Her Anchor

Testimony

Rylee's POV

Monty and I sit down at the table where Clay, Alex, and Jess are seated

"Did you tell them about getting run off the road?" I ask and Clay nods his head in response

"Whoever it is, they're coming after all of us. This came in the mail for me yesterday." Alex says as he hands me a target from a shooting range that has two bullet holes in it and it says 'BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME'

"This is fuckin nuts." I say

"We have to fucking stop him." Clay says

"How? I'm a cripple and you'll get grounded for life if you even speak to him." Alex states

"Yeah, I promised my mom I'd stay away from him. But if he's coming after me, then what can I do?" Clay asks before Alex glances back at the table that Bryce, Scott, Jamie, and Zach are sitting at

"Are we even sure it's him?" Alex asks

"What if it's Zach?" Alex asks

"What, that's crazy. He's been helping you with everything." Jess says

"Yeah, then why's he still hanging around Bryce?" Alex asks

"It's Bryce or someone protecting him. He doesn't want the truth to come out." Clay says before he and Alex look at Jess

"Why are you guys both looking at me?" Jess says

"Um..." Clay says trailing off

"Mostly cause you're sitting across the table from us?" Alex says but it comes out as more of a question

"You can tell them what happened to you in court." Clay says

"Hannah's lawyers told me I'm just supposed to talk about the Hot or Not List and how it ended our friendship." Jess states

"But you know that's not true or it's not all that's true. And they know it." Clay says

"But it's not part of the case." Jess says

"If you say it, it'll make it part of the case." Clay says

"So I just say it?" Jess asks

"Jess, I-- Listen. I know it's not easy, okay? Like, in no fucking universe do I think that, but...If you tell the truth when they ask you about your friendship, if you tell them the real reason you stopped speaking to Hannah, then the truth is out. And this shit stops. And Bryce gets what's coming to him." Clay says

"I gotta get to first." Jess says as she stands up from the table

"Jess--" Clay starts

"Ya know, the truth doesn't always make things right. You should know that better than anyone." Jess says before she walks away from us

"We should get to first, too." Monty says

"You're right. See ya, guys." I say as we stand up from the table

-Later That Night-

I push off the ground for more speed as a car passes me before I plant both of my feet on my skateboard

I hear an engine rev from behind me causing me to look back and I see a car coming at me, fast

I jump off my board and land on the side of the road before I hear a crunching noise

I sit up as the car speeds off and I see my board is split in half before I feel something wet trickle down my face

I touch my forehead before pulling my hand back and seeing blood