" Another shouted, "It's at 50K. " A third yelled, "Dude, number justice for Leila is trending. " like actually trending. Naomi exhaled quietly. Not relief, not triumph, but a steady acknowledgement of momentum shifting.
The truth had slipped from private suffering to public witness, and the world was watching. Ila looked up at her mother, startled. Naomi touched her shoulder softly. Blake lunged toward the nearest student recording. "Give me that phone, " he shouted.
Ramirez caught him by the hood of his jacket. Absolutely not. Blake jerked red-faced. You don't understand. They're making this worse.
They're twisting everything. Ramirez's voice dropped. The only person who twisted anything is you. Students outside pressed against the glass. Their faces lit by screens showing the viral clip.
Some of them kids from other schools held handpainted signs. Protect black students. Stop hate crimes. Justice for Leila. No more silence began chanting.
The sound muffled through the glass, but unmistakable. Justice, justice, justice. Blake's panic turned feral. This is insane. She's doing this.
She's behind this. She made this happen. He jabbed a finger toward Naomi like a drowning man, blaming the waves. Naomi didn't respond. She didn't even acknowledge him.
She simply watched the scene unfold with a quiet, chilling clarity, like someone reading a familiar pattern in a puzzle she'd solved many times before. Then came the twist. The diner door cracked open as the press pushed their microphones toward the entrance. Most reporters were shouting over each other, "Is the victim okay? Is the school involved?
Do the police have the suspects detained? Is this being treated as hate motivated? " But one reporter, sharp-eyed, quick, almost predatory, stopped mid-question. Her gaze locked directly on Naomi. Her voice sliced through the noise.
Wait, is that Dr. Naomi Green? The name hit the crowd like an explosion. Reporters looked at one another. Students gasped. Even Officer Colt stiffened.
The woman pressed her face to the glass. That's Dr. Green from the Federal Civil Rights Division. She testifies in hate crime cases. She worked on the Jordan Valley discrimination lawsuit. Phones flew up.
Cameras clicked. Microphones shoved forward. Inside, Blake's expression collapsed. What? She's who?
He whispered, horror, widening his eyes. Seth staggered backward. "We messed with her kid. " Connor dropped into a booth, whispering. "We're dead.
We're actually dead. " Ramirez shot Naomi a look of sharp recognition. I knew your name sounded familiar. Naomi remained silent. She had no desire to use her reputation as a weapon, but the truth of who she was had now detonated all on its own.