I don’t know where to start, really. Every time I start to tell one story, another one screams at me to be told instead. My teenage self begs to be heard, my college self is still so filled with anger and hatred, and the almost 30 me is just so tired by all of it. I am not a perfect victim and I question every single day whether or not I’ve actually experienced rape or if I actually wanted it or asked for it or just regret it. Even though thinking of these stories fills me with such dread, I feel like I’m going to be sick, I still wonder how it was somehow my fault. I went to a bar for drinks with a couple old friends from college. I’ll call the person who abused me {~name~}. He was so happy to see me, I remember he wrapped me in a long, tight hug. I was happy to see him, too. We were friends. I missed my friend. As the night went on, and the drinks kept flowing, a different friend and my boyfriend decided it was time to call it a night. {~name~} wanted me to stay, to catch up more. He was so enjoying our conversation and didn’t want it to end quite yet. I told my boyfriend I was going to stay a bit longer to catch up, and he asked me to be careful and get home safe. {~name~} kept ordering me Stellas and clinking my bottle with his to get me to keep drinking, even though I was well past my limit. Being a lightweight, it doesn’t take much for me to get drunk, but I think I had around 10 beers that night. I can’t remember what the conversation was about when it happened, but all of a sudden he wrapped me in his arms so tight and kissed me, hard. It caught me so off guard, I didn’t know what to do. He kept whispering “no one needs to know” over and over and over, still holding onto me very tight. “Just come home with me, no one needs to know. Just come with me.” “I should go home,” I said and reached for my phone to call an Uber. But my phone was dead. “At least come over and charge your phone.” “Okay.” He took me to his house, plugged in my phone, and laid me on his bed. The world was spinning, my heart was pounding, and I kept thinking “just do what he wants so you can go home." He was on top of me in seconds. I felt myself leave my body. I completely shut down. I don't know how long it was happening before I heard my phone ringing. My boyfriend, asking if I was okay and coming home soon. With a shaky voice, I told him yes and hung up. Everything rushed to me at once. The pain, the confusion, the hurt, the anger. I dressed and grabbed my things as quickly as I could and left.