Chapter 5
Brooke’s parents tried to control the story.
They always did.
Her mother, Caroline, walked into the nurse’s room without knocking.
“This has gone far enough.”
Mr. Harris stepped in front of her.
“Mrs. Whitman, you need to wait outside.”
“My daughter is being accused based on teenage drama.”
Lily’s face crumpled.
Caroline looked at me.
“And Hannah clearly completed her routine, so how serious could it be?”
My mother moved so fast I barely saw it.
She stepped between Caroline and me.
“Do not speak to my daughter.”
Caroline looked her up and down.
The uniform.
The tired shoes.
The name tag.
Then she smiled.
“I see where Hannah gets the theatrics.”
My mother’s hand tightened around mine.
But she did not slap her.
She did something better.
She stood straight.
“My daughter danced through pain your daughter caused. That is not theater. That is evidence.”
Caroline’s smile flickered.
The principal said, “We have video, physical evidence, witness testimony, and an injury. This is now a school discipline matter and likely a police matter.”
Caroline’s face changed.
“Police?”
My mother said, “Yes.”
Caroline turned to her.
“You want to ruin a seventeen-year-old girl’s life?”
May you like
My mother’s voice was quiet.
“No. I want her to stop ruining other people’s.”
