I walked down the driveway. I didn't rush; running signals panic, and panic is contagious. I kept
my hands relaxed at my sides. "Is there a problem?" I asked evenly.
Mason squared his shoulders, trying to use his two-hundred-pound frame to intimidate me.
"Your kid's music was annoying me," he barked. "So you broke the radio?" I asked. "I handled it.
You got a problem with that?" he challenged, stepping uncomfortably close. I didn't flinch.
"Mason, this is my property. You will not touch my vehicle again, and you will never approach
Sophie like that again. Go home." He stared into my eyes, searching for fear. Finding only a void,
he laughed nervously and backed away. "Whatever. Watch your back."
Chapter 6: The Trophy and the Ego
Mason's restraint didn't last. In August, he won a regional semi-contact martial arts tournament.
Grant threw a massive, loud party to celebrate, with a DJ blasting music until 2 A.M. Mason
paraded his cheap plastic trophy around the yard, boasting to anyone who would listen that he