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Authors: Jasmine Denton
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the nerve on that guy.”
“You and me both,” she said. “He said a bunch of other things, too, but I don’t believe him. I can’t believe a word he says.”
“What’d he say?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said quickly. “Because it’s not true. I know it’s not.”
He let the silence linger for a minute. “I know you told me what he did…but you never told me how it happened. I mean…did he hurt you? Obviously he hurt you, but I mean…was he…was it…” he didn’t know how to word his question, mostly because he felt morbid even asking it.
But she seemed to understand, anyway. “It was nothing violent,” she explained. “Not at first, anyway. I mean…he slipped something in my drink, so I was asleep. And if I wasn’t, then I don’t remember it. I just remember talking to him at the party, being flattered that someone, who at the time I thought was cute, was paying such close attention to me. But then, I started getting really tired. I wasn’t much of a drinker back then, so I didn’t know how the alcohol would hit me. It was just…” she laughed a little, but it sounded like she might cry. “Just one stupid wine cooler. It never dawned on me that it shouldn’t have hit me like that.”
He was quiet, listening, wondering how to comfort such a wound.
“Anyway, when I started getting sleepy, I went looking for Trevor. But I couldn’t find him. And I just kept getting sleepier and sleepier. Until finally, I came across Seth again. When he offered to drive me home, I was relieved. I mean, I’d seen him with Trevor. He’d been in my house a dozen times. I thought I could trust him.” She paused to take a shaky breath and let it out. “I must’ve passed out in his car, because the next thing I remember, I’m waking up in his bed. And he’s next to me, and we’re both naked and he had these…these scratches on his cheek. I started freaking out. He said that we’d had sex, but it just didn’t feel like I was getting the whole story. I don’t do that, you know? Just get drunk and have sex with some random person. That’s not me. But that’s what he said.”
Her lips quivered and she reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. That’s when he noticed her hands were shaking. He scooted closer, taking her hand. “It’s okay…we don’t have to talk about it,” he said softly.
“No, I need to,” she whispered, nodding as if to reinforce the decision. After taking a minute to steady herself, she began to continue. “I called a cab to get out of there, but when they picked me up, I had them take me to the hospital. I just went there to get the morning after pill, but once I started talking to the nurse, she said Seth’s story didn’t add up, that the wine cooler shouldn’t have hit me so hard and left me with so much time I couldn’t account for. She suggested a blood test, and the results came back positive for GHB. She tried to talk me into doing a rape-kit, but I was too upset. I just wanted to get home, sleep away the nightmare. But I never could. Over the next few days, bruises started showing up. On my legs and my wrists. I went back to the hospital, but it was too late. All they could do was document the bruises. They called the police and his dad was the one who responded to the call. I was so scared, and for some reason, instead of just asking to talk to someone else, I told him I’d changed my mind. That I didn’t want to talk. So he left.” Her gaze had turned bitter when she finally looked at him again. “Still want to tell me I didn’t do anything wrong? Because I didn’t stand up for myself. I never said, ‘I know what happened and he’s not going to get away with it’. All I could think was…maybe he was right. You know? Maybe someone else put the drugs in my drink and he didn’t know. Maybe it was all a huge mistake. I should’ve trusted my instincts, but they were so…so clouded with the lack of knowing what really happened. So clouded with
“You and me both,” she said. “He said a bunch of other things, too, but I don’t believe him. I can’t believe a word he says.”
“What’d he say?”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said quickly. “Because it’s not true. I know it’s not.”
He let the silence linger for a minute. “I know you told me what he did…but you never told me how it happened. I mean…did he hurt you? Obviously he hurt you, but I mean…was he…was it…” he didn’t know how to word his question, mostly because he felt morbid even asking it.
But she seemed to understand, anyway. “It was nothing violent,” she explained. “Not at first, anyway. I mean…he slipped something in my drink, so I was asleep. And if I wasn’t, then I don’t remember it. I just remember talking to him at the party, being flattered that someone, who at the time I thought was cute, was paying such close attention to me. But then, I started getting really tired. I wasn’t much of a drinker back then, so I didn’t know how the alcohol would hit me. It was just…” she laughed a little, but it sounded like she might cry. “Just one stupid wine cooler. It never dawned on me that it shouldn’t have hit me like that.”
He was quiet, listening, wondering how to comfort such a wound.
“Anyway, when I started getting sleepy, I went looking for Trevor. But I couldn’t find him. And I just kept getting sleepier and sleepier. Until finally, I came across Seth again. When he offered to drive me home, I was relieved. I mean, I’d seen him with Trevor. He’d been in my house a dozen times. I thought I could trust him.” She paused to take a shaky breath and let it out. “I must’ve passed out in his car, because the next thing I remember, I’m waking up in his bed. And he’s next to me, and we’re both naked and he had these…these scratches on his cheek. I started freaking out. He said that we’d had sex, but it just didn’t feel like I was getting the whole story. I don’t do that, you know? Just get drunk and have sex with some random person. That’s not me. But that’s what he said.”
Her lips quivered and she reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. That’s when he noticed her hands were shaking. He scooted closer, taking her hand. “It’s okay…we don’t have to talk about it,” he said softly.
“No, I need to,” she whispered, nodding as if to reinforce the decision. After taking a minute to steady herself, she began to continue. “I called a cab to get out of there, but when they picked me up, I had them take me to the hospital. I just went there to get the morning after pill, but once I started talking to the nurse, she said Seth’s story didn’t add up, that the wine cooler shouldn’t have hit me so hard and left me with so much time I couldn’t account for. She suggested a blood test, and the results came back positive for GHB. She tried to talk me into doing a rape-kit, but I was too upset. I just wanted to get home, sleep away the nightmare. But I never could. Over the next few days, bruises started showing up. On my legs and my wrists. I went back to the hospital, but it was too late. All they could do was document the bruises. They called the police and his dad was the one who responded to the call. I was so scared, and for some reason, instead of just asking to talk to someone else, I told him I’d changed my mind. That I didn’t want to talk. So he left.” Her gaze had turned bitter when she finally looked at him again. “Still want to tell me I didn’t do anything wrong? Because I didn’t stand up for myself. I never said, ‘I know what happened and he’s not going to get away with it’. All I could think was…maybe he was right. You know? Maybe someone else put the drugs in my drink and he didn’t know. Maybe it was all a huge mistake. I should’ve trusted my instincts, but they were so…so clouded with the lack of knowing what really happened. So clouded with
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