“There is one condition.”
Mark scanned the page and gasped when he realized what I was demanding.
“You can’t be serious,” he whispered.
“I am.”
The clause stated that he would speak at our former high school during their annual anti-bullying assembly, which ironically would happen the following day. He had to describe publicly exactly what he’d done to me, using my full name.
“You can’t be serious.”
Mark had to explain the glue, the humiliation, and the nickname. The event would be recorded and shared through official school district channels. If he refused or minimized his actions, the loan would be void immediately.
He looked up at me, eyes wide. “You want me to humiliate myself in front of the whole town.”
“I want you to tell the truth.”
He stood again, pacing once across the carpet. “My daughter’s surgery is in two weeks. I don’t have time for this.”
“You have until the end of the assembly. Funds will be transferred immediately afterward if you fulfill the agreement.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Claire… I was a kid,” he said weakly.
“So was I.”
