Chapter 2 - The Aftermath of Cruelty
The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind Max, but his absence only made the guilt in the room grow larger.
Chloe felt a hot tear slide down her cheek, landing silently on her open notebook.
She had laughed at Max’s expense, blending in with the crowd because it was easier than standing up for the strange boy.
Now, she felt like a complete monster.
Jason, the school’s star quarterback and the loudest voice in the bullying, shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
He hated the feeling of being wrong, and he hated the heavy atmosphere even more.
"Well, how were we supposed to know?" Jason muttered under his breath, trying to sound defensive.
"He never talks to anyone, he just sits there looking miserable!"
The teacher, Mrs. Gable, who had just walked into the room during the principal's speech, slammed her textbook onto her desk.
"Jason, if your only defense for cruelty is ignorance, you are in for a very hard life," she snapped.
"You do not need to know a person's life story to treat them with basic human decency."
The rest of the class remained completely silent, turning their backs on Jason, leaving him isolated on his island of arrogance.
Chloe couldn't focus on a single word of the lesson for the rest of the day.
Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured Max pushing heavy boxes in a freezing warehouse at three in the morning.
She pictured a little girl in a hospital bed, crying because she had lost her hair.
When the final bell rang, the students quickly packed their bags, eager to escape the heavy air of the classroom.
But Chloe didn't go to her car.
Instead, she walked to the school's front office and asked the secretary if there was any way to know which hospital Max's sister was in.
"I’m sorry, Chloe, but student records are strictly confidential," the secretary replied kindly but firmly.
Chloe nodded, her heart sinking, but she was not ready to give up.
She knew Max walked to the bus stop every day after his hospital shift, and she decided she was going to find him.
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She needed to apologize, even if he slammed the door in her face.
It was the very least she could do after being part of the crowd that broke his spirit.
