Chapter 3

Josh's face went pale. "I... I can't remember. It was so long ago. How am I supposed to remember all those details?"

I pressed him further. "You can't remember? You said I bullied you so badly you almost dropped out of school. Something like that isn't exactly easy to forget, is it? Unless you've been lying about the whole thing!"

The crowd fell quiet. People started to look uncertain, but before anyone could question his story, Josh let out a piercing scream.

He dropped into a crouch, clutching his head with both hands and shaking uncontrollably. "It's all my fault! I lied! You never bullied me! Please don't hit me! Stay away! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I swear!"

He was putting on such a convincing display of terror that it looked as though I'd frightened him into a complete breakdown.

Evelyn's eyes filled with tears. She immediately knelt beside him and pulled him into her arms, trying to soothe him. "It's okay, sweetheart. Mommy's here. You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you. I promise I'll protect you..."

Graham lost his temper completely. "Asher! Look what you've done to Josh! He's scared out of his mind! Haven't you put him through enough? Why can't you just leave him alone? How can you be so cruel?"

The reporters were furious too, and a few even started cursing at me.

I clenched my fists until my nails dug into my palms. I forced myself to stand straight and held up my phone, 911 already punched in.

"I've told you, I never bullied him! If you don't believe me, we can let the police sort this out. They can check my address history and school records. Then we'll see who's lying."

Graham exploded. "Asher, have you lost your mind? This is a family matter! Do you really want to involve the police and make a laughingstock of the entire Ashford family?"

I stood my ground. "I'm not the one embarrassing this family. Your precious son is! He's the one who made these accusations in front of all these reporters and dragged the Ashford name through the mud!"

I turned to Josh, who was still huddled in Evelyn's arms, stealing glances at me. "You seemed pretty sure I bullied you earlier. So where's your proof?

"If you can't back up your accusations, I can sue you for defamation. You can't just make up lies about someone and expect to get away with it!"

Josh went pale, but for a split second, I caught a vicious look in his eyes. Then he burst into tears. "Who says I don't have proof? Of course I do! I've kept it all these years!"

Josh pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it up for Graham, Evelyn, and the reporters to see.

It was an old, yellowed letter with a handwritten apology. The handwriting was messy, but the words were easy enough to read.

It read, "I, Asher Vale, am sorry for bullying Josh Ashford at school. I shouldn't have locked him in the equipment room or stuffed things into his backpack. I know what I did was wrong, and I promise I'll never do it again. I hope Josh will forgive me."

My name, Asher Vale, was signed at the bottom.

A faint fingerprint was even next to it.

"Oh, my God! Asher actually wrote an apology letter!"

"So he was lying about being innocent! He even admitted to bullying Josh in writing!"

"Unbelievable! He's got proof staring him in the face, and he still won't admit it! How shameless can you get?"

The reporters immediately started talking over one another, their cameras flashing nonstop.

Still holding the letter, Josh turned to me with a hurt expression. "This is the apology letter our teacher made you write after you bullied me. I've kept it all these years.

"I never planned on showing it to anyone, but you keep denying everything. I don't have much of a choice anymore..."

Graham took the letter from Josh. When he looked at me again, disgust filled his expression.