Tiny Dancer

Even If I Disappear

The courtroom was colder than Ella expected. Not physically—though the AC was blasting—but something about the polished wood, the echo of footsteps, and the quiet whispers made her feel like she didn't belong.

Kitty squeezed her hand. Red sat stiffly on her other side, shoulders tense like he was holding the entire building up with his spine.

She'd been offered the choice not to be there. But Ella had refused.

She needed to see this through.

She needed to see them try and twist the truth—and watch it hold firm anyway.

Eric sat on the stand first. He looked uncomfortable in the suit Kitty made him wear, and even more so under the heat of the defense attorney's cross-examination.

"You say you found your sister after she'd run off. Why didn't you notify the authorities immediately?"

Eric blinked, clearly holding back something snarky. "Because my sister was having a panic attack, and maybe dealing with her emotional safety was more important than calling the cops."

The lawyer raised an eyebrow. "Are you trained in mental health care?"

"I'm her brother," Eric snapped. "That was enough."

Ella felt Red's hand tighten briefly on her knee, a silent nod of support.

When Donna took the stand, she was calmer but no less fierce.

"You claim the alleged incident caused emotional distress to Miss Foreman, but how do you know?"

"I watched it happen," Donna replied coolly. "I saw her the night of prom, I saw the bruises. I saw the way she panicked after just seeing those two jerks again."

The defense attorney leaned in. "And yet you didn't report them either."

Donna met the attorney's stare, unmoved. "We're seventeen. We were scared. That doesn't make it her fault."

Behind her, Ella could feel every stare. Chris and Glen sat smugly across the aisle, eyes locked on her like this was still their game.

Kitty wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Red hadn't moved in minutes, jaw clenched, hands like stone in his lap.

Ella stared straight ahead.

Because if Donna and Eric could speak the truth that loud, the least she could do was be brave enough to hear it.

xX Xx

After Donna stepped down, the courtroom shifted. Ella could feel it in the air—like something was about to break.

The bailiff called, "Steven Hyde to the stand."

Ella's heart skipped.

He stood up slowly, hands in his pockets until the very last moment, then walked with purpose. His posture was solid, expression unreadable, but as soon as he sat down and was sworn in, his eyes found hers.

They didn't leave her after that.

Red leaned slightly forward in his seat. Kitty's hand found Ella's again, thumb rubbing comfort into the back of it.

The prosecutor started gently.

"You were present the night of the school dance, correct?"

Hyde nodded. "Yeah."

"And you witnessed Mr. Forbes and Mr. Hayes cornering Miss Foreman?"

"I saw them follow her. She didn't see me. She was trying to get to the car."