Chapter 6 - PANIC IN THE RANK AND FILE
The detonation of that email was instantaneous.
Within eight minutes, my phone began ringing continuously. I ignored my mother’s calls. I ignored my father’s calls. I ignored my aunt Karen’s desperate text message apologizing profusely and claiming she "had no idea Kendra was lying."
At 8:00 P.M., my father arrived at my house alone.
He didn't walk in with his chest puffed out this time. He looked ten years older, his shoulders stooped, his face pale as he stood on my porch.
“Liam,” he said softly when I opened the door. “Can I come in? Just me. Please.”
I stepped aside, allowing him into the foyer. Leah remained in the kitchen, observing quietly.
“I saw the video,” my father said, leaning his hands on the back of our dining room chair. “I… I didn't know, Liam. She swore to us on her life that she tripped. She swore you were just being cruel.”
“You chose to believe a girl who has never held a job over the son who paid your mortgage arrears two years ago, Dad,” I said coldly.
My father swallowed hard, unable to meet my eyes. “Your mother is hysterical. Kendra is locking herself in her room, crying that you’re going to ruin her life if you put that video online.”
“She tried to ruin my wife’s life!” I snapped, my voice finally cracking with suppressed emotion. “She tried to destroy Leah’s reputation! She made us a viral villain on the internet for thousands of strangers!”
“If you file a police report, Liam… she has a record. She won't be able to get a job. It will follow her forever.”
“Then she shouldn't have committed felony property damage, Dad!” I shouted. “Actions have consequences! I have spent four years protecting her from the consequences of her own terrible decisions, and all it did was turn her into an arrogant, destructive monster! I am done insulating her!”
My father took a deep breath, bowing his head. “What do you want, Liam? What is it going to take to stop you from taking this to the police?”
“Three things,” I said, holding up three fingers. “First, the TikTok video comes down immediately, replaced by a public video confession and apology written by Leah and me. Second, Kendra signs a legally binding promissory note to pay back the $7,800 for the cake and the dress over the next three years. Third, you and Mom go to family counseling, because the way you enmeshed yourselves in her enabling ends today.”
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My father looked at me for a long moment, realizing there was no room left for compromise.
“I'll talk to your mother,” he whispered.
