A parent bullied in high school now finds their child labeled a bully. They understand the trauma of being targeted but also feel intense protective love for their broken, hated child.

On April 2, 2017, parents from both sides gather in the library of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church for an unofficial meeting. About 10 of 14 account-associated families are represented, but just three of the impacted families—some hadn’t heard until later, others weren’t ready. Parents of the follower boys express shock and sorrow at their sons’ actions, with some like Charles’s stepfather Alexander wanting to prove they are not racist families. Parents of the targeted Black girls weep as they describe the impact on their children. Optimistic, the group decides to write a joint letter for the next school board meeting.

Later that day, a follower’s parent warns another about rumors that students plan to attack any suspended students who return. A lawyer advises it would be foolish to send children back into such a hostile environment.

The parent group drafts their joint statement to read at the school board meeting, with contributions from parents representing both sides. Ana’s father, Lewis, expresses hope in an email that presenting their “coalition of the willing” will send a deep message (263).

At the April 4 school board meeting on the 49th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, the parent group reads their unified letter to a standing ovation. After Ana’s mother, Sheila, expresses hope the boys can return, Lewis delivers a disruptive speech, using the analogy of touching “the third rail” of a railway line to describe the followers’ culpability (265). Lewis argues that if someone touches the third rail, they are electrocuted and “cease to exist” (266)—no scale of less severe injuries is possible. Similarly, as there are no mild degrees of racism, offenders should all suffer the same severe consequences. Lewis says he doubts Charles was the sole “mastermind,” declaring the others “accomplices should share the same fate” (265).

A follower’s parent feels betrayed by Lewis’s speech, finding his analogy that the responsible children should “cease to exist” disturbing and offensive (266). Lewis later explained he felt white and Asian parents were rushing to superficial reconciliation without understanding the gravity. He clarified his participation was about a real solution including consequences, not immediate forgiveness.

Two days later, Lewis emails Alexander stating he will advocate for expelling the “primary perpetrators,” including Charles. Alexander replies that Charles will never return to the school and invites Lewis and the girls to confront Charles. The next morning, Alexander addresses Lewis’s questions about other families, suggesting community service instead of expulsion. He argues that expulsion only teaches children “to be more discreet about their racism” (270). Lewis doesn’t reply.

When Dennis, Wyatt’s father, emails to schedule a follow-up meeting, Lewis responds that the targeted families prefer to meet on their own. He states that other parents seem too eager to fix things, unwilling to let wounds “gush for a while” (271). Lewis proposes a joint statement demanding expulsion of the three primary perpetrators. Met with silence, the collaborative effort dissolves.

The suggestion that the follower parents work as a unified group was flawed. Families’ reactions ranged from remorse to defensiveness, and some hired lawyers to assert free-speech rights.

Peter, Steven’s father, was shaped by his upbringing in China during the Cultural Revolution, where he witnessed public humiliation, torture, and killing based on accusations without due process. This made him a firm believer in free speech and evidence. At the St. Alban’s meeting, he saw the school’s response and public shaming as similar to authoritarian tactics he’d escaped. His demand for proof was seen as uncaring by other parents.

After spring break in mid-April 2017, two followers return to school. Because targeted Black girls no longer feel safe and returning boys fear attack, the school hires security guards. Students mock guards, posting photos with captions about the “racists” having bodyguards. This fuels the narrative that the families are entitled and unapologetic.

Andrea copes by fantasizing about becoming a spy able to discern hidden motives, or a billionaire whose wealth is armor commanding respect.

Ana disengages from school, smoking more weed to numb discomfort. Desperate to avoid being defined as a victim, she de-escalates an awkward party encounter with one of the boys. She resents being praised for her “coolness,” as her goal was protecting her peace.

A rift develops among targeted girls due to different coping mechanisms. Andrea and Ana try to move on by not talking about the incident. Lolia and Tiana need to process through discussion. Finding constant messages unproductive, Andrea leaves the group chat.

Rosie, who took Eren’s phone, is ashamed of her overwhelming grief. She feels her emotions are presumptuous since she wasn’t a direct target, but mourns the loss of her best friend. After Eren rejects her attempt to talk, she writes him a long letter expressing anger, hurt, and hope.

The three sophomore followers, including Eren, are educated at Gabriel’s house, known as “The Little Schoolhouse.” Eren experiences depression, feeling like a pariah, unable to find joy in activities he once loved like dancing. He is consumed with anger.

Teachers struggle to navigate the tense environment. With no clear guidance, they’re unsure how to support students on both sides. The faculty is divided on whether to discuss the topic in class, as either choice leads to complaints.

On Wednesday, April 20, teachers are informed that Principal Jeff Anderson will not return. This follows a Monday meeting at district headquarters after which he went home early. A district email states that Anderson has been “reassigned.”

The girls feel immense pressure to “get over it” but are trapped in anxiety, anger, and mistrust (305). Some stop eating and can’t sleep, while others throw up after meals and sleep most of the day. Their academic performance plummets as they ditch classes and exams. Constant questions from well-meaning adults amplify their feeling of failure.

Andrea’s mother Natalie lives in constant fear. A single parent and elementary school teacher, she drops her master’s program to be present for Andrea, whom she often finds back in bed in the afternoon. Every time Natalie leaves for work, she is haunted by what she might find behind Andrea’s bedroom door.

At an April 25 board meeting, Andrea defends a student who broke another boy’s nose, calling it a justified “reaction” to the “nasty” racism. She describes the pain of having those images in her mind every day while sitting in class with the people responsible.

Gabriel’s father attempts to speak for peripherally involved students, explaining they are terrified and remorseful. His plea is interrupted by an older Black man who thunders that hate is learned, and the problem starts in homes.

Billie confronts Gabriel’s dad, detailing her fear and falling grades. When a white teenager who spoke about free speech mutters something, Lewis strides toward him and threatens to drop him in a notorious Black neighborhood. When the teenager objects, Billie scoffs at the hypocrisy of him feeling threatened by words when others were targeted with images of nooses.

Andrea confronts Greg’s mother Lauren, describing how seeing her in Trader Joe’s reminded her of the cyberbullying and triggered a breakdown. Lauren apologizes and asks to talk. Andrea shouts, “DO I FUCKING LOOK LIKE A GORILLA TO YOU?” (306). The confrontation ends with Lauren pleading for help from a restorative justice program.

Board member Charles Blanchard emails Superintendent Williams expressing anger that the “community conversation” devolved into a chaotic argument. He also notes that adults are placing the blame for 500 years of colonialism onto minors. He concludes productive discussions cannot happen in such public forums.

The author reflects on adults’ failure at self-examination. Andrea feels the follower parents were more focused on absolving themselves than understanding the climate they created. Rosalind Wiseman notes that while the boys were responsible, they became scapegoats for the community’s broader failure to address racism.

By May, five of 14 boys have returned to school. The only path to social reintegration is distancing themselves from everyone else associated with the incident, leaving each to navigate alone.

This chapter details the constant fear, ostracism, and public judgment experienced by a returning follower. They walk halls with heads up, showing no emotion while being whispered about. They suppress shame, knowing any expression of suffering is met with the belief they deserve it.

The targeted girls’ academic performance suffers significantly. Beyond missing class for counseling, they struggle with anxiety about confirming negative stereotypes. Grades drop even for high-achievers like Rina.

Andrea has a recurring nightmare of the boys chasing her through deserted Albany streets at night. She tries to run and hide, but they find her and stomp on her. She always wakes at this point.

Billie experiences depression, sleeping through classes and hiding in the mental health office. Tormented by fear and self-hatred for being Black, she writes a poem about wishing she were white, blonde, and blue-eyed so life would be easy.

Told he needs a bodyguard, Murphy knows he cannot return to school. He acts out until his parents intervene. To show he’s changing, he volunteers at a soup kitchen and food bank. Murphy finds the work rewarding but is disheartened when peers dismiss it as a cynical ploy.

On May 1, 2017, four followers and their parents file the first lawsuit against the district. It argues their actions—liking and commenting on a private off-campus account—were First Amendment-protected speech, and charges negligence for placing them in harm’s way during the sit-in. The case garners national attention.

The chapter explains the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that “hate speech” is not a criminal offense, as it is categorized as “free speech.” The First Amendment protects offensive speech to prevent government censorship. The Albany case highlights the campus conflict between balancing freedom of ideas with student dignity and safety.

Many of the school’s community, including Brutsri and Coach Ray, view the lawsuits as a way to evade responsibility and transform a moral issue into a financial one. The legal action seems to confirm their belief that the families aren’t sorry.

After independent study runs out, the district offers the follower sophomores an online program through BYU. It requires restarting the entire semester from scratch with no in-person instruction. Experiencing depression, Eren finds himself unable to engage.

A second lawsuit is filed for the three sophomores, focusing on due process. It argues the school violated privacy rights and denied their educational rights by failing to protect them from shaming, making return impossible. The families sue to have the district cover private education. By late June, 10 students have sued, though four followers, including Wyatt and Greg, do not.

Charles explains he sued because he felt the district’s mishandling was so egregious he deserved compensation for damage to his mental health. He acknowledges deserving punishment but argues incompetence caused additional harm.

The parents of targeted girls explore filing their own lawsuit but cannot find an attorney. Lawyers explain suing families wouldn’t be financially viable, as they lack a large institution’s assets.

On May 26, a federal judge issues a temporary restraining order halting Patrick’s expulsion hearing, citing “irreparable harm” to his college prospects. Charles is officially expelled two days after his hearing.

Charles spends the summer isolated, too depressed for online schoolwork or a France summer program scholarship. Most of his friendships have dissolved. In August, the Alameda County Board of Education upholds his expulsion.

Murphy initially pretends to have cut ties with Charles but gives up the pretense. Realizing he’ll be judged regardless, he remains friends. He believes blame should be shared among all participants, not placed solely on the creator.

Lawsuits intensify hostility. On Nextdoor, a user asks for the names and addresses of Instagram kids to shame them with donations to civil rights organizations in their names. While some users express concern about doxxing, others propose vigilante justice.

On a Saturday night in early June, Greg’s home is pelted with eggs. Investigating, they find “Racist” spray-painted on their car hood. Lauren calls the police and notifies the district and other families.

The chapter examines why Greg became the most reviled student despite not creating the @yungcavage account. The author suggests that his popularity, whiteness, and central role in the hair-touching incident made him the symbol of the followers. Kyle McClerkins, a Black restorative justice facilitator working with Greg, argues Greg has been severely punished by relentless shaming, ostracism, and fear.

To provide respite, the girls are taken on a retreat to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Differing coping mechanisms create an unspoken rift. Rina regrets they didn’t use the day to talk, believing it was a missed opportunity to preserve unity.

The summer after junior year, Ana reaches out to Charles; they meet at a park. He apologizes for the pain he caused, and they talk openly. Ana doesn’t offer easy forgiveness but is struck by how deeply his life has been affected. The conversation provides solace and understanding.

In July 2017, the federal court hears the lawsuits. The central question revolves around the Tinker test, from the 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, which determines when schools can discipline student speech. Judge James Donato doubts the district could punish all 14 students, questioning whether merely following or “liking” a post could cause a “substantial disruption,” and suggesting the district cast too wide a net.

This poetic chapter lists conflicting “rights” different parties felt they possessed—the right to make mistakes and fix them, the right to dignity and education, the right to apologize and the right not to forgive.

In August 2017, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville culminates in a neo-Nazi driving into counterdemonstrators, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring dozens. The attacker had previously posted a meme on Instagram of a car driving into a crowd. Brutsri realizes the “edgy” online racism at his high school connects to a violent, resurgent white supremacist movement.