Whisper Network

Sloane has two voicemails from Abigail’s principal: Abigail punched another student. Sloane worries that perhaps Abigail was the bully all along. Derek gets to the school at the same time as Sloane does and they hold hands.

They meet with Principal Clark, Abigail’s English teacher, the boy she hit, and the boy’s mom. Sloane recognizes the boy, Steve Lightner, as one of those who texted Abigail that she was not invited to the party. Sloane asks Abigail why she hit Steve. Abigail explains that he has been making fun of her underwear for days, nudging her so that he could see its color and telling all the other students about it. Abigail asked him to stop, but he didn’t. Then she told her English teacher, who just told her to ignore Steve. Today, Steve pulled Abigail’s underwear into a wedgie and she punched him. Sloane confronts the teacher, who says the school encourages students to work out interpersonal problems on their own. When Sloane calls the incident sexual harassment, the principal and teacher tell her she’s overreacting and ask Derek to chime in. Derek responds that his wife is handling it just fine. Sloane asks the principal what Abigail should have done; when he responds that “violence is never the answer” (398), Sloane asks why violence against girls is okay and tells Steve never to touch Abigail again.