𝐷𝐴𝑌𝐿𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇 - 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑅𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁 𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑆𝑂𝑁𝑆 𝑊𝐻𝑌

24. ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇꜱ

„Hey, love." Mani greeted with a small smile as Jessica walked down the stairs, entering the kitchen. The two girls were a mess - their eyes puffy and faces pale. They exchanged sad smiles and Mani gestured for her friend to sit down.

„Morning." Monty nodded from next to the stove, where he was making scrambled eggs for breakfast. „You hungry?"

„Yeah." Jessica nodded and sat down next to Mani. She sniffed and rubbed her hands together, not speaking up until Monty placed a full plate in front of her. „Thanks."

„So, we were wondering." Mani started, placing her fork down and exchanging looks with Monty. „You feel like going shopping later? Take your mind off... you know." she offered with a small smile, making Jess smile as well.

„Thanks, but... I think I'll go home. I need some time to think." the dark skinned girl muttered, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Mani nodded and grabbed Jess' hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

„Of course." the three ate in silence, until a loud knock on a door came. Monty frowned and stood up, placing his fork down and walking towards the door, Mani right behind him. The boy opened the door, revealing a police officer.

„Armani Atkins?" he asked, smiling politely at the girl. The two teenagers stared at him with wide eyes, before Mani shook her head and smiled.

„Yeah, it's me. Can I help you?" she asked, moving closer so that she stood side by side with Monty. The officer took out an envelope, handing it to the girl. She frowned and looked at it, her heart dropping as she saw what it was.

A subpoena. A fucking subpoena for Hannah's case.

„Do you understand what this is?" the officer asked, not breaking eye contact with Monty, before looking towards Mani, whose face was now pale.

„Y-yes. Thank you, sir." she stuttered, making the man nod and walk away. Monty shut the door behind home and turned around, raising his eyebrows and taking the envelope from Mani.

„Oh, fuck." he muttered and ran his hand down his face, shutting his eyes closed.

„What's wrong?" Jessica asked quietly, approaching the two curiously. The pair looked at her with wide eyes, before Mani decided to speak up.

„A subpoena."

Armani walked into the Monet's later that day, her eyes immediately spotting a large group of teenagers sitting by a table in the middle. She quickly approached them, taking a seat between Zach and Alex.

„Hey." Alex muttered quietly, sending her a pity look. She nodded and looked between them all, raising an eyebrow.

„Are you not gonna talk now that I'm here?" she asked, making them all shake their heads.

„I just told them what happened last night." Zach muttered, and Mani's head snapped in his direction. After a moment she nodded and turned to the others.

„So the others, they know about the tapes?" Courtney asked with a worried look on her face, making Mani roll her eyes.

„Yeah, because that's the most important thing right now." she snapped, glaring at the other girl with fire in her eyes. Courtney pursed her lips, but decided not to argue with a furious Mani.

„Justin didn't go into detail about the tapes, no, but they all heard him call Bryce a rapist and that Hannah was telling the truth." Zach explained, placing his hand on Mani's shoulder to calm her down. The girl took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.

„Good for Justin. And Bryce is a rapist." Ryan spoke up, making Mani nod in agreement at his statement.

„If you believe Hannah." Courtney argued. Mani shot up in her seat, slamming her hands on the table, making the group flinch and many heads turn in their direction.