Cold Weather, Play Warmer

Chapter 13

-DAY OF TRIAL-

The morning of the trial, and already the house was swarmed with cameras and rabid reporters. For some reason, my parents decided that only Lori and I would be allowed to go. We dressed up and made a mad dash to the investigator's car, with Lola and Lana's assistances in plowing through the crowd. We managed to escape the flood of rumor-hungry reporters. I didn't escape Lori, though, as we wound up in the exact same seating arrangement as the day the box hit the zapper. It was a long way to the courthouse, and I spent half of it twiddling my thumbs.

And then, a near-perfect repeat of the event. Lori kept staring at the front window, "So...Lynn tells me you've been in on the others..."

"Oh...is that what she says?"

"It's what's on my mind right now."

"Well... I have been out of the loop, and I just wanted to catchup with the family..."

"I suppose..."

More awkward silence.

"You know, that was sneaky...how you elbowed me..."

"I learned a few things. Everyone was so excited for the concert, it was easy for me to pick the moment that no one would notice. One in a million? Nah, more than that."

"Ah."

Even more awkward silence. Then I asked the big one, "So, why'd you do it?"

"Hm?"

"Why'd you elbow me?"

Lori finally showed some signs of relenting. Her deadpan face slowly changed to forlorn, "Yeah. Everyone else kept grinding me about that too, and I...I literally don't have a good answer. All I can say is...I was jealous. And or scared beyond belief."

"...I-to-je-Huh? Jealous and scared? How did-"

"I would've been a little ok with you spending time with Clyde...But I knew you were planning something, you were always planning something with him, so I...I snuck into Clyde's from time to time. And when I saw those gifts, I really didn't wanna feel outdone. Clyde told me that it's for the best...but I couldn't accept that you were growing up, being independent, being more talented than me... I had planted this idiotic idea tha you wouldn't need me anymore..." her voice started quivering, "And then when I found out Lynn was sleeping with you, it was all kinds of scary...I heard that it was happening near Great Lakes City... I saw my a couple of my friends in Royal Woods get caught by it, and I was having a mental conversation... I didn't know what to do..."

"What was...No, not that...it can't be..."

"Yeah...The family abuse nonsense...like, brothers turning on sisters. It was happening where the Casagrandes lived..." At that point, Lori had fully broken down, "It literally infected my mind, and the overloaded college crap wasn't helping either... I was stuck between thinking that you would turn your hands to us... and thinking that you would replace me as the dominant sibling, and using Lynn against you...there was no in between...I needed a way out, but I didn't tell anybody because I'm the one they're supposed to look to...the only person that can keep the house from ending up in a pile of rubble... I didn't want to talk to anyone about it because I couldn't...I couldn't let them see me in this state...And then Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went. I was on the defensive. I thought I could end it right then and there, but I was too racked in the head. And when I saw your presents to us, I... I felt useless. There's no excuse for what happened that day. I drove away an innocent brother that literally didn't know any better! I drove away everyone I cared about! There were all these rumors about me and jail and... I broke up with Bobby because of it! I cut ties with the one person I could've turned to! Since New Year's, Mom and Dad and Bobby wouldn't shut the hell up! They kept telling me to get help, that I wasn't alone! They told me that you were trying to reconcile with me, but... I didn't believe...UNTIL YOU GAVE UP YOUR TIME TO REACH OUT TO EVERYONE! TO LYNN AND LUAN AND LUNA AND YOU FORGAVE EVERYONE WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT! EVEN TOLD THEM OFF WHEN THEY TRIED TO SNAP AT ME FOR MY MISTAKE! AND THEN YOU INSISTED ON REACHING OUT TO ME, CATCHING UP ON THOSE LOST MONTHS I WASTED! THOSE FOUR DAYS WITH YOU AND BOBBY WERE LITERALLY THE BEST DAYS I'VE EVER SPENT WITH ANYONE EVER! AND I AM THIS CLOSE TO THROWING IT ALL AWAY! HOW THE HELL AM I EVER LIVE WITH MYSELF AFTER EVERYTHING I PUT YOU THROUGH?!"