Speak Up Chapter 18
Just then, I saw Wade.
He was holding up that horribly ugly poster, waving it enthusiastically.
I could read his lips clearly.
“Don’t be scared. I’m here.”
I took a breath and finally spoke.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Bianca Pierce.”
“I know a lot of you call me the Ice Queen.”
A small stir went through the audience.
“That’s fine. I know why.”
“Starting in middle school, I stopped talking to people. The reason was simple. “
“I trusted someone, and she stole something from me. Afterward, everyone believed her, and no one believed me.”
“After that, I decided silence was easier. As long as I did my work and kept to myself, that was enough.”
The gym slowly quieted.
“But what happened last month made me realize I was wrong.”
“In this very gym, someone used forged evidence to accuse me of stealing.”
“Someone tried to use the school’s authority to take away an opportunity I had spent a year preparing for and hand it to someone else.”
“That day, I couldn’t say a word. Not because I was guilty, but because I was afraid that even if I spoke, no one would believe me.”
I paused, my gaze falling on Wade.
“But Wade spoke up for me.”