I think my best friend lied to me about being raped?

[Suzy Q]

If you are a friend, please be a loyal one. I had a similar situation when I was young. I was 16, a virgin, and I was raped by someone I worked with. I ran home (almost 10 miles) after he finished and I got away from him, and when I got home I was freaking out, so I called my best friend to tell her what happened. She told me that I must have imagined it, and because she didn't believe me, I thought no one would believe me. So I never told anyone else until almost 20 years later, and he got away with what he did to me. He's a free man walking around, maybe still preying on young girls. The last thing in the world a raped woman needs to hear is that people don't believe her - especially friends. It can screw up your thinking for a REALLY long time afterward. You blame yourself and you behave really badly - some women for the rest of their lives - just because you convince yourself that you are a bad person. PLEASE do not say anything to your friend that is not supportive of her because you might damage her forever, like I was damaged. If she really isn't telling the truth, it'll come out in the wash.