Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Eleven

JENSEN HOUSEHOLD
IMOGEN'S POV

"Look, I was trying to help Hannah's case." Clay was trying to explain to our parents with me, Justin and Clay all sitting down in the living room. They were sitting on the couch together. I was sitting in one of the chairs, my parents were across from us.

"By hiding Justin here? In the home of the lawyer whose firm is trying the case? Do you have any idea how that could look?" Our mother said, then she looked at me. "Is that why you gave me that fake story about wanting to stay at Jessica's?" She asked.

"Uh well. . I guess while we're being honest, I've actually been staying at Zach's." I said, which made my mom's eyes widen.

"Okay, we'll get to you in a minute." She said, then turned back to my brother. "Clay?" She said, waiting for an explanation. Honestly, I was waiting for one too.

"It's not just appearances we're worried about." Our dad said, our mom looked at him like that was the worst thing he could say.

"Matt, I'm an officer of the court. Justin failed to respond to his subpoena. He's in contempt." My mother said, which made me roll my eyes.

"Look, I was hiding him here because I didn't have any other options, okay?" Clay said.

"What about the option of coming to talk to us as both of you promised?" My dad said.

"Dad, don't blame Imogen. . I was hiding Justin from her as much as I was hiding him from the two of you. She didn't know until a couple days ago." Clay said.

"I had nowhere to go, that's why he had no other options." Justin said, finally speaking up. I undestand because he was right. I mean, where was Clay going to send him? With his mom and Seth. I know I'm feeling a lot of complicated things towards Justin, but I don't ever want him around Seth again.

"His mom is a junkie. And her boyfriend is an abusive asshole who is also a drug dealer." I said. My parents looked at me before giving a sympathetic look to Justin. I don't know why I just jumped in to defend him. He can speak for himself.

"I knew that they wouldn't take me back. Clay and Tony, they found me. . and saved me. He didn't tell you guys because I was too ashamed for anyone to know." Justin said, then he started to cough into his arm.

"And he's sick with the flu, which is why we were waiting for him to testify." Clay said. My parents both looked at me. I could tell my mom wanted to let him stay, but she wanted to know if I would be okay with it. I gave her a subtle nod before she looked back at Justin.

"You can stay as long as you need, Justin." She said, then she looked at me. "But you, young lady. You're coming home tonight, so whatever you need to go get from Zach's get it. . and you're grounded for lying." She said.

"Mom!" I exclaimed.

"I don't want to hear it, Imogen." She said, then she looked at Justin.

"I will need to report you being back to the lawyers. I'm sorry, it's the law." She said, but Justin was nodding her head.

"That's okay. I understand. Thank you, Mrs. Jensen and Mr. Jensen." Justin said to my parents.

"Now. . who's hungry. . I guess all of our efforts of trying to get Justin to join us for dinner have finally paid off." My dad said. I stood up from the couch while shaking my head.

"I'll pass." I said before going up the stairs to my room. I heard footsteps coming after me, and hoped on everything it wasn't one of my parents.

"Immy, wait." I stopped at my door when I heard Justin's voice behind me. Slowly, I turned around to face him.

"You living here doesn't change anything between us, Justin. . leave me alone." I said, before going back inside of my room, slamming the door in his face.

Then I slid down my door while crying out what I had been feeling all day.

•

COURTHOUSE
THIRD PERSON'S POV

It was finally time.

Imogen slightly shifted her weight as she sat on the witness stand in court. Her brother Clay snuck in, sitting away from his parents. Since he was officially on the witness list, he technically wasn't allowed to watch anyone else testify, just like Imogen wasn't allowed to as well, but these twins really are alike in that way. All of her friends were on the blog, waiting anxiously for it to be updated with what Imogen was saying on the stands.

"Imogen, let's just start off with telling the court, who Hannah was to you?" The Baker's lawyer, Dennis Vasquez asked Imogen. She knew her parents were here, but would only look at her mom if she got stumped, her mom knew that would be her signal.

"Hannah was my friend. She was sweet, she was kind, she got dragged through the mud at Liberty and she didn't deserve it." Imogen responded. Dennis nodded his head, thinking about what he wanted to ask, and what direction he wanted to take it in.

"Imogen did you know that Hannah was being bullied? Did you see or hear anything?" He asked. Imogen considered her words carefully, she knows what she saw, she knows what she did. She knows exactly how hard it was for Hannah, because half of Hannah's pain was inflicted by the majority of Imogen's friends.

"I didn't know directly, because she never said anything to me, but. .  it did get kind of rough her first couple of months there, after the list came out." She said.

"So you believe the list was a pivital moment in what happened to Hannah?" He asked.

"Yes. After the list came out. . that's when everyone started. . well, I should say that's when boys started to treat Hannah like she was an object, not a person. That was unfair to her." Imogen said. Dennis nodded his head. He then called for the photos of Imogen that Jessica used at her trial to be called forward from evidence, then he laid them out in front of Imogen.

"Imogen, can you explain what these pictures are to me?" Dennis asked. Imogen swallowed hard, because she didn't tell her mom about the harrassment she was starting to get at school.

"They are pictures of me and my boyfriend at the time, Justin Foley at the Winter Formal." She said, Dennis nodded his head.

"Can you read what they say please?" He asked. Imogen looked at her mom who was looking at her worried. Laine knew whatever was on those pictures, Imogen didn't tell her.

"Who would believe a drunk slut. ." Imogen said quietly, looking away from her parents, she didn't think she could look at them after that.

"Do you know what it's referring to?" Dennis asked her. Of course she knew, it was about her speaking out about being raped. She was drunk the night of the party when it happened. Bryce was the poster boy for being the perfect child, no one was going to believe her.

Clay sat in the crowd, hoping his sister would speak out about the reason those pictures were tarnished. He wanted her to mention Bryce, they could finally take him down. From the stand, Imogen knew her brother wanted her to speak out, so she avoided his gaze. She didn't know where to look, so she could only settle on looking at Dennis.

"No, I don't. Whoever did that. . they're just trying to be mean, because that's Liberty High."She said, shrugging her shoulders. "Hannah's not there anymore, so now they're moving onto me." She said quieter. Dennis nodded his head before looking at the judge.

"No further questions." He said before taking his seat. Imogen let out a quiet breath, but it was short lived before she started to get nervous again.

It was time for the cross examination.

•

I believe that I will attach a flashback scene with Imogen's cross-examination. Who knows what information is going to come out, right?

Comments are always appreciated.

xoxo, Micah.