Stomping around campus like a miserable monster – seething with inner rage and a venomous tongue – was a man who no one could stand. Brutish and brusque, nothing nice ever came out of his snout. He believed the world was cruel to him, and like any other tormented troll, he wanted everyone else to feel the way he felt.

Everyone steered clear of this brooding beast – well, except one woman.

“I don’t understand why no one likes him! He made me Wacky Mac once. He’s so nice to me.”

We all collectively gasped at the word “nice” as if she said the F word in church. “Nice?” we said incredulously. “Him? Nice?”

“Oh,” I said when it finally hit me.

Right then and there, it made complete sense why she had a different perspective of the campus grump than all the rest of us. “Would you take a look at that,” I thought. “If I didn’t know any better, the moping orge actually does have a heart – one that beats heavily for our dear macaroni-in-a-box-lovin’ friend.”

“Aah,” I said. “He likes you.”

“Wha-” she began to protest.

“No, no, no,” someone else chimed in. “That man not only likes you, but he wants you.”

For the surly sourpuss, there was nothing to be gained by being nice to the rest of us. Clearly, whatever we had to offer in exchange for his friendliness or, at the very least, a civil interaction here and there, just wasn’t appealing enough for him to muster up a modicum of kindness.

But within that one woman, the chick who saw the crabby curmudgeon as “Mr. Nice,” he spotted great profit – not loss – by putting on the “I’m such a sweet guy” mask, even going as far as making her Wacky Mac to win her affections.

Enamored by his cheesy dishes, it took her a while to get “woke.” She reminded me of those oblivious rose-holding single men on “The Bachelor” who repeatedly heard drama about one woman vying for their heart, but they still kept her around. Isn’t there something frighteningly foreboding about everyone being up in arms about someone who seems sweet? Shouldn’t one be alarmed that something just isn’t right?

Anyway, the two of ’em began dating casually – just so she could get to know him a little deeper and see where things could go. But of course, it only took a few weeks before he started showing his true colors. After all, pretending to be “nice” becomes exhausting after while, doesn’t it? The Wacky Macs disappeared and, rumor has it, he replaced ‘em with a few whacky smacks – he allegedly put his hands on her after she revealed she was no longer interested in him.

“Y’all were right!” she said, bawling her eyes out. “He really is awful!”

The situation made me reflect on my own personal experiences with men and how many 180-degree changes I’ve seen in their behavior after saying, “I’d rather just maintain a friendship.” And to be clear, I am certainly not talking about getting a bouquet roses one day and getting zilch the next – that’s par for the course, and even a great relief, when a man realizes further actions to pursue you would be futile.

No woman should expect a man to continually sweep her off her feet after telling him what’s really up.

But I’m talking about hellos turning into cold shoulders – lighthearted conversations transform into curt replies and grouchy comments. The man you thought was a “nice guy” suddenly morphs into a gruff, mean ol’ character who you’ve never seen before and you can’t help but wonder, “Was he only nice because he thought he had a chance with me?”

Just because you can’t get your hands in the cookie jar, common courtesy goes out the window? Well damn!

What do you think ladies? Have you noticed men taking off their “nice guy” mask after “tightening your legs,” so to speak?

Kimberly Gedeon, founder of The Melody of Melanin, is a creative content connoisseur and illustrator with nearly 2,000 professional articles published online. You can say hello to her on Instagram or Twitter – she doesn’t bite!