Page 71 of Jerk

But as I enter the quad, this week gets weirder.

My heels slow as I scan the grassy area.

It’s empty. Eerily empty.

Lowering my shades, it’s getting harder to tell if I’m dreaming, a single squirrel scurrying by.

Where the hell is everyone?

The sound of applause comes from a distance. My brows lower as I tap the school calendar on my phone. I don’t see an assembly scheduled.

Following the sound, the applause becomes clearer and louder. It sounds like someone’s giving a speech or a rally, muffled words coming with cheers. I follow the noise all the way through the quad and around the sports building until I get to the football field.

That’s when I recognize the voice.

“I survived abuse.”

Krystal.

Her voice echoes over a speaker, the bleachers filled with students like it’s game night. On the large screen near themassive scoreboard, Krystal stands at a podium dressed in black, commanding the crowd around her. Some professors stand next to the bleachers, students mesmerized as she speaks. My eyes narrow at my posse standing beside her.

“My father wasn’t a good man,” she says. “But his passing won’t be in vain.”

Her words slam into my chest as my stomach twists and my heels come to a stop.

Did I hear that right?

“My father is dead, but we learn from the mistakes of those before us.”

The ground tilts, my eyes scanning the space for Rye. I still don’t see him.

“No longer will this town stand for bullies and abuse,” she continues. “And that means in this school, too. For too long, we’ve allowed darkness to lead us, and after what I went through with my father, I plan on changing that.”

Looking back at my phone, I scan recent headlines, looking for answers.

Andrew Rowen Dead at 52— The Hill Herald

Cinderfund CEO Dead— Paradise Post

My hands shake as I tap Rye’s name and bring the phone to my ear.

“There’s power in naming our abusers,” Krystal says. “Our bullies. The people who want to keep us down. I don’t think it’s a secret who those people are on this campus. So let’s name them together. I’ll start. Hannah Alfonso.”

Wait. What?

My eyes return to the podium to see Krystal staring right at me.

The crowd boos as a photo of me from freshman year flashes on the screen. They’re followed by photos of me in royally unflattering positions. Crossing my arms in front of Ember.Laughing when someone falls. Knocking over a tray of food at Sun House and laying into a server for giving the wrong Pinot.

How did she even get these?

My hands come to my stomach, my gut churning when it hits me.

This was him.

“I’m standing here today with the Paradise Posse by my side. Together we’ll make a change. We won’t stand for tearing each other down. We won’t stand with monsters.”

When Ryung doesn’t answer, I tap back to the headlines.