sister sister // heathers au

twelve

Our love is god.
- Jason Dean, 1988

JD took the stand next, prepared to be questioned brutally about his entire life. Mr. Dimitri started to question him first, after he stated his name for the record and was put under oath.

"Mr. Dean," Mr. Dimitri said as JD tried not to groan at that name. "Have you ever committed any crimes?"

"No, I have not." JD lied, he had committed many crimes. Drug dealing wasn't one of them but the others weren't relevant. This was about him being framed for drug dealing.

"What was your childhood like?" Mr. Dimitri asked. JD stifled a laugh.

"It was pleasant. Until my mom killed herself." JD answered.

"Why did she do that?" Mr. Dimitri asked.

"Because my father was generally abusive towards her." JD replied.

"Wouldn't some people say that you've had a history of abusing your wife?" Mr. Dimitri asked.

"The people who knew us in high school could think that. We weren't in a good way then." JD answered, thinking of times he was mean to Veronica when they were young. He used to push her around and scream at her. He hated himself for this.

"Can you elaborate?" Mr. Dimitri asked him.

"Both of us struggle with mental illness and at the time, we hadn't learned how to cope alone. Let alone together." JD elaborated. He could see Veronica looking at him, she was beside their daughters. He missed them.

"What changed?" Mr. Dimitri asked.

"We both started therapy and we found out that my wife was expecting our oldest child." JD told him.

"Why was your wife getting pregnant an important factor in recovery?" Mr. Dimitri questioned.

"We knew we had to be better for our son. And eventually, our daughters as well." JD told him flatly.

"So why would you risk everything with dealing drugs?" Mr. Dimitri asked.

"I wasn't dealing drugs." JD said.

"Were you using the drugs found in your car?" Mr. Dimitri asked.

"Other than the marijuana, no. My wife already told you that the Xanax was hers. I have no clue where the heroin came from." JD answered.

"No further questions, your honor." Mr. Dimitri said, sitting down as David stood up.

"Mr. Dean, your family comes first for you, correct?" David asked him.

"Yes." JD answered, looking at the very thin man before him.

"And that is because your childhood wasn't a great one, yes?" David asked him.

"That's exactly why. I didn't want my children turning out like me." JD answered.

"What do you mean by that?" David asked.

"I got into fights and harmed myself for years. For most of middle school and high school." JD responded.

"Mr. Dean, would you ever put your wife and children at risk?" David asked.

"Never in a million years." JD told him.

"No further questions." He said quietly.

Mr. Dimitri stood up. "Heather McNamara to the stand." They announced. JD and Veronica hadn't known who all would be in the case. To hear Heather's name was a shock.