train wreck // justin foley

26

he showed us the paper. it was in red ink saying:

you TALK, you DIE

"what the fuck." i said, looking at clay. justin crumpled up the paper and we drove to the courthouse.

justin went up and the started to question him.

"how would you describe mr. walker's relationships with girls?" dennis asked. "were they fear based as well?"

"yes, sir." justin said. "they were like conquests to him."p he would always brag about what he'd done with girls." justin said. "and then he'd call them sluts for hooking up with him."

"and did he ever mention an 'on again, off again' relationship with hannah baker to you?"

"no, sir, because it never happened." justin told him. "maybe they hung out, but there's no way he would've hooked up with her and not told me about it."

"because he liked to brag, as you said?" dennis asked.

"exactly." justin said.

"how would you describe hannah?" he asked justin.

"she was really kind and funny." justin said. "i'd liked her from the first time i saw her. we only had one real date, but it was... it was nice. i walked her home, then i went home but i couldn't sleep. and i got in, like, a fight with my mom's boyfriend. i texted hannah and she said to come over. when i'd come over, she just took care of me, made sure i was okay. then i fell asleep. she just let me sleep there all night. she slept on her own floor. when i woke up, i took off and started walking to school. then i ran into bryce who just kept asking about it." justin said. "i knew he wasn't going to leave it alone. i knew i'd have to tell him something. i just don't know why that was more important than doing right by hannah. friendship, i guess. being a man. wanting him to think i was more than i was somehow. maybe bryce sent it around because he was jealous. or maybe because he's just cruel. i don't know. i don't know why people send around photos like that. bryce did shi- stuff like that all the time." justin said. i looked at clay who looked nervous. i grabbed his hand.

"tell me what you saw when you went into the room that night." dennis said, talking about the night at bryce's party. this was about me. justin looked at me, and clay squeezed my hand.

"we'll renew our objection, irrelevant and inflammatory." the lawyer for the school said.

"your honor, we're establishing that bryce walker engaged in a pattern of behavior and that the school was aware of it. the defense claims that no such behavior took place. we have a right to respond." dennis told him.

"witness will answer." the judge said.

"i went into the room, kylie was passed out and bryce was standing over her, and his... his pants were unzipped. she had her panties off and she wasn't moving. her eyes were closed. it-it was like she was dead. i tried to pull him off, but he shoved me out and locked the door, i just sat there listening. listening to him and her. it sounded like she started to wake up." justin said. he continued to look at me and i had tears running down my face.

"did you think of calling the police or calling for help?" dennis asked.

"i did- but i was afraid." justin said.

"afraid of what?"

"i don't know." justin said.

"afraid of losing my best friend, my girlfriend, my entire life. which i guess i already lost." he said. he began to cry. "i'll regret this forever." he said.

i got up and walked out. i sat outside the courtroom crying.

"kylie?" i heard zach say. i looked up and saw alex and zach standing there.