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chapter thirty seven, THE COMFORT OF SILENCE
"John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section 14, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty"
As the words left the judge's mouth Elaine Tate's heart dropped. She turned to her left to look at JJ as tears brimmed her eyes. The courtroom around them was filled with murmurs and even some cheers.
She shut her eyes tight and tried to fight back the tears, the rumbling of the courtroom disappearing as she leaned her head forwards. The girl could feel the tears slide down her cheeks but it began to feel like she was no longer in her own body.
Her senses began to come back but it wasn't the courtroom she could hear. It was crashing waves and laughter. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up, the darkening blue sky a better scene than the artificially coloured courthouse. The laughter Elaine heard made her turn her head to the left, where JJ would be sitting but was met with an empty beach chair.
It was a memory Laney hadn't thought of in a while. It was from the first week she moved to the island. She had barely known the pogues and was yet to be one herself.
"watch out!" It was Pope's shouting that made her finally notice the football coming towards her. Laney let out a laugh as she fumbled the ball.
"do you want another beer?" Kiara asked her and she nodded, following the taller girl toward the cooler. They had decided to spend the night drinking on the beach and just having fun.
"so, was there anything other than your brother that inspired the move to the island?" Kiara's question caught Laney off guard but she bit the inside of her lip and tried to come up with an answer quickly.
"I uh, didn't really have a reason to come other than him but I had decided at some point that I would have stayed even if he wasn't here. I'm not even sure why, it just felt right. Like I was supposed to be here" Laney admitted and Kiara smiled.
"Maybe you were, meant to be here" Kiara commented and if the football didn't hurtle its way into Laney's side she would have smiled.
"Sorry princess" JJ called out, the boys laughing at what he had called her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the football from the sand.
"I'm not your princess Maybank" She shouted, sending the ball flying towards him. Laney smiled triumphantly when it hit his stomach and he groaned.
"I'm surprised you even agreed to come out tonight" Kiara let out as the two girls sat back down. "don't get me wrong, I am too. But can't turn down free beer" Laney joked, raising the bottle in the air.
"This would be the part where I tell you that he's not usually like that and it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing but I don't feel like this friendship should start out with that many lies."
