Initially, Melinda is befriended by Heather, a new girl from Ohio. She finds an abandoned janitor's closet and makes it her sanctuary. Melinda slips into depression and her grades suffer. She decides that speaking only hurts her, and remains mostly silent. She arrives friendless on her first day of ninth grade and receives angry glares from strangers. When the entire school discovers that Melinda broke up the party and got some students arrested, her friends stop speaking to her. In her confusion afterward, Melinda dials 911 and the police arrive at the party, but Melinda finds herself unable to tell anyone what happened. Andy pushes her to the ground and rapes her. Andy begins dancing with and kissing Melinda, and Melinda is taken aback but too drunk to say anything. While outside, Melinda meets Andy Evans, an attractive senior boy. She gulps down a couple beers before walking outside for some fresh air. At the party, Melinda feels uncomfortable and out of place. August before her freshman year, Melinda and her closest friends attend a party with seniors and beer. Speak tells the story of Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York.
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