Facts about Feminism | ✓

19

Guy | Girl

"Hey," He nudged her shoulder. They didn't have detention today, thank god, due to a faculty meeting after school. With no one to supervise them, the school didn't particularly trust them all that much to stay out of trouble. But as he was about to head home, he had caught sight of her in the chemistry lab through the enormous glass windows and he just couldn't resist. 

"Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise and spun around to face him, hair sticking into her eyes. Her hand rested on her chest to calm her beating heart. "You scared me."

He peered over to where she was filtering a solution, "What are you doing?"

"I'm making aspirin for a chem lab." She peeked up at him from the corner of her eye, "What are you doing here? I thought we didn't have detention today."

"No," He answered. "But I just came to check on you."

She spread out her arms, "Well, there you go. You checked on me." Handing him a petri dish, she more so demanded than asked, "Put this in the oven will you?"

"Are you always this snarky?"

She rolled her eyes and chose not to respond.

After opening the small drying oven and sliding her dish in, he returned back to the table she occupied. "You know, something has been bothering me."

"Shoot."

"Why are you so averse to the idea of dating me?" At her confused expression, he elaborated. "You once said that you would never like me. Is it because I'm not a feminist?"

She laughed. And then suddenly stopped at his frown. "Oh, you're serious. Sorry," She apologized. "I thought you were joking."

He was silent, waiting for her answer.

"You really didn't connect the dots?"

"Insulting my intelligence, are we now?"

"You're right, that was a low blow." Her eyes twinkled. "You remember Charlotte?"

"Charlotte? Which one?"

She scoffed, "You ex-girlfriend Charlotte. She was my friend. After you guys broke it off, some of your friends saw a video or photos or whatever of her giving a blowjob. Then one night a few of the guys on the soccer team called her with a video of food spilled on someone's lap and told her to come clean it up like she used to clean you up."

She remembered how ashamed Charlotte had been. When it was the guys that should have been embarrassed for being immature and disrespectful. Girls still got shamed for their sexuality when guys got away unscathed."It's called revenge porn, you know? And girls all over the world experience it every day because of some boyfriend who wanted to get even. She cried for hours that night."

At least he had the decency to look horrified. "I never knew about that. But you need to know that we never dated, it was only a fling. So she wasn't my girlfriend and I had no reason to get even with her." He crossed his arms. "And do you really think that I'm the type of guy to talk about someone's nudes?"

"I didn't know you then. But even so, people who you trusted and loved, they pull shit like this all the time." She countered. "It came from your phone, that's what I heard."

Suddenly a look of understanding passed over his face, "I didn't show them revenge porn, I promise." He lowered his voice. "I think I know who did though."

"The day we stopped talking, Decker borrowed my phone, he'd lost his and he told me he needed to check his snap and his instagram. So I gave my phone to him for a couple of hours." He shook his head, "I didn't think that he would go through my photos and show the guys."

 He looked sincere. She felt a twinge of doubt at the story she had believed for so long. Was she really blaming the wrong person the whole time? Decker really was an asshole and he was one of the guys who called Charlotte that night. She could see him pulling something like that.

"She still got hurt though." She murmured.

"I know that. I'm not denying it." He laughed harshly, "Some guys can be dicks."

"Maybe, you need new friends then."

"Maybe, I do." He nudged her in the shoulder. "Want to be my first new friend?"

She looked back at her filter paper and beaker in front of her, straining the last few drops of liquid from the mixture. And just like the solution, the seeds of animosity between them disappeared down the drain.