Yes. Everything. Yes. Who has the full video? I don't know.
Denise turned. What do you mean you don't know? Evan was filming. Other people were too. And campus cameras.
Daniel said he'd check. Denise folded her arms and Tyler's father. Maya looked up. Daniel's warning from the night before had followed her home. His father, Grant Whitmore.
The name was already on half the buildings at Riverton. Before Maya could answer, her phone rang. Riverton Student Affairs. She stared at it. Denise said, "Answer."
Maya did. The call lasted less than 4 minutes. When she hung up, Denise's face told her she already knew. They suspended you, temporarily barred from extracurricular activities and non-essential campus spaces. Classes remote until the investigation meeting.
Denise's jaw tightened. For defending yourself. They said it's neutral. Neutral. She repeated the word as though testing something bitter.
Maya looked away. Grant Whitmore called the college president before 7. Denise went still. How do you know? Daniel texted me.
That was the part that made it worse. Before Maya had even finished writing her statement, Grant had already begun shaping the institutional response. By 9, a formal statement appeared from the Witmore Community Foundation. It expressed concern for all students affected by violence on campus and emphasized the importance of accountability when trained individuals use specialized physical force. It never named Maya.
It did not need to. Tyler appeared in a photograph less than an hour later. His right arm rested in a blue sling. His expression was subdued. Mason stood beside him.
Evan remained out of frame. The post beneath the photo said the three men were recovering. Maya stared at the image. He's standing straight. Denise said nothing.
Mason walked out last night. Still nothing. And Tyler was moving his arm before medical staff even arrived. Denise crossed the kitchen slowly and sat across from her. Maya, what?
When were you going to tell me? Maya's eyes dropped. Denise waited. The posts, she said. The missing file, the warning, those men following you around.
Maya did not answer. How long? A week. Denise's face changed. Not anger first.
Pain. You let me ask you every night how school was. I didn't want you worrying. I was already worrying. I thought I could handle it.