Small things have a way of adding up. Sometimes they add up and become something so huge that there is no way to hide them. But sometimes, and only rarely they remain small but become bigger figuratively. Inside your subconscious, gnawing at your sense, making you think there is something you are either forgetting or you are overlooking. And these are the worst kind of small things that you cannot keep hidden. Because no matter how much you hide it or try to, they will inevitably come through, into daylight. No amount of shadow can hide it then. The gnawing of senses yeah, they help a lot if only we can focus our brain to pick out what it is that is gnawing in the first place. And that is exactly what happened here.
After the girl's lawyer questioned me about my breakup and about my parents' accident. We went on a break. I think that was not the plan for her, but it was because of Aaron, at least that's what I think, why Judge suddenly called for a break. He was fuming and his lawyer was not too pleased either. But his lawyer did not approach me when we recessed. I was sure he would. But that did not happen. I think it has something to do with the revelation of the fact that we are not together and that I dumped him. Along with some other things that I said, which the Jury listened to carefully, might I add. I was not lying. And I told myself I will not lie. Only thing I had no idea about was that Aaron told his lawyer we are together. What I do not understand is why did his lawyer not check that? This makes me think his lawyer has no idea what he did to me? Oh, now this is going to be messy after the recess is over.
Have you ever felt like you can feel a storm coming? More like brewing. Like you can hear a big thunder coming your way from the snippets of sound you keep hearing. You can sense a lightning will be striking near you from all the flashes you keep seeing around you. And the rain. Well, you know it in your bones, you can just feel it that there is a while before you are graced with those heavenly droplets of water from above. Because before that you have to endure the wrath of the thunderstorm, especially the big lightning which seems to be getting closer and closer to striking next to you. Have you ever experienced that? Well to be honest I cannot say I have until now.
After the much-needed recess was over and everyone was back. The Judge and Jury seated while the girl's lawyer, whose name I should learn, gets up to walk towards me. She is still hosting the all-knowing secretive smile which indeed creeped me out a little. But not like before. Because now as soon as I witness it, my eyes felt drawn to look at that inhuman asshole's face who is sitting there staring at me, fuming. His face is red from anger and just by looking at him, I know a lightning will strike soon and it will be very close to me. All I can hope is that it does not burn me in the process or hopefully the rain will grace us with its presence faster than anticipated. Only those big water droplets might be able to defuse this otherwise almost burning situation.
This escapade to my imagination lasted a few more seconds than I anticipated. But I am not angry about that. Because I know what is to grace us. More like what questions are coming my way and what truth will be spilled because of that. Just like the riot that will be caused in this otherwise peaceful courtroom. How ironic isn't it that a court room where people are convicted of crimes are sometimes the most peaceful places? Almost as if they are pointing it to our eyes with its finger the saying, 'calm before the storm'. Or maybe after since the crimes have been committed already before their presence is seen in a courtroom. Whatever be the case the irony is not lost on me.
"Kristina Monroe, Kris. Before recess we heard from you how Aaron treated you, his girlfriend at the moment. Even the fact that you both were at a party getting high while your parents had an accident where they lost their lives. And you were 16 at the time. I do have one question regarding the age though Kristina. Did you know Aaron's age at that time?"
"No, I did not. I mean I thought I knew. I thought he was my age seeing as he was in my class and well a sophomore just like me. I never actually questioned him about his age. Never even thought that I needed to." I answered truthfully.
"Okay. I understand. Why would you? You were in a relationship, and you like anybody else presumed you knew your boyfriend's age. A simple thing. No one thinks they do not know their own boyfriend's age. I get that. When did you find out?"
"Recently. Very recently."
"How did you find out?"
"Well, I got a call from my friend who told me Aaron was arrested and that he will be going to jail as is over 18. That's how I learnt that Aaron is 19 years old now and is indeed older than me. I never knew. I never even knew my own boyfriend's age. How pathetic is that?" I snickered a little. "I am sorry. I did not mean to do that."
"It's okay. I understand. We have all been there one time or the other in our life. We have all been lied to by our partners at the moment at least once. Especially when were teenagers. Still, I do not think any of us have been lied to about our partner's age. I mean any of us here can attest to that fact that when you are in a relationship you let your girlfriend or boyfriend know their age. It does not matter if you are ashamed of repeating a grade. But this lying and hiding one's age says a lot about a person. And Aaron Reuter never told his girlfriend his age. So how can we believe that he did not lie about everything else he told us in this court room? How can this young girl, Kristina be his character witness when she never knew Aaron? If a simple thing like age is hidden in a relationship, how can you attest that he did not lie about something else as well? I want the Jury to really think about that. Thank you, your Honor." She sat down.
Aaron's lawyer then got up again. I thought I could go back to my seat. I was sure. But then he stopped me with his hand gesturing me to stay put in a fraction of a second. "Okay I would like to ask some more questions to Kristina Monroe, your Honor."
The Judge waves his hand for him to continue so he walks towards me. He is hosting a very serious face. I should be nervous, but I am not. I just...I am not sure what I am feeling. Truth be told I am not sure what is happening anymore actually.
"Kristina, you told us that he never told you, his age. But did you ever ask him, and he lied to you... to your face?"
"Objection your Honor."
"Objection Overruled." The girl's lawyer sat down.
"So, as I was asking. Did you ever ask Aaron Reuter, your boyfriend, at the time, his age?"
"I do not remember asking him that. At least not sober."
"So, you were often not sober, as you said?"
"Well, when your boyfriend takes you to about a hundred different parties and offers you drinks, you generally do not turn down those drinks, especially when you are 15 and have never been popular so you were not really invited to parties before."
"So, you were pressurized by Aaron Reuter to drink at these parties?"
"Peer pressure surely. And later on, pressurized as well."
"Okay so you are saying is that Aaron Reuter forced you to drink alcohol after he took you to these parties hosted by popular people?"
"I cannot say for certain that I remember if he pushed the cup to my hand or not, but I do remember him saying something along those lines. And yes, these parties were always held by popular people in our school."
"Did you ever go to these parties alone? Before you met Aaron?"
"No never. I was never invited. I was not worthy enough to be invited."
"So, you mean to say that my client Aaron, made you worthy enough to be invited to the parties and there he made you drink alcohol, forcefully. My question is why did you drink them if you did not want to?"
"Like Aaron listens to no. If he did then..."
"My question is why did you not say no to the drinks or pushed his hand back? You must have had friends who would have helped you."
"I was not able to push his hand back and Aaron never takes no for an answer. He never did. And for friends. No, I did not have friends. I was bullied and friends are a little hard to come by when you are the person who is bullied by everyone and everyone in our school knew that. Except Aaron, because he was new to our town, and we met outside of school first. Hence, we talked rather he talked to me. I am sure if we had met in school first, he would have avoided me like everyone else. Then maybe..."
"So, you are saying is you did not have friends and you were bullied. But my client Aaron helped you then. Didn't he? As he took you to parties and I am guessing people became your friends through him. So, he helped you not get bullied?"
"No. He did not. The people who bullied me were his friends. And they still bullied me even after he took me to parties at their places and forced me to drink alcohol till, I almost passed out."
"You are saying his friends bullied you, but he never did at school, but he did at parties? And you just said many people bullied you at school, so what you are saying is Aaron was friends with so many people. And yet, no one ever stopped him from forcing you to drink at parties. All of his friends."
"Yes. That is what I am saying. No one stopped him because they enjoyed seeing me get drunk or high and go crazy. Because why would they not after all they loved to bully me. And no, Aaron never stopped his friends from bullying me."
"Do you drink now?"
"No. Not really."
"So, you do?"
"No. Not anymore. I have friends now and people don't bully me for no apparent reason. And no one pressures me to drink now either."
"Okay. But if you were bullied that means your mental health was not good. You were suffering and on top of that you were not sober. So then how can what she says be taken into much consideration? She herself said she was not sober. I would say that dismisses her answers. Thank you, your Honor. That's all I wanted to ask her."
The girls' lawyer stood up. Here I thought I would go back to my seat for now. I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Anyways, she is smiling now. Not the secretive, creepy smile but full-on smiling. It was as if she has something. But what?
"Kristina, first of all. I am sorry you were bullied, and your boyfriend did not help you. I am not going to ask why you were bullied because that's not what I want to know now. I want to know what you meant by Aaron does not take no for an answer?"
"Objection your Honor."
"Objection Overruled."
"Thank you, your Honor. So, earlier you said Aaron does not listen to no. What do you mean by that particular statement, Kristina?"
"I mean Aaron does not take no for an answer. He does not listen, nor does he accept no as an answer. If he did, he would not have told his lawyer I am still his girlfriend when we clearly broke up more than a year ago. If he did listen to me saying no, then he would not have taken me to parties every weekend and sometimes on weekdays too to get high while his friends made fun of me. Because I was drunk or getting scared as I was super high. If Aaron listened to no, then..."
"Kristina what? I have seen you not finish sentences before as well. What are you trying to say?"
"Objection your Honor."
"Objection Sustained."
The Judge asks both the lawyers to go near him. Probably wants to know something, what I do not know. I just notice Aaron, get angrier by the second. He is so red in the face right now that I am sure he is going to burst any moment. I can feel his anger from here. I am a little worried though. Which is why I quickly looked around the court room. Checked the exits, the guards and everyone. Somehow, I feel that in the next couple of minutes there is going to be something happening. I can just feel it. This time, I know the storm is already here. And it is only a matter of minutes or maybe seconds before I am swept in it. Or maybe I am wrong, and I am already at the center of the storm.
The Judge then waves his hands, and both the lawyers walk back. Aaron's lawyer takes his seat while the girls' lawyer comes back towards me. "As I was asking, what are you not telling, Kristina?"
"I am...I do not know how to say this."
"You can tell us. Is this related to Aaron Reuter?"
"Yes."
"Has this got anything to do with your comment about him not listening to you say no?"
"Yes. Definitely yes."
"Okay then tell us."
"Aaron does not listen to no because if he did, he would not have sexually assaulted me after drugging me." I just said it. I know I dropped a bomb. A big one judging from Aaron's lawyer's face as well as the girls' lawyer's face. No one expected me to say this.
And just as I predicted something is going to happen. It is almost as if I knew, maybe that is why I saw it in slow motion. Aaron getting up from his chair before anyone could react, he snatched a gun from the guard nearby and fired it, pointing towards me. As the shot's sound pierced the air, everything turned silent. As if anticipating what is going to happen next. Me, all I can see is the bullet approaching me faster than my brain can think to move. As the bullet pierces through the air, I smile as I look towards Tori, Liz and Lee. It is as if I cannot think to do anything else.
I guess this is the end for me!