After Before and After

Phase 4: Chapter 92

Friday was notably less eventful than Thursday was, at least in the courtroom. Barnes called upon a few more minor witnesses against Jack who had stories to tell about one-off, isolated incidents. People Jack hardly recognized spoke of him like they knew him well enough to pass judgment on him. That particular Friday wasn't any more or less trying than most days in the courtroom werre as of late, but nonetheless Jack was more than ready for Barnes to move onto her case against someone else.

That weekend, the last one in July, was bittersweet for both Jack and Ralph. The two boys spent the bulk of it together, hold up in one of their two hotel rooms dependent on where Jeffery, Laurie, and Paige were throughout the weekend. Jack and Ralph spent a lot of time laughing, messing around, making jokes, kissing and watching TV, but also crying and stressing and talking for hours about what their lives might look like at the end of the trial.

Just after court was adjourned on Friday evening, Brett Winslow informed the Merridew family of something they already knew. Paige and Evan would be called to testify next week. Barnes was close to wrapping up her case against Jack. She'd been through the witnesses to his life before, on, and after the island. They were now headed into the third and anticipated final week in her case against Jack in regards to Simon's death. Barnes would then move onto Will, John, Rusty, and Tex, defendants nineteen through twenty-two on the roster. Will was the only one of the four who was over the age of eight at the time of the plane crash.

Brett was expecting the duration of the Bennett case to last only until the end of August. The final phase of the prosecution's case would be in the death of Piggy. Jack and Roger were the only two charged in connection to his death, and their character witnesses will have all already testified by then. According to Brett, the case would only take most of a week of the court's time given how much evidence against the boys had already been laid out.

By mid-September, the case would be turned over to the defense. Jeremy Reynolds would be running the show, and Brett promised Jack that court would be much easier to sit through everyday. Jack wasn't out of the woods yet, and wouldn't be until after his family testified and Barnes laid out all the evidence in regards to Piggy's death.

"Do you think your dad's gonna say bad things about you on the stand next week?" Ralph asked Jack as the two sat across from one another at the small kitchen table in the Langleys hotel room. The table was laid out with cards Jack and Ralph were using to play war, a renowned card game, to pass the time.

"I dunno, I doubt it" Jack shrugged without looking at the other. "He just wants to get it over with."

"Because he can't say bad things about you" Ralph assumed.

"Exactly" Jack confirmed as he flipped over his top card just as Ralph did. Jack collected the pile, having won the round again.

"Y'know, my parents got a call from the prosecution last week. She asked them about you" Ralph told the other, earning Jack's attention enough to force the blond to stop the game.

"What? Why?" Jack asked in confusion.

"I guess Barnes was hoping to call them as witnesses against you" Ralph explained, "but she decided against calling either of them."

"Why would they be called as witnesses against me? They're your parents, not mine" Jack pointed out.

"Yeah, but the whole thing with Matthew Logelin proved that you and I stayed friends after the island. I guess Barnes was hoping my mom and dad would be able to provide insight in addition to your own family" Ralph added to the explanation.

"So why aren't they testifying then?" Jack wondered aloud.

"What they were willing to say about you only hurt the prosecution's case" Ralph revealed.

Jack dropped his head and refocused in on the card game. He pulled his next card, forcing Ralph to do the same. In sync, they revealed them, and Jack's winning streak continued.

"They love you, y'know" Ralph insisted as Jack collected the cards. "Like they love me" he added.

"I know that" Jack agreed, but he sounded only partially convinced.

"But you find it hard to believe" Ralph guessed.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone's parents love them like that, let alone a kid that isn't theirs" Jack further explained.

"Family doesn't have to be blood" Ralph insisted, "my parents love you like family, and so do I."

"That's gross" Jack laughed, "you'd get into your real brother's pants if you had one?" he joked.

"Shut up" Ralph laughed, a look of disgust mixed with humor in his eyes. "That's sick."

"Hey, you're the one who said you love me like family" Jack pointed out as he laughed.

"You know what I meant" Ralph rolled his eyes with a smile. He threw the card in his hand across the table in an attempt to hit Jack, but it just landed in front of the blond boy.

Jack picked up the card and held it up against the one on the top of his own pile. "I win again" he smiled smugly, revealing the two cards to Ralph. Eights over sixes.

Ralph sighed and leaned back against his chair. "Court's back in session tomorrow" he said between heavy breaths, "let's hope your luck continues."