'Speak up for yourself -- we want to hear what you have to say.'

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat liel. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her art that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, and she refuses to be silent — she must speak the truth.

ADVISORY : This story deals with sexual assault, violence, bullying, and hypocrisy