"You need your strength. " "I'm not hungry. " Alicia set her fork down. "What if they come after me again? " "The police aren't going to do anything. " "You don't know that. " Angela reached across the table to cover her daughter's hand. "Officer Reynolds said they'd investigate. Now that it's officially reported, Brandon and his friends will have to be more careful. Things will get better. " Alicia wanted to believe her mother's words.
She wanted to believe that the system would protect her, that justice would prevail, but she couldn't shake the memory of Officer Reynolds's careful neutrality when she'd mentioned Brandon's name, or the way he'd emphasized the complexity of the situation. "Maybe you're right," she said, picking up her fork again to make her mother happy. But inside, she felt more alone than ever. The morning sun cast long shadows across the school parking lot as Angela's car pulled up to the entrance. Alicia's hands were clenched in her lap.
Her fingernails leaving half-moon marks on her palms. "You don't have to go back today. " Angela said softly. "We can wait until next week. " Alicia shook her head. "No. I won't let them win. " But as she walked through the main doors, her confident facade cracked.
Brandon and his friends were lounging against the lockers. And their laughter echoed down the hallway when they spotted her. They didn't look worried or ashamed. They looked triumphant. "Hey, tree hugger. " Brandon called out just loud enough for her to hear.
His friends snickered. Alicia kept walking, her shoulders tight. She could feel their eyes on her back, hear their whispered comments. Other students quickly looked away when she passed, hurrying to their classrooms. No one wanted to be associated with her.
In first period, she struggled to focus on the lesson. Every time someone shifted in their seat or dropped a pencil, she flinched. Kyle Matthews sat two rows behind her and she could hear him whispering to his friend about how some people didn't know their place. By lunchtime, Alicia's nerves were frayed. She sat alone at her usual table, picking at a sandwich she couldn't taste.
Across the cafeteria, Brandon's group was holding court, speaking loudly and gesturing in her direction. Several times they broke into exaggerated laughter. Emma, the girl who had smiled at her before, walked past with her lunch tray. She glanced at Alicia, then quickly away, choosing a table on the far side of the room. The message was clear.
No one would stand with her. The afternoon dragged endlessly. In gym class, Trevor accidentally threw a volleyball at her head. In chemistry, Mason knocked her textbook off the lab table, spilling water on her notes. Each time, the teachers barely reacted, treating it as normal teenage behavior.
When the final bell rang, Alicia practically ran to her mother's waiting car. She slumped in the passenger seat, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding all day. "How was it? " Angela asked carefully. "They're not even pretending to be sorry. " Alicia's voice cracked. "The teachers saw them messing with me, but nobody did anything. " Angela gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"We'll figure this out, baby. The police are investigating. They'll have to do something. " At home, Alicia tried to lose herself in homework, but the equations blurred before her eyes. Every sound made her jump. A car door slamming, footsteps on the sidewalk, a dog barking.
The woods behind their house seemed to loom darker than before. The phone rang around dinnertime. Angela answered it in the kitchen while Alicia sat at the dining room table, pushing pasta around her plate. She could hear her mother's voice rising in frustration. "But Sheriff Wilkins, there's physical evidence.
The rope marks, the hypothermia. " Angela paused, listening. "What do you mean, kids being kids? They could have killed her. " Alicia's fork clattered to her plate. She crept closer to the kitchen doorway, her heart pounding. "No, that's not acceptable. " Angela's voice shook with anger.
"These boys committed a crime. They need to face consequences. " Another pause. "I understand Brandon's father is an important man in this town, but Alicia didn't need to hear more. She ran upstairs to her room slamming the door. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed onto her bed.
They were going to get away with it. Brandon's father's influence meant more than her pain, her fear, her dignity. She heard Angela's footsteps on the stairs, then a soft knock. Alicia? Baby, can we talk?
Go away. Alicia buried her face in her pillow. Just leave me alone. Please, sweetheart. I heard everything.
Alicia's voice broke on a sob. They're not going to do anything. Brandon can do whatever he wants to me, and nobody cares. Angela opened the door anyway, sitting on the edge of the bed. She stroked Alicia's hair as her daughter cried.
I care, and your father. Dad's not here, Alicia choked out. He's never here when I need him. As if summoned by her words, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the house. Heavy footsteps crossed the entryway.
Alicia lifted her tear-stained face, hardly daring to believe it. David, Angela called out, standing up. I'm home. Alicia scrambled off the bed at the sound of that deep, familiar voice. She ran down the stairs and straight into her father's arms.
Colonel David Carter stood in their foyer in full military uniform, his presence filling the space with quiet power. He wrapped his arms around his daughter as she sobbed into his chest. "They hurt me," she whispered. "They tied me up and left me in the woods, and now they're getting away with it. " David said nothing, but his arms tightened around her. Angela came down the stairs more slowly, relief and worry warring on her face.
David, we didn't expect you for another week. I came as soon as I could. His voice was controlled, but Alicia felt the tension in his body. Tell me everything. Through hiccuping sobs, Alicia recounted the whole story.
Brandon's escalating threats, the attack in the woods, the police's dismissal, the school's indifference. David listened in silence, his expression growing darker with each detail. When she described how Brandon and his friends had laughed at her that day, his jaw clenched visibly. The next morning, sunlight streamed through the kitchen windows as Alicia picked at her cereal. Dark circles shadowed her eyes from another restless night.
David sat across from her, his coffee untouched, watching his daughter with careful attention. He hadn't said much since arriving home, but his presence filled the room with a steady calm. Angela bustled around the kitchen, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. Would you like some toast, Alicia? You've barely touched your breakfast.
Alicia shook her head, pushing her bowl away. The milk had gone warm, the cereal soggy. Her stomach was tied in knots at the thought of facing another day at school. David set his coffee cup down with deliberate care. Alicia.
His voice was quiet but firm, drawing her eyes to his. I will make this right. How? Her voice cracked. Brandon's dad owns half the town.
Even the sheriff won't touch him. There are other ways to handle bullies. David's expression remained neutral, but something in his eyes made Alicia sit up straighter. Trust me. Angela paused by the sink, dishtowel in hand.