Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Twenty-One

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY
IMOGEN'S POV

"Imogen, can I speak to you?" I was at the vending machine after my interrogation, and when I turned around, it was Mr. Porter himself asking me the question and I scoffed and walked out of the room where the vending machines were.

"After that shit you tried to pull on Clay, why should I?" I asked.

"Imogen, I know your brother. . and I know he didn't kill Bryce. I specifically called in a certain number of you, knowing that if I tried to bring Clay down, you guys would defend him. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but that's the truth." Porter said. I sighed, because I do believe him, we all know Clay isn't capable of killing Bryce.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"When I spoke to Tyler today, there was something different about him since I saw him last year." Mr. Porter said, and I sighed. Not wanting to bring up the whole Spring Fling situation, because I'm pretty sure Mr. Porter had already been fired before that happened, so there's no way he would know about it.

"Uh yeah. . he's uh, been through a lot." I said.

"But have you seen any sudden change in behavior? Did you notice anything like that?" He asked me, and honestly, now that I'm thinking about it. I have. The day I confronted Monty in the bathroom, it was after I saw Monty talking to Tyler, and Tyler truly looked terrified. Usually when the jocks said shit to him, he just rolled with it and brushed it off, but anytime Monty gets even in the same area as him, he cowers.

When Casey yelled at him about not being a sexual assault victim during the one HO meeting, he held his bookbag close to his chest, he cowered up and didn't say anything for the rest of the meeting. "Actually. . I have." I said.

"He's been through trauma. And I bet you Montgomery De La Cruz has something to do with that." Mr. Porter said, and I nodded my head, again, thinking about how Tyler acts every time he sees Monty, he freezes. Oh my gosh.

How did I not see it sooner? Monty did something to Tyler.

"Just, watch out for him, okay? Maybe you can get him to open up to you. . since you've been through trauma as well. . but on the other hand of it, you seem a lot better than the last time I saw you last year." Mr. Porter said, and I nodded my head.

"I will. I promise. . and I am a lot better."

―

YEARBOOK ROOM
THIRD PERSON'S POV

"I just told them the truth. I mean, not the whole truth, but the truth. That, you're a good person." Tyler Down spoke to the Jensen twins, but specifically to Clay since he was the one who the police were trying to make a case again. Imogen wanted to talk to Tyler after talking to Mr. Porter, and Clay said that he had just come from meeting with Mr. Porter at Monet's.

"Thanks, Tyler." Clay said.

"Yeah." Tyler said, nodding his head, and Imogen gestured for Clay to now give her some space, because because wanted to talk to Tyler, and she would ask Clay to leave the room if she had to, if Tyler didn't want to open up to him about it. If Monty really did assault Tyler, it would make a lot of sense as to how he's been acting.

He cowers up every time he sees Monty. He doesn't let anyone touch him. How he reacted when Casey said he wasn't a sexual assault suvivor. Him wanting to join HO in the first place. Everything is starting to make sense now, if Monty did that to him. . and if Monty did sexual assault Tyler, it made Imogen feel sick to her stomach to have to relive through someone she's known for so long who was so sweet, inflicting that kind of pain onto someone else.