The most common scenario goes like this;

I feel apprehensive about Person A. Person A then seems less frightening or harmful, for some reason, even if I know what they’ve done. Person A then disrespects me via targetted bullying against my ethnicity. I then have to constantly see them, then doubt myself and don’t put up boundaries to stop talking to them. This especially compounds if there is a Person B (friend) in the picture who doesn’t mind Person A. Person A and I get into a ‘relationship’ of sorts where it devolves and they keep pushing boundaries, and I end up harmed.

This has been the story of my life for the last two decades, almost.