Drama Queen - Jolyne Cujoh 🦋

I am Confident but I Still Have my Moments

It was so boring, sitting at this big conference table at the Speedwagon Foundation HQ was so boring. Dad sat next to me, someone offered us some coffee, we both declined. It felt like hours since we'd been shown to this room.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" I whined.

Dad didn't look at me. "I don't know," he said firmly. "These people are very busy."

As if on queue, the lawyers I met in Florida waltzed in, single file. "Thank you both for waiting," Mister Sangster said. He spoke as though he was out of breath. "Unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to put this case together. We'll need to meet every day at least in order to get our story straight." He must have seen the fear in my face. "Miss Cujoh you don't have to worry about a thing, we will take care of everything. But we just need one big favour from you, okay?"

"Okay?" I whimpered.

"You need to be gospel-honest with us, you understand?" I saw dad look over at me, I caught his eye in my peripheral.

"You understand, Jolyne?" He said firmly. I felt like a puppy being told off for peeing on the carpet.

"Yes, I understand." I sighed. It was true, now that I knew what prison was like, and now I knew I could potentially walk away from all of this scot-free, I was ready to take it seriously.

"Okay," Mr Sangster looked relieved.

Dad reached for my hand under the table. He held his hand in mine. I was shocked by the unexpected touch. He kept his eyes on the lawyers, but held my hand tightly, I held it back, feeling tears swelling.

Mr Sangster and the other lawyers shuffled through papers on the table. "Alright, Miss Cujoh. Let's start at the beginning...the very beginning."

I released my grip on dad, knowing that we were about to discuss some things I wasn't proud of. "Oh," I said softly.

"Tell me everything you can about your affiliation with the Hell Riders in 2006." Mr Sangster said casually. "Sorry if that's abrupt."

I turned my gaze downwards. "I thought you were trying to help me. What help will mentioning the Hell Riders do me?" I sulked.

"I understand Miss Cujoh. But we expect the plaintiff's lawyer to use this history against you at your re-trial. We need your side of the story if we're going to convince the judge and jury that your involvement with the Hell Riders five years ago cannot be used as evidence against you in the present day."

I bit my lip. "I understand."

Mister Sangster turned on a tape recorder and placed it on the table. "Please, tell us everything, we won't interrupt you."

I took a few breaths. "Okay..."

~

Summer 2006:

Every day during the summer, I'd ride my skateboard along the Miami Beach Boardwalk. At this stage, it was just me and mom, it had been for over a year. I was in a rebellious phase, I wore short skirts over fish neck stockings, not to get attention from boys, but rather to piss off my mom, and anyone else who wanted to have something to say about how I looked. It was the same summer I started dying my hair. I had every colour, but I always returned to green. Somewhere between lime and sea-foam green, perhaps a couple of shades darker on occasion.

"You're going to ruin your hair!" My mom used to say. "Do you have any idea what that much bleach does to virgin black hair?" I didn't listen. I still don't, I'll probably die with green hair if I'm honest.

Anyway, when I got bored of sitting around at home during the summer, I'd go skating. Mom always told me not to go far, but I used to go all over the city. I remember one day in July I was getting a milkshake on the boardwalk when a girl my age approached me. She was also drinking a milkshake.