According to Backderf, speaking to Independent, he counted Jeffrey Dahmer among his friends while in high school, though there was always something about young Dahmer that compelled Backderf to keep his distance. As a result they were mostly social in the school setting. Bath, Ohio, where Backderf and Dahmer grew up, is a small town, and as a result, friend options were limited, Backderf said. As Dahmer began to act out while in high school, he drew a friend following of sorts due in part to that dark charisma, as he threw fits for attention and pulled other types of wild and dangerous stunts and pranks, such as inserting himself into school group photos.
Read Related Also: Why Australians are going wild over this single photo of a very ordinary petrol station
According to Backderf (via Independent), “We were bored stiff and just looking to get through the day, and Jeff was entertainment. He was a little bit dangerous, he was a little bit unpredictable, and that was fun for us.” Around that same time, as Backderf goes on to recall, Dahmer began to drink heavily, and after that point, his teenage antics grew darker, and his teenage friends group was concerned.
