Written by Olivia Anne Gennaro
September 13, 4:38 PM
To: patricia.jenkins@lakesidems.edu
From: lina.cartwright@lakesidems.edu
Subject: Please read
Dear Counselor Jenkins,I need I am emailing you to tell you about something that happened to me I want think
you should know about. My name is Lina Cartwright and I am a sixth grader here. I went to
meant to go to your office but I would rather prefer to send an email. It is a lot easier for me.
Please don’t tell my parents.Every year in homeroom they say
The Student Handbook says we are supposed to come to you if we have anything we need want
to talk about in our life and it’s supposed to be a safe place. So I have something from last week.I’ve been writing and deleting and rewriting this email since then because I’m afraid. It’s not that
I don’t want to tell people. It’s just hard.
I was going to gym first period and one of my classmates came up to me. I know him a I don’t know him that well but he seemed nice from class.
little bitI don’t want to name him His name is Jeremy Crewe. He asked me if I was
because I don’t want everyone to know.
looking forward to playing kickball and I said yes. He said he was too. Then he said he was glad
he got to talk to me because we didn’t really know each other since we went to different
elementary schools. I agreed, because I like making new friends. I never thought of him in This all seemed normal.
THAT way.Or should I have known?
Then he asked me what I usually did after school and if I’d want to come and hang out
sometime, maybe with his friends. I thought this was weird because I barely knew him and he. I said, maybe, I’ll have to see,
was a boy so I didn’t think he’d really want to be just friends
even though I didn’t really want to. I was trying to be nice. I was afraid he’d get mad and never He said his friends thought I was cool.
talk to me again if I said no.I smiled but I didn’t mean it I said, “Really?” because I didn’t understand why they would be talking about
in a flirty way.
me. Now I get it.
He said “yes” with a smile and then he touched me grabbed my chest, like that would
explain. It was short but it still happened. I swear I didn’t like it. I knew it was wrong. My mom He also whispered something gross.
said this would happen, it just would, because I got my period last year, so I had to be careful,
and I swear I was! I don’t want I don’t think I should repeat
it. I really don’t want to tell all the details. It made me feel like an object. I wasn’t wearing my
gym clothes yet and I wasn’t breaking the dress code. My shorts went all the way down to my
knees and my shirt had sleeves and it was a t-shirt so nothing was showing in my chest area.
There were people all around, but because there were so many I don’t think they saw. We
were almost to the gym so I couldn’t really go anywhere, and I didn’t want to make a big deal I tried to walk a little
since it could mess up the whole next class and everyone would know.
faster to get away from him but I didn’t yell for anyone. Then he might get in trouble and make I
everyone mad at me. He’s very popular. I would have kicked him in the nuts but I was frozen
would have fought back but I know we would both get suspended because of the zero tolerance
rules. Why doesn’t that include self-defense?I didn’t say anything because I was afraid. I didn’t tell Mr. Samson during gym because II couldn’t find the right time. Nothing else seemed to happen with him in
didn’t feel comfortable
class except I thought he kept looking at me like he wanted to know my response. He didn’t even
talk to me, which was actually normal except this time I thought he was mad because I didn’t. So I thought it would be better to tell you
want to hang out with him and let him touch me more
since it didn’t happen in anyone’s class.
I know this email is really long, but I swear this happened even though I don’t think. I don’t
anyone saw it and I didn’t tell anyone then, so you can’t prove it and he’ll probably say he didn’t
do it. I promise I’m not just trying to get him in trouble. I told you, I barely know him
really want this to become a big thing that everyone knows about. I don’t want my parents and I just know your job is to help people get through emotions that are
my friends and my teachers to know. It’s too embarrassing and they won’t think of me the same
way anymore. And I don’t want to be THAT girl. Besides I know probably nothing will happen
to him anyway because I’ve heard about stuff like this before and the kids are still here bragging
about who they touched.
hard from things going on in their lives. Well, I have a lot of emotions, all at once so I can’t even
tell which is which. I’m not the same since it happened. I feel like I’m being really quiet and I
don’t think I’m an introvert at all. I’ve only worn sports bras and baggy t-shirts since it I keep avoiding boys in the hallway, even if they never did anything,
happened.because they I don’t want to do this because I think I like boys (not
might. I thought Jeremy was nice, too.
Jeremy) and I have to work with them in class anyway. So please help me and don’t tell anyone.
Thank you,
Lina Cartwright
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Olivia Anne Gennaro is a writer and teacher originally from Indiana. In 2017 her short story “Entrances and Exists” was selected for Harmony Ink Press’s Young Author Challenge and appeared in the anthology Harmonious Hearts 2017. She has also reported for newspapers in rural Kentucky. She lives in New Jersey with her partner, the writer Taylor Tracy.
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