The Weight of Blood

After the paint spills, Brady says they need to run away before they get caught, but Jules is too excited about the “carnage” of her prank—she wants to stay and listen, possibly even see Maddy’s face. She’s expecting laughter but hears silence.

Meanwhile, Wendy arrives and notices integrated prom is weirdly silent. She then sees Brady and Jules, who say that Maddy is now the person she wanted. Wendy doesn’t know what that means but senses it’s not good.

A Buzzfeed article by a surviving student describes the crowning of prom king and queen. After paint fell all over Maddy, Kayleigh laughed but nobody else did. Kenny yelled at everyone. Nobody wanted to help Maddy because nobody wanted paint on their prom clothes. White students started leaving, and phones stopped working.

Back in 2014, Charlotte is horrified about the paint, and Kenny is furious, but Charlotte’s boyfriend, Chris, says they need to leave: They’re white, and they might get blamed for the paint if they stay.

Outside, the protest is still going on. Mrs. Morgan, like Sheriff West, is worried about Officer Ross, who calls the kids “dumb little assholes” (332).