I can’t believe I’m writing this…
I can’t believe that after years and years of silence I’m actually going to talk about this thing…. The thing being sexual assault.
Ever since the now infamous Trump sexual assault remarks I find myself reliving the times I was sexual assaulted. I really don’t know why. It makes me so angry that a selfish, sexist, xenophobic, racist, orange pig has brought these feeling up… I hate that this has had such an effect on me…
Yes. I’ve been sexual assaulted. It’s not something I’ve ever wanted to talk about… until now.
Actually I still don’t want to talk about it. But I’ve had this overwhelming feeling to write about it instead.
Honestly, most of my family doesn’t even know about it.
When I was in high school I befriended this really ugly trashy boy at my after school job. Simply because he was 21 and could buy me and my friends alcohol. That, and his best friend was a well known drug dealer in town. For the record- The drugs were for my friends. At the time I didn’t care if my friends did drugs. I however, have never done drugs in my life. I definitely drank in high school but I’ve always been petrified of drugs.
Anyway, I flirted and strung him along so that he would help me get my hands on alcohol and drugs for my friends. I looooooooooovvvvvvveeeeeedddd feeling like the party hero. Even if it meant making out with this gross dude a little bit here and there.
The making out turned into pressure for more. My friends were all having sex. They never said they thought I was less than for not having sex, but I felt it was between the lines. Although when you’re a hormonal teenage girl it’s hard to figure out if you are over analyzing things or not. In retrospect, I think maybe they really didn’t give a rats ass….
There was more than one occasion when the gross 21 year old boy took advantage of a beyond drunk 16-17 year old me at/or after a party. Even thought I said no I told myself it was completely my fault. I mean, I had been flirting with him for months. He’s older, and I was drunk - what did I expect?
I didn’t know that sexual assault and rape were real. I thought those terms only pertained to when someone was murdered. Like when a headline reads “16 year old victim was raped and murdered”. I didn’t know you could get raped or sexual assaulted without being murdered…
So, I bragged to my friends about how I was as cool as them now that I wasn’t a virgin. I allowed him to talk me into calling him my “boyfriend”. I was never comfortable with this… But I had sex with him so this must be the “right” thing to do.
Finally sometime during the middle of my senior year of high school I finally saw the light. I realized that there was something wrong with him and what happened. But I still didn’t want to tell anyone. I tried to just “break up” with him and “move on”.
That’s when the stalking started. He called and texted me constantly. One day I was home sick from school. I had strep throat I think. I took a nap and awoke to literally 28 missed calls and voicemails from him. Each voicemail more agitated and threatening than the last.
He would literally sit in his car at the end of my street waiting for me to get home from school. He would also wait outside my work(I had changed jobs at this point and no longer worked with him). Whenever I saw him I would just get in the car out of fear that he would make a scene in front of my co-workers or neighbors…
For those wondering where my parents were in all this- I hid all this very very well. I was convinced I was in the wrong. No part of me was willing to admit to my parents that I had drank or had sex… Also- he was stupid, but not stupid enough to pull anything in front of my parents. If he saw my parent’s cars in the driveway he just kept driving.
Eventually I got good at dodging him. So he started showing up at my high school, walking the hallways looking for me. I had friends calling me and texting me things like “Just saw him near the gym…” So I would know to avoid that area.
As I write all this, part of me is like “Did this really happen? It almost feels like I’m making it up…”
It’s all true. But between the time passed and how screwed up the whole thing was - I guess this is my brain coping by making it all feel like a bad dream.
The stalking continued until I got my license. Having my drivers license and a key to my dad’s car made it easier to avoid him. In fact, one of the first things I did once my dad handed the key over was drive to Verizon to have my cell number changed. After all that he finally went away….
Sadly, I heard that he did something similar to another high school girl a few years later. I feel deeply guilty. I should have gotten the authorities involved. Instead I was too scared of what my friends and parents would think.
Years later I was 25 living the life in downtown Boston. I shared an amazing apartment in North End with my best friend. Life was like a sitcom. For us and our amazing group of friends - weekends were nothing but partying and misadventures.
This one night started like any other. We were at a crowded bar standing in a circle throwing back mixed drinks. I was listening to my friend tell a funny story when suddenly I felt the back of my skirt shift. Before I could even flitch a hand slipped between my legs, and a finger was inserted… My underwear was shoved up there with it.
I obviously immediately jumped. He quickly retracted. Which resulted in a painful scratch. When I spun my head around I only saw him for a second. He was cocking his head back, laughing. I’m being serious. He looked like a marvel villain… Then he disappeared into a crowd of similarly looking guys. I yelled something I can’t remember at him. Then started to try to chase him in my four inch heals. My friends, who didn’t see a thing, grabbed me and were like what the fuck are you doing?
I told them and because they didn’t see anything they were very confused. They tried to get me to forget it by buying me a couple of drinks. In case you are wondering - no I am no longer friends with these people. This was the first of a few things that signaled to me that I should not be friends with them.
After those free drinks I started thinking (again) that it was my fault. I told myself that this happened because my skirt was too short… I threw out that skirt the next day.
So that’s my story… Up until recently, I never considered talking about it - never mind going public… However, over the last few days I’ve had this overwhelming paramount feeling in my chest that I need to write about this. This was not easy. I suppose it’ll never been easy.
After my experiences, I plead with all the moms and dads out there. Teach your children to respect not only women, but all their fellow humans. Women really need to report this shit. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if you don’t, chances are they will do it again. Fuck what others think. Do what’s right for you and for others.