself she retired to   that neighborhood with her husband who died about  5 years after they built their mansion it took   me a while before I could regain my composure at  the sight of Mrs L with the children after their   grocery shopping I decided to indulge Mrs L by  asking about her health and well-being being a   good friend of mine she couldn't keep the pleasure  of introducing me to the boys whom she called her   grandsons immediately I regretted all the wrong  insinuations I'd garnered towards those children   I could imagine what Mrs L would feel if she got  to find out the wrong perception I'd had about her   grandchildren immediately I repented all of my  UNH wholesome thoughts and I felt sorry for the   old lady whom I admire very much thankfully for  some time we didn't record any losses and there   were no items that couldn't be accounted for of  course it was easy to let my guards down and be   more relaxed because as far as I was concerned  anyone who was terrorizing our store was no   longer in the community so as expected I began  to loosen up each time I saw the boys around the   neighborhood at least I was sure that they came  from a known face they visited the store regularly   and it was almost impossible for me not to expect  them every week either to pick some Essentials   for their grandmother or to treat themselves to  their favorite snacks however I couldn't seem   to overlook how much money they spent on snacks  every other day I knew it was out of my business   but there was something that wasn't just all right  with the way Mrs L's boys lavished money on snacks   so many times I found myself warding off the  possibilities that played on in my mind but   after a particular scenario at the store I knew I  had to unravel whatever air of mystery hung around   those boys one day they shredded into the store  as usual with their hands in their pockets and a   shy smile on their lips that day they didn't get  their favorite snacks but they got Essentials for   Mrs L other customers also came in while I was  attending to them so it was a bit difficult to   allege the theft that happened at the store that  day in a long time quite a number of items were   missing and I was beyond myself with worries  I was angry and sad because I knew I'd let my   guards down yet again I knew that my mother would  become very tense again and I didn't want that at   that point I finally agreed to have cameras around  our store even if I knew it was something that   would cost us a bit of money at the time while I  waited for the installation I decided to devise a   stronger strategy that I believed would help us  keep our Goods safe I had been gifted a compact   camera when I turned 16 so I decided to put it  to good use I kept the camera in a strategic   position that could capture the shelves around  the store so I got a good chance to capture each   day's events unfortunately I was disappointed to  see that there was no suspicious movement nor did   we record any losses at the store after 3 days  I remember how I carefully replayed the video   clips before deleting them each day just to be  sure I wasn't missing anything yet no one took   anything on the days I kept the camera at that  detective spot after about 4 days of not coming   to the store to either buy Mrs L's Essentials  or their favorite snacks these boys showed up   at the store looking radiant and more confident  than usual after attending to them warmly I made   it clear that I was in no mood for chitchat even  though we had become friends they paid for their   Essentials and they left the store however I  realized that the boys had left the store one   after the other it then dawned on me that that  had been the norm one of them would leave the   store earlier than the other after engaging in  a short chat with me leaving the other to pay   for whatever they purchased it was so funny to me  that I hadn't taken note of that Trend that day I   discovered that we had recorded some lost items  yet again and for the first time I almost choked   in my breath I was so eager to get home so as to  watch the video clips on my camera I didn't know   why but I shook heavily as I settled down to watch  watch the video I was stunned and I lacked the   ability to drop my camera after I realized that my  suspicions had been right all along the other boy   that went out first had taken some items which I  obviously didn't take stock of and of course which   they didn't pay for either for a few seconds  I couldn't think how could Mrs L's grandsons   be caught in such an UNH wholesome act I wondered  what she would do if I told her so many thoughts   crossed my mind at the same time suddenly I became  very angry I shuttered at the audacity the boys   had in order to make our shop their den of theft  I wondered if they had been the ones terrorizing   our store all the while incurring loss upon loss  on our small business I was determined to punish   them I contemplated telling my mother about the  boys and what they've done to her business but   I knew that would only blow the situation out of  proportion I felt for Mrs L I knew she was a good   woman I wanted to protect her image at least as  far as I could again the boys came to the store   and I must confessed that they looked Regal on  that occasion I wasn't surprised to see them look   that way they obviously have been making money  from their sales looking at how good they looked   infuriated me even more it became clearer to me  how much money they make by picking things that   do not belong to them just when I was thinking if  I should change my mind about reporting them to   the authorities I realized that I couldn't and  in fact I could no longer protect Mrs L it was   Mrs D the other elderly woman who made me realize  that those boys were Big Time klepto Maniacs who   needed help she came to the store to get a couple  of items and I could see how bitter she was given   the way she ranted to me she asked me if I'd seen  the two unique boys that paraded the street like   young princes I answered her in the affirmative  they uprooted some of my ornamental plants oh   poor me I don't know how much money that would  earn them Mrs D lamented with a voice stricken   with age the boys didn't know that she could see  them through her window so they thought they got   lucky once again every detail was adding up as it  became glaring to me why they were able to indulge   themselves with expensive snacks they obviously  got used to stealing from different places I gave   my evidence to the police after my conversation  with Mrs D and I was glad to see that the police   did the right thing by coming over to pick them up  from afar I could see Mrs L panting and agitating   but I knew the children would be better off in a  reform home for the next 3 months honestly it was   probably for the best I don't really see any more  constructive way of dealing with this and very   obviously this isn't some like lowlevel Petty  thing where they're just innocent kids getting   in trouble I mean they're out there flaunting  wearing nice stuff buying tons of snacks from   the place that they're stealing from this is like  well understood what we're doing kind of behavior   also hi I'm Steven and if you guys enjoy crazy  stories of Revenge it would be amazing if you left   a like or left a review if you're listening to my  podcast that said our next story is like mother   like daughter I female 39 never realized that I  could ever be this Petty as a parent not until   I had to experience a few things with my child  female 19 and after coming to the realization that   she wasn't ever going to listen to me or rather  change her ways I just decided to leave her to   her vices and watch how things play out following  some certain events she eventually realized her   mistake in life and surely enough she was eagerly  awaiting or in a much clearer sense anticipating   her return back home almost akin to the prodigal  child but I wasn't having that I really wanted   her to learn her lesson after everything she had  said to me and I didn't feel like she had really   done so when she got back so I made her realize  it myself some might view this as strict parenting   but it was nothing of the sort on my end this  was just me simply not being the bigger person   and basically treating my daughter the exact  same way she did me when all I was trying to   do was just be a good mother Andor parent I was  really irresponsible back when I was still in my   teenage years in fact I was even more promiscuous  than anyone could ever have imagined thinking back   now I guess it was just all my hormones at the  time seriously raging as I was quite literally   a problem child for my family I was always  getting into trouble and more often than not   I always needed my parents to come to my rescue  they never failed to be there for me but there   comes a point in one's life where the consequences  for certain mistakes cannot be covered up anymore   and little did I know that slowly but surely my  parents Andor family were getting quite tired and   stressed out by my irresponsible behavior and  as a means to really make me understand reason   and responsibility the very last time that I got  into trouble I was left to cater for myself and   this time I think the trouble I might have gotten  myself in was a serious one so serious that I was   looking at spending some jail time because I  was already legally recognized by the law to   be a legal adult I was meant to provide a legal  guardian to represent me but seeing as the only   people I had in my life that were always there  for me had already decided that this time there   was nothing they could have some form in that  situation and that they really wanted me to dance   to the tune of my music I was left on my own for  the entirety of that night and for the following   nights after that for the entirety of the week  and almost for the next few weeks if not for the   thoughtful intervention of My caring mother who  didn't want to see her child really suffer and   not be able to come home as this was the decision  of my father alone she quite literally came to my   rescue and I guess truly at the time that was  truly what I wanted or rather needed anyways   ultimately I was able to come back home and when  I finally did I honestly wasn't expecting any form   or show of love for my father and any other member  of my family as my mother had already informed me   of how disappointed every single person in  my family wasn't me and surely they didn't   disappoint most especially my father and right  after that incident I made absolute certainty to   have a complete change of my Manner and attitude  towards things it really was something I didn't   realize or think I would have to come to the  conclusion of doing but I did it because I had   already resolved myself and I was definitely going  to be a better person and I was going to make sure   that my children when I did have them weren't ever  going to follow my footsteps and even if they were   on the verge of doing so and it seemed like there  was nothing I could do I could always just resort   to the same method used by my parents now let's  fast forward a little bit right after this time I   became quite the model student and the ideal child  obviously this didn't all happen immediately as it   was something that took quite a while to achieve  but I ultimately did it and right when I got into   college I'd met this guy who would later turn out  to be my soulmate the one I would get married to   and the one who would make me attain the level of  mother of three beautiful girls we weren't really   invested in the relationship for quite a while as  we both had other things we had said in our minds   at the time things like actually graduating with  a good enough grade at the time because school   was already tough enough as it was but then right  after graduation we then both realized that surely   we both had deep feelings for each other and these  feelings were more than just one amongst friends   and definitely more than a common likeness after  quite a while of being friends we finally decided   to become Partners in a relationship as this  happened right after graduating college we were   both quite literally in sync with each other  we both knew what the other person wanted and   it was something that both of us did for one  another effortlessly at some point in my life   I was definitely sure that he was the one for me  and when I realized he truly was the one for me   it didn't even take as long as I knew I wanted  him at this point in time anyways it honestly   didn't take us long while in the relationship as  we both really were in love with each other and   right after he secured a stable job he ultimately  proposed within the first 3 years of us dating it   just felt right and within the first few months of  getting married we immediately got to experience   the joy that most parents had been longing for  for quite a while which is the joy of making a   new life we unlike most other parents were quite  ready for this but I guess no parent is ever truly   ready to have a child or make new life love  and care completely for the new child and all   because For the First Time no one is a perfect  parent we had our first daughter right before   even celebrating our oneyear anniversary and our  other two daughters came 5 years after the first   as they were both Twins and they had an elder  sister to look up to now you might be thinking   we have quote the perfect family my partner was  making a stable enough income to cater and provide   for for the needs and wants of his family all  while maintaining the households and to add to   it I was also undergoing a paid internship at one  of the hospitals in the vcinity as recommended by   a friend of mine and right after the internship  I was informed that it was one of the best they'd   ever had in quite a while when I was done with  my internship period I was most definitely going   to be retained by the institution well to start  off my daughter had always been some set of a   troublemaker and this was quite the habit I didn't  find myself in because she really reminded me of   myself and this was when she was still a baby  I couldn't have what happened to me happened to   my baby girl and so I decided to go for a more  strict approach as I'd felt like this was the   only way I could control her actions to a certain  extent where I would be able to make sure that she   doesn't fall into the same ditch I did when she  grows up ultimately I must admit this was one of   the mistakes I'd made when raising her I didn't  realize that I was making quite the mistake when   raising my daughter until she'd grown up to  become quite the lady just in her late teens   she was already getting involved with the wrong  friend group and it seemed like my warnings and   strict means of parenting weren't even having  the slightest effect at all I tried my best as   a parent and as a mother and on some occasions  I would even try to make it known to her that we   had two younger siblings who were quite literally  looking up to her while they were growing up but   it always seemed like the talks I had with her  were falling on deaf ears and then a similar   event like what happened to me when I was right  about her age had happened yet again right before   my eyes and after I tried my best to offer the  best possible advice to my daughter just as you   would guess she completely ignored my warnings  and words of advice as she felt they didn't know   what I was talking about little did she know  that I was the only and quite literally the   best person to offer her some words of advice but  after realizing that she couldn't change her mind   I just went along with whatever it was that she  was going to do and just as you would obviously   expect she got to experience the world for what  it truly was and also how cruel it could be as   when she ultimately returned she or rather I was  expecting her to have a change of heart and mind   and basically reflect on her actions and how  they've affected her and all but instead I got   some of the most gut-wrenching insults I could  have ever received from none other than my own   daughter she was apparently blaming me for her  terrible decision-making calling me a bad mother   and all this was really tough for a mother to  hear words like this coming from her very own   daughter's mouth it's not something I would  want most or even any mother to experience it   was a really intense argument but I can say for  a fact that I wasn't going to take all that she   said laying down I decided right then and there to  make her accountable for her actions and words by   tbling the issue before her father my partner  who ultimately decided to send her to a whole   different country where we had a distant relative  who lived with our grandparents as a means for her   to learn manners and mannerisms by force she  seriously thought it was was a joke up until   the moment when I presented her with her passport  and her traveling ticket this was the moment she   was already beginning to feel some semblance of  remorse but my mind was already made I was going   to make sure that she bore the consequences of  her actions this was when she began pleading and   quite literally weeping as she didn't want to  leave behind everything and everyone she knew   things got so intense to the point where I was  already beginning to feel bad but the only thing   that was keeping me firm on my decision was the  fact that her words hurt me down to my core I   had to do what needed to be done regardless of  whether or not she would eventually gate me in   the future and that was how the day came for her  to leave and I just couldn't bear to see her when   she was leaving I guess no matter what she does  she is still my baby girl and I am still her   mother I mean I can't imagine how it would feel  in a position where you try to do everything you   could to turn your kid on the right path and  nothing worked and they kind of had a history   repeating itself moment but it is kind of funny  that Opie was like all right I'm finally putting   my foot down as a parent and shipping her off to  somebody else so they can instill some stuff in   her our next story is my college roommate got her  eye drops pepper sprayed my best friend from high   school and I planned to rent an apartment together  in our first year of college why we didn't want to   stay in the school dorm and get paired with just  anybody we had read and watched enough movies with   roommate horror stories that we'd rather just  stay together when we both got into college   however my mom changed her mind about letting me  stay in an apartment away from campus she claimed   her reason for insisting was my safety and that  students who live on school campuses tend to do   better than students who live in town but I knew  that was a lie the apartments outside campus were   very expensive and my mom could not afford it but  my mom would never say that we didn't have enough   money never anyway my roommate went on to rent an  apartment with one of the other girls from high   school and I was assigned to a dorm room on campus  I was the first person to move into the room and I   really liked it there it had huge Windows the  room was just the right temperature and the   hallway always were quiet compared to other Halls  my first roommate didn't last more than a week she   was pleasant and I liked her we eventually became  friends but she wasn't comfortable with having a   roommate she admitted that she enjoyed my company  but she wanted her privacy she left the room after   a week and she was immediately replaced by the new  roommate who was a complete weirdo I decided that   I hated her on the first day I met her when she  came into the room I wasn't around I was visiting   my best friend the new roommate moved in arranged  all her stuff in her corner of the room and marked   the boundary of our spaces with chalk it was too  ridiculous she drew a vertical line in the middle   of the rooms as if from the room decor it wasn't  obvious which space belonged to whom I hated her   that minute I didn't ask her about the chalk but I  didn't even speak to her either I just ignored her   all the time that worked perfectly for us even  though you could cut the animosity in the room   with a knife it worked until one day I had just  hosted my former roommate and my best friend from   high school in my room room and when they left my  roommate warned me never to invite them into the   room anymore I asked why and she said they made  a lot of noise while my friends were not exactly   quiet people they were far from being loud too I  told her this and told her she was just jealous   because I had friends and she didn't that upset  her and she threatened to report me to the office   of the dean of student affairs if I ever brought  them into the room again I was not affected by   her threats I told her to go on and report me  the week after my friends were back back in the   room but I made them keep it down because of my  roommate still my roommate was uncomfortable she   kept telling us to keep it down at some point she  started groaning and rolling on her bed as though   our voices put her through pain my friends were  so irritated by her behavior that they said they   were never coming over to mine again I managed  to change their minds though and they started   to visit again to the annoyance of my roommate one  day I returned to my room and met my ex- roommate   in the room she said my roommate had just left  and that she told her that she'd heard me and   my friend from high school gossip about her my  former roommate admitted that she was surprised   at first and interested in the story my roommate  had for her until she realized that my roommate   didn't say anything she kept telling her that we  discussed her but she couldn't say exactly what we   discussed even though my ex- roommate asked  her many times I was angry that my roommate   was trying to stir up trouble between my friend  and me I didn't understand why the only reason I   didn't like her in the first place was because  she was never friendly I'd never done anything   to offend her and even when she complained about  my friends being too loud I begged them to keep   their voices down I was going to confront her  but my friends advised against it one of them   said she's just not worth it thankfully I told the  guy I was seeing at the time too I told him what   she said to my friend and he also advised me to  ignore her now imagine my shock when one day my   boyfriend called me and asked me to come see him  outside he'd apparently seen my roommate at the   library and said hello to her she called him aside  and told him I was seeing some other guy I don't   even think she wanted him to believe her or cared  if any of them believed her she just wanted to   make it clear that she hated me and was trying to  do something to sabotage my relationships at the   time my boyfriend was quite insecure I was already  dealing with that in my relationship so I worried   that he'd believe her or at least want to ask me  about it but he didn't believe her he said he told   her that she was being a weirdo and she laughed  and said he was an idiot I knew my roommate was   reserved I knew she was socially awkward and maybe  didn't even desire any kind of interaction with   other human beings but I didn't expect her to be  a sneaky evil person still my boyfriend asked me   not to confront her but I didn't listen I went  up to my dorm room and confronted her about it   she laughed and insisted that I've been cheating  on my boyfriend she even made up something about   walking on me making out with a guy I was taken  aback by her lies and withdrew immediately that   night I could not sleep I just didn't believe  that she or even anyone could do something   like that for no reason that night I swore I was  going to get my revenge against her I wanted her   to leave the room I needed her to leave I could  no longer stand being in the same room as her my   roommate didn't stop telling lies about me she  probably enjoyed the confusion on my face when I   confronted her she went on to tell the girls in  the room next two hours that I'd said different   stuff about them those girls confronted me and  even though I tried to defend myself and even   added that she' told the same thing to my friend  and boyfriend they were was still skeptical our   relationship went downhill after that I'd only  lived with my roommate for 2 months at the time   and she'd already become a pain in my butt the  last draw happened when she saw my boyfriend   on campus with one of his friends she walked up  to him and told him again that I was cheating my   boyfriend was embarrassed because his friend was  there and even though he did not believe her and   told her so his friend didn't understand why my  roommate would just lie about stuff without any   provocation on my part he was convinced that my  roommate was telling the truth and the more my   boyfriend defended me the more he looked stupid  to his friend later that day my boyfriend told me   what had happened again this time he didn't sound  completely convinced that my roommate was lying I   tried to tell him that she was lying and that she  was sick and he said he' believed me but it just   didn't seem like it that evening I went to my  friend from high school to ask for her opinion   on what was going on I needed suggestions on how  to not just get back at my roommate but also get   her out of the room my friend's only suggestion  was that I report her formally I didn't want to   do that my roommate was a good orator I knew she  had represented her school in different oratory   competitions she also looked innocent and was  smaller than me nobody would believe that she   wasn't telling the truth I decided to get back  at her in another way my roommate uses glasses   and eye drops every morning she uses her eye drops  before leaving for her classes the only option I   had for Revenge was either to damage her glasses  or do something to the eye drops she didn't have   any friends that I knew of so that was the only  way I saw her when she went out one Thursday   evening I sneaked to her corner of the room picked  up one of her two eye drops and sprayed a bit of   my pepper spray in it the next morning I was in  the bathroom when my roommate used her eye drops   I just entered the room and found her and one of  the girls in the Next Room holding her while she   screamed I'm not going to lie I felt some sort  of excitement watching her in agony her face has   always been devoid of emotions so seeing her show  that much emotion pleased me the campus ambulance   was called and she was taken away that evening  I was invited to the student affairs unit and   I saw her there with her father I learned that day  that her dad was a professor in the school she had   told the dean that I must have been the one who  put pepper spray in her eye drops I vehemently   denied it and even shed a few tears telling them  what she did to me and how despite what she did   I've always tried to be on her good side I was  taken back to my dorm room with campus security   to search my stuff I guess they wanted to see if I  owned pepper spray they'd ask me at the office and   I said I didn't luckily I'd watched enough crime  series to know that you never ever kept the weapon   immediately I squeezed out the pepper spray  left the room and threw it in the dormitory's   incinerator it was a dome filled with stuff women  who regularly threw stuff in it it was a dome   filled with stuff from women who regularly threw  stuff in it from cosmetic bottles and Plastics   to Old makeup to pads and tampons I knew it would  get filled up and a little time the school LED no   proof that I did it I kept denying it and my story  was consistent so they let me be her dad refused   to let her go back to the room though he insisted  that his daughter couldn't live with someone like   me I was glad when she left and luckily she wasn't  replaced so for the rest of my freshman year I was   alone in my room a privilege that many people  wanted but did not enjoy this does seem pretty   messed up I'm not going to lie I've heard time and  time again from people who have experienced pepper   spray that it's just about the worst feeling  they've ever experienced I remember hearing a   story from Johnny Knoxville who tested Dart tasers  and also getting pepper sprayed and he said the   pepper spray was the worst thing of all basically  if you want mobile protection don't worry about   those little handheld tasers if you can legally  carry it where you live pepper spray but also make   sure you practice with it every now and then to  make sure it's still working and you know how to   use it but with that being said that's all the  time we have for today now if you want to hear   another absolutely crazy Revenge story check out  that video on the left or if you missed my latest   video check out that video on the right that said  I'll see you all next time with some more stories

Channel: Storytime

Views: 10,358

Keywords: storytime, r/, r/nuclearrevenge, r/nuclear revenge, nuclear revenge, nuclearrevenge, reddit nuclear revenge, Storytime nuclear revenge, reddit stories, funny reddit, best of reddit, rslash nuclearrevenge, nuclear revenge reddit, top posts reddit, nuclear revenge stories, nuclear revenge video, r/ nuclearrevenge, r/ nuclear revenge Storytime, Storytime r/nuclearrevenge, funny reddit stories, nuclearrevenge posts

Id: cDTEXSfTuv0

Length: 29min 36sec (1776 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 18 2024