Speak

Laurie Halse Anderson wrote Speak, a book about a girl who hid her rape that happened at a party, so that her friends wouldn't get mad. She spent most of freshman year alone and alienated by her friends. They were upset with her for calling the police at the party during the summer. The one class that she enjoyed going to was her art class. The teacher gave made them pick an object out of a hat and for the rest of the year they had to draw, paint, and sculpt that object. This class was difficult in the beginning, but gradually she became comfortable with it. The big theme holding secrets is represented throughout the entire book. She keeps her rape a secret all the way until the end of the year. She finally lets the secret out of the closet and everyone is on her side. I really liked this novel because it presented an issue that millions of girls and women go through: having to keep something a secret in fear of alienation.

Question: If Melinda would have told the police about her rape at the party would her friends had believed her or thought she was lying, like they did at the end of the story?