I'm Gonna Miss You Baby

Seven

Twice a week every week I'm at the jail visiting either Erik or Lyle

Today I see Lyle

I sat at the window and waited for him

"hey," he smiled "Hey, how're you holding up?" I asked him "I'm alright, have you talked to Erik" he questioned "Yeah he's doing ok" I nodded

"um you're attorneys came to talk to me," I told him "Yeah you mentioned that, what'd you say" he asked "Everything I knew, I'm supposed to testify for you guys," I said and he looked relieved

"I have a small favour to ask," He said quietly "What?" I narrowed my eyes "I need you to lie for me" he told me "Lyle, you know I can't do that" I shook my head "Look, we've got a great thing set up for you guys, I'll be putting on the waterworks, I have real stories that I have witnessed, I have incidences where one of you two have called me, Trust me it'll be good" I explained

"you're gonna cry?" he asked me "Oh yeah, I already tear up when talking about some of the stuff so I'll just exaggerate it a little," I told him and he nodded "ok, thank you, Ange, really this means a lot, but can you add a bit where my dad comes on to you, or touched you, or something," he asked me "Lyle, I'm not gonna pull something out of my ass" I shook my head "come on! there's gotta be something he's said to you in all these years" he started to get frustrated and I sighed thinking

"Oh! when we came back from Princeton for the summer, remember I came to swim with you and Erik?" I questioned "Yeah" he nodded "You went inside to get something so I was laying out on the lounge chair and your dad came over and started telling me I was gorgeous and I had a great body and mind and I come from a good family and I should date you like he'd make you break up with Jamie" I said remembering that awkward encounter

"he said that to you?" Lyle asked sounding getting aggressive "Yeah, but I didn't think really anything of it" I shook my head "I wish he did do that though, I would've rather been with you" he moved his finger on the glass "That's sweet but such bullshit," I said putting my finger where he was

"no it's not, Ange I don't think you know how long I've loved you for," he told me "I've loved you since the first time you yelled at me for taking your cabbage patch doll" he added "You liked that I yelled at you?" I said like I didn't believe him "Still do" he winked "Weirdo" I furrowed my eyebrows and he laughed a little

Tomorrow was their first day of trial, I was going to be there

the next trial the boy's family testified, their grandmother almost crying, and their cousins not saying much, This all just built pressure on me to get this right for them

after the day was over I went to find Leslie to tell her about what Lyle had got me thinking about

"Mrs. Abramson!" I called walking quickly down the hall that she was walking down "Leslie" she corrected "Sorry, Leslie, um, I was talking to Lyle and I told him I'd be testifying and he got me thinking about the topic more and it reminded me of times where Jose would make comments towards me" I told her and her eyebrows raised "like?" she questioned "stuff about how I had a good body, and telling me how beautiful I was, and I don't know just, just weird stuff" I told her "ok come with me " she told me

I followed her and she brought me to a room that had a table and she got a notebook

I gave her many different instances where Jose would tell me things and she wrote them all down "Thank you again, Angela" she smiled "I think we've made a great testimony here, we could really make an impact with this" she told me "I hope so" I smiled a little "you're testifying after Lyle, and.." she stopped to look through her papers "Judalon Smyth" she told me "ok thank you, Mrs. Abramson, I'll see you soon" I said nodding starting to walk away

the next court date Lyle was testifying

this broke me, I sat in that courtroom tears brimming my eyes the entire time

first, he answered questions about how he killed his parents

then when it got to the abuse that he endured I felt sick and couldn't believe it, I did believe it but I was so shocked by everything he went through, he was so strong and I had more love and respect for him after

then when I heard what happened with Erik I was even more shocked, I didn't know how to process that

I haven't seen Lyle this vulnerable and distraught since Halloween three years ago when he first admitted to me what his parents had done

the very next day Lyle called me sounding upset telling me to come to the jail to see him

I went down right away and met him there

"Ange, I'm so sorry," he said "What happened?" I asked my face turning into worry "I haven't been truthful with you" he sighed "What do you mean?" I questioned "I've been- uh, talking to another woman," he told me and my heart sunk to my ass

"Are you serious?" I asked him and he nodded "fuck you, Lyle, you were just telling me how you loved me and how you've loved me for so long and how you wish you were out of here and I could be your girlfriend!" I exclaimed quietly at him "I'm sorry Ange" he sighed

"no fuck you Lyle. you better hope your testimony worked on the jury" I told him angrily "What's that supposed to mean" he asked "It means why don't you go fuck yourself you prick" I scoffed hanging up the phone and leaving the visitation room

I went to the front desk and asked for Erik to come down because now I need to talk to someone because I'm fuming

about twenty minutes later he came out and sat across from me "Hey Ange" he smiled a little "Hi, sorry I know you weren't expecting me but I needed to talk to someone" I sighed "and of course I missed you and I've been at every trial court date so far. I'm testifying after the next woman, oh! I looked her up and it was that woman from Oziel's office the night you confessed. Anyway I digress" I told him "you think you have a good testimony?" he asked me hopefully

"oh yeah, it's really solid, but I don't know too much now because half of it I don't even wanna answer," I told him sighing "Why not?" he asked "Your brother is an asshole and I don't want to defend him, he can defend himself," I told him

"what'd he do now" Erik questioned "he's been talking to another woman after telling me he loves me and he has for a long time" I scoffed "he has," Erik told me "Yeah well, too late now i just yelled at him and still, I'm fuming with him right now" I explained and Erik nodded understanding why I'd be upset

the two of us talked for a long while before I had to go