I’ve always been an open person to people in middle school and that’s probably what got me into a lot of situations. Including my sexual assault. I had a friend. Who I thought was a friend. He used to walk me home and we would hang out. He met my mom and always came over. One day I went walking home and my friend caught up with me. He was a friendly guy so I never thought anything bad of him. We were walking on the sidewalk and he started to grab me first just tickling me. Then it got more intense when it went for my genitals. I was in front of him and he behind me. Saying “is this what you want?” I started to panic and people were driving by. They could see. I kept pulling his arm trying to get him to stop but he just kept forcing his hand down there. I lost balance and fell on the floor and he got mad and just took off. I haven’t spoken to him since that day. I sometimes don’t know what to think. What if no one was around why did I trust him as a friend. Its not the only trauma I’ve been through. Just one I wanted to share.
— Sara, age 20
Sara, I am really glad you shared you story. I just wanted you to know that there is nothing about who you are or how open you are that caused what happened to you. It is common to question all the “what ifs? and “whys”, but at the end of the day, I hope you remember that this assault was caused by him and nothing else. Thank you for sharing. I hope it helps you find some peace. Lots of love, Alissa