Guilty

Juliette

I walk into the small room down at the police department with Zane at my heels. Since we aren't actual lawyers we don't have an office to take Lana's statement from all of our meetings will be held in the police department in a small interrogation room.

"Lana?" I ask softly, walking in and shutting the door behind me and Zane.

She looks up at me smiling, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She's very pretty and looks so young; her eyes are also tired. With bags under them that seem to look almost purple.

"I'm Juliette Castalia and this is Zane Ivory, we're your lawyers for this case," I tell her. She shakes both of our hands as we sit down. I'm so nervous I want to be sick.

But I have to swallow my nerves, I'm sure they can't compare to how she must be feeling at this moment.

"We're going to ask you some questions, off the record, ask you what happened and then create a plan okay?" Zane informs her as he pulls out a pen and paper to make notes on.

His voice is calming and I'm grateful for it. Lana nods slowly and I pull out some of the notes we have on the case beforehand.

"Can you tell us your full name and age?" I ask her.

"Lana Reyes and I'm seventeen I turn eighteen in three months" she says, holding eye contact with me.

"Why did you agree for us to take this case?" Zane asks her.

She pauses before answering, I can't help but analyse her every movement, "It's free, I don't have the money to pay for good lawyers and my parents can't spend the money on lawyers either. But you two are meant to be the best so I figured I might as well try."

I nod, writing that down quickly. She clears her throat and speaks again, "How come Sam got the better school?"

Zane gives her a strange look, "He didn't, which side the students defend is randomised. Yale is as good of a school as Harvard and Juliette and I are perfectly competent."

Lana doesn't react to what he says and I decide to move on to our next questions, we only get so long with her.

"How long were you with Sam before the rape?" I ask her, looking up from my notes.

"Almost three months."

"Were the two of you sexually active?"

"We'd had sex once. He took my virginity."

"Consensually?" I ask her.

"...Yes"

I pick up on her pause before answering, "We can't help you if you can't be honest with us."

"It was consensual but that doesn't mean I wasn't raped when I said I was."

"We know that. And don't worry about that being used against you in court it's a weak argument the two of us can rebuttal," Zane reassures her.

She smiles a little, "You really think you can get Sam done for this?"

Zane and I exchange a glance, I'm not interested in promising her something I don't know I can deliver on. So I promise the next best thing.

"We promise we will do everything we can."

She smiles again, this one lighting up her eyes. I look down at our next set of questions and move on, "Please can you tell us what happened the night you were raped?"

We listen in silence as she tells us what happened to her. The two of us listen intently to every word she says. My heart shatters as she tells us about her shame and anger. After she's done talking I look over at Zane who is biting his lip.