“Well, yes, but we didn’t believe him.”
“Why not? Usually we take murder threats seriously.”
“He hated me, we all knew that. He thought it was my fault that Cami, my best friend, didn’t like him. I don’t recall him ever actually saying, ‘I am going to kill Sam,’ but he did say things like, ‘Life would be better if Sam was dead.’ We just laughed it off and assumed he was being an angry teenager.”
“Did you bully him?”
“Me, personally? No.”
“Did you ever witness him being bullied?”
“I think Evan pushed him off a chair once, but that’s about it. I wouldn’t exactly call that bullying. We asked him to move and he didn’t.”
“So, in your opinion, Jacob created this entire plan as an elaborate scheme to murder you and when he did not succeed, he decided to send Zac to prison. Does that make any sense to you?”
“To be honest, no. But yes, I think he created the plan all on his own, and I know no one in my group of friends ever wanted to kill him.”
“Thank you, dear.”
I started to get up to leave – Zac had been staring at me hungrily ever since I walked into the room and my heart was pounding. I felt lighter, faster, and more alert, but it also made me feel high. At least, what I assumed being high felt like. I’m not big on stoners. The judge stopped me.
“Does the prosecution have questions for the witness?”
“Yes, your honor.”
I panicked. Mr. Lowe had gone over the questions he would ask me before we’d entered the courtroom, but I’d been hoping the prosecution would leave me alone. I’d seen too many Law and Order episodes and didn’t want to get backed into a
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corner. Swallowing hard, I tried to look anywhere but at Zac or Jacob, who was curled up in his chair trying to disappear.
“What was your relationship with Mr. Bell?” the female lawyer asked. I swallowed again.
“Not really anything, I guess,” I answered feebly.
“Not really anything? So you’re telling me a guy who didn’t really have any relationship with you shot and almost killed someone in order to save your life? He actually risked his future for someone he barely knew?”
“Well,” I began, already feeling closed in. “It’s not like we didn’t have ties. I am dating his best friend.”
“But you yourself are not friends with Mr. Bell, are you?”
“No, not really. We’ve only talked a few times.”
“Is it true you once had a romantic relationship with Mr.
Bell?”
“No,” I spat, probably answering far too quickly. I should’ve remembered Jacob knew about whatever the old relationship was and would probably play it up to the lawyers. “I mean, I used to like him, but that’s all. We never actually did anything.”
“Are you sure? You know you’re under oath.”
“I’ve never even touched him,” I said through gritted teeth, glaring at Jacob. He wasn’t looking at me. In fact, he wasn’t looking at anyone. He was staring at his shoes, hands gripping his arms.
“Very well. I have no more questions for this witness.”
As I was leaving the courtroom, I poked into the prosecutor’s head. One thing I’d learned to do with my gift was be selective about it. It wasn’t like the movies – I didn’t hear everyone’s thoughts constantly, and it certainly wasn’t going to drive me insane. When I first realized I could do it (which was less than two months ago), it was hard to control. Usually I only heard things when I was relaxed and everything was quiet – like the time Mitch said (thought) he loved me. Since then, I had learned to use the gift on command only – pressing my thoughts into people’s heads until I could hear theirs.
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The prosecutor was very confident she was going to win the case. She had very little faith in Jacob’s testimony – she thought was a whiny little boy just like the rest of us did – but she had a secret weapon up her sleeve. The bailiff was leading me out the door when I sort of caught what her plan was.
Zac’s father… in prison… murder was all I heard.
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Cami
“How well did you know Mr. Bell?” Mr. Lowe asked. I was sitting on the witness stand, beginning my testimony against Jacob. He was sitting in front of me, sneaking glances at my face.
Other than that, he stayed tightly curled in his chair, refusing to look at anyone. I thought it was probably an act, considering what an arrogant bastard he usually was.
“Not very,” I answered. “I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to him at all – at least not enough that I remember. But I’ve always heard good things about him, and I’ve never seen or heard of him doing anything mean or illegal.”
“What about Mr. Fastner?”
“I dated him for a while. He was mean, especially to Sam.
Well, he wasn’t mean to me. He was pretty much obsessed with me. But I was usually pretty standoffish with him, and he thought it was Sam’s fault.”
“And you heard him make multiple death threats to Sam?”
“He never said anything to her face, at least not that I know of. But he said more than once that life would be easier if she were dead. He told me he wished she was dead on more than on occasion. Those sound like threats to me.”
“Yes, yes they do. Why didn’t you ever say anything to the police?”
“I didn’t think he would do anything about it. None of us did. I knew he was serious when he said it, but I didn’t think he’d
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actually go through with it. It’s not like he ever told me he had plans for it. He never even said, ‘I’m going to kill her.’ He just mentioned it’d be easier if she wasn’t around.”
“In your opinion, was Mr. Fastner picked on in any way?”
“Not really. I mean, everyone gets bullied a little in high school. That’s just how teens are. So yeah, I mean, once Evan pushed him off a chair, but I don’t really remember anything else.
I’m sure there was a little teasing, but he was the one saying he wished my best friend were dead. In my opinion, he didn’t have any right to complain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he started fights with Sam all the time. He really hated her, pretty unnecessarily I think. She never did anything to him, and she never said anything to try and get me to not like him. I didn’t like him because he was an asshole, not because my friend told me not to.”
“Thank you. No more questions,” Mr. Lowe added, looking at the judge.
“Why did you date Mr. Fastner?” the prosecutor asked, standing up and buttoning her jacket. She was a tall red headed lady, and she was rather “gifted” in the chest area. I assumed she buttoned her jacket to draw attention to that.
“He really, really liked me and I was single,” I answered truthfully.
“But you didn’t like him?”
“I didn’t really know him.”
“And, after you got to know him, you continued to date him until April, yes?”
“Yes, I met another guy in April and I didn’t think it was fair to keep stringing Jacob along.” Again, I was being truthful.
“But it was okay to string him along through April?”
“I felt sorry for him,” I said, feeling sorry for saying it.
“I’m not a mean girl, despite what it might look like. He liked me so much, and once I realized how mean he was, he was already in love with me, or so he said. I tried to break up with him once but he said he’d kill himself. I wasn’t interested in anyone else at the
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time so I figured I’d indulge him until I was. And when I met Bryce, I really liked him and decided to think for myself and quit trying to make Jake happy. It was time to look after myself.”
“So you just dumped him aside, knowing he was suicid
al?”
“I thought he was serious at first, but then I realized he was just saying that so I’d stay. I had to stand up for myself.”
“Did you tell anyone he was suicidal?”
“No, I didn’t believe he really was. I didn’t want to tell someone and make a huge deal about it if he wasn’t actually serious; that would’ve made me even angrier.”
“What if he really had been serious?”
“Then I would’ve felt awful, like it was my fault, and I would have apologized to his parents and offered any help I could. But I didn’t see any signs other than him saying he would if I dumped him. He wasn’t depressed, just angry.”
“No more questions.”
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Jacob
I was so nervous about testifying I could hardly breathe. Most of what I was going to say was either a lie or a highly embellished truth. I was afraid of Zac, afraid of Sam, and afraid of losing the case. If I lost, I was going to prison and Zac would roam free. Either way, Cami would never love me, so I guess I was screwed anyway.
“Mr. Fastner, tell us about your life at school. Were you bullied?” my lawyer asked.
“Yes,” I answered softly, my mouth dry.
“How severely?”
“Very.”
“Was it physical or emotional bullying?”
I was embarrassed by these questions, but I knew the wimpier I looked the more likely the jury was to believe me.
“Both,” I said. “But mostly emotional.”
“What about Mr. Bell? How did he treat you?”
“I didn’t see him around much, but I knew he and Sam were in a relationship.” I saw Zac stiffen when I said this. “She talked about him all the time. They planned to kill me.”
“And, why would they do that?”
“Because I knew about their relationship. It was so obvious; I can’t believe no one else figured it out. Her thing with Mitch was just a cover.”
“And why would she need a cover?”
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“I don’t know, but I think Zac was – is – a bad person. I think he’s done something bad.” Zac sat up straighter in his seat, clearly afraid.
“Aside from shooting you? Something like what?”
“I don’t know for sure.”
“Did you ever threaten to kill Samantha Steele?”
“God, no! I never said anything like that!” It was a lie. I was terrified that everyone would see it was a clear lie. But I couldn’t admit I had planned it and actually attempted to follow through. My mom would be crushed. She would think she was a terrible mom and she would probably kill herself. I could never live with that; I couldn’t fail my mom because she hadn’t truly failed me. It wasn’t her fault I was a killer. I just was.
I wanted to tell her that, but then she would know that I was. She would still feel the guilt and the shame. I’m not that cruel, despite what past events have suggested.
“Then why, if you never threatened her life, does she say you did? Why does the defendant claim you stabbed Samantha Steele?”
“Because they hated me, all of them. All I wanted was for Cami to like me, but Sam fed her all these lies about me, about what a bad person I am. It wasn’t fair. I tried to be nice but she just hated me and I don’t know why.”
“Why do you think it escalated to attempted murder?”
“I think Zac is a dark person,” I said, my eyes wide and as fearful as I could make them. “I think they all are. I think they didn’t want me in their group so much that they went to those drastic measures. But, I’m not holding a grudge. I have looked deep inside myself, spoken with God, and forgiven them. They are just teenagers, and they made some terrible choices. The point is that I survived, and I will live with a new respect for life now.”
All lies, but it sure as hell sounded good.
I felt confident and prepared for whatever the defense asked me. Zac’s mousy little lawyer didn’t scare me. In fact, he was so wimpy and fearful looking that I felt extra confident about my case.
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“How come you never reported any of your bullying?”
Mr. Lowe asked.
“I was afraid things would get worse,” I said, wringing my hands together. “If they got in trouble for bullying, they’d know it was me.”
“When you say, ‘they,’ are you referring to Ms. Hooper as well?”
“Yes,” I answered far too quickly. Dammit, I didn’t mean that! “I mean, no, not her, just the rest.”
“Why did you want to date a girl whose friends bullied you? How could you enjoy a relationship with someone who didn’t even like you?”
“I was in love,” I answered truthfully. “I couldn’t let myself leave. I just took the bullying and stayed because she let me.”
“Were you angry when Ms. Hooper broke up with you?”
“How could I not be? I was very distraught. I was angry, I was hurt, and I was confused.”
“Who do you think caused the actual break up?”
“Well, Sam introduced her to Bryce,” I said, immediately regretting it. I knew what he was going to ask next, and there wasn’t much I could do to take the suspicion off of me now.
“So, you blamed Sam for the break up?”
“Well, I guess indirectly,” I lied, trying to cover up my mistake.
“So, is it possible that you were so angry with Sam, who had finally succeeded in breaking you and Ms. Hooper up, that you made a death threat?”
“No, I never said anything like that!” I cried, losing myself. “I never said I was going to kill her!”
“No more questions.”
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Evan
Mitch, Annika, and I were waiting outside the courtroom to testify. Sam and her mom had already left, and Cami was still inside. Mitch kept fidgeting, eager to get his testimony over with.
Annika’s mom was inside the courtroom, but we had been asked to stay outside. Probably so we didn’t make anyone uncomfortable, I guessed.
A woman in a blue suit came out of the courtroom and called to me.
“You’re testifying next, Mr. Cage,” she said. She led me away from the main entrance to a side door and waited until the bailiff opened the door to let me into the courtroom. I was brought to the witness stand and sworn in before I had a real chance to look around the room. I spotted my mom in the very back, sitting with Annika’s mom. Perhaps it was wrong, but I was more worried about my mom and my girlfriend’s mom having a nice chat than I was about my best friend possibly going to jail.
“How close are you with the defendant?” Mr. Lowe asked, coming up the stand.
“He’s my best friend,” I answered.
“So you would say you know him very well, then?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What is your opinion of Mr. Bell?”
“He’s a nice guy. He can get a little emotional,” I said with a smile, looking at Zac. He rolled his eyes at me, but grinned. “But he’s a good person. I trust him with my life.” I
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thought the last bit was a little humorous, considering he’d saved Sam’s life. I thought a little humor would make the jury like me. I had also given up my perpetual glare for an award-winning, shiny white grin. Mitch was a bit more movie-star looking than me, but I was the one with the fake record.
“Do you think he’s capable of murder?”
“No,” I answered, a little surprised at being asked such a direct question. “I think he was fully prepared to shoot Jacob, but that was the heat of the moment, and a friend was dying. Mitch was getting beat up, I’d just gotten knocked out – I think Zac just did what seemed logical at the time. With all those emotions, all the action, the complete lack of control… I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
“So nothing was planned? There was no conspiracy?”
“Of course not.
Like I’m sure Sam and Cami have already said, no one believed Jacob’s threats.”
“And you think Zac is a good person? He was just trying to protect Sam?”
“Of course. He would do that for anyone. That’s just how he is.”
“Thank you. No more questions.”
“You say that you and Zac are good friends?” the prosecutor asked, lacing her fingers together in front of her and walking towards the witness stand.
“Yes,” I answered.
“So, you must’ve known about his and Sam’s relationship, then, correct?”
“I knew he liked her, but that was back in February.
When Zac quit going to South, things kind of fizzled out between them. She ended up dating Mitch.”
“Was Zac angry over that?”
“He never acted like it if he was. I don’t think he cared that much. It’s not like they were in love. They never even went on a date.”
“Is it possible their relationship was a secret?”
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“Absolutely not,” I answered firmly. “Zac didn’t have a lot of girlfriends. If he and Sam were together, she wouldn’t be with Mitch, and we’d all know.”
“And you firmly believe this?”
“I have no doubt at all.”
“You had a physical altercation with Mr. Fastner, did you not? Before the night in the hotel?”
“I wouldn’t call it an altercation really. I pushed him off a chair once. He fell maybe a foot and half. Cami asked him to leave and he wouldn’t, so I made him.” I wished she hadn’t brought that up; it did make me look bad. But really, I hadn’t been violent, right? I just shoved him off the chair.
“Why was he asked to move?” Oh great, just what we need – to bring Bryce into this.
“Cami had just broken up with Jacob. We were all sitting at a lunch table and Bryce, who’d asked Cami to prom, came over. Cami asked Jacob to move so Bryce could sit down and Jake refused. He kept trying to put his arm around her even after she asked him not to. To me, that shows a complete lack of respect for women. He was kind of forcing himself on her. So I shoved him off the chair and Bryce took it.”
“Thank you, no more questions.”
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Annika
I wasn’t very nervous to testify. A small part of me wondered if I should be; Sam had clearly been very distraught not only when she went in but when she came back out. She’d been acting a little odd lately. Ever since she found out she had to testify, she’d been spending more time alone with Mitch than with the rest of us. We all spent time alone, but since we all had boyfriends who were all friends, we often went on group dates.
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