Thread: Can She Rise To The Challenge (google and skittish_butterfly)

Katherine stood silently as her every condition and obstacle so far had been ignored or overcome and the man handed her his card, expecting her to call in a few days. Anything she said now, in front of the cameras, would either make her look like a quitter, or get her further into this stupid thing. Best to wait, hope he lost interest, hope the media and the crowd just sort of... forgot about it. He turned and walked away, leaving her in the light of the cameras. Katherine felt with every bone in her body the desire to stay in that light, to give as many soundbites of victory as the reporters wanted, to talk up her achievement here on behalf of underpriveleged and abused girls. But this Michael left her feeling like her victory was somehow hollow. She just wanted to get back to her room and think of how to deal with this, to let time pass, to let it fade away before she had to talk to him. She definitely did not want Don doing what he was doing. He was talking to the reporters on her behalf. So yes, my girlfriend, the daughter of the University President -- if he would take time to see her once in awhile -- has just struck a blow against the spread of this new breed of abusive and degrading pornography, and the way in which it depicts girls as little more than objects for the sexual gratification of men. Katherine grabbed him by the arm and jerked him away from the cameras, but the microphone's followed along with the harangue of questions Katherine, are you really going to go through with it, let that pervert have his way with you in order to shut him down? Katherine, why are you so anti-sex and why do you hate men? Katherine, can we get a shot of you with your top off? Katherine glared at the cameras. Just a short statement to get her out of there. Listen guys, I'm no prude and no man-hater. I'm not anti-sex. There was a loud harumph from Don at her side that Katherine shut down with an annoyed sideways glare. As far as going through with it, I think Michael is the one who should be worried, and it wouldn't surprise me if he were the one to give up if he thought it would let him keep doing what he does to these girls. But would I go through with it? How could she say she wouldn't, given what these other girls were going through? How could she say she'd turn her back on them, when they were already suffering the same fate and worse, and so many of them? I would do whatever I have to in order to stop injustice, and protect my young sisters out there who are being abused by this very man, practically every day, and to stop the blight of the sad sexual expectations he is selling to a generation of young men as well. Then Don shielded her from the cameras as she turned and stomped out of the hall with a grumpy look on her face. Finally out in the quad with Don walking at her side, his hand held next to hers as if he thought she would really hold hands with him after what he did. Don, can you please take the girls home and give me a little time to sort through this myself? I'll call you when I'm ready to talk about it. He looked disappointed in the extreme, a few buts stifled on his lips by her single raised, shushing finger. He seemed almost petulant as he turned away with the two other girls, leaving Katherine thankfully in peace. She went back to her room and threw herself into the first assignments of her Sophomore year, hoping to lose herself in academics, to just pretend this wasn't handing over her head. Exercise, work, eat, sleep, a pattern of denial. One day turned to too and she reached out to no one, neither Michael nor her boyfriend. As big as the media contingent had been, she half-expected a call from her Dad, but she knew that was unrealistic, since they'd talked just the previous spring. Still, he might have been pleased enough with the publicity to finally have reached out to her, or maybe pissed off enough at what she'd gotten herself and his image into to call and chew her out. She'd almost have welcomed either, but of course he didn't call. Probably too busy with his other, new family and his important work. She knew better than to bother him by calling for his advice or help. And she certainly didn't call her mother, whose feminist opinions she could well-enough imagine on her own without actually having to talk to her. Days turned into a week. Don started calling and she simply put him on ignore. At least he knew better than to call. Katherine's feed about her own name on the web went briefly quiet around day 4, and a feed on Michael's name showed nothing about the challenge either for a few days, and she had started to feel a wave of hopeful relief. But by day 8 there were blog posts and local opinion pieces starting to wonder what had happened to the champion of the oppressed in her fight against the degrading pornographer. Day 9. Breakfast over and all her homework long ago completed the night before, Katherine sat alone in her breakfast nook staring at the empty plate, Michael's card, and her cell phone. 14 missed calls from Don, none from her Dad. Thankfully her number was unregistered and no media had so far found her. But they didn't have to find her. They just posted what they wanted, day after day, speculation about her, about Michael, about what would happen, about whether she was going to quit and abandon the girls she said she was defending. She picked up her phone and dialed with a slightly trembling finger. Hello? It was a young girl's voice. Figures. Probably naked or handcuffed to a desk or something. Hi, this is Katherine. I'd like to talk to Michael. The girl didn't recognize her, claiming they worked with a number of Katherine's and questioning which shoot she was scheduled for. No, no, I'm not calling for one of your disgusting shoots. I'm Katherine Townsend. Michael is expecting my call. The girl had to check. Katherine waited while music with very faint sounds of women moaning played in the background, or maybe it was just her imagination. She waited and waited, starting to wonder if it was some power game he was playing with her, making her stew in her own anxiety. If so, it was working. She thought about hanging up, but she'd only have to call back since the media wouldn't go quiet just because he made her wait 15 minutes to talk, and then she'd look even weaker. Katherine kept waiting, not really feeling a choice. Finally the girl came back on after what felt like an eternity. At least the music and the moaning stopped. Michael is busy with a shoot at the moment. Can you please hold? Katherine started to protest she'd call back but then the music was back on. It would have been so much easier to just hang up, but she didn't want to have to call back, as if she was crawling back to him to beg for his attention. She put the phone down and put it on speaker so she could do something else while she waited. Except she didn't really have anything else to do at this point. She paced the little studio apartment for 10 minutes, and finally threw up her hands in frustration. At least she could go out for a jog, make use of the time. Ear buds in place and the phone strapped on and speaker off, she left the room and stretched out, then started a light jog around the University's tree-lined paths. It was a Saturday morning, not too many people about, thankfully. She was sweating nicely and breathing hard when the music on the line suddenly cut off again. Katherine stopped in her tracks just after passing a group of Delta-Kai frat boys, stopping and sitting on a bench next to two students, a boy and girl holding hands. Somewhat breathlessly, she made sure she was the first to speak. Michael? Is that you? It's Katherine. Katherine Townsend. I'm calling you back to discuss the terms and conditions and whatnot of our... our... challenge. I know I'm late but I had a, well, a busy week. A lot going on, big schedule you know. Are you free to talk now?