flash
Officer Brenda Hayes reached for her belt, her hand hovering instinctively near her radio. The cafeteria had gone completely dead; even the humming soda machine seemed to hold its breath. / Chapter 7 / 10

Chapter 7 - The AftermathBy evening, the video had gone viral.

Across TikTok, X, and Instagram, the clip of Darius Coleman shutting down the racist dining supervisor and holding the university president accountable racked up over twenty million views in six hours. The hashtag #ColemanJustice was trending worldwide.

In the Dean of Students' office, emergency meetings were being held behind closed doors. Heads were rolling. Three associate deans who had ignored previous complaints about Patricia Sullivan were handed their resignations by sundown.

Amara sat at her desk in her dorm room, watching her phone buzz incessantly with notifications, interview requests, and messages of support from students she had never even spoken to before.

Sophie Miller, her roommate, walked in carrying two large bags of takeout Chinese food and a carton of ice cream.

"Amara... your dad is literally a superhero," Sophie whispered, dropping the bags on the desk with wide eyes. "Like, I knew he was successful, but I didn't know he could casually make a university president sweat blood in under five minutes."

Amara smiled, shaking her head. "He was just mad. When my mom died, it felt like the world was trying to push us down. He takes it personally whenever anyone tries to make me feel small."

Just then, Amara’s phone rang. It was her father.

"Hey, Dad," she answered instantly.

"Hey, kiddo," Darius's voice came through the speaker, sounding remarkably calm after the most chaotic day of the university's academic year. "Are you eating? You didn't get to finish lunch."

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate.

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply agains...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

Amara laughed, looking at the carton of ice cream Sophie had just opened. "Sophie brought me takeout. We're doing fine."

"Good. Because I'm still in town," Darius said. "Pack a bag. I booked a suite at the Grand Hotel downtown. We're going out for steak. And no, you're not allowed to argue."

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