Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Five

PRESENT TIME
CRESTMONT COURTROOM
JUNIOR YEAR
IMOGEN'S POV

"Our relationship started heating up." Jessica was still explaining the fallout between her and Hannah. I looked to Alex for his reactions to all of this. Since he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. . some of his memories have gone away. He doesn't remember the tapes, he doesn't remember what he did or what the rest of us did as well, but he wants to know.

Jessica and I tell him all the time that it's probably best he doesn't know. Knowing what I know now. . I don't want to know any of it anymore. The only thing that I needed to know from those tapes is that. . Bryce assaulted me, I couldn't continued to be lied to for that one. But these tapes have only brought me pain.

I lost Hannah. I lost Sheri. I lost Jeff because of Sheri. I lost Justin. I was assaulted, and now our school is being sued because Hannah's parents didn't recognize that their daughter was acting different. I understand they're suing for bullying, but after listening to Hannah's tapes, the only thing that was really bad that happened was Bryce assaulting her.

Everything else was dumb high school shit she over analyzed.

"But I tried to be sensitive to Hannah." She said, now she was explaining when they went on a date to the movies when Hannah was working but Jess thought she was off. She told Alex to let her buy her ticket and get inside, then for him to wait about five minutes before getting his.

"But of course, he didn't wait. He didn't get what it would feel like for a girl. Actually, Hannah was pretty okay with it. Even though I chose a boy over my friendship with two girls." She said, then she explained how Alex said Hannah got jealous over their relationship, which I think was a little fabricated because that's how Alex was.

"From that point, Alex and I kept things cool. We still hung out as a group, or sometimes Imogen would be with Jeff or Sheri, but we were all good. But when Hannah found out that Alex made that list, it was too much for her." Jessica said.

Alex was looking blankly ahead while my brother looked at him. I felt so bad, because Alex doesn't remember doing any of this. "So you blame the Hot or Not List, and the culture at Liberty, but isn't it true that it was Hannah's jealousy that ended your friendship?" She asked.

"No, it was the list." Jessica said.

"After you broke up with Alex, did your friendship with Hannah resume?" The prosecutor asked.

"No." She said.

"Because you started hanging around more with the popular crowd, with Imogen, Justin Foley, and that crowd?" She asked.

"No." Jessica snapped.

"So, you didn't join cheerleading just to shove in Hannah's face that you and Imogen got close again after you all fell out?" She asked. Mine and Jessica's eyes met, and now I was the one feeling guilty, because I remember what I said to Hannah when she asked me about Jess and I being close again and her feeling left out. I said.

"Jess said she joined cheer to get close to me again, what? You want me to act like a bitch to Jess just because we all fell out?" I said something along those lines.

"Or did you all fall out over Justin Foley?" She asked.

"What does Justin have to do with this?" Jessica asked, and that was what I wanted to know.

"Well, you dated him correct?" She asked.

"No, Imogen did." Jess responded.

"Hannah was jealous of the two of them, just like she was jealous of you and Imogen getting closer again, wasn't she?" The prosecutor asked. Jessica looked at me, and I was lost for words.