Your UnSlut Project

Submitted by @TheSparklyOne

There was this girl. We'll call her Amanda, though that's not her real name.

We were friends, long ago. Kindergarten, first grade. She was shy, with glasses and pigtails, blonde, curly hair. Always wore sweaters and skirts. Super nice.

It was around 2nd grade that you could say I branched off, with different friends. I'd be lying if I said I'd tried to keep my friendship with her, but hey, I was seven, I cared about weird cheesy Disney music videos at that time. She still had friends. All was well. I met my best friend, became a book dweeb.

It wasn't until fourth grade, when I started to hear rumors. She was in a different class at the time, and I still never really talked to her. One of my best friends at the time was kind of close to her, but I never really talked to her much.

I'm not exactly sure why, but one day, she brought a knife to school. Amanda was never going to harm anyone though, mind you. Just herself.

Luckily, a kid spotted her with said knife before anything could happen. I'm still not sure even if this is exactly what happened, or whatever, because I mean - it was fourth grade - but still, it was then people started deeming her a "freak".

Fifth grade came. Amanda had her small group of friends. Some kids still thought of her as a "freak", but there was nothing they thought was "too weird" about her. She started straightening and dying her hair bright colors, wearing a little bit more revealing clothes, some kind of heavy makeup, and so, she was called the slut of our school.

Then a rumor started.

Have you ever heard of Y-night? If so, good, this'll be easier to explain to you. If not, it's basically where you go to the YMCA and do a bunch of stuff for like five bucks or whatever. It was the thing to go to at the time. Anyway, so, there are multiple versions of the story, but here's the main one.

Amanda met up with this guy in the grade above her... who we'll call... John. Again, multiple stories, one said she gave him a BJ, one said they did the deed, one said he sexually assaulted her. One said that she forced him.

An alternative version was that they were at a party, in either a closet or a bathroom.

She got death threats. People left messages on her Facebook and other social media, telling her that she's a slut and should kill herself.

As for John, I don't know what happened to him. He was a grade above me, and well, in fifth grade, sixth graders were scary.

I knew she had started cutting. At one point, I had approached her, telling her that I knew the rumors were false, and that I had her back. She had just smiled, and acted like they didn't affect her.

As far as I know, it died down in a few months. She may have still received some hate and was called mean names behind her back, like slut, and I'm pretty sure she attempted to quit cutting during the summer. By sixth grade, it was better.

Amanda then made a new friend. We'll call her Julie. Last year, Julie had been one of those girls I'd say hi to, maybe have a little conversation with, but then we'd go with our groups of friends and that was that. She was nice, quiet.

Some would say Amanda "corrupted" her.

Then, more rumors, which, again, not sure if they're 100% true, started about Julie. That her dad was abusive. She started dressing and acting like Amanda, who was dressing more revealing and wearing more makeup.

Sometimes I feel like they dressed like that because I think they felt like they were sluts.

Anyway, sixth grade, Amanda was in my gym. It was then when I took notice of her cuts. All up her arms, like sleeves. On her thighs. Even our substitute gym teacher accidentally found out. I think she got help, whether it was a counselor or friends, because over time the scars faded, and new ones weren't coming back.

Over that year, I found out all of the Y-night rumors were false. She didn't even really know John, and it was probably just some bratty sixth grader.

I thought she was better.

Then we found out that Amanda and Julie both tried to overdose in the bathrooms at school.

Julie had brought meds to school, telling Amanda that they should kill themselves in the bathroom. I don't know if it was just that the meds didn't work on Julie, or if she didn't take them, or if they were just for Amanda, but nevertheless, Amanda ended up in a hospital.

Again, more outrageous rumors started. They brought knives, or that Julie threatened to kill Amanda if she didn't take the meds.

Luckily, Amanda lived. She came back to school. Admittedly, the hate wasn't as bad, but it definitely got to her. She started cutting again. She told me she raided her dad's liquor cabinet.

That rumor changed her life.

About two months later, people came up with yet another rumor that Amanda was pregnant, four weeks, and she had a miscarriage. Now, I never got confirmation on this one, but... it's highly unlikely anyway. She was eleven or twelve when that happened.

So, this is why you don't spread rumors. This is why you don't call people derogatory names. Because words really can hurt.

Sometimes words can even kill.