What are three significant experiences and/or observations that lead to Melinda's ability to stand up to Andy Evans at the end if the novel?

On the night Melinda was raped, she became almost mute. Frightened, disbelieving and not knowing what to do, she was unable to say anything as she was attacked. Even when she went to call the police, she couldn't stay on the line to tell them what happened. She can't bring herself to talk to her parents, her friends, her teachers. She is barely able to talk to herself about this life-changing event. Now, she holds back expression, fighting her need to cry out by biting her lips until they're bleeding and covered with scabs. We understand why Melinda can't speak; at the same time, we can see that help would be hers if she would just let go and try to communicate. As David Petrakis tells her, not speaking out-not screaming-for your rights lets the bad guys win. Her inability to speak is also shown in her difficulty to let her unique artistic expression show itself. She wants to hide herself and, at the same time, she longs for someone to discover her. Finally, in the spring, Melinda finds the seeds of her true self. With a simple "no" to the benign Heather-who has abused Melinda in her own way-Melinda's spirit begins to come forward. When she speaks loudly, when she screams at last in her confrontation with Andy Evans, she finds tremendous power.