"Sit down, Carter," his dad tells him.
He laughs dryly. "Sit down? You want me to sit down?" He looks over at Finn. "Everything she said today was all me! Jace had nothing to do with the fact that I didn't want to devote all my time to her. And as far as the manipulative bitch line, he wasn't exactly wrong."
"There isn't much we can do about that now," Finn tells him.
"Put me on the fucking stand!" Carter argues. "Let me set the damn record straight. They're making Jace sound like a damn psychopath. Just put me up there."
"I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I said so!" Mr. Trayland roars. "One wrong word and you're on trial for being Jace's accomplice. This case is already messy as it is. It's too damn risky."
He has a point, and it wouldn't do us much good to give the prosecution anything more to go off of. I run my fingers through my hair as Carter seethes and Finn looks over to me for an answer. It was never decided if I was going to testify, having said we were going to feel everything out first, but it looks like I might not have much of a choice. Especially not when she made it look like I was possessive over Carter.
Holding Paige closely in my arms, I nod once at Finn.
"I'll do it. I'll take the stand."
Trial: Day Three
Watching Jace get sworn in, I can tell by the look on his face that he's nervous. Putting him on the stand allows Finn to question him in front of the jury, but it also allows the prosecution to cross-examine him. And judging by the happy looks on their faces, this is exactly what they wanted.
"Mr. London," Finn greets him. "How are you doing today?"
He's warming him up. "I've been better."
"I bet you have." Looking over at Tye, he gestures toward her. "You knew Tye the same time you knew Davianna, correct?"
"Yes, the four of us were friends."
"And how was that?"
He shrugs. "I mean, we weren't as close with them as we were with friends from back home, but we had fun together."
"Did you do things together? Hang out on the weekends?"
"Yeah. I mean, they were always around. Davianna was Carter's girlfriend, and Tye was her best friend, so it just made sense that we saw them a lot.
"Did you enjoy spending most of your time with them?"
Jace looks indifferent, but that's probably because hindsight is 20/20. "I did, but sometimes Davi just seemed like a lot of drama."
"How so?"
"Well, the night at the club for example. She was mad that Carter was dancing with Tye. She didn't like that he was giving someone else attention, so she did what she knew would get his attention. She kissed me."
"So, it was in fact Davianna who initiated that kiss?"
"Yes."
"And what happened as a result of that?"
"Carter was pissed off. I don't think he talked to either of us. But then the next day, Davi came over and convinced him that I came onto her and she was too drunk."
"She pinned it all on you."
"Correct."
Finn walks back to the table to look over one of his notes, and then turns around to face Jace again. "How did you feel about Davianna and Carter's relationship?"
"It was intense at times."
"Intense how?"
He rolls his shoulders. "It just seemed like they argued more often than they didn't. She would start fights with him over every little thing."
"Was that hard for you to watch?"
"Not exactly. I just didn't think they were right for each other. But she made him happy at times, so I didn't say anything about it."
Finn nods. "I'd like to reference what Miss Morgan mentioned in her statement yesterday, about how you and Carter would shut Davianna out a lot. Is that true?"
I look over at Carter, seeing him looking really on edge with Jace up there. I can't blame him. This all comes down to a girl Carter dated. I'm sure a part of him blames himself for having anything to do with her.
"Yes and no. I don't think we ever intentionally shut her out, but with how much they started to argue, sometimes Carter just wanted some time away from her."
"And were you supportive of that time away?"
"Yes," Jace answers. "I don't think that having your own time away from the person you're dating is necessarily unhealthy. But it's not like I instigated him to do it. I just supported what he wanted to do."
Finn takes a minute to recollect and let the jury sit on that, and then dives into the deeper topics. "I want to talk to you about the night of Davianna's death. Are you comfortable with that?"
He swallows harshly but keeps his composure. "Yes."
"You were on the roof with Davi that night, correct?"
"That's correct."
"Walk me through that."
Jace adjusts himself in his seat. "I was going to a party, but on the way upstairs, I saw Carter go past me. Davi was behind him, screaming after him, but he just kept going. She stopped on the stairs, and I tried to comfort her, but when she heard more people coming, she ran up to the roof."
"So, she was upset."
"Very."
"Okay, continue."
"She started drinking alcohol out of a flask while she was up there, and I mentioned that it wasn't good for the baby. At the time, I didn't know the pregnancy was a lie. I tried to get the flask from her, but she wouldn't give it to me.
"She got up on the ledge and started goofing off. I told her to get down, but she wasn't listening to me. She just kept dancing around and told me I needed to have more fun."
"And then what happened?"
I watch as Jace struggles to get the next words out of his mouth, even tearing up a little. "She was wearing really tall heels, and when she tried to spin around, the heel got caught on a part of the ledge. She fell backward."
Finn passes Jace a tissue. "Did you try to catch her?"
"Yes, but I couldn't. I was too far away."
"So, you watched Davianna fall off the roof, but you weren't even close enough to catch her, let alone be the one to push her."
"That's correct."
"No further questions, your honor."
The prosecutor stands before Finn is even back at his seat, and instantly starts to cross examine Jace as if they've been waiting months for this.
"Mr. London, you were interviewed the night of Davianna's death, were you not?"
Jace straightens up to hold his own against the enemy. "I was."
"But you were listed as uncooperative. Why is that?"
"Because I was in shock. I was unable to answer their questions."
"Then why did you not go back after that wore off to give your statement to police?"
His shoulders sag. "Because I had witnessed one of my friends die. It wasn't exactly something I wanted to relive. Going back to the police station just felt like going back there."
Walking over to grab something, the prosecutor moves on. "Mr. London, do you see a therapist?"
"Objection," Finn calls. "Relevance?"
"It stands for his credibility."
"I'll allow it," the judge answers.
"Again, Mr. London. Do you see a therapist?"
"Yes."
"What made you start going to a therapist?"
Jace sighs, no doubt remembering the hard times he went through. "I wasn't coping well with everything. I needed someone to help me through it. To help me understand it."
The prosecutor hits a button and pulls up a split screen. There is a video on one side, and a picture of an expulsion record on the other.
"You seem to be coping just fine here," he says. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Exhibit F. Only days after Miss Sorrentino plummeted to her death, the defendant and his friend were throwing parties in their penthouse. So much so, that they were expelled from Florida State University."
Jace pinches the bridge of his nose and looks over to Finn for guidance, but there's none he can give.
"What do you have to say about this?"
> Holding his head high, he tries to stay strong. "I say that everyone deals with grief in their own ways."
"Most people do it by paying their respects to the family and going to the funeral. But you didn't do that either, did you Jace?"
"No."
"No." The prosecutor stares him down. "Why not? Too hungover? Too guilt-stricken? Or did you just not care?"
"Objection," Finn calls again. "Prejudicial."
"Sustained."
"Did Mr. Bradford ever share with you the police report of that night?" he asks.
"He offered, but I didn't want to see it."
The prosecutor smirks. "You should. It's very telling." He brings a copy of the report up to Jace. "Like did you know that Davianna landed fifteen feet away from the building? Seems a little strange for someone who supposedly fell."
Jace doesn't respond as he looks at the report, but I don't think he was meant to.
"In order for Miss Sorrentino to land that far away from the building, either one of two things needed to happen. Either she jumped, which you haven't once claimed she did, or she was pushed."
"Neither. She fell."
"That's not what the evidence says, Jace. She had momentum when she left the ledge of the building. If she fell, she would have landed within five feet of the building. How do you explain the extra ten feet?"
"I don't know."
"I think you do. I think you know exactly how, because you were the only one there. No one else was around."
I can see Jace starting to break. Finn leans back to where Mr. London and Mr. Trayland are sitting and murmurs that putting Jace on the stand was a bad idea, as everything starts to crumble.
"I didn't push her! Her heel got caught on something and she fell!"
"You were emotional. Your best friend was getting taken away. He was going to get married, and at the time, you both believed he was going to have a family. He would have had no time for you."
"That wouldn't make me kill her! I wouldn't hurt her!"
"How are we supposed to believe that?"
"Because I was in love with her!"
The whole courtroom goes completely silent as Finn tosses his pen down on the table. Jace looks over at me, fear etched all over his face. I give him a warm smile just so he knows I'm not mad. How could I be? It's not like we were together, and that was entirely my fault.
As the new information settles in, everything starts to become clear. Why he beat himself up over everything. The way he acted. He already hated himself for falling for his best friend. That paired with the guilt and trauma of watching the girl you loved die—it's heartbreaking.
The prosecutor continues, not giving Jace a minute to calm himself down, but my attention is drawn to Carter. He says absolutely nothing as he stands up and leaves the courtroom. A part of me wants to follow him, but the last thing I want is for Jace to think I'm mad at him or think any less of him for this. I look over at Wyatt with pleading eyes, and he nods.
"I've got it."
Focusing back on Jace, I can't help but feel an uncomfortable pit in my stomach. And judging by the look on Finn's face, I have a reason to be scared.
Have you ever been afraid of something to go wrong, and then it happens, and it's even worse than you imagined? That about sums up how today went. We were honestly better off keeping me away from the stand and letting them believe that I was some overly-obsessed guy who didn't want to give his friend up.
The second the secret came out about my feelings for Davianna, the prosecution was all over it like a bad rash. They switched their standpoint and tried to accuse me of killing her in a fit of rage over unrequited love. They claimed I was angry that she was with Carter, and that I killed her because she wouldn't love me back.
What they don't realize is up until this week, I thought she felt the same about me. The way she acted when Carter wasn't around, it was like she was a whole different person. We talked about our interests and our goals, and dreamed of living in a world where our parents' wealth wasn't held over our heads like some kind of silver spoon leash.
She said that she could never talk to Carter about that kind of stuff. That he wasn't as deep as me and only wanted her for her body. But still, she stayed with him, and now I know why.
Like everything else in her life, I was just a game to her.
A tactic.
A ploy.
A puppet she used to get what she wanted.
She was everything to me, but I was nothing to her.
PAIGE SITS ON MY lap, just holding me while I hold her. Everyone is eerily quiet. After yesterday, we were holding strong and thought we had a good chance of winning, but after the shit show today, it's all cards wild. Finn said that it works to our advantage that the prosecution changed their story, because it shows uncertainty. Though he might have just been trying to ease my fears.
I look over and see as Mr. Trayland tries to call Carter for the millionth time since we left the courthouse, but as he sighs and shakes his head, I know he didn't get through.
"Still no answer?" I ask.
He shakes his head and retreats into one of the bedrooms with my dad and Finn—probably to figure out how they're going to do damage control on this.
My mind goes to Carter and how immediately after he found out about my feelings for Davi, he left. To be honest, I thought he knew. I thought that the important part was whether or not I went for it, but I guess not. Because the second it came out, he up and left.
Paige and I sit alone in the living room. Everyone else made an excuse to go get dinner, but I think they just didn't know what to say, so they made themselves scarce. I don't exactly blame them. I wouldn't know what to say to someone either if he was most likely about to lose a murder trial.
Tomorrow they go over their final evidence, that the prosecution calls their “nails in my coffin,” and deliver their closing statements. Then the jury will go into deliberation to make two decisions. First, whether or not I am guilty of murder. And second, if I am found guilty, if I should spend life in prison or be considered for the death penalty.
Paige curls up even smaller in my lap and I hold her tight. One of the things that hurts me most is the thought of leaving her behind. She's one of the most loyal people I know, which is why I know that she won't just let me go. No. She'll wait. She'll spend years with my dad, looking for ways to get me out of prison. And I don't want that for her.
"Can you promise me something?" I question.
She turns so her forehead is resting against mine. "What's that?"
"If tomorrow doesn't go our way, that you won't wait for me."
Pulling her head away, I can already tell she's about to tell me no, but I stop her.
"Hear me out," I request, and she settles slightly. "I love you, and it's because I love you that I want you to have everything good in the world. The gorgeous beach wedding you've dreamt of since we were kids. The house that looks like it came out of a magazine. The perfect little family that bakes cookies on Sundays. You deserve it all, Paige. And I hope that I get to be the one that gives it to you, but if I'm not, I want you to move on."
Tears spring to her eyes. "But I don't want it. If it's not you, I don't want it."
"Maybe not now, but you will. I promise, you will."
She shakes her head with a pout. "You're wrong."
I sigh and pull her impossibly closer, kissing her a few times just so she knows that no part of me is trying to push her away. Not again. Never again.
"Then at least promise me you'll try."
She doesn't answer, and certainly doesn't promise, but she doesn't fight me on it either. She just stays motionless in my arms, embracing every second we have together, the same way I am.
The same way I always do.
Trial: Day Four
On the way into the courthouse, I have to remind myself to breathe. Today is potentially the day that I find out if I'm spending the rest of my life in prison or not, and to say it's weighing heavily on me is an
understatement.
No matter how many times we called, no one has been able to get ahold of Carter. His dad doesn't seem worried, claiming that if something were wrong we would have heard about it by now, but I sure as hell am. Losing my best friend is not something I wanted to do before a day like this. I thought he would come back from the hotel last night and we would talk about it, but he never showed.
We even tried calling Wyatt, but all he did was send Hayden a text back letting us know he's busy but he'll get back to us when he can. I know he's not pissed off at me, but I'm not sure what he's doing with Carter that is so important. I just never expected Carter to be this mad about it. Not after he moved on just fine since her death.
The clock ticks down toward the time we're supposed to begin what is now day four of the trial. All of us go to find our places, and I give Paige a kiss before taking my seat. Every time the door opens, I glance back, hoping it's Carter, but being disappointed every time. It's official; he hates me.
But as the judge comes in and deems court in session for the final time, my attention is pulled away from my missing best friend and onto the matter at hand.
THE PROSECUTION REALLY PULLS out everything they have for the final day, probably because it's the most influential time. You want those important pieces of information fresh in their mind when they go to deliberate. They show them things like text messages between Davi and I, including an argument I'm not entirely proud of.
The most groundbreaking piece of evidence, though, is a surveillance camera from the other side of the roof. It's shot from what's probably the worst angle possible, but you can absolutely tell it's Davi and me.
We come out onto the roof, and while there is no sound, you can see that the emotions are high. Even watching it, knowing what happens because I lived through it, I still feel anxiety for what's to come.
I watch as she goes over to the front of the building and gets up on the ledge. Everything looks exactly how it went, until right before she goes over. My body blocks most of hers from the camera, and as she goes over the edge, it genuinely looks like I pushed her. Having lived through it, I know that motion was just me trying to catch her, but I can absolutely see why they think I did this. Shit, even I’m starting to think I did it.
Change My Game: An Emotional Second Chance Romance (North Haven University Book 2) Page 24
