AIO: Coworker not respecting personal space

I have a coworker who I have become friendly with outside of work since she’s similar in age to me. She’s a couple of years older. We are both early 20’s.

I think us being friends has her confused maybe but she will constantly slap me really hard on the arm or hit me or kick me and it honestly hurts sometimes and I don’t like being touched like that, who does? I guess some people are fine with it but I’m not and I’ve said so. Repeatedly.

I got really mad today because I’ve worked here for over a year and I’ve been telling her multiple times a week for the last few months to not touch me.

That brings us to today. She hit me quite a lot and I said something every time. I got fed up after a few hours working together, I told her “I’m serious, do not touch me. Keep your hands to yourself I do not want you touching me I’m not kidding this is not a joke it’s not funny I’m serious don’t touch me anymore”. I’ve said those phrases a few times but I said that verbatim today because I’m sick of it. It’s disrespectful now after so many times. When I tell her “please don’t touch me I don’t like when you do that” her knee jerk reaction is to argue with me that she doesn’t think she hits me “that much”. Her reaction should be “I’m sorry I won’t do it anymore”. I don’t feel entitled for thinking that, that’s just the right thing to do.

Now I want to send a text message to our work group chat (boss isn’t in it just us girls) that says this: Hey everyone, just want to send a quick text. Regardless of intent, please keep your hands to yourself. I do not want anyone playfully touching me or hitting me. I’ve mentioned it a few times and it’s honestly making me upset that I have to keep repeating it because it isn’t funny and it’s disrespectful at this point. Please respect my physical boundaries. Thank you.

I feel like that’s a little much to send to the whole group chat (several girls our age) but she’s not getting it directly when I tell her verbally and it’s genuinely upsetting me now that I’m being disrespected on such a basic level. She also knows about my childhood being physically abusive like really bad not just like “my mom spanked me” so I feel like it’s even worse with that context because she’s aware that I definitely don’t like being hit.

She acts like I’m overreacting when I get upset when she touches me but it’s really distressing at this point and I don’t want to ruffle any feathers but I haven’t been hanging out with her outside of work for a few months now because I don’t want to be around her because of it.