Woman Hides in Restroom to Avoid Group Photo
By Penelope Jitters, Socially Awkward News
CHARLOTTE, NC — A seemingly innocent night of arcade games and overpriced nachos at Dave & Busters in Charlotte turned into a psychological battlefield last evening when 32-year-old Melissa Carter, a self-proclaimed “walking social malfunction,” fled to the women’s restroom to escape a family photo. The incident unfolded during her cousin’s birthday celebration, where Carter’s internal chaos—fueled by a potent mix of social awkwardness, ADHD, and OCD—propelled her into a dramatic retreat. “I saw the camera, and my brain just short-circuited,” Carter recounted, still clutching a soggy pretzel bite she’d grabbed as an emotional support snack. “I was convinced my smile would look like a haunted doll’s, and that’s not a legacy I’m ready to leave.”
Eyewitnesses described the prelude to Carter’s disappearance as a masterclass in overthinking. As the group gathered near the Skee-Ball machines, she reportedly froze mid-step, her ADHD kicking into overdrive as she fixated on irrelevant details—like whether the neon lights made her look “too sweaty” or if her shoelaces were tied with precisely equal tension. “I had to check them three times,” she admitted. “Uneven laces in a photo? That’s a felony in my head.” Meanwhile, her OCD latched onto a memory of a cringe-worthy joke she’d told at a 2017 barbecue, replaying it on a loop as her cousin waved the camera like a loaded weapon. “Say cheese!” he shouted, blissfully unaware that Carter was already plotting her exit strategy.
Patrons at the bustling entertainment hub watched in bemused silence as Carter muttered a rapid-fire monologue: “I’ll stand in the back—no, the side—no, I’ll ruin it with my weird eyebrow twitch!” Within seconds, she bolted, leaving a trail of clattering arcade tokens and a family photo opp in disarray. She barricaded herself in the restroom for a full 20 minutes, where she reportedly reorganized the paper towel stack into perfect alignment. “It was therapy,” she said. “You can’t face a camera when your soul’s screaming about asymmetry.”
Carter’s cousin, Dave & Busters regular Tim Grayson, shrugged off the fiasco. “She does this every year. Last time it was the cake-cutting—she hid behind the pinball machine because she didn’t want to clap off-beat.” Others, however, found it relatable. “I’ve been there,” said fellow guest Sarah Lopez. “One time I ducked a selfie because I thought my teeth looked like they were staging a coup.”
Expert Insight
Dr. Felix Fumble, a self-proclaimed “anxiety anthropologist” at the University of Imaginary Studies, offered perspective: “Melissa’s reaction is a textbook trifecta—social dread, ADHD’s impulsivity, and OCD’s relentless perfectionism. That camera wasn’t just a lens; it was a velociraptor with a flash. She didn’t stand a chance.” He added, “Her towel-stacking? A coping mechanism. Some people breathe deeply; Melissa aligns paper products.”
Carter eventually slunk back to the party, triumphant when she learned the group had abandoned the photo plan—though not without cost. “I missed the pizza,” she lamented. Lingering doubts gnawed at her: “What if they’re secretly plotting a surprise shot next time? Or mad I bailed?” For now, she’s safe, plotting her next excuse—perhaps a sudden fascination with the air hockey table when the cameras reappear.
Melissa Carter stands frozen with dread near the arcade games at Dave & Busters, eyeing her family’s photo setup. One awkward smile could ruin everything.
