Books, Boys, and Basketball: Junior Year

THE PASSENGER

Things aren't looking good for Candor. But sitting on the witness stand telling a room full of strangers everything they subjected to while under their care is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Thankfully, Drew, Grams, Josh, and Trisha are here in court to give me the strength to tell my story.

Having to sit in a room with Dr. Hadley and the Isaacs makes bile rise in my throat. Especially when they make eye contact. But I'm proud of myself. Not only do I not empty my stomach, but I power through it.

I haven't punked out.

And when their lawyer rips me apart on the witness stand, throwing my latest disappearing act, my sexual relationship with Drew, and every single time I've gotten in trouble at school or home in my face. To make me look like this horrible girl seeking attention because of my daddy issues... I hold my ground.

It's hard listening to them turn me into this desperate, sex-crazed, unruly teenage girl with a chip on her shoulder. TheySLAUGHTER me both in the courtroom and the media. And my attorney explains it's a tactic they're using to undermine my credibility. Only time will tell if it works, and everyone thinks I'm that girl.

I feel bad for my attorneys because my recent behavior doesn't make their job any easier. It works against us. I can't be both a victim and the outspoken girl everyone knows me to be.

But I am...

Candor took my freedom, my pride, and my dignity. They stole my strength and silenced my voice through torture. But they couldn't take my will to live... to succeed and overcome. Getting a jury to understand that, however, is a different story entirely.

I'm not the only witness for the prosecution, though. Several other girls agree to testify once they heard I was going to. The rest are afraid. I'm sure Candor threatened them the same way they threatened me.

My testimony spans three days, and they're the most emotionally draining three days of my life. After each day in court, Drew listens to me vent and cry, and he helps me dry my tears. Holding me for hours until I feel better. Other times we make out, so I don't have to think about anything. But that proves to be easier said than done.

Candor's legal team continues to decimate me in the media. Turning me into this sultry, souped-up sex vixen. Knowing the world probably thinks I'm this nasty little girl who can't keep her legs closed when I've only ever been with oneperson, is eating at me.

I try not to harbor on it, but it's hard when that's all the media wants to talk about. And the publicity from my court case even trickles over into sports. Sports reporters ask me questions about my court case rather than my skills on the basketball court.

If that isn't bad enough, someone leaks my engagement to Drew to the press and Drew's dad flies into a rage. He accuses me of leaking that information myself and he wants Drew to drop me before any more damage is done to his image. But after we're caught in public kissing, we can no longer deny it.

I'm now officially known as Drew's girl.

Drew and his dad gets into it. I'm talking a full-blown shouting match right in the middle of the school parking lot after practice. And it's so bad, Drew goes to stay with Gig for the weekend.

We spend that entire weekend apart, and it's brutal. I don't know what to do with myself. When we aren't at school together or doing other things, we spend as much time with each other as possible. It's weird not having him around now.

"That boy just pulled up outside," Grams comes into my room to inform me.

Now that she's mad that Drew and I slept together on her watch, he's gone from Andrew to that boy.