It’ll end his Navy career and take away his military pension.”

I stood next to the file cabinet, rubbing the smooth brass buckle of my service uniform belt with my thumb.

“No, I won’t,” I said.

Kenneth turned around from the windowpane.

“Sarah, he tried to wreck Matty’s confidence in front of three hundred people.”

“The truth doesn’t need to shout, Kenneth,” I said.

“It only needs to stand up.”

Principal Thorne jotted a short note at the bottom of her yellow pad and capped her pen with a soft click.