A Girl's Guide to Ending Rape Culture

Chapter 6

In the week after I agreed to join the band, we had been practicing so much, I could hear guitar chords playing in my head at night before I went to sleep.

It hadn't been all practice, though. Something was happening in the streets of Minnesota.

I first heard of the Riot Grrrl movement when I saw a newscaster talking about it on the small TV in my apartment. It started small, like a spark that wasn't extinguished quickly enough and soon caught the wind, spreading like wildfire.

I didn't know much about the movement, other than that it looked like a kind of feminist movement.

When I went to practice next, though, I was surprised that no one was talking about it, given how it had seemed like a popular topic.

Even the drummer, who was also a girl, didn't bring it up.

We went through some songs, practicing them until my throat was sore. At the end of practice, I decided to bring up the Riot Grrrl movement to see what the others thought.

"Hey, have you guys heard what's going on in town?"

Ian was the only one who looked at me. Perks of being the new girl, I supposed. "What's going on?"

"All that's going on with the Riot Grrrl movement."

"I hadn't heard of that."

"I don't know too much about it, just that it seems like a new feminist movement.

I thought I saw one of my band members roll his eyes, but I didn't give it any mind.

"That sounds interesting," Ian said, in a way that sounded like he wasn't sure what he thought of it.

"I thought so. It'll be cool seeing what happens with it."

No one said anything after, but when I started putting my things away again, I noticed the drummer send a small smile my way.

~

Leaving the studio, the streets looked the same as they always did, but there was something different. The air felt charged with a certain energy, something powerful, like change.

I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. It wasn't too late, I figured there was probably time to hang out with Lucas and Ani if they weren't busy.

I dialled Ani's number first, and she picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, what's up?" Her voice filled my ear.

"Did you wanna go out for a coffee? I'm gonna call Lucas and see if he can come too."

She groaned. "I'd love to, but I can't. I'm stuck studying for a test. You have fun with Lucas, though." I could practically hear her grinning.

"Okay," I said, though I probably sounded uncertain. Ever since Ani had found out about my feelings for Lucas, I had felt awkward talking about him.

"I should really keep studying, I'll talk to you later though."

"Okay, talk to you soon. Bye."

"Byee!"

I ended the call and dialled Lucas's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Em. How's it going?"

"Good, I just finished band practice. I was wondering if you wanted to go get a coffee or something?"

I realized I could hear him doing something in the background.

"If you're busy though, it's no problem."

"No, no. We can hang out for a bit."

"You're sure?"

"100%."

"Okay. I was thinking we try out that new cafe, the one with all the art pieces."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll come pick you up shortly."

"Oh, you don't have to. I'm fine with walking."

"Don't be silly, it's no trouble."

"Okay. Well, thank you."

"Of course."

There was a silence on the phone for a minute or so, which I interrupted. "Um, okay. I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Bye, Em."

I ended the call and put my phone back in my pocket, allowing myself a small smile.

Even if I wouldn't let us be together, it was still nice having a crush on someone.

~

The cafe was fairly quiet for a Friday, and once we ordered our drinks, we found a booth in the corner.

"How was practice today?" Lucas asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Oh, it was good. It was a bit of a longer practice today, so I was a little tired after. Coffee's helping though."

He smiled. "That's good at least."

"Yeah. How was your day?"

"It was okay, I just had a class this morning and after I was just doing some cleaning around the house."

"Oh, is that what you were doing when I called?"

"Yeah, I'd let the house get a little messy and figured I had a mostly free day so I may as well clean a bit."

"Fair enough." I took a sip of my coffee. "Did you hear about what's going on in town? The Riot Grrrl movement?"

"Yeah, I did actually. I think it's great."

"What's it about? I haven't heard much about it, other than what I saw on TV. It looks like a kind of feminist movement."

"Yeah, it is. From what I heard, it's a movement that's meant to be addressing issues like patriarchy, gender inequality, and sexual assault. There's also been some bands that are using their music to address those issues."

"Wow, it would be cool to be a part of that."

"Maybe you can bring it up with your band."

"I brought up the movement today, they didn't seem too interested. Maybe they just didn't know a lot about it, though."

"Yeah, I would try learning more about it, and then try bringing it up again."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'm curious now, how did you hear about it?"

"Oh, just on the TV. I tried to research a bit more about it, though, and I talked to some people who seemed to have some ideas and thoughts on it."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yeah, it'll be cool seeing what happens in the future with this. It feels like something that could be important in changing the way society is right now."

"It almost feels like we could be living in a history-changing moment ourselves."

He nodded. "Exactly."