Chapter 9
Lauren was arrested three weeks after the meeting.
Cyber impersonation.
Identity theft.
Fraud.
Extortion.
Harassment.
Evidence tampering after deleting accounts.
She wore sunglasses when police brought her out.
As if this were a scandal, not a crime.
Reporters shouted questions.
She said nothing.
Her mother called mine that night.
“Can’t Hannah fix this? The girls have been friends forever.”
My mother looked at me across the kitchen table.
Then put the phone on speaker.
I said, “Lauren used my face to extort a married man.”
Lauren’s mother cried.
“She made mistakes.”
I answered, “She made victims.”
Silence.
Then the call ended.
That night hurt.
Because families always want one person to soften the truth so another person can survive it.
May you like
But I had learned something.
Being kind does not mean making someone else’s consequences smaller.
