SPEAK Pg 138-198

Summary:

            One day Melinda was staying after school with her art teacher to work on her tree project. The teacher stepped outside the classroom for a few minutes and someone walked in. it was HIM. The guy who had raped her in the summer time. He was asking for Rachel. He looked at Melinda like nothing had ever happened. She stared at him and couldn’t even talk. It seemed like a million of nightmares had come to life and she felt like she was back on the ground experiencing the same thing as in the summer. Rachel walked in and broke the silence. She looked at Melinda and then she turned around and hugged Andy. Her ex-best friend was going out with the guy who raped her. Now more than ever Melinda wanted to tell Rachel what really happened. During their study period Melinda finally walks up to Rachel and starts talking to her. She tells Rachel that she didn’t call the cops because she was tired of the party but because someone raped her. When Melinda tells Rachel that Andy was the one who raped her, Rachel refuses to believe her instead she tells Melinda that she is just jealous.

            

          After school Melinda walks into her little closet to take out her paintings and her tree project. It was really hot in there so she leaves the door a little open. When she turns around ready to walk out the door, he’s there. Andy moves her back into the closet and locks the door behind him. He starts telling her how she ruined his reputation. Rachel didn’t want to go to prom with him anymore and all the other girls were talking bad about him. He claimed to have never raped her. He presses his body against her the same way as he did before. She tries to scream but her voice doesn’t come out. She tries again and this time she does scream loud enough for the whole school to hear her. She takes a branch of the tree she created and she brakes the mirror in the wall. She takes a piece of glass and points it on his face. He backs away. She gets out of the closet and everyone finally understands what kind of monster he is.

             

Quote:

           

         “The words fall like nails on the floor, hard, pointed. I try to walk around him. He blocks my way. “Oh, no. you’re not going anywhere. You really screwed things up for me.” He reaches behind and locks the door. Click.” (Anderson 193)

Reflection:

            

          Reading the last pages of this book made me somehow sad thinking that the same thing was going to happen to Melinda again. I feel bad that Rachel didn’t believe Melinda when she told her what really happened. Instead she told Melinda that she was just jealous.  Im happy that in the end Melinda found the courage that she needed in herself to stand up to Andy and stop him from hurting her again. She should have done the same thing since the beginning. Once she stood up to Andy she felt like a lot of weight was lifted from her. Now she felt much better.