Chapter 5 - The Post
Before calling police, Mark opened Parker’s social-media page.
The post was still live.
A video showed Lily’s car against the tree while Parker laughed behind the camera. The caption was brief and cruel, presenting the destruction as a joke about parking rules.
Mark saved everything.
The video.
The caption.
The timestamp.
The comments from Parker’s friends.
Then the post vanished.
Parker looked down at his phone.
“You saved it?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa’s expression sharpened.
“You have no right to record my son’s page.”
“He posted it publicly.”
“He’s a teenager.”
“He’s nineteen.”
“He is still young.”
“So is Lily.”
That answer stopped her for half a second.
Mark dialed 911.
The driveway changed immediately.
His mother began begging him to hang up. His father paced between the porch and the lawn, insisting insurance could handle everything. Vanessa shifted from threatening to negotiating.
“We’ll replace the car.”
Lily looked up.
“With what?”
Vanessa hesitated.
“A comparable one.”
“No,” Lily said quietly. “You don’t get to destroy mine and buy a different one so everybody forgets.”
Mark turned toward her.
It was the first strong sentence she had spoken since he arrived.
Claire kissed the side of her head.
The officer pulled into the driveway ten minutes later.
By then, Parker had stopped filming.
May you like
Vanessa had started crying.
And Mark’s parents had already decided the police officer needed to hear about Parker’s “bright future” before hearing what he had done.
