At 2 P.M., I Walked Into My Parents’ Backyard Expecting To Pick Up My 8-

get what we want, do we?”

He clenched his fists.

“You’re cruel.”

“No,” I said, stepping closer. “Cruelty is what happens when power goes unchecked. What I did was accountability.”

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to strike me. Then something in his expression crumbled—fear, realization, exhaustion. I didn’t know which.

He muttered something under continue reading …