No
CW: Sexual Assault
It was dark and raining, unsurprising for a night in February in London. She kept her head low as she walked down the street, trying to avoid the worst of the rain. She looked up occasionally to make sure that she was going the right way. The wind whipped around her making her feel as though she was in the beginning of a Halloween movie. Finally she found the door, it was pink and surprisingly inviting for a Sexual Health clinic. As she stepped into the room she squinted against the iridescent light and white walls that accosted her eyes after being in the dark. Her ears rang from the silence in the room compared to the howl of the wind outside.
She approached the desk, overly aware of the squeak of her trainers on the white tile floor. She opened her mouth and in a voice too loud and too North American she let the nurse know that she had arrived for her appointment. She was immediately self conscious of the eyes on her back. The nurse smiled at her though and handed her a form to fill out
She found a seat and gazed down at the form before filling it out. It was the usual questions:
Is there a chance that you are pregnant? No.
Are you breastfeeding? No.
Is there a chance that you are a victim of a sexual assault? N-.
She stared at the words, there, in black and white. Was there a chance she was a victim of sexual assault? She glanced up, anxious that someone had seen her stop writing, then she was thrown back to that night.
She had said no. She had said no right? So then why was he taking her clothes off? Why was he touching her? Why was he clawing at her. No she didn’t want to. He pleaded with her, touched her, she said no. Finally she said yes. It was finally over, she slept, she didn’t mean to. The alcohol clouded her mind, she was tired. She just wanted to sleep.
He started touching her again. No, she didn’t want it. He didn’t have anything. She didn’t want to.
Why hadn’t she just left? Why didn’t she leave? Why did she fuck him when she said no?
She was snapped back to the cold sterile present and put an X in the box marked No. She could have left, she didn’t have to fuck him. Her no could have been stronger.














