Set Up

This is crazy because this is the first time I’ve ever publicly talked about it. Not even many of my friends know. I always say “something transpired in college.” It’s my way of not dealing with it.

Well, by the subject I’m sure you’re wondering what I mean by set up. My “friend” in college set me up for what she said would be a party but that I was the special guest.

In college, all you do is party. The crazy thing is I was never the party type because my parents allowed me to have a pretty decent social life so when I got to college I didn’t need to break free. Well, that was all dandy until I met Dee. She was really cool, and so was her family — they are socialites.

Dee, who I spent what seemed like every free minute with was trying to get me out of my slump (I had just broken up with my ex of almost 2 years before going to school) — I was a freshman. She introduced me to some of her friends and life was becoming great.

That was until..

She invited me to this “party” she called it that was much less of a party. We were picked up by a friend of hers and 2 other guys. Since she has never given me a reason to raise an eyebrow I didn’t.

So we pull up to this apartment, which isn’t weird because it is normal to party in someone’s house. We walk in and I notice it’s not getting any busier in this guys house than it was in the car with us 5.

Dee gets up and disappears. Then her friend, I will call him Rico, decides to come up to me and tries to sit by me. I politely decline his company but ask for a blanket. He declines and states “I will have to share it with him.” I accept. While sitting under the blanket he tries to make passes at me. I push him off, I say No, I tell him to move, and at this point I have hit him. He doesn’t stop. He starts getting more aggressive. I start to yell at him and I’m calling for help. I knew they could hear me because it’s an apartment — somewhat like a condo but it’s not huge. After the third or fourth time that I’ve taken swings at him I connected and hit him in the face. He gets upset and starts choking me. Tears start running. I’m gasping and begging him to stop. He then begins to explore under my dress. When I try to back up he scoots closer. I start to push him off he starts choking me. I didn’t think I was going to die — sadly maybe it would have given me something to look forward to in order to make it stop. This man stuck his penis inside of me and every faith that I had in a man died. Any faith I had that there are good people died. I wasn’t angry, I was disappointed. I wasn’t disappointed in him, I was disappointed in me. I still am. How could I have been so naive. They started to play music so the louder I was the music was louder. I laid on that couch and took the choking , the pushing my face into the couch to muffle my sounds, the holding me down, and the rampant pelvic thrusts. I took it all. He then called to them and they came. I grabbed my things and told Dee we need to leave now. She knew, you could tell in her face that she knew and she said “okay girl.” We got in the car to leave and now Rico has hopped in to “make sure I make it home safe” — so I didn’t go home. I got inside my complex and wandered lost until I felt like being found. I got in the house took a shower laid down and went to sleep. I never brought it up again and if you knew me you would swear nothing happened. I never reported it. I pretended like it never happened. However, now I know I am not what he did to me & I never will be.

I guess I can finally say the words, #MeToo

— Survivor, age 24