“She did not lie,” I say.
Silas sits back slowly.
The meeting is over even before he says, “You’re dismissed.”
In the parking lot, I sit in my truck with the engine off.
My phone buzzes.
Mom: Read the article. She was brave.
Another buzz.
Zach: Whatever you need, we’ve got you.
Then Finn: If they take the C, I will riot but in a disciplined way because growth.
A laugh gets out.
It breaks something loose.
Evan’s name appears next.
Evan: For the record I still hate it.
Evan: Also she wasn’t wrong.
I stare at the two messages.
I open Peyton’s contact.
Type: I read it.
Delete it.
Type: You were right.
Delete it.
Type: I should have stayed.
I stare at that one too long.
Delete it.
Contacting her would make things worse. The organization is already attacking her credibility. Any visible support from me will become ammunition.
It is also convenient.
Peyton wrote that I use distance to feel safe.
I sit in the truck and realize I have been calling safety leadership for a very long time.
I put the phone down.
Not yet.
But not never.