The Black Sheep

Trial, Day 1, Part 2

"So I was told you guys went to the movies. How did that go down?" Tyler's lawyer asks.

"He asked my friends and I if we wanted to go to the movies with him and his friends. I was going to say no, but my friend Luna cut it and said yes because she wanted me to step out of my comfort zone and because he was nervous when he asked. I asked Zion if he could cover me with an excuse when he came over, but we got into a disagreement and he threw me under the bus so I had to go. Honestly, I planned on locking myself in the bathroom until it was time to go back home, but I knew it wasn't going to work. We went to the arcade and I slowly started to open up. He even won me a teddy bear from the claw machine. And it ended up pretty fun, but my feelings for him didn't change."

"Why didn't you simply tell him you didn't wanna go?"

"Because I never had to take back an offer before and I kind of felt bad."

"And you didn't make any attempts to get closer to him that night?"

"No."

"Nothing further."

"Zaya, when did things start to get worse than him making small advances to you?" My lawyer asks.

"I fainted at school one day. That night, Zion came into my room and told me how Tyler was harassing him at school about my favorite things and that I needed to officially set things straight with him or he will. And so I did, as nicely as I possibly could. And he got so angry," I look down at my hands. "I had no idea what to do. He was shouting and screaming for everyone to hear about how I was a slut that lead him on. Zion and his friends stepped in to help me and Zion ended up punching him as a warning. We got detention together and that's when I met Caleb. About four weeks later is when Tyler violently attacked me outside of the counselors office at school and broke 2 of my ribs. Caleb and Zion basically beat the crap out of him while their friends got me into a car and drove me to the hospital while I passed out. It took 4 weeks for me to heal. And over a 2 week period, on 3 different occasions, I saw a flash come from my window. The third time I think, Zion actually ended up chasing the hooded person down the road, but lost him. I'm not 100% sure it was Tyler, but I'm 90% sure that it was him."

"Up until the kidnapping, was that it?"

"No. My friends and I went with Caleb and his friends to the carnival. Luna noticed a hooded guy following us. When Caleb was done winning me a teddy bear, the man 'ran' into me and slipped an envelope into my back pocket. But I know it wasn't Tyler because he was noticeably shorter. I opened it at home with Zion and it was different pictures me taken at different times, including me sleeping."

"And we do have those pictures here with us. Was that all?

"No, while the restraining order was in place, that same day, Zion went outside, shouting how he knew Tyler was out there. When he stormed off, Tyler actually came out to face me. Zion..." I pause as I glance up at Zion and my mom. He sighs and nods his head.

"What did Zion do?"

"He..." I look down at my hands, "he came back out with a gun in his hand and pointed it right at Tyler and told him to leave our property and that we wouldn't tell anyone that he was ever there. And so he did."

"Well this is brand new information to me. So not only did he break the restraining order without us being informed, your brother has access to a firearm?"

"It's my dad's. He keeps it in the house just in case my parents aren't home and there's an emergency," I look up to see my mom staring my dad down.

"Why didn't you inform your parents about Tyler?"

"I didn't want them breathing down my back all the time."

"Was that it?"

"Until the kidnapping, yes."

"Nothing further."