Chapter 6 - Ethan Was Not Following Jake—He Was Choosing the Easier Side
Ethan Carter’s defense was different.
He said:
“I was going along with Jake.”
Sarah disliked that answer more than Jake’s.
Not because Ethan’s conduct was worse.
Because:
I was following
is how adults try to outsource:
agency.
Ethan had put his hands on her shoulders.
Nobody asked him to.
Jake was the loudest.
Ethan chose:
participation.
Why?
He admitted it eventually.
“Jake made everything easier.”
Ethan was tall.
Strong.
Looked confident.
Internally, he worried constantly that people would discover:
he wasn’t.
He had struggled academically.
Barely completed community college.
Joined the Navy because he wanted:
direction.
Jake adopted him immediately.
For Ethan, that felt like:
belonging.
If Jake laughed:
Ethan laughed.
If Jake disliked:
someone,
Ethan joined.
Not because Jake controlled:
him.
Because choosing independently meant risking:
separation.
Sarah understood that too.
In her career, she had seen teams fail because people prioritized:
belonging to the group
over:
protecting the group from bad decisions.
She asked Ethan during a later restorative interview:
“When Jake told me to pick up the food, what did you think?”
“That it was messed up.”
“Then why did you touch me?”
Ethan stared at:
the floor.
“Because I thought if I acted like I was in on it, he wouldn’t think I was soft.”
“Did it work?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“I’m here.”
Sarah nodded.
May you like
Exactly.
---
