- 22 minutes ago
You Never Saw Me EPISODE
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00I know exactly how tonight ends. I've already died in it once. Cole Whitfield,
00:05starting QB, Yale football recruit, my childhood friend. I've always liked him.
00:09Ivy's birthday. Warehouse on Delancey. No one's checking. Midnight. Everyone's going!
00:18Cole, the SAT is tomorrow morning. That place serves real alcohol. My dad works the ER. He's
00:25treated kids from this school this year. More than once. Are you seriously doing this right
00:33now? Mara, it's my birthday. I've invited you. Can you just not? She's just mad Cole is doing
00:49something nice for Ivy. That night I called every single person. I was at the testing center
00:54at 7.30am. I made sure they all showed up. They aced the SAT. Then the results came in.
01:00And with them, the news. Ivy went to the warehouse alone. Someone dumped Everlight into the punch
01:07bowl. Ivy had three cups. Someone assaulted her. Cole decided it was my fault. Everyone agreed.
01:16If you hadn't stopped us, someone would have been there to protect her. They pushed me down
01:20the third floor stairwells. I died on the spot. Cole watched. When the police asked,
01:25the whole class said the same thing. I threatened them. And when they stopped me, I tried to run
01:29and fell. Every call I made that night became evidence against me. Someone found our address
01:34online. Someone poured gasoline at our front door and lit it. My parents were inside.
01:40Cole lived next door. He stood on the balcony watching the fire. Only after my parents stopped
01:46screaming did he call 911. I found all of this out after I was already dead. I also found out
01:54the
01:54truth about Ivy. Every single piece of it was planned by her. Cole's voice reached me before I was fully
02:04awake.
02:07Is Mara actually coming? She's gonna kill the whole vibe. She rewrote two of my papers last month.
02:13She's useful. So what is she? Your tutor or your errand girl? Neither. She's just... She's always around.
02:23She likes being useful. It's basically her whole personality.
02:31That's all I ever was to him. Same 15 people. Same cheer. Same room. I'm back.
02:37Last time I lost everything. My parents. My home. This time I won't make the same mistake again.
02:44Mara, you're coming too, right? I did invite you. Have fun, Ivy.
02:49You're not going to lecture us? Nope. Last time you ran home and called everyone's
02:53parents. Not this time. He grabbed my wrist hard. His other hand went into my bag and pulled out
02:59driver's license. No photo ID. No entry at the testing center.
03:08You know the rules. Stay quiet tonight. Don't ruin Ivy's birthday. And you get this back tomorrow
03:14morning. Simple. Cole is the QB. Nobody moves when Cole does something.
03:24Don't make this a thing, Mara. It's one night. Cole, that is the only thing I need to get into
03:30the
03:31testing center tomorrow. Give it back. Come with us and you'll have it back in the morning. Stop being
03:35difficult. Cole walked me to the old gym at the end of the hallway. No cameras back there.
04:00Relax. It's just one night. I'll come back for you after. Cole, I have a test tomorrow.
04:05Tonight is about Ivy. Not you. It was never about you.
04:09Something hard hit the floor outside the door. He stomped on my phone.
04:13Cole. His footsteps faded. Nothing left. Just the dark and the sound of my own breathing.
04:23I have a backup phone in my jacket pocket. I could call 911 right now. Officers would be here in
04:29five
04:29minutes. Cole's Yale recruitment would be gone tonight. But that's not what I want. I want Ivy's
04:35plan to run. I need her to believe she won. The only way this ends for good is everyone can
04:41see
04:41how deep the hole goes. I opened the screen recorder. Hit record. Started talking.
04:47My name is Mara Scott. Today is Friday, October 14th. Cole Whitfield, starting QB at Harlington Academy
04:56and Yale football recruit, just locked me in the old gymtasium. He took my driver's license,
05:04so I cannot enter the SAT testing center tomorrow. Last time I had nothing. Just my word against 15
05:10people who had already agreed on their story. This time, everything is on record before a single lie
05:16gets told. 40 minutes later, my dad found me. Who did this?
05:24Dad, do not go to the school. Do not call anyone. Mara! Do not talk to any other parents
05:29about tonight, no matter what you hear tomorrow. Promise me first. He looked at my hands.
05:35He looked at my face. He made the promise. We walked to the car. He did not ask anything else
05:42until the doors were closed. Tell me. I want to submit my McGill application tonight. Test
05:52optional early action. I don't need an SAT score. I want to leave. You've been putting that application
06:00off for three months. You said you wanted to stay because... I was wrong about what I was staying for.
06:10He did not push. He started the car.
06:17The last time I sat in a car in the dark waiting for something to be over was last fall.
06:23Three seasons
06:24of opponent breakdowns of opponent breakdowns for Cole. One notebook a week. He never once asked who wrote them.
06:32I saw the car before he did.
06:35It came in from the far entrance. Too fast. No headlights.
06:39It was aimed at him. No time to think. I moved.
06:45The car didn't stop. It just drove away.
06:47I got up. My ankle was on fire. Cole was on the ground and not moving and I called 911
06:53and I stayed
06:54with him until I could hear the sirens.
07:01I wrote. Good luck. I put it back. I stepped away before the paramedics reached him.
07:23I found out later that Cole woke up and the first face he saw was hers. I found out later
07:30what she let
07:31him believe. I wrapped my ankle myself. The cut was deep enough to scar. But the next day was Cole's
07:38game
07:39and I didn't want him to know. Cole didn't know I wasn't there until after the game. He won. He
07:45texted me
07:45one line. You missed it.
07:55You missed the game. I know. How's your head? Fine. Why weren't you there?
08:02Something came up. You knew how important this game was. He didn't notice my leg was hurt.
08:08That was the last home game of the season. He won. He got his Yale letter three months later.
08:16The notebook from that week is still in his bag. He carries it to every game. He has never once
08:22opened it in front of me. He does not know that the handwriting on the last page is mine.
08:27He thinks Ivy saved him. I never corrected it. I knew he wouldn't believe me.
08:38I opened the group chat on my backup phone. Party photos. Everyone packed into the warehouse.
08:45A big punch bowl in the center. The crowd was still cheering. Two people in the back were already on
08:50the floor. Someone posted another video from the party. Hey, where's your little girlfriend Mara?
08:59She's not my girlfriend.
09:03Really? Can I ask her out then? I think she's kind of great. Why would you go for her?
09:12Prove it. It's just background.
09:29Coal burned my test ID. He knew how much that exams meant to me. It just didn't matter to him.
09:39I opened my laptop. McGill portal. Early action. Test optional box. Uploaded everything. Hit submit.
09:50Last time I gave this up for Cole. I believed him. I stayed.
09:58I lost everything.
10:09Alcohol poisoning. Group of students. I have to go in.
10:19Stay at the hospital all day. If anyone asks you were there all night,
10:22do not come to the school. Do not let your name get into whatever story starts today.
10:28What story? The kind where they need someone to blame. Stay out of it. Promise me.
10:40I promise.
10:42He left. I sat in the quiet kitchen. Mom was humming in the other room. The coffee maker was running.
10:51Birds outside. Everything still here. They are not taking this from me again.
11:05Where is everyone? Testing starts in 30 minutes.
11:1012 students with alcohol poisoning last night. Police said someone spiked the punch bowl with Everclear.
11:15Three are in the ICU.
11:22Most of my top students are in the hospital right now.
11:31Mara. Good. You're here. Where's your ID?
11:35Cole Whitfield took my driver's license from my bag last night. He walked me to the back of the old
11:38gym and locked me in so I couldn't stop them from going to the party. I have it on video.
11:46My phone buzzed. Ivy had just gone live. We just wanted to celebrate. Mara told us the party was safe.
11:53She said she had been there before. She wanted us to go. She had a problem with Cole. She knew
11:59her
11:59dad worked at that hospital. I think she wanted something to go wrong. My son is in the ICU.
12:06You did this? No. I have the video. Everything from last night is on record.
12:11Cole just confirmed it on camera. You told them to go. I looked at the live stream. Cole's mouth was
12:17moving. He still would not look at the camera. The QB who throws touchdowns in front of 2,000 people
12:23every Friday night could not look at a camera right now. Everything from last night is uploaded and
12:28time-stamped. Before any of you agreed on your story. You want to keep going? Go ahead. Ivy saw my
12:34phone
12:34on the stream. Her face changed just for a second. Cole finally looked at the camera. He was not
12:40angry. He was not confident. He was scared. There's one more thing I need to say. This is
12:45really hard for me. Mara's father is the attending physician at Mercy General right now. He is treating
12:49our classmates. I am not saying he did anything wrong on purpose. I am just saying if that was my
12:55child in
12:55hospital I would want to know. Get her father out of that hospital right now. He is not touching my
13:03kid. She set the whole thing up so her dad could finish the job. Every second of this is being
13:11recorded. You are all on camera right now. Let go of me. Get your hands off my daughter right now.
13:18You want to talk about last night? My daughter tried to stop your kids from going to that party.
13:23Your kids walked her to the back of the old gym. Locked her in and took her ID so she
13:27could not even
13:28get into the SAT. I have the audio. You want to hear it right now? I opened my phone and
13:35went live.
13:36Title, The Truth About Last Night. 40 seconds in, 10,000 viewers. Ivy is still live right now. I'm going
13:43to
13:43play something she doesn't want you to hear. Tonight is about Ivy, not you. It was never about
13:48you. Now for the other thing. Mara, stop! Whatever you think you have- I've been in your private account,
13:53Ivy. The one you think no one knows about. Three weeks ago you told your friend you couldn't take
13:58the SAT because your grades are fake. Every score you ever posted came from someone else taking the
14:03test for you. That's insane. You can't prove any of- Screen shots are in the chat right now.
14:10Her own words. Her own account. Time stanks matching three weeks ago exactly. The comments
14:15went sideways. Ivy looked at Cole. He was staring at his phone reading the screenshots. His face was
14:19falling apart in real time. You knew. You knew the whole time and you- Cole, listen to me.
14:24My day around. Recruitment is under review because of last night. Because of you.
14:32Cole, we're live. Look at me. He stood up. Knocked his chair over. He looked at the camera for one
14:38second. 40,000 people watching. Then he reached over and hit end stream on Ivy's phone. Her stream cut
14:45out. Mine kept running. Mara, I owe you an apology. Yeah, you do.
14:59You okay? I didn't get to take my SAT. I know. It's okay. I submitted my Miguel application test
15:06washable at 2am. I don't need the score. When did you do that? Right after Ivy sent me the photo
15:11of my
15:11burned ID. That's my girl. But she is not done. 20 minutes later, she texted me. This isn't over,
15:18Mara. The next morning, Cole showed up at my door. I'll go open the door.
15:29I need to talk tomorrow. You need to leave. Please. Five minutes.
15:37Mom. It's okay. Mom looked at me. I shook my head slightly. She stepped back. I walked to the
15:44door. Cole looked at me. Something crossed his face that I had not seen before. Not confidence. Not his
15:49usual ease. Shame. Yale called. They're putting my recruitment on hold pending an investigation.
15:55I know. I didn't know she faked everything. The grades, the scores, all of it. I know you didn't.
16:02Then why didn't you warn me? You knew. You had everything. Cole, you locked me in a gym.
16:11You stomped on my phone. You stood in front of 15 people and took my driver's license out of my
16:17bag.
16:18And you want to know why I didn't warn you?
16:24I need your help. If Yale pulls my offer, I lose everything. You want me to save your Yale spot?
16:30You're the only one who can. No. I am not calling Yale. I am not writing a letter. I am
16:36not doing one
16:37single thing to fix what Ivy broke. That is not my job. It was never my job. But you have
16:43the evidence.
16:44One call fixes this. I could. Last time something like this happened, I spent an entire night trying
16:49to save everyone and I'm not doing that again. Last time? What does that mean?
16:56Go home, Cole. I'm sorry about the gym, about all of it. I know that doesn't fix anything.
17:03You're right. It doesn't. That afternoon, I went to the library. Third floor. I had work to do.
17:23Cole came to your house this morning. What did you say to him?
17:24Why don't you ask him? Is he not talking to you anymore?
17:34He's not going to suddenly realize he has feelings for you, Mara. You're just a tool he finds useful.
17:38A piece of paper. A notebook. He can throw you away just like that. Don't get too comfortable.
17:44Ivy will make sure you understand what happens next. You and your dad.
17:52I knew they were right. He had used me so long that being used had started to look like being
17:57close.
17:58I used to call it love. This time I won't. I have work to do.
18:09He sat there for an hour. I never showed up. Then he left. I don't know what he was waiting
18:16for.
18:17But it has nothing to do with me anymore.
18:21Two hours later, Ivy posted a statement. She called it a mental health crisis.
18:27She made a point of naming my dad. She called him the physician whose daughter orchestrated the entire
18:33incident. She attached a screenshot. A text from my dad to a parent saying he was aware of the
18:39situation and would handle it. The text was fake. My phone blew up. Unknown numbers.
18:43My dad's hospital page was flooded with one-star reviews. Someone filed a complaint with the state
18:48medical board. I called my dad. I see it. Don't respond to anything. Don't post anything.
18:55I'll handle it. Mara. Dad, do you trust me? Yes. Then let me work.
19:07I made one mistake. That forged screenshot had no metadata. She had edited it out.
19:13But the original file still existed in the cloud backup of her account.
19:18The one she didn't know I could access. I had it in 20 minutes. The original file had a creation
19:23times tape. 11.47 p.m. My dad had been asleep for two hours by then. His phone was charging
19:31in the
19:31bedroom. His location tag showed he was home. I sent everything to three places. The school board,
19:37the state medical board, and a reporter at the local news station who had been covering the SAT story
19:41since yesterday morning.
19:44Is this Mara Scott? I'm a producer at Channel 7. We'd like to give you the chance to respond to
19:48Ivy Munro's statement. No need to respond. Check your inbox. I just sent you something better. I hung up.
19:5540 minutes later, Channel 7 posted a new segment. Forged evidence. New questions in the Harrington
20:02state T scandal. The medical board complaint against my dad was suspended pending review. Dad called.
20:11What did you do?
20:14Exactly what I said I would.
20:17Mara, you can't keep-
20:18Dad. She tried to take your license. Your entire career. I am not going to sit and watch that happen.
20:27Come home for dinner. Mom made lasagna.
20:31That was his version of thank you.
20:37You're Mara Scott?
20:40Yeah.
20:42I'm Nate Kowalski. Hockey.
20:45I know who you are.
20:47Then you know I'm not one of Cole's guys.
20:49What do you want, Nate?
20:51I want to show you something.
20:53He showed me a screenshot from one of Ivy's private accounts, not the one I had accessed.
20:58Six months of messages between Ivy and a man I didn't recognize.
21:02My friend Marcus was supposed to get a full athletic scholarship to Boston College.
21:05Hockey. Full ride. He didn't get it because someone sent the scholarship
21:09committee an anonymous tip saying he failed a drug test. He never failed a drug test. The tip was fake.
21:17And you think Ivy did it? I know she did it. The anonymous email came from a school IP address.
21:24And Marcus turned Ivy down when she asked him out sophomore year.
21:29You've been building a file.
21:32Four months. But I don't have what you have. You got into her accounts. I can't do that.
21:42Why are you coming to me now?
21:46Because you're the first person I've seen who isn't scared of her.
21:49That evening, Nate took me to meet Marcus.
21:53You're the one who went after Ivy.
21:55Yeah.
21:56She didn't just kill my BC scholarship. She told the committee I was dealing, dealing.
22:00I have never touched anything in my life. College coaches stopped returning my calls. My whole
22:05future just stopped. Because she was mad I didn't ask her to homecoming.
22:08I know. I'm going to get it back for you.
22:11How?
22:11Same way I handled everything else. I let her dig the hole. Then I show everyone how deep it is.
22:16What do you need from me?
22:17I registered for the November national test date. My scores came back in December. 1580.
22:22The highest in Harrington's recorded history. The school posted it on the announcement board.
22:26My name. My score. Right where Cole's football stats used to hang.
22:30You were holding back.
22:31The whole time.
22:33Three days later, Ivy came back.
22:39You think you won?
22:42This isn't over.
22:44Ivy, you forged evidence and filed a fake complaint against my dad's medical license.
22:50That is a felony. You should thank me for sending it to the school board instead of the DA.
22:56That's an email account she used for Marcus's fake tip. It's linked to three other accounts.
23:01She did this to other people. At least two more that I can find.
23:04Send me everything.
23:07Ivy didn't just go after Marcus. She has been doing this for years.
23:11There are other people out there who lost things they never should have lost.
23:14The first was Jordan Ellis, junior, track and field. She applied for the state
23:18Athletatorship Scholarship. Full tuition anywhere in the state. She didn't get it. The rejection
23:22letter said credible concerns about her character had been raised during the vetting process.
23:33I found the original tip in Ivy's archive. Same pattern. School IP address. Fake account.
23:40Sent the night before the scholarship committee met.
23:43I cried for a month after that rejection. My parents thought I wasn't good enough. I thought I wasn't good
23:48enough. You were always good enough. Someone made sure you didn't get the chance to prove it.
23:54Not anymore. The second was a kid named Dev Patel. Graduated last year. Full ride to Carnegie Mellon
24:01rescinded three weeks before move-in. Academic misconduct. Anonymous source. He spent the year
24:08working at a warehouse and reapplying everywhere. I sent him the file with one line. This is who did it.
24:14I thought you should know. I spent a year thinking I must have done something wrong and just
24:22didn't remember it. Thank you. I don't even have words.
24:32I heard about Jordan and Dev. Nate told me. Okay. How many people did she do this to? At least
24:38four that we
24:39found. Probably more. I dated her for eight months. I know. I gave her access. My coaches. My contacts.
24:50People who trusted me. She used all of it. And I had no idea. I'm sorry, Mara. Not just about
24:57the gym.
24:58About everything. Every time I could have paid attention and didn't. I know. Cole is starting to
25:04understand how much Ivy used him. Nate had practice until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. I started doing homework
25:12in the bleachers while he ran drills. The rink was quiet and no one bothered me. You're still here?
25:27Can I ask you something? Sure. Why didn't you put everything out on day one? You had the
25:34recording. You had Ivy's messages. You could have ended this in 48 hours. Because I wanted her to dig
25:40the hole herself. If I dump everything at once, it looks like an attack. People defend whoever is being
25:44attacked. But if I wait, if I let her keep moving and keep lying, eventually she's too deep to climb
25:50out and everyone can see it. That's cold. That's math. Three years at this school. Never seen anyone
25:59do what you're doing. Obsessively document everything? Not be afraid of her.
26:08Come on. I'll teach you to skate.
26:20Right now? The rink is empty until 10. I fell three times. The third time, he caught me before I
26:29went down.
26:30His hands were on my arms. Neither of us moved. You okay? I'm fine. He didn't let go right away.
26:39I didn't step back. When this is all over, where are you going? Miguel. Montreal.
26:49I might know someone at schools in that area. Is that right? Hypothetically.
26:56Ivy just filed a second complaint with the school board, claiming I had illegally accessed her
27:01accounts. She is filing legal complaints now. She's scared. She's swinging at everything. That
27:07means she is almost out of moves. Almost. But almost is not done.
27:14Ms. Scott accessed my client's private accounts without authorization. Any evidence obtained from
27:19those accounts should be excluded from these proceedings.
27:25Mrs. Scott, your response?
27:28Ivy's accounts had no protection. She used the same password for all of them.
27:31Her dog's name and her birthday. That's publicly available information she posted herself.
27:37That's not hacking. That's guessing.
27:39That characterization oversimplified.
27:41I also want to note that Ivy is raising unauthorized access concerns.
27:45At the same time, she forged a text from my father, filed a fake complaint with the state
27:51medical board, and sent fake anonymous tips that destroyed the futures of at least four
27:56students at this school. If we're talking about what to exclude, start there.
28:00I opened the folder. Every document, time-stamped. The fake tip to Marcus's scholarship
28:05committee at Boston College. The email account traced. The forged screenshot of my dad's text.
28:09The matamata showing it was created at 11.47 p.m. while my father was asleep.
28:13Jordan's tip, devs, and the full pattern. Ivy Turney kept objecting. The superintendent kept
28:18overruling. I want to make a statement. Ms. Monroe, your attorney- I know. I want to speak for myself.
28:26She looked at me. For the first time since all of this started, there was no performance in her eyes.
28:30I did it. The tips, the emails, all of it. Because I was terrified. My entire identity at this school
28:39was built on something fake. And I knew it was going to fall apart. So I kept pushing people out
28:45of the way. So no one would be standing there when it did. Mrs. Scott, anything dad?
28:51I thought about Jordan crying for a month. Dev working in a warehouse. Marcus's face in the
28:56rink parking lot. I want Marcus Williams as his Boston College scholarship fully reinstated.
29:01I want Jordan Ellis' leadership scholarship reconsidered and the false tip removed from her file.
29:06I want Dev Patel's Carnegie Mellon rescission investigated and corrected. That's what I want.
29:14Ivy can deal with whatever comes next on her own.
29:19Ivy stared at me. She expected something else. A demand for punishment. A final blow. I didn't want
29:26that. I just wanted the people she hurt to get what they deserved. The panel voted to recommend
29:31expulsion pending a 30-day review. Marcus's scholarship committee at Boston College got a
29:37formal letter from the district the next day. Jordan's file was corrected.
29:44Cole texted me that night. Yael reinstated his recruitment offer.
29:49I know you didn't do this. That's not why I'm texting. Just thought you should know.
29:55They reinstated it. Full ride. Same terms. They said they'd hold my spot for January enrollment.
30:01That's great. Mara, thank you. Two words. He hung up.
30:10Nate texted 30 seconds later. He's been up since five. Didn't want to call too early.
30:17He's been sitting there holding his phone for two hours.
30:21Last time I spent an entire night trying to save 15 people who didn't want to be saved.
30:27This time I did one specific thing for three specific people and it worked. I feel great.
30:36You fixed it.
30:40The committee fixed it. I just gave them what they needed. Don't do that. Don't minimize it.
30:46Okay. You're welcome.
30:48You could have just handled your own stuff and walked away. You didn't. So don't tell me it was nothing.
30:52And for what it's worth, half the school is on your side now. The half that matters.
31:01I know you could have pushed for criminal charges. You didn't.
31:05Why? Because I didn't need to. You already lost everything that mattered to you. I don't need
31:11to see you in handcuffs to feel okay. I just needed the people you hurt to get what was theirs.
31:20Ivy went quiet after that. The expulsion was finalized two days before winter break.
31:25She didn't come back. On the last day before break, Nate knocked on the library door.
31:30Ice rink. Tonight, Marcus wants to celebrate your coming.
31:43You actually came.
31:45You said Marcus wanted to celebrate.
31:47Marcus is fine. I wanted to see if you'd show up somewhere. That wasn't a library or a hearing room.
31:52Stop flirting and teach her to stop falling.
31:55Around 11pm, Marcus and Jordan went to find more food. Dev was on the phone.
32:00Just Nate and me at the far end of the ice.
32:04You're overthinking it.
32:08I'm always overthinking it.
32:10Yeah. I noticed.
32:12Stop thinking about falling. Think about where you want to go.
32:27You were already moving toward me.
32:32I saw you were going to fall.
32:34How?
32:35I've been watching you for a while, Mara.
32:37He didn't let go. I didn't step back.
32:40I know you're leaving in August. I know you have everything figured out.
32:44I'm not asking to be part of your plan.
32:49Then what do you want?
32:51Just this. Right now. Whatever this is.
32:55Okay.
32:56He kissed me. Simple and certain. Marcus wooted somewhere behind us.
33:01Jordan threw a napkin. Dev said something in another language and everyone laughed.
33:05I didn't even care.
33:08Winter break was two weeks. At Nate and I spent most of it together.
33:12Cole sent me a text. I didn't respond. I didn't need to.
33:15And then Miguel sent me my early action decision. Accepted.
33:18For the first time in a long time, the future felt like mine.
33:23The students who had been at the party took the next national test date.
33:26Most of them passed. Cole's Yale recruitment held.
33:29He signed his letter of intense in February in the gym in front of the whole school.
33:33His jersey number was painted back on the wall.
33:36Hey.
33:36Congratulations, Cole.
33:38Thank you. I mean it. You could have buried me. You didn't.
33:40I know.
33:41I'm going to spend a long time thinking about that gym.
33:43Good.
33:45I found something when I was clearing out my locker.
33:47I had not seen that notebook since last fall. I thought it was still in his equipment bag.
33:52He had taken it out. He was holding it with both hands.
33:55I always thought coach put these together for me. He always said the breakdowns came from the staff.
34:02I never questioned it.
34:04Three seasons of notebooks, and I never once asked who actually wrote them.
34:08I went back and compared this one to the others.
34:10The handwriting is the same across all of them, and it isn't coaches.
34:15This page is different from the rest of the notebook. The letters are uneven. The spacing is off.
34:21I kept trying to figure out why. Then I looked at the date on the cover.
34:24It's from the week of the parking lot.
34:26You were hurt when you wrote this, weren't you?
34:30It healed.
34:33Show me.
34:34Cole!
34:36Please.
34:49You pushed me out of the way.
34:51You called 911. You stayed until the ambulance came.
34:55You went home and wrapped your own ankle. You wrote my game notes. And then you came to school the
35:00next day.
35:02And I told you that you should have been at the game.
35:06And then I spent a year telling everyone you were just background.
35:11I understood his regret. I used to imagine this moment would feel like something enormous.
35:16Relief. Release.
35:18Do you hate me?
35:19I thought about it.
35:26I did. For a long time. In another life. Longer than you'd believe.
35:31What does that mean?
35:32It means I don't anymore. But we're done here.
35:36I should have known. I should have known a long time ago.
35:42Take care of yourself, Mara.
35:44I thought about the girl who wrote that last line with blood in her sock and meant every word of
35:48it.
35:48I thought about the version of me who would have waited years for this moment.
35:52Who would have needed it? I didn't need it.
35:55Go to Yale, Cole. Be someone different than you were here. That's the whole point of leaving.
36:05I looked down at the notebook. He gave it back to me.
36:09That was the last real conversation we had. The last few months of senior year were the quietest of my
36:14life.
36:15I got something in the mail today. McGill ice hockey. Walk on invitation. They saw my stats from this season.
36:23Nate.
36:23I know. It's your school. I'm not assuming anything. I just wanted you to know.
36:27Are you going to accept?
36:31I already did.
36:32He put his arm around me and I leaned into him. We sat there in the quiet. The sun was
36:37out. I felt good.
36:40I thought about the girl who did the right thing in a parking lot and died for it.
36:44Feeling completely calm for the first time.
36:48I did not save anyone who didn't deserve to be saved. I did not protect people who used that
36:54protection as a weapon. I let the ones who were going to fall walk right into it. I kept my
37:00hands
37:00clean. I used those clean hands to give back what was stolen. That felt right. That was enough.
37:07There was one thing left. Tomorrow morning I was flying to Montreal. Tonight Nate said he'd drive me to
37:13the airport. But he had something else to say. I could feel it. My parents drove me to the airport.
37:19Mom cried. Dad didn't. But he held on a little longer than usual. And before he let go, he pressed
37:27a folded piece of paper into my hand. I opened it on the plane. His handwriting. At Mara.
37:35I don't know what you knew or how you knew it. I don't know what this year cost you. But
37:41you kept us
37:42safe. I see you. I love you. Dad. Nate was on a different flight. His parents were driving him
37:48up two days later. He texted me while I was waiting at the gate. Found a rink four blocks
37:52from campus. Open skate on Sunday mornings. Thought you should know.
37:59I'm still going to fall. I know. I'll be there.
38:12I thought about the version of myself who sat alone in a dark gym and thought that was the worst
38:18thing
38:19that would ever happen to her. She wasn't wrong. It was the worst thing. It happened. She came back
38:29from it and did something with it. That was worth doing.
38:36I know exactly how to nens. This time, it's all in my hands.
38:41in my hands.
38:42?
38:42You
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