Page 48 of Bookish Boys Don't Date Social Girls
I squint between her and Bek. “What are you talking about?”
Eyes still shimmering, Bek’s smile is incandescent. “All those girls who saw you stand up to your abusers and felt inspired to do the same. It’s the new #metoo movement.”
“You even have a hashtag!” Ava enthuses.
“What are you guys talking about?” I ask again.
But Ava is frowning at me. “Wait, isn’t that what you were wearing last night?”
Bek leans forward and takes my hand. She’s staring me intently in the eye. “You’ve been crying.”
I honestly can’t keep up with the conversation. I decide to answer Bek first. “I cried myself to sleep last night. I was feeling…a lot, after that whole thing and my phone blowing up. Lana Taylor sent me the link to the video and…” I shrug. “It was a lot.”
Suddenly, both girls are squishing me between them, cooing like they’re calming a toddler having a tantrum. But the best friend hug feels so good, I just let them coo. When they’ve finally had enough and back away, I ask, “So what about copycats?”
Ava startles and tugs her phone out of her pocket. “Haven’t you seen them?”
“No, I’ve been avoiding diving too deep into the responses. I just don’t want to hear what an entitled b-word I am or that kind of stuff.”
Bek pats my knee. “There is some of that, of course. Like Ava said, there will always be douchebags.”
I laugh, because Bek just said douchebags. I think that’s the first bad thing she’s ever said about anybody.
Her smile is wry. “But there is far too much good happening for you to ignore.”
Ava hands me her phone with a video loaded. It isn’t playing yet. A girl sits on the floor of her bedroom. The image is poorly lit. Her unmade bed is behind her. It’s a strange camera angle too, like she propped her phone against something to record herself. The title of the video is #NoMoreShame. Seeing that sends a thrill through me. I look up at Ava and Bek, and they both nod for me to watch.
I take a deep breath and tap the video.
“I just watched the Samantha Jones video. The reason I’m sitting alone in my room on a Saturday night is because the same thing that’s been happening to Samantha has happened to me.”
The video is only four minutes and twenty-eight seconds long, but at the end, tears are rolling down my face and I’ve smashed my fingers against my lips so that I don’t sob. Her story is so much worse than mine. Her bullies are mean and clever and far more ruthless, but I can see her spine straighten and her chin tilt up as she speaks. It’s so obvious that telling her story has helped her to regain some of her self-esteem.
I stare at the screen long after the video has ended. I pick up my phone and open the video app and look up the same video on my own phone. Then I leave a comment.
SocialSam: Your beautiful spirit shines through your ugly story. Thank you for sharing it with us and for helping to empower more, like us, who have been shamed.
The words aren’t strong enough. I want her to know the awe I feel for her bravery. My story ended up online because someone else shared it. I would never have enough courage to put it out there on my own. I hit the submit button and wipe mytears.
“Okay girls.” I run my hands through my knotted hair and swipe away yesterday’s crusty makeup. “We’re going to find every dang one of these #NoMoreShame videos and leave an encouraging comment from my account.”
“Just need your login deets.” Bek’s already in the app as if she knew what I’d do next.
“Do you both have the day off?” I look at them with surprise.
Ava smirks. “Called in sick.”
“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” I say. And I mean it. My life has suddenly blown up and my two favorite people on the planet are at my side, helping me to rebuild.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You did great, Samantha.”
I smile and nod as I shake the assistant’s hand. I’m still in shock that I just did the local morning show. Live, no less!
Mom rubs my back. “She really did.”
The assistant looks down at his tablet as he speaks. “Ms. Bellamy was so eager to get your story in front of as many people as possible. I was nervous when you turned me down the first time.”
