For a brief second, I wondered if he’d run.
Mark stood offstage, pacing.
Mrs. Dalton stepped to the microphone. “Today we have a guest speaker who wants to share a very personal story about bullying, accountability, and change. Please welcome Mark.”
Polite applause followed.
Mark walked onto the stage as if each step weighed 10 pounds.
He cleared his throat at the podium. Then, he introduced himself and explained that he’d graduated from the school decades ago.
“Please welcome Mark.”
“I played football and was popular. I thought that made me important.”
Mark paused. I saw his internal debate. He could soften or generalize it. Talk about mistakes without specifics. No one in that room, except me, knew the full story.
Then he spotted me at the back and swallowed hard, knowing what he was risking.
Slowly, he explained that in his sophomore year, I was in his chemistry class.
