Following the @yungcavage posts, Brutsri is self-conscious about his skin color. His girlfriend breaks up with him, and his grades fall, costing him UC eligibility. Feeling he has failed himself and family, he begins driving his silver 2005 Toyota Highlander late at night to Lake Anza. He sits with an airsoft pistol, contemplating calling police to report a man with a gun to provoke them into shooting him. After several episodes, he confides in friends and sees a counselor. The crisis passes, and Brutsri channels his experience into activism, co-founding SPEAK to educate younger students about bigotry. He is appointed to the Albany school board and later receives an out-of-state college scholarship, finding happiness and a new relationship.

Charles moves to Florida to live with Eliza. He is withdrawn, and Eliza worries about leaving him alone. Her boyfriend Matt suggests looking for a job. Charles walks to a strip mall and enters a Subway. The Korean manager recognizes his heritage and hires Charles on the spot.

The chapter describes the close friendship of Kerry, Lydia, Andrea, and Wyatt, known as KLAW. They are inseparable, spending time on Bay Area adventures.

By March 2018, Charles is in Florida, working, and attending community college. The “fog” is lifting. He lives with Eliza and her four teacher-roommates interested in social justice. In this environment, Charles engages in conversations about race and privilege. Opening up about the @yungcavage account, he finds acceptance. When Matt prompts Charles to consider underlying reasons, Eliza speculates her brother felt powerless amidst family crises and turned to bullying for control.

Andrea, Lydia, and Kerry view their friendship with Wyatt as an opportunity to educate him. Andrea describes her efforts as “charity work” to Black critics. They discuss racism, sexism, and antigay bias, believing Wyatt is compassionate but lacks knowledge, and that they are changing his perspective.

Andrea’s mother urges her to sue before the statute of limitations expires. Lydia advises against it, questioning the wisdom of dredging up the experience. Feeling her wealthier friend cannot understand, Andrea proceeds. In March 2018, she files a complaint for civil rights violations, emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.

In Florida, Charles’s understanding deepens through music. Encouraged by Molly, a white housemate, he analyzes rappers like Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino. Molly prompts him to think critically about the Black experience. Listening to J. Cole’s KOD, Charles is struck by the lyrics, which promote confronting deep-rooted trauma. He begins to grasp why what he did was so harmful.

In April 2018, AUSD settles with seven of 10 sued students. Murphy receives enough to cover Tilden Prep tuition, medical expenses for his broken nose, plus a small personal settlement. Three sophomores who transferred out receive $73,353.90 each. Most controversially, three followers who returned to Albany High each receive $80,000, not including attorneys’ fees. Although insurance covers settlements, the community erupts, feeling the district is rewarding complicity.

At April 2018’s board meeting, the mothers of Andrea, Ana, Billie, and Rina publicly condemn the followers’ settlements and accuse the district of validating the boys’ actions. Sheila expresses bewilderment that follower families believe their children’s suffering was more significant than the girls’. Since Ana decided not to sue, Sheila places hopes in Andrea’s lawsuit.

For followers who remained at Albany High School, $80,000 settlements are a windfall. Unlike students who used the money for private tuition, their families absorb funds into comfortable finances. While rumors inflate the extent of received payouts, one of the boys receives a new Subaru for graduation, which becomes a symbol of injustice. Targets view the car as proof that the boys’ apologies were meaningless.

Ms. Curry, a white teacher, reflects on the difficult dynamics in her Women’s Literature class with a follower and five affected students. Feeling she mishandled conflicts, she writes a letter to her graduating seniors distinguishing guilt (a motivator for change) from shame (an immobilizing burden). She urges rejecting shame, seeking support, and remembering they are not perfect, but “good.”

In August 2018, the KLAW friendship dissolves when Wyatt mentions hanging with a boy who uses the “N-word.” The girls are appalled, viewing this as repeating his previous mistake. Lydia doesn’t invite Wyatt to her birthday, and he unfollows Kerry, telling her they should no longer be friends. Kerry, while supporting the girls, privately considers Wyatt may have had few other male friends.

By 2020, Charles has moved back to the Bay Area. He is living with Steven, who received a $125,000 settlement after the trial court concluded Superintendent Williams and Principal Anderson placed him in danger on the day of the sit-in. Charles is one of the last remaining defendants in Andrea’s lawsuit alongside Patrick, and one of the last students still suing the district. Despite recognizing he wronged Andrea, he allows his own lawsuit to continue, fighting as both plaintiff and defendant.

In the summer of 2020, following George Floyd’s murder, social media activism emerges. Tiana creates a Twitter thread detailing the @yungcavage case, including the names and photos of followers. Another activist amplifies the thread, tagging the colleges several boys attended on Instagram.

Charles learns of Tiana’s viral post on a work break. Though anticipated, he feels sick. He, Murphy, Jon, and Patrick are anxious about their jobs and education. Charles contacts Ana to express willingness to talk. He reflects on the importance of Black Lives Matter and accepts he’ll likely face consequences for life.

Andrea had recently seen Charles in Albany, triggering a return of nightmares. When she sees Tiana’s viral post, she feels relief. Tiana’s continued anger validates Andrea’s feelings, making her feel less alone.

After Tiana’s post goes viral, Murphy receives hateful messages. Initial irritation gives way to reflection spurred by George Floyd’s murder. For the first time, he fully confronts his complicity, particularly with the noose post. He acknowledges ignorance and privilege, allowing himself to feel sadness and guilt. He worries about reputational damage but accepts blame and the need for change.

In November 2020, Andrea’s lawsuit against Charles and Patrick and their parents is scheduled for trial. On the trial day, they settle: Charles pays $15,000, and Patrick pays $10,000. Combined with $18,000 from their parents and an undisclosed settlement from Greg and his family, the settlement exceeds $43,000. Andrea feels relieved the chapter is over.

This poetic chapter reflects on time and healing. The author posits time doesn’t erase pain or heal all wounds. Its function is adding “new pages to your story” (443), providing a broader narrative beyond a single traumatic event.

The author provides updates on the targeted girls’ recovery. Rina studies health sciences and is accepted into a public health master’s program at a top university. Ana, after playing college soccer, discovers a passion for psychology and decides to become a therapist. Billie graduates high school early and thrives on the pre-med track at a University of California campus. Asked what she would tell her younger self, Billie says she would urge her to “love your skin color” (446).

Eren reflects back from his college perspective. He questions whether he’d warn his younger self to unfollow @yungcavage. Though struggling with anxiety, he’d choose the same path because it shaped him into someone who understands his past mistakes and is committed to never repeating them.

After settling, Andrea moves to San Marcos La Laguna in the southwestern highlands of Guatemala, studying meditation, metaphysics, and yoga by Lake Atitlán. In a dream, she’s back in Albany, but instead of hiding from her fears, she jumps and can fly. The chapter concludes with Andrea running and leaping from a high platform into Lake Atitlán, surfacing with a whoop of delight, swimming forward and “never looking back” (449).

This concluding chapter presents statistics contextualizing events within a national landscape of youth hate and bullying. Key statistics: One in four students saw hate symbols at school during 2018-19; the average Black teenager encounters racial discrimination, online and offline, five times per day.