Title: Someone You Already Know
Author: Sarahbeth Caplin
Release Date: July 22, 2014
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Two teenage girls, two experiences with
sexual assault: one committed by a stranger, the other by a relationship
partner. Neither girl quite believes the other when she shares her story:
wasn’t she ‘asking for it’ by walking home alone
so late at night? Why didn’t she just end the relationship if he
really treated her that way?
Someone You Already Know is a raw,
emotional book that explores the impact of rape culture on modern society. Told
in alternating perspectives from two survivors, it unpacks the common myths of
sexual assault, revealing important truths that every woman needs to
know.
Less than three months now until
graduation. I’m “buckling down,” as Mom likes to
say, mostly because the distraction of Wuthering Heights is keeping me from
losing my mind. I took the novel with me to Starbucks today, intending to read
more than what was assigned for the week so I wouldn’t have to worry
about it.
But
lo and behold, a familiar face is standing behind the counter today.
“Trevor, what are you doing
here?”
I
wish I could take it back immediately after I say it. I mean, come on.
He’s standing behind the counter wearing the signature green apron;
of course he’s there because he works there. I’m surprised
he doesn’t roll his eyes at me when he confirms as much. His smile
remains warm and inviting, as it always has. “What can I make for
you, Katherine?”
“Just a plain latte, please. No
flavors or
anything.”
“No
flavors? You know, you can tell a lot about a person by how they like their
coffee–”
“Well if you’re
implying that I’m dull and boring, I guess you might be
right.” I plunk my money on the counter, and chastise myself for such
elementary flirting.
Now he rolls his eyes. “Not what
I meant to say,” he replies, but he’s still smiling. As he
hands me back my change, he says, “I have a break coming up. Is it
okay if I talk to you for a bit? I only get fifteen
minutes.”
My first instinct is to refuse, but fifteen
minutes won’t kill me, I guess. The drama of Cathy and Heathcliffe
will wait. “Sure, why
not.”
Five minutes later, he is sitting across
from me in a velvet chair. He smells heavily of espresso, which is to be
expected, but that plus the hint of cologne is making my nostrils twitch. Oh
well, fifteen minutes of breathing through my mouth won’t kill me
either.
“How are you,
Katherine?” he asks.
Surprisingly, I don’t mind this
question coming from him. Probably because I know he actually means it, whereas
everyone else asks because they feel they have to. It’s because of
this that I feel comfortable answering honestly: “I’ve been
all right. A little stressed. I’m just really looking forward to
graduation.”
“Yeah, me too. This town is a
little small. Know where you’re going to college
yet?”
“Still deciding.
You?”
“Same.”
The flow stops short. I do appreciate him
asking how I’m doing, but small talk still annoys me like nothing
else. He doesn’t want to hear about colleges; neither do I. Do I do
it? Do I take the chance to be honest about what’s really going on in
my life? Well, there is one benefit if I do: he could be completely freaked out
by my transparency and go back to avoiding me, thus getting rid of all these
conflicting emotions I have about giving dating a chance someday. The longer I
am left alone, the more time I have to delay making a decision. Healing is my
top priority now.
I decide to just go ahead and take the
risk, see what happens. “I’m sort of having a fight with
Elisabeth.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
I stare into my cup. It’s easier
to be honest without making eye contact. “Yeah. She was involved with
this guy for a while, and she broke up with him because she says he didn’t
treat her right. I guess I just don’t understand…I mean,
if he was as bad as she says, why didn’t she leave him sooner?
She’s a smart girl, you
know?”
“Ahh.” I look up and
notice that he doesn’t look about to run away. He actually seems
captivated. “Well, I don’t know anything about the workings
of the female psyche. So I won’t hazard a guess for why she
didn’t leave him. Not to defend this guy if he really was a jerk, but
being the guy in a relationship is a lot harder than women think it
is.”
I feel my defenses tightening, and for a
split second I wonder why in the world I thought talking to him was a good
idea. But I can’t help it; I’m intrigued by his statement.
“Really? Enlighten me, because in my experience, women are the ones
who are unfairly judged and labeled when they don’t deserve
it.”
Wow. I actually sound like I’m
defending Elisabeth now. What is going on
here?
Trevor leans forward. “I have an
older brother who went out with this girl he met at an animal rights rally. She
was a feminist–a real piece of work, in my opinion. No offense.
Anyway, she would always get really defensive about anything Thomas would do
for her that was nice: holding doors open, pulling chairs out, helping her with
her coat. Stuff I always thought you were supposed to do. But
Kelly…man, she really hated when he’d do that. They broke
up after two months because she was so radical, and I know my brother is a good
guy.”
He shook his head. “I think
it’s sad and funny the way women expect men to treat them with
respect, but never give them a chance to do so because the media conditions
them to assume we’re all predators. I’ve held doors open
for women and gotten yelled at for it, because you know, they’re more
than capable of opening their own doors. That’s actually what
happened the night of that party. I saw a girl struggling to get through the
door here at Starbucks with an armload of books, and she chastised me for
treating her like she was made of china when I offered to help. So
that’s why I was such a jerk to you that night. I was really
angry.”
And here I thought that my issues would
scare him off. I feel like I should be angry by his assertion that most men are
misunderstood. I feel like I should be telling him to spend a day in my shoes,
see how the tables are turned.
Surprisingly, I am calm and curious.
“Okay, so maybe men are unfairly judged at times. But as a male, the
world isn’t a scary place for you as it is for women. We live in a
world where a woman is blamed if she’s attacked while walking alone
and wearing a skirt, because ‘she should have known
better.’ It’s not the same…”
“Looks like men and women are
both victims of injustice then. All of humanity sucks. Let’s drink to
that!”
I laugh, in spite of myself. “You
know, maybe you’re right.”
His smile morphs into a straight line
suddenly. “Regarding Elisabeth…” He stares into
his lap, wrings his hands uncomfortably. “If women are taught to
assume the worst about men–because you know, we’re all bad
guys–well, the way her boyfriend treated her wouldn’t have
shocked her much, would it? She probably thought whatever he did was normal.
Think about it.”
Once again, he leaves me speechless. He
stands up before I can think of how to respond. “My break is
over,” he informs me. With that, he places a tentative hand on my
shoulder that actually feels caring, not threatening.
“We’re not all bad guys, Katherine,” he says.
“I think most of us are assholes only when prompted to be. Not by
default.”
I’m still speechless as he
re-ties his apron and returns behind the counter.
Beth holds a bachelor's degree in
English Literature from Kent State University. It was during college that she
first saw her name in print as a columnist for her campus newspaper, The Daily
Kent Stater. Now living in Denver, Colorado, she can be found in various
microbreweries when not chained to her laptop working on future
books.
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