On November seventh, I walked into my third period class and found the desks unusually arranged in five groups of circles. I sat at one group with a friend. After the bell rang, there were six guys and only two girls in my group. The guys were in the so called "popular group." (I did not feel threatened because I talk to them a lot, but don’t hang out with them on a regular basis.) We were all talking and telling jokes because the teacher was on the other side of the room giving grades to kids one by one. All of the sudden, one of the kids grabbed my chest as he walked by to get his grades. When he came back, he did it again. I was really mad and was not going to put up with it anymore. He sat down and I threw my small paperback book at him. Then Aaron, the kid next to me, flicked me in the chest. I naturally went to hit him back and he grabbed my wrist. I tried to get away, but it did not work. He grabbed my other wrist and squeezed hard. After he let go, he started hitting my friend. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention and told him to stop. He hit me hard and grabbed my wrist again and I fell to my knees from the pain. Aaron pinned me to the ground on my side. As he held me down, I felt other guys grabbing me and ripping at my bra straps like they were trying to get my bra off. I was really pissed and repeatedly told them to get off and to stop, but they did not. They kept hitting me and grabbing at my bra. When I finally got off the ground and in my seat, I looked across the room at the teacher and saw she was still busy giving out grades. She did not see anything, so I decided not to tell her because if I did, I would be known as Jaimee the Nark. Nobody wants to be known as that, because we all want to fit in and be popular.
When I got home, I decided to tell my mom what happened. She convinced me that the only way it would stop was if I stood up and told on them. I knew I would be called a nark and probably be harassed even more than I would have in the first place, but I went ahead and allowed my mom to call the police. When the cop came over, I told him everything that happened. He told us that it was just a simple assault. My mother called the school and set up a meeting the next morning with the vice principal. After examining the clothes I had been wearing, she found my bra straps were broken.
The next day, my mom and I went to the school and talked to the vice principal. The vice principal asked me if I would feel comfortable in school that day. I said only in a few classes, so I just got my schoolwork, went home and did it that day.
Later that night I went to the football game because I play in the band. While there, some boy came up to me and pretended to touch me and said “oh go call the cops.” I didn’t pay any attention to him. Then I went to the dance because I was tired of hiding from everyone. I got harassed there a lot, but I didn’t care. At the dance, I saw my favorite teacher and told him why I was not in class that day. I asked him to tell the kids what happened and to let them know that sexual harassment is no longer accepted and the girl will have the chance to tell. He said he would.
I found out later from a friend that Aaron told the cops that I started it and was laughing the whole time. I thought to myself, why would I walk up to somebody almost twice my size and start something?
The next day, the vice principal called and told me what everyone said. All the so called “popular people” said that I laughed and was having a good time and did not tell them to stop. There was one kid that said I was yelling at them to stop and I was not laughing at all. The vice principal gathered that the kids who said I was enjoying it were just trying to stay in the so called “popular crowd” and trying to cover up the truth.
The next day, the cop came to my house and said that if I don’t drop the charges, Aaron would press charges of assault against me because I tapped him on the shoulder. He said that assault is ANY unwanted touching. I did not drop the charges and am still waiting to find out what happens.