The Last Chance Book 2

Chapter 25

TW: Violence, blood, weapons, ptsd, injuries, mentions of thoughts about not wanting to be alive

" I'd like to call Nat to come testify " Mrs.T says. He looks over to Nat and gives his hand a gentle squeeze before he watches as Nat gets sworn in. Once Nat sits down Mrs.T starts right away.
" State your name and involvement in this case "
" Nat, I'm the other person they wanted to kill and I'm NuNews friend "
" Can you tell us how you met NuNew and what happened "
" On his first day of school I got called down to the office and met him there. I grabbed his suitcase and showed him to our dorm room "
" How did NuNew react when inside of the room "
" We went inside and he was shocked because I have a pride flag hanging up on the wall. But other than that we were just talking. He was nervous but we got along well "
" People say that the both of you clicked almost immediately is that true "
" It is. We had common interest and we act almost exactly the same. We can tell what each other are thinking and we can tell how the other person is feeling "
" How did it feel to have NuNew as a roommate "
" I was excited to finally have a roommate at school. And when I saw it was NuNew I was so happy and excited. I could tell he was nervous so I wanted to help him because I used to be nervous at the school as well "
" You were nervous at that school before "
" I was a loner at school. I didn't sit with anyone or have any friends. Not until P'Max had me come sit with the others during lunch "
" So you understood what it felt like to be in his position "
" No. I would never say that I knew or understood what he went through and felt. Even know with what happened at the beach I still can't comprehend what all he went through "
" Was there a time before the beach that you got really worried for him "
" There was a girl at our school who constantly tried to figure out his past and at one point she somehow found a picture of Nate and kept bugging him about it. And at some point during dinner she came to our table and showed everyone the picture asking who Nate was. I could tell he was getting uncomfortable so I started shouting at her to leave him alone. That she doesn't have to know about everyone. NuNew eventually got really upset and stood up from the table and started to yell at her about what happened. It was the first time I have ever seen him upset and the first time I ever herd him really talk about how much Nate has effected him mentally. He's only ever really told us about what he went through in a physical sense "
" What did he say that made you worried "
" He said that even if he can start to recover he won't ever be able to fully recover because he's covered in several scars that will be a permanent and reminder of what happen. That the memories of what happened will forever he ingrained into his head. Like a constant reminder telling him that this has happened in the past. I started crying when he said it. I was so worried and I wanted to help him become happy as much as I could "
" What about when you guys went back to the school after the incident at the beach up until the last video being released "
" As the others have said. He had a lot of up's and downs. However the incident that scared me the most was when he became really angry because Noah had sent his a message through Instagram so he got up and wanted to go for a walk on his own but Zee was worried because of his mood changing a lot. He had stormed off completely forgetting his phone after saying how now not only does he have Noah all pissed at him he also made his boyfriend angry with him. I ran after him to give him his phone and I tried to give him a sandwich to eat because he hasn't been eating that well since the beach incident. When he turned around I don't know what I did but in his head he thought I became afraid of him. He had grabbed his phone before quickly running away. He was terrified. When I saw him again after Zee was helping him calm down. He said that he felt like he was becoming Nate because he made me afraid of him. Like his whole world came crumbling down because he thought I was afraid of him. I don't even know what I did " Nat says trying to hold back his tears. He's trying to hold back his tears as well
" You guys are really close " Mrs.T says. Nat nods his head.
" Can you walk me through what happened the day at the beach "
" Well we all started off by sitting down together at the beach. We sat for hours just talking and enjoying each other's company. At some point me and NuNew got up so we can talk together alone. We went down to the water and went up to just above our ankles. Around 30 minutes after that was when Nate and the others showed up "
" What did you and NuNew talk about before Nate and the others showed up "
" It started off by us just saying how happy we are being on this trip and how fun yesterday was. I don't remember if it was me or NuNew that started the conversation but we started to talk about fate. He was saying how happy he is to have met me and become friends with all of us. I mentioned how I think fate brought us together "
" Why do you think that "
" Before NuNew came I hung out with everyone but they were all seniors. I often wished I had someone in my grade that was my friend. I was also constantly afraid about what would happen when they would all graduate because I would be alone. So it's like the universe sent NuNew to help me. And then the universe sent NuNew me because I could help him if he can't communicate what he needs and I introduced him to everyone else. We all also helped him try to recover "
" What happened when Nate showed up "
" At first I just herd clapping. I didn't think much of it until NuNew pulled me behind him. Right away I knew it was Nate because NuNew had always pulled me behind him if he thinks Nate or the others are around us. I got scared and I could tell NuNew was scared as well. My hands started shaking really bad and I grabbed on to NuNews shirt and started pulling him backwards. NuNew looked for someway to get us out of the situation and when he grabbed my hand and started to run I felt someone forcefully pull me back really hard and " Nat stops talking. He can tell that Nat is getting anxious when thinking about what happened.
" It's ok take your time Nat "
" I felt someone hold me still. I tried to get free and NuNew tried to help me but he only got held back as well. I was so terrified and Tyler's grip on me hurt. When Nate started to kick NuNew I became so scared and just started screaming for P'Zee and P'Max. Nate didn't like that so he " he wants to run up to Nat and hug him. He can see Nat crying.
" Nate didn't like that I called for help so he came over to me and started hitting me and kicking me. My whole body hurt so bad and I could barley breath. I could only hear NuNew screaming. When He stopped hitting me and started to yell at NuNew I just fell to the ground in so much pain. Tyler was the only thing keeping me from completely falling to the ground. When I looked back up I could see Nate coming back over to me and I was so scared. He was about to hit me when P'Zee stopped him. I could feel Tyler harshly grab me and pull me back and then I herd P'Max and felt him get Tyler away from me. I was in to much pain to move so I just fell. The next thing I know NuNew is holding me and crying. He started blaming himself and I told him not to. I could feel myself getting really tired and I closed me eyes. The last thing I herd was NuNew screaming and then I blacked out "
" What happened when you woke up "
" I immediately started to panic and was terrified. I wanted to get to NuNew. I was afraid that they had killed him. I thought I was going to lose NuNew. P'James had to calm me down and I was just out of it and I'm so much pain "
" How did you feel when you saw the video from the beach "
" I felt sick to my stomach. I could see myself getting hurt and I could hear NuNew telling them that he would let them kill him if it meant saving me. And then I saw him screaming I so much pain. I could see him trying to protect me like his life depended on it. I kept thinking that maybe just maybe if I hadn't passed out that NuNew could help the others instead of helping me. He looked so hopeless and like his whole world came crashing down "
" Max said this has caused you ptsd. Why haven't you told anyone until just recently "
" I kept telling myself that it wasn't as bad as NuNew. That I can handle it myself and that NuNew needed more help. I didn't plan on telling anyone but yesterday NuNew was able to figure it out "
" How has your ptsd effected you "
" Every night I have nightmares. I get so anxious anytime someone seems like they are fighting. Every time I see NuNew getting really anxious I start to panic as well. I try to stay strong but most days it's so hard. Whenever I would walk away from people and was alone I would just start to cry because I felt like I couldn't breath. I am constantly afraid " he holds his hand into a tight fist knowing that's how much Nat is suffering from this. He looks over to Max when he feels him hold on to his hand. He can see the dry tears from his eyes as he tries to give him an encouraging smile. He just looks down.
" What are your nightmares about "
" A lot of the time they are about the beach. The nightmare would just be me reliving what happened that day. Sometimes it's me waking up in the hospital to find out that NuNew got killed because he gave up his life to save me " he bites his lip as tears start to stream down his face. He closes his eyes trying to calm himself down.
" That's all judge. I'm done questioning Nat "
" Nat can you please leave the stand and go back to your seat ".
He watches as Nat leaves the stand and walks over to him. When Nat's sat back down in his seat he moves his seat closer to Nat's seat. Nat leans his head on his shoulder. He just grabs onto Nat's hand with the both of his hands.
" I'd like to call up Nate to the stand " Mrs.T says. He watches as guards escort him up to the stand after being sworn in. Once he's sat down his testimony begins.
" State your name and involvement in this case "
" Nate, I'm NuNews best friend from his old school " he bites his lip as him and Nate make eye contact.
" Nate, the main cause as to why we are here for the past three days " Mrs.T says a little annoyed.
" Did Noah give you NuNews name in exchange for $300 "
" Yes, although I should have gave him $1,000 instead "
" When did you first see NuNew "
" The first day of his sophomore year "
" What happened that day "
" Me and Tyler took him to the back of the school where Eddie and Jack were waiting for us. We then started to beat him up and threaten him to not tell anyone "
" How many days did you do this to NuNew during that school year "
" We did it every day of the school year "
" How did you get NuNew's address "
" Where do you think. We got it from Eddie "
" Did you actually go and check yourself "
" Yes, that's how we got a photo to show NuNew his house so he'd believe us "
" Did you know that Eddie was stalking NuNew "
" Yes. I found it disgusting but it also gave me the chance to possibly see him again "
" So you planned on finding him again "
" Yes. Once I found out that he was alive I needed to definitely pay him a visit. He broke our rule and got help. Not to mention he even made friends "
" Did you know that NuNew would be at the beach when you went "
" Yes I saw a video on his phone of NuNew with his friends talking about the trip "
" How did you know what beach they were at "
" Eddie's crazy. He was able to find out all about his friend Jimmy. He ended up finding out the address for the guys beach house. So I had Tyler wait at the beach and see if they could see him the day before and he did "
" Did you see NuNew that day before you walked over to him at the beach "
" Yes I did. We waited until he was alone or alone with Nat. I was so glad that Nat was with him when we walked up to him " Nate says laughing
" Do you find this funny "
" How could I not. I not only get to see NuNew again but I now also had another person to mess with. It's just a shame that Zee came before we could really rough up Nat " he squeezes Nat's hand gently. Nat turns his head away from Nate and towards his shoulder.
" Did you plan on killing Nat that day "
" Yes we did. Me and Tyler both planned to. We also planned to make NuNew watch as we tortured and killed him and then after that we were going to kill NuNew as well "
" Do you realize that you're admitting to everything "
" Oh I do. I know exactly what I'm doing "
" Why did you start hurting people "
" Because I couldn't find a way to release anger anymore. So when I started hurting people I was able to release anger "
" Have you ever hurt someone as much as you hurt NuNew "
" No he was the first person. I was so close to getting to do it again as well. I would have loved to see how Nat reacted to me doing what I did to NuNew to him ".
" Why are you so angry that you need to kill someone "
" Like Tyler said. We were mad because we were going to be sent to America for university "
" So you planned to kill people because of the university you were going to be sent to "
" Bingo " Nate says in a mocking tone of voice.
" Judge I'm done questioning Nate "
" Nate go sit back down in your seat ".
When Nate leaves the stand the guards escort him back to his seat. " Before we continue I'm going to bring Eddie back in the judge says as Eddie is escorted back into the room and towards his seat. Once he's sat back down the judge says " Please call up the final person to give their testimony attorney ". He watches as Mrs.T turn to him slowly and says " I'd like to call NuNew up to the stands please ". He takes a shaky breath and stands up. He gets sworn in and then is told to head towards the stand. He's hesitant and looks over to the guard next to him. " Can I please have two guards escort NuNew up to the stand so he feels a little more safe " the judge says. When two guards walk over to them he walks over to the stand. He makes eye contact with Nate who acts like he's going to stand up. Making him flinch a little. Causing all of them to laugh a little bit. He quickly walks the rest of the way to the stand and sits down on the chair. Becoming nervous when everyone is looking at him. " Before we begin I want to say to NuNew that if you need a break at all let me know and I will stop the trail to call for a short break " the judge says looking at him. He nods his head before turning to look at Mrs.T.
" Can you state your name and involvement in this case "
" NuNew and I am the main victim in this case "
" Can you tell us how everything started "
" I confessed to my ex childhood friend thinking that he wouldn't cause any harm or tell anyone about my sexuality "
" What happened on the first day of sophomore year "
" I was walking inside the school where everyone immediately started to whisper about me and call me slurs. After my first class Nate grabbed me harshly by my wrist and pulled me to the back of the school where the four of them started to beat me up and threaten me "
" What happened when you went home. Did your parents notice that you were in pain "
" They noticed almost immediately. I had lied and said that I got hurt in gym class "
" Why did you lie to your parents "
" I wasn't out to my parents yet and I was scared that they would find out if they called the school. I didn't know that they would continue to hurt me like they did "
" When talking with the investigators you kept mentioning the punishments. Can you tell us about them "
" They made a set of rules that I had to follow. I couldn't tell anyone what was happening, I couldn't get any help, they will come get me when they want and I can't disobey them, I can't miss a day of school or I would get an extra punishment the day that I come back based off of how many days I was gone and then I couldn't talk unless I was spoken to. If I broke one of those rules they would punish me. Anyone in the school could tell them if I broke the rules. Even teachers would tell them if I broke the rules. People would even lie and say I broke the rules "
" what were the punishments? Nate said that they would hurt you every day "
" They would hurt me everyday. The punishments were things that they would add on top of beating me up. For example they would beat me up and then force me to run until I would pass out. They would make me eat trash and throw up. They would even burn me with cigarettes or just any hot objects they could use "
" Why did you start your journals "
" I had such little hope of possibly being able to get help so I wanted to document everything. And by the time I lost that hope it just became a habit to do the journals so I continued to make them "
" How did you feel when you felt like you were forced to distance yourself from your parents "
" I felt so horrible. They have always treated me so well and tried to always make me happy. I never wanted to but I felt like it was the only way to keep them at least a little bit safe from them "
" You had some pretty worrying journals where you talked about wanting to give up. Can you tell us about them "
" I couldn't take anymore pain. Everything hurt so bad and I didn't know what to do. I was so isolated from everyone because I felt like anyone who got close to me would be in danger. I thought about giving up because I caused my parents a lot of pain by isolating myself away from them "
" Can you tell us about what happened the day of the first incident "
" That morning it just started off how it usually went. I walked into school and people started making fun of me and calling me slurs. Someone had tripped me on the way to my first class. When I fell I said ow. When I looked up the person had smirked and rushed off. I just quickly got up and went to my classes. I eventually forgot about it. However on the way to my fourth class Nate has walked up to me and grabbed me harshly. When I looked at him I could immediately tell that something really bad was about to happen. I have never seen Nate that angry before and it terrified me. He grabbed my by my hair and pulled me outside the back of the school and towards a secluded area next to a small building. He threw me harshly on to the floor and he started screaming at me. He asked me what I did wrong and I stupidly said I don't know. Because I couldn't remember. He hit me really hard a couple of times before asking me again. I just quickly said that I had spoken when not spoken to. After that he started kicking me several times and it hurt so bad. I was coughing up so much blood. That's when he " he bites his lip holding tears back.
" Take your time NuNew ".
He takes a shaky breath before he continues.
" That's when he told Eddie and Jack to hold me up. Once they did he just started going crazy. Hitting me and kicking me. I was crying in so much pain. At some point he hit me in the face really hard. That's when I really started to panic and try to get away because he's never hurt me in places that other people could notice. At some point he stopped hitting me and turned to Tyler asking for his knife. I was so terrified. I knew they were going to kill me. I was screaming and begging them not to do it. I was saying any possible thing to get them to let me go but nothing worked and when Nate pointed the knife at me I just froze. He started laughing as he began to slowly drag the non sharp side of the knife across me skin " he wraps his arms around himself trying to calm himself down. " I think I must have reacted the most when he got to my upper chest because he started from here and went all the way down here dragging the knife really slow " he says pointing towards the large scar on his chest.
" It hurt so bad and I was screaming so loud. After that he just kept cutting me with the knife and going crazy. He let Tyler and the others cut me. They didn't stop until I was covered in my own blood. She. They were done they dropped me to the floor where Nate kicked me really hard one last time before they all left "
" What happened when they left "
" I just laid there on the ground wanting to die and give up. I was in so much pain and felt like I wasn't loved by anyone and that I was worthless. So I just started to give up "
" What made you get back up and go get help "
" I had closed my eyes and I saw images of my parents and how much they loved me. I couldn't let them find out that there son was murdered "
" Can you describe to us what happened as you got up "
" When I got back up I fell down a couple of times before I was finally able to fully stand. I was crying and I'm so much pain but I just kept trying to ignore the pain and continue to walk. There was times that I wanted to just give up on the way to the house but I kept walking. When I got to the house I just remember ringing the doorbell and seeing this women before I fell to the floor. I could hear her scream for her daughter to call an ambulance before she lifted me up onto her lap. I remember her asking for my name and then I told her. After that I remember her just telling me to stay awake that help is coming soon. She kept telling me things and talking to me. I felt so much comfort in that moment. When I could feel myself loosing consciousness I kept thinking that if this is when I die then I'm glad that there was someone who was kind to me and gave me so much comfort "
" What about the first time you woke up in the hospital "
" I remember being in so much pain and so terrified. Everyone seemed like they were going to hurt me and I just wanted my parents. I couldn't even recognize them. I couldn't recognize anyone and then I fell asleep "
" What about the second time "
" I was out of it then as well. I had ripped the IV out of my hand and grabbed a small knife on the table. When I backed up against the wall I felt like the nurses were going to kill me. Like they were people Nate had sent to finish me off. So in my head I thought that I wouldn't let Nate win. I couldn't let my parents know their son was murdered. I felt like it was better if I was the one who killed me. I didn't want to do it but I was so scared and didn't want my parents to know that their son was murdered "
" Do you remember the third time "
" I do. It was the scariest time that I woke up "
" Why was that "
" It might have looked like I wasn't reacting to anything when in reality I was. I couldn't move my body or talk. I was so horrified by it. I could understand and hear everything that was going on and see everything. I could see my mother crying. I watched as the doctors told her that I had a very small chance to ever recover and get better. I saw my mothers heart break as she fell to the floor. I could see the doctor come over to me and inject the medicine in to the IV that would make me sleep. I tried so hard to fight it because I thought that I wasn't going to wake up. I fought so hard until I fell asleep "
" What about the final time you woke up "
" I remember waking up terrified again. I kept screaming for my mom until she came to me. I kept panicking until she came and hugged me. Only then could I calm down a little bit because I knew that I was with my mother. Even then it took her convincing me for a long time to finally fully calm down and let the people come check on me but I never let anyone check on my chest unless it was a certain doctor and it was only quick "
" Why didn't you let anyone see your scars "
" Because I was so disgusted and it showed what I had been through. I was just so terrified of them seeing my chest "
" in one of your journals you said that you regret getting up and causing your parents pain and causing the older women trauma. Do you still feel that way "
" Not really. I just felt so horrible during that time because I could hear my mother crying every night when she thought I was asleep. I just kept thinking about how I caused her even more pain. There are a few days every so often that I still do question why I even got up but it's no where near as how I felt when I wrote that journal "
" Why did you go see Mrs.Betty after you got discharged from the hospital "
" I wanted to give her some thank you gifts. She got me help just in time to save me and she gave me so much comfort "
" You have mentioned before that you stayed and had dinner with her and her daughter. Can you tell me about it "
" When we stopped by her house to give her gifts she invited me and my parents to eat some dinner with her and her daughter. She had made Kway Teow. During the dinner my parents were telling her about me growing up and she would tell my parents about her daughter growing up. It was the first time in years that I felt happy. Before we left she gave me some macaroons and a crystal thats helpful for recovering "
" Can you tell us about your first day at your new school "

Word Count: 4912

If you know anyone or you yourself are feeling like you'd be better of dead please reach out and get some help. You are loved and cared for.