Prediction
In the novel, Speak, the main character Melinda has been brutally raped and sexually assaulted, events which occurred the night she attended an End of Summer party with her best friends. She was to begin the ninth grade and became awed when the most popular boy in school, Andy, asked her to dance, despite the fact he was three years older; the boy lured her into the woods and molested her. He had begun by asking her "Do you want to..." and when she hadn't responded, he had gone for it. Although against her will, she couldn't find the strength to scream or ask him to cease.
Melinda called the police soon after, but they ended up arresting, not the assailant, but all of her friends who had been drinking and taking hardcore drugs inside the house. All of her classmates began to resent her and she found herself alone, misunderstood, and depressed.
My prediction of how the story will end, is that Melinda will finally reveal to her parents and previous best friends, of what really happened at the celebration, and Andy will be arrested. Andy deserves to be locked up in a cell, for he scarred poor, defenseless Melinda for life, and he will never be able to take that back. Plus, the judicial system will find him guilty of battery and sexual harassment, for he is eighteen and she is fifteen, and he has legally become an adult; only adults can be charged with these types of crimes.
I believe Melinda will gain all of her friends' trust back and they will finally comfort her in her time of need. Hopefully, Melinda will have a happy ending, one which she so desperately needs. Andy is a monster, that is the best word to describe him; he must be punished.
Epilogue
(Based on my prediction, this is what I believe an epilogue of Speak would perhaps look like)
Almost an entire year has passed since my dreadful experience with Andy Evans. He has been convicted to a county prison, where he will be kept for three years; the judicial system intend to send a tutor to his cell everyday for college readiness. I know I'm safe now, but he still terrorizes my dreams. I am unable to get the image of him inserting my delicate and feeble body against my will. I keep reminding myself that he is unable to hurt me anymore; I'm not even capable of harming myself. My time in ninth grade will be memorable, although it will haunt me for the rest of eternity. I am overcoming the incident and surrounding myself with great, caring friends and family.
I meet with the school guidance counselor twice a week, in an effort to clear my mind of the past. I wish to tell her that her techniques are useless, but I'd feel guilty due to the fact I am her only patient. No student visits her during the week, except for the occasional physical fight on school grounds or upset parent. As for Mr. Freeman, I find him more of a therapist than the guidance counselor; but he uses a different technique to grieve...art. I can't believe I didn't recognize this sooner!
I actually have friends. Real, loyal friends who sit by me at lunch, and engage in pointless chatter as they stuff their mouths with french fries and fork-fulls of salad. Rachel is no longer Rachelle; I was able to talk some sense into her and she no longer attends four foreign language classes a day. Ivy is my best friend. I finally realized that through my struggles, she was always there to offer help and advice. I still have the marker stained shirt; it's a memory, a good one that overpowers the terrible one.
And I'm in love. No seriously, I'm being as honest as ever. I've gone on multiple dates with my lab partner and I think they're my soul-mate. I know that probably sound ridiculous, for you know me as a emotionless, miserable teenager who barely socializes, but times have changed. I have changed. I am a different person. Living a different life. And I couldn't be happier. My tree has finally blossomed; my personality has bloomed. I have a voice...I can speak.
