Shucked
Go online. You'll find it. You've heard about it; you're curious. You satisfy your curiosity with a click. You gawk. You heard right; it's obscene. That girl's a slut, a ho, and she's drunk. She deserves what's happening to her. She's dirt...
Lisa was in math class. It was the first week of school so she didn’t know half of her classmates. Most of them kept to themselves. She had no problem doing the same. The unknown girl sitting alongside her, whose strappy shoes she’d been admiring, leaned over and whispered: “Hey, I think you should see this.” The girl quietly passed her an iPhone under the desk.
On the cracked screen was a grainy, shaky video someone had taken on their phone. Three guys, Lisa sadly knew, were in this video. The sound was off, so Mr. Hubb didn’t catch Lisa and the owner of this phone disregarding him.
Lisa shuddered, breaking out in a heavy, cold sweat, detesting this sordid video. The guys were laughing, in various states of undress. They had her surrounded on a couch, in a dimly lit basement, which was littered with beer cups, crushed chips and paper plates. She was sprawled out on that ratty couch. The guys were taking turns with her.
Here it was again, come back to haunt her. In time, the video became less fuzzy. One of the guys stepped aside. Lisa saw herself half-naked, vulnerable, passed out drunk. She went stone cold in this classroom, instantly transported back to a sad, dark place. Math was obliterated. Lightheaded, she shuddered, her vision tunneling.
Mr. Hubb was looking directly at her; some concern spiked in his eyes. They were on her, but his vision flitted away abruptly. He didn’t call her name. He continued identifying properties of equations.
“No-no-no,” Lisa could barely choke out. A tickle flared in her throat, nagging it.
“I got it from Kate. It’s been going around. Don’t know who originally sent it. Sorry.” The blond girl's whisper was strangely soothing.
Slipping the blonde's phone back to her, Lisa stood up. Risking detention, she ran from the room, leaving Mr. Hubb speechless. She had to get away.
She’d attended that party. She’d gotten drunk, totally wasted, but memory was filtering back. She’d kissed some guy, then several. Three guys had used her for sex. They had dehumanized her. War raged inside her.
Had she consented? She wished she really knew. The events were all jumbled. Most people seeing what had gone on would conclude she had asked for it. Slut, swirled in Lisa’s mind, her identity now.
That party had been in late July. It was October already; the sweltering heat of the season no longer a burden. The condemning video kept resurfacing, though, like a bad penny constantly turning up.
Living this down? Lisa cringed, her imagination somersaulting. She was counting the days until graduation. She groaned, ducking into the Girls’ bathroom, relieved that the coast was clear. She had the smelly place to herself. Too many days stood between her and leaving this hell hole behind.
