Chapter 40: Rally of Regret, Chapter 41: It Started With Silence

<p>Months ago, Jebra said yes to giving a speech at a KamalaHarris rally. She imagined herself as the Martin Luther King of the present day. She had a dream, too.</p><p>But when she opens her mouth to deliver the Kamala quote she rehearsed forty times. It's gone. Completely gone. In its place: <em>"We must win this election because if we don't win,we're losers."</em></p><p>Then Arson goes silent. Then Echo. Then the book club. Thenthe poetry circle. Then the drum circle group chat. Then the church stops sending emails.</p><p>Four days later, Jebra finds Arson in Trader Joe's, and she unloads her list of crimes Jebra has committed:</p><p>The charges are read: she didn't post a black square. She misgendered Karol. She gave Becoming one staron Goodreads and more.</p><p>That night, scrolling Instagram at midnight, Jebra finds aphoto of Arson hugging Howland Dray, the transformational coach. She swipes to Arson's profile. USER NOT FOUND.</p><p></p>