Dead Apples

13- Third Tries

"Good afternoon, Mr. Clarke. And Mr. Holland," She adds, shaking both of their hands. "This is the sister?"

"Yes, she's sitting in to help Mr. Clarke make the right decision," James explains to Gabby. I watch as she pulls out her own manila folder and opens it up. She flips her hair over her shoulder and blinks her eyes a few times as she catches up on the file. Her eyeliner is winged perfectly, like it could stab you if you got too close, and her blazer looks tailored to fit her perfectly. Well, it probably is tailored. "Where's the DA?"

"Unfortunately, Mike is busy right now so I'm filling in. Will that be a problem?" She raises one perfectly filled in eyebrow at the young lawyer.

"I guess not," He seems to shrink into his chair. At least I'm not the only one that she intimidates.

Her deep red lips curl into a smug smile. "Great. So let's get started," She looks back at the folder. "You don't have much wiggle room here, Mr. Clarke, but it's your lucky day. The courts are getting weighed down so we're not looking to go to trial. Which means your plea options are a bit more decent than they should be."

"That's good news, Robby," I nudge him.

"But," She continues and then she starts reading off of the paper. "We have video tapes, witnesses, finger prints, stolen property found on your person, victim's blood on your clothes. Like I said—not much wiggle room. I have two plea deals for you to consider. My first one is 12 years if you plead guilty. The second one is 7 years if you plead guilty and give me the names of your three buddies. Consider them, and let me know which one you would prefer."

"No," Robby says immediately.

"She said to think about it," I remind him with an aggravated glare.

"My client is interested in pleading innocent," James informs Gabby. He looks embarrassed to even be saying that because everybody except for my brother can see just how stupid it is that he's thinking about that as an option.

"What?" Gabby looks thrown off by that. "Do you want me to repeat the list of evidence we have against you?"

"It wasn't my fault," Robby explains to her and then looks over at me, as if to convince me to believe him too.

"Robert," I snap at him, using his full name which makes it clear that I mean business. "I swear to god, if you start whining that your friends made you do it, I am going to throw this table at you. Tell her the names and take the 7 years. That's not so bad."

"They did," He insists. I can't lift the table so that was an empty threat but I sure wish that I was strong enough because I'm feeling so incredibly frustrated right now at my brother. "We had been drinking. I didn't want to go but they were my ride so I didn't have a choice."

"Did somebody hold a gun to your head and tell you to stab a man?" Gabby questions him sarcastically. "Because I've seen the security footage and I must have missed that part. Listen, Mr. Clarke, we don't want to go to court but we cannot budge on the 7 years and that's only if you cooperate. If you take this to court, we will be asking for the max penalty."

"That's 20 years, Mr. Clarke," James informs my stupid brother. "I need some time with my client."

"I need an answer today," Gabby tells them.

"You don't need time with Robby," I tell James and then I look at Robby, feeling angrier at him than I ever have before. "How is this even something that you have to think about, Robby? Are you fucking kidding me? How many times do I have to tell you that you not going to prison is not an option? You are going to prison. Whether you like it or not, you are going. The question now is if you are going for seven years or twenty years. So grow the fuck up and accept responsibility, you fucking dumbass. You are willing to leave me stuck here without you for twenty years just because you can't let go of your pride? Can you stop being so goddam selfish?"