Dex and the Pity: Willa's Only Hope

Poor Willa. A mistake turned into a night to not remember, a girl simply trying to fulfill a dream of finally being with the most attractive guy in the entire school. It’s amazing what people, especially girls, will do to just get attention from someone. They tell us that the number of guys or girls they like you doesn’t measure your worth or beauty, yet the feeling of satisfaction that follows some display of flirtation or attention often feels so gratifying. Though I haven’t been in a situation remotely close to the one Willa found herself in, I can understand why she went through with going, and why she didn’t have any hesitation.

Unfortunately, the majority of her friends and the rest of the town aren’t being as understanding. Coming from a small town in rural Texas, everyone knows everything and thinks the same way. Their strict conservative views make them conclude that Willa’s actions were a reflection of her own inner demons and that because she went through with it, her physical and emotional injury were 100% her fault. This is absolutely ludicrous. Being conservative often comes with patriarchy, and Cully was no exception to this notion. Because he has a bright future ahead of him (*cough* sounds familiar), we can’t simply ruin his ambitions by something as little as getting drunk and engaging in sexual activity with an unconscious 15 year old girl. She should’ve known better 🙄 *eye roll*

The only person that could ever speak on her behalf is Dex. No matter what others say, he still holds a lot of faith in her ability and her persona. She’s not just any girl to Dex, and refuses to speak lowly of her in any given situation. He was at the party she went to, and out of denial and maybe a little bit of jealousy, in a crude way, he left because there was word that she was upstairs with some guys. He never could have imagined something so terrible happening to Willa, and was absolutely enraged upon hearing the real truth behind the situation. Being drugged, she was totally helpless.

This situation is a somewhat similar to the dynamics between Clay and Hannah in 13 Reasons Why. Clay was kind of like Dex, a bit more on the quiet side but ready to voice his opinion when necessary. Clay was the only one that really stood by Hannah's side and spoke for her to everyone that wronged her. A character in the show named Bryce actually had raped her at a party, and Bryce was the captain of the football team, very similar to Cully's status. However, no one wanted to acknowledge it and get Bryce kicked off of the team. Hannah didn't have anyone else to speak for her except Clay. And he did just that, and suffered the consequences of it <https://youtu.be/3Sg-kg77eQc>. Aside from being a good person, Clay also harbored some feelings for Hannah, which only intensified his efforts. With that being said, Dex has plenty of reasons to speak on her behalf, considering that he is also one of the few people in that town that actually thinks for himself.