Where are you Going, where have you been

I remember reading this story freshman year of high school, and here I am a freshman in college reading the same story. Even though the words are the same, it is a completely different experience reading the text. I found myself reading slower and really absorbing every detail of the story. There's something about the tale of Connie that grabbed my attention. Here is this young girl, more concerned with her beauty and social status than anything else, and she is about to be taken advantage of by an older male. I felt myself relating to the story and acting out what I would do if I was Connie. I wanted to reach into the text, shake her and tell her to run! I wanted to make her do more than just standing in the doorway, give her a chance to survive. In the story, it felt as if the moment Arnold drove up to Connies house, she had already decided her fate. She already knew that she was going to die. Even though I was not very fond of Connie's character to begin with, I still thought she should at least put up a fight and get a chance to escape unharmed. The end of the story was shocking and sad. In the tale, I despised Arnold Friend, and the fact that he was actually a real person made it even more unbearable to imagine. His physical appearance didn't seem to be intimidating, but the ease and tone in which he spoke seems much more menacing. It was as if even if she tried, Arnold knew that there was no way she could escape. Overall, this story was frightening and made me think twice about people like Arnold.