“Mena,” Raven says, drawing my attention. “It’s worse than you think. I started looking into your school. I hacked into forums, ones that were password protected. The boys have been doing more than casual lunchtime harassment. They have … posts and pictures. Scorecards. It goes back years. It’s a Ridgeview tradition.”
“Bastards,” Annalise says, baring her teeth.
“Then what do we do?” Marcella demands. “We have to stop them.”
“What if we get them to admit it on tape?” I ask. “The party tonight at Lyle’s, a few of the boys will be there.”
“That’s great,” Marcella says. “But it’s not like they’re just going to tell us everything they’ve done. I’ve seen the news. They’ll just lie.”
“I can leak a story about the harassment going on at school to theNew York Times,” Raven offers.
Now there’s something we didn’t think of.
“They’ll print it?” I ask.
“No,” Raven says, shaking her head. “Not without more proof. Right now, there’s only some anonymous posts. It’s still just your word against that boy’s.”
“Then why does his word mean more?” I ask.
“Because he has a dick,” Raven replies easily. “Trust me when I say you could have sixty female accusers and some people will still call them all liars. The process is deeply flawed.”
“Then what’s the point?” Marcella asks bitterly. She looks around at all of us. “What’s the point of continuing to seek justice if it’s never given? Why even contact the press?”
“To get the conversation started,” Raven says. “Then we’ll follow it up with proof. That’s the thing …” She holds my gaze. “It’s about persistence. Yes, we have to fight harder to be heard, but if we keep shouting, they’ll eventually listen.”
I snap my fingers. “Adrian,” I say. “You mentioned witnesses. Well, she’s in my class, and she’s the one Garrett was harassing in the cafeteria. The vice principal said no girls have ever filed a complaint, but maybe … maybe she would. It can be part of the story you send to theTimes.And maybe she could convince other girls to do the same.”
Raven looks wary. “It sucks,” she says. “What she’ll have to go through will suck, so don’t be upset if she says no.”
The comment hurts me because I know Raven is right. Adrian will face an onslaught of harassment for complaining about harassment. I’m starting to see that it’s how the system survives—intimidating victims. Otherwise, society wouldhaveto change. It’s easier to play along.
“Then keep her out of it,” Marcella says. “We’ll handle it. We’re not human. We don’t have to play by their rules.”
“Can, um … Can I make a suggestion?” Jackson asks, seeming embarrassed to interrupt.
“Why don’t you let us handle things while you … you do whatever it is you’re good at,” Raven tells him.
“He’s good at sticking around,” Marcella says, flashing Jackson a smile.
“Thanks,” he replies good-naturedly.
“What are you thinking?” I ask him, curious.
“Well, I’m thinking you’re charming. Beautiful. Smart.”
“Is this going somewhere?” Raven interrupts.
“It is,” Jackson replies, still watching me. “Mena, you don’t need to convince all those guys. You just need the most important one. Get him to own up to it and the rest will fall in line. They’ll want his approval.”
“Boys are so easily led?” Sydney asks.
“Some of them,” Jackson says. “They want someone to look up to. If you have a guy who’s claiming to be that hero, they’ll trust him. They’ll trust him more than they’ll trust you.”
“The human boy makes a good point,” Marcella says. Jackson gives her an amused but quizzical look before turning back to me.
“Is there a guy like that?” he asks me. “One at the top of the food chain?”
“That would be Jonah Grant,” I say. “They all listen to him. And he’ll be at the party tonight,” I say.
