The entire gym was silent.
More than 300 children sat on the floor in rows, completely still.
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
Then it hit me.
Every single one of them had duct tape wrapped around their shoes.
Some were messy. Some were neat. Some had drawings.
But all of them were taped—just like Andrew’s.
I searched the room until I found him.
He was sitting in the front row, looking down at his worn sneakers.
My throat tightened.
I turned to the principal.
“What… what is this?”
His eyes were red.
“It started this morning.”
“What are you talking about?”
He nodded toward a girl sitting a few rows behind Andrew.
“Laura came back to school today. She’d been out for a few days.”
A small girl sat there, hands folded neatly.
“That’s the girl your husband saved,” he added.
My breath caught.
“I see.”
“Laura saw what was happening to your son. She heard what the other kids were saying.”
He paused, then continued through tears.
