“I can do it,” he said grimly. He glanced up at Cal. “Now that I’ve seen the disgusting things, I’m even more anxious to get my hands on whoever posted them in the first place.”
“I think we all would like a chance to have a little come-to-Jesus talk with that person,” Cal admitted. “Any idea who it might be?”
“I’m working on it,” Kyle said.
“Anything I can do?” Cal asked.
Kyle nodded toward his sister. “Get her to go downstairs. Having her standing over my shoulder makes me nervous. I don’t like her seeing this stuff.”
“I’ve already seen it,” Katie protested. “Besides, I’m not looking at the pictures. I’m trying to see what you’re doing so I can fix it myself next time.”
Kyle gave Cal a pointed look. “Please.”
Cal put a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “Come on. I think I heard Helen drive up. You can come downstairs and fill her in before she comes up to take a look for herself.”
Katie nodded at last. “Okay,” she grumbled, then scowled at her brother, “but I want step-by-step instructions.”
“Yes, mini-crusader,” Kyle said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Do you promise or are you just trying to pacify me?” Katie asked.
Kyle shook his head ruefully. “You probably don’t want an answer to that.”
“Jerk,” Katie muttered.
“Pest,” Kyle responded in kind.
“Enough,” Cal said, smiling at the familiar bickering.
For all of it he’d heard from these two over the years, he knew with every fiber that they had each other’s backs. Kyle coming home on a moment’s notice was proof enough of that.
* * *
Laura paced behind the stage that had been set up on the town green.
“She’ll be here,” J.C. said, knowing she was worried about Misty. She had been ever since Helen’s call the night before to report the latest bullying incident.
“Maybe she shouldn’t be,” Laura said. “I know I pressed her to do this and Diana backed me up, but that was before those pictures turned up online last night.”
“Your reasoning is just as valid now,” J.C. said. “I’m not saying it will be easy for Misty to face all these people, but if she does it, I think she’ll feel so much better about herself. Taking a stand for herself and against bullying will send a message to this town.”
“I know the town needs to hear the message,” Laura said. “I’m just not sure Misty’s the one who has to deliver it.”
“Who better?” J.C. countered. “And we’re all going to be right here on stage with her. She won’t be alone. Trust me, she’s going to feel empowered for having done this.”
Laura obviously remained unconvinced. “She’s only sixteen, J.C. She must be devastated to think even one person might believe she actually posed for those pictures.”
“She’s strong enough to do this,” he repeated. “And she’ll be even stronger once she does.”
He looked out over the crowd just then and spotted Misty and Katie circling around the fringes, heading toward the stage. The two girls were deep in conversation. Misty seemed to be lagging behind, but Katie kept urging her on.
“Here she comes now,” he told Laura. As he spoke, he noticed the whispers building as people spotted Misty. For the first time, he felt a faint stirring of dread. Maybe he was the one who was wrong. Maybe this had been a terrible idea. Everything that had happened had taken a toll on Misty. What if this turned ugly and became the last straw for her?
Frowning as the whispers spread, he turned to Laura. “Maybe you were right. Maybe she shouldn’t do this.”
Laura regarded him with surprise, clearly taken aback by his sudden change of heart.
“Listen to them,” he said, nodding toward the growing crowd. “Something’s stirring them up.”
But then Misty was beside them and he couldn’t say more. He forced a smile. “You doing okay?”
“Scared to death,” she said.
“It’s okay if you want to back out,” he said. “We have other speakers.”
She shook her head. “No,” she said firmly. “Everybody was right. I need to do this.” She glanced at Katie. “You’re going to stand right there with me, though, right?”
“I won’t budge from your side,” Katie promised.
“And we’re all going to be on the stage, too,” Laura reassured her.
Just then the microphone crackled to life. Sarah McDonald welcomed everyone to the live broadcast of the Serenity Rally Against Bullying. “You all already know why we’re here today. We intend to take a stand against something that eventually affects just about every child. Bullying can take many forms, from the toddler who snatches away shovels from the other kids in a sandbox or pushes another child off of a swing to something as offensive as what’s been happening recently to one of our high school students. We’re here to let everyone know that none of that is acceptable in our community, that we’re a town where people treat each other with respect and dignity.”
Her comments drew mostly cheers and applause, though J.C. noticed that a few people looked on silently.
Sarah continued, “Now I’d like to introduce a woman who taught many of you to always be on your best behavior, Frances Wingate.”
Frances looked frail but determined as she approached the podium. She looked out over the crowd. “I see a lot of people here today who spent time in my classroom over the years. I’m here today to talk about how ashamed I am of you.”
Her words drew a shocked gasp.
“Yes, you,” she continued, her tone stern. “These are your children who are engaging in these disrespectful, despicable acts against other children. I don’t know much about how the internet works, but I do understand that it can be a tool for cowards, a way to torment another human being. And that’s what’s happening right here in Serenity, with your blessing.”
She gazed out over the crowd. “Oh, I hear some of you saying you didn’t put up those posts or that your children would never do such a thing, but do you know for a fact that they didn’t? Do you monitor what they do online? I’ll wager you don’t. Far too few parents do. And unless you happen to be one of those few who does, then you’re responsible. You!” she said sternly, looking from face to face in the increasingly silent crowd. “You let this
