One summer, prior to starting her first day at Merry Weather High School, 13-year-old Melinda "Mel" Sordino goes to a house party with three other friends and is raped by a senior, Andy Evans. This abuse forces her into silence and drastically changes her life and social structure; in fact, for most of the novel, she refers to Andy only as IT as that exasperated her vatic bitter malaise when she called the 911 in a party because of the grope, that ended the party so she was called a snitch  and a girl reprimanded Melinda.
A 13-year-old girl named Melinda "Mel" Sordino is sexually assaulted by a senior, Andy Evans, at a party before starting high school. This assault has devastating consequences for her life, causing her to be withdrawn and silent due to the trauma she experienced.