Cooper looked at Maxwell. She felt terribly for him; she knew his family would disown him over this. Her heart felt as though it was trying to crawl up her throat and choke her with tears as she thought about it. The silence of the crowd was deafening, it drove her mad how low these people thought of a fellow human being. She was exactly as proud of Max as she was of all her other friends. They had all worked hard, and no job was truly lesser or greater than any other.
Cooper couldn't bear it, and she stood up straight from her seat and started to clap for her friend. Slow and steady, but loud and proud. Tears streamed down her face, catching on the corners of her upturned lips as she smiled for Max.