His lawyer got visibly agitated at that, but I continued without stopping.
“He told me that he’d gone to speak to the coach about something personal, and that the coach hadn’t reacted right and then they got into an argument and … well … we all know what happened after.”
“You killed that man,” said Grandma, “praise Jesus.”
When everyone looked at her, my mother with shock in her expression, Grandma looked at the ceiling and said, “Lord, I’ll beg forgiveness for that evil thought at church on Sunday, I promise, but let me be a sinner for jus’ a little while longer.” She shook her head and shifted her gaze to me. “Tell your story, baby, tell it.”
Jason took his hand away from mine and put it around me, pulling me against him. He set me on fire with that. I was warm from head to toe with his love and friendship. I felt like I could fly.
“Dad, remember that photographer who came to the house that one night?”
“How could I forget,” he said wryly.
“I took the pictures off his camera and kept them.” I looked around the room. “They were pictures of the football team at the Boys’ Center, the charity place not far from here. Jason was a big brother there. It was the coach’s pet charity.”
“He made all the players participate,” Jason said, his voice rough and low.
“There were several pictures of Jason with Leo, and I could tell they were friends from the way they smiled at each other.”
Jason smiled, but he seemed very sad.
“Anyway, one day when Jason came over, he was looking at the pictures. And after he left, I noticed that he’d tried to delete all the photos with Leo in them.”
My mom frowned. “Why would he do that?”
I looked at Jason as I answered her question. “He was trying to protect Leo.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
I DIDN’T SLEEP THAT NIGHT. After Leo was roused from bed and had a private conference with the attorney, we all went home and I spent the entire night and morning at Jason’s kitchen table, talking with him and his dad.
“We need to get going so we’re not late to court,” Chuck said. “You sure your parents are okay with this?”
I nodded. “Do you honestly think they could stop me at this point?”
He laughed. “Uh, no. You’re unstoppable.” He pulled me into a hug. “Thank God.” After he let me go, he walked down the hallway. “You kids have ten minutes before this bus is leaving.”
Jason and I sat there looking at each other across the table, the first time we’d been alone in what felt like forever.
He just stared at me, his head kind of tilted.
“You’re making me paranoid,” I said, feeling my face pinking up. “Say something.”
“You are … the most beautiful, amazing person I have ever known in my entire life.”
Why I was suddenly shy with him after all we’d been through, I have no idea, but there was no denying it. It felt like a first date.
“Shut up,” I said, ever so eloquently.
“I’m serious.” He got up and walked over, taking my hand and making me stand in front of him.
We stared into each other’s eyes for a long time.
“I love you, Katy.”
“I love you too, Jason.” I knew he probably meant as a friend and even though that’s not how I meant it now, it didn’t matter. Being his friend was an honor for me.
“I really want to kiss you, but I don’t want to screw things up,” he said.
I tried to smile but my lips were too trembly to do it without looking like a lunatic. “How could you screw things up by kissing me?”
He huffed out a single laugh. “If I remember correctly, the other times I tried I managed pretty well to completely suck at it.”
I lifted my chin. “Those weren’t kisses. Those were you trying to fight me off with your weapon of choice.”
“My weapon of choice.” He said it like a statement.
“Yeah. Before you used to think I was hanging around because you’re cute. You were kissing me with your ego. Now you know different.”
He moved closer so we were almost touching body to body. “So you’re saying now that I know you actually love me, I can kiss you without my ego?”
“And you love me too. That’s the key.” I winked, acting waaaay more confident than I was feeling.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
I did as I was told without arguing, pretty much a first for me.
“Pucker up.”
I laughed but then stuck my lips out.
I could feel his breath before anything else. It was warm and smelled of blueberry muffins.
“Okay, kids, time to go!” said his dad from the hallway.
My eyes flew open and I pulled away, just as Jason’s lips were touching mine.
“Great timing, Dad,” Jason said, stepping back and running his fingers through his hair.
“Sorry, but we need to get the lead out. You know what the traffic is like downtown.” He came into the kitchen, oblivious to what he’d just interrupted.
I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder. “You ready?” I asked Jason as we walked down the hall to the front door. There was a mass of reporters out there, waiting to hear the big news that Jason’s attorney had hinted was coming, last night when he spoke with his contacts in the media.
“As long as you’re there, I’ll be able to handle anything,” Jason said, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss on the lips, just as the front door opened.
Chapter Fifty-Six
THE COURTROOM WAS PACKED. THE judge had come in extra early to deal with the procedural issues that she was notified of, last night around midnight by the prosecutor’s office.
After the judge came to the bench but before the jury was allowed in, Jason’s attorney addressed the court. “Judge, we have a motion we’d like to make before we get started.”
She looked over her glasses at him. “So I gathered.” She held out her hand for his documents and he walked up to hand them to her.
“Sorry about any spelling errors … my assistant didn’t have time to proofread for me.”
“She’s probably still in bed,” the judge said dryly. “Give me a minute to read through this.”
Jason was turned in his seat so he could watch me watching the judge. I could tell he was nervous; he kept rubbing the top of the seat like he was trying to take the wood stain off.
“Okay, let’s hear your argument,” she said to the defense attorney.
Jason turned around and faced the front, his hands folded in his lap. His leg bounced up and down rapidly in time with mine doing the same thing.
“Your Honor, last night I was alerted to the presence of a witness, a critical witness, one that could not possibly have been discovered previously, and this witness absolutely must be allowed to testify.”
“Go on,” she said, putting the papers down.
“Your Honor, this is a very sensitive matter.”
“Murder is always a sensitive matter,” she said, her tone scolding.
“Of course, Your Honor, but we’re talking about a minor here and allegations of sexual abuse.”
Everyone in the entire courtroom gasped, me included. I knew the story from start to finish and yet it still shocked me to hear the words spoken out loud in such a public place.
The judge looked at the prosecution. “Your counter?”
“Your Honor, really, the State asks that you deny this motion on the basis that this witness should have been presented to us long before this day when we’re in the middle of making our case.” The prosecutor shook his head and threw his hands up. “I mean, come on. We’re completely prejudiced by this situation. If I had known about this person, I would have deposed him.”
“Fine.” The judge took her glasses off and gestured to the prosecutor. “I’ll give you two hours. Depose him.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
LEO WAS LED INTO AND out of the courthouse under armed escor
t, using side doors and underground basement parking to ensure his face never figured in the lens of a photographer. No one ever knew his name or saw him live except for the prosecutor and the defense attorney. But it didn’t matter; his words were plenty powerful enough.
“I understand we have another issue,” the judge said after everyone minus the jury was back in her courtroom.
“Yes, Your Honor,” the prosecutor said. He looked pissed. “We need some time to determine whether we’re going to ask for a mistrial, drop the charges, or continue and ask for conviction on a lesser charge.”
“The lesser charge being …?” The judge raised an annoyed eyebrow at him.
“Manslaughter.”
“You have two minutes. The clock is ticking.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but she wasn’t going to listen and he knew it. Instead, he sat down at the table with his team of two other lawyers and discussed it in whispered tones.
“What’s happening?” Jason asked his lawyer.
I was sitting in the front row now so I could hear everything when they turned around to share the information with Jason’s dad.
“The charge of murder includes the lesser charge of manslaughter, so they can continue the trial and ask the jury to find Jason guilty of that instead of murder.”
“What’s the prison sentence?” I asked.
“Could be less than ten years. Much less. But I’m going to argue justifiable homicide. He has a very strong defense. I think the prosecutor is going to drop the case.”
I felt like I was going to have a heart attack, so I could only imagine what Jason was going through.
“That would be … that would be wonderful,” Jason’s dad said, getting choked up over the idea.
“Don’t count your chickens just yet. That prosecutor is a real asshole.” Jason’s attorney sat up and turned around when the judge started talking.
I loved him for saying that. The prosecutor was an asshole.
“Mr. Prosecutor, do you have anything for me?”
He got up from the table where he’d been arguing heatedly with his colleagues and approached the center of the space in front of the judge’s desk.
“Your honor, the State of Florida would like to drop the charges against Jason Bradley.”
“Are you certain? Because we’ve already spent quite a bit of the taxpayer’s money here.”
“I don’t feel as though I have a choice,” he said, hanging his head.
The courtroom blew up with noise. The most vocal were the family members of Coach Fielding. The biggest son made a leap for the table where Jason was sitting, but he didn’t get very far. Three bailiffs jumped on him and dragged him to the ground, handcuffing him and taking him away.
The judge banged her gavel over and over.
“Order!” she yelled. “Order! The next person who acts out of turn goes to jail!” She glared out at the crowd. “Any takers?!”
Everyone calmed down immediately and she looked at Jason. “Mr. Bradley, the charges against you have been dropped and you are free to go. However, be advised that if the prosecutor’s office discovers new evidence against you, you can have charges brought against you again and you can be tried again. Double jeopardy does not apply in this situation.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jason said, nodding at her and standing. He turned around and pulled me into a bear hug. I began to cry because it was the only thing left to do. Jason was coming home.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
“I DON’T GET IT,” I said in the car ride home. Jason and I were in the back seat holding hands. “How come they dropped everything entirely? It seems so impossible.”
Jason’s dad answered. He’s spent an hour with the attorney after the trial was called off getting all the details while Jason and I stared at each other and smiled like goofballs in love in the cafeteria, because that’s exactly what we were. In love. I grew two inches taller that day.
“The lawyer said that with Leo’s testimony it was very likely, highly likely, that Jason would be found not-guilty based on some statutes that say it’s legal to kill someone if it’s in the defense of others. And if there’s a situation where a person is confronted with the things Jason confronted the coach with, and that person becomes violent, a person is within his rights to defend himself with deadly force.” He shrugged. “And let’s face it, when a person did what the coach did, there’s really not any jury in the world who doesn’t want him dead. No one would convict.”
“Except his family.” Jason got sad all of a sudden.
“Don’t be too sure about that,” said Jason’s dad. “I heard rumors about the son that wasn’t there. This stuff doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You wait and see. Things will start coming out of the woodwork now that the truth is out. The lies are coming undone. Everyone is going to see you as the hero you are.” Chuck looked at his son in the rearview mirror and winked.
“I’m no hero, Dad, I killed a man.”
“Jason, you are a hero. And yes, you killed a man. But you saved lives, I know you did. You know you did. How many lives did he destroy? How many children will not have their lives ruined now that he’s gone? He was a monster. You slayed that monster. I know you didn’t mean to, but it happened, and I’m not going to say it was a mistake.”
Jason shook his head. It was impossible to know right now how many lives had been ruined or saved and we probably never would. But at least I could finally say that Jason’s life wasn’t ruined. Not anymore. It was changed, yes, but he was free.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
THIS IS THE PART OF the story that Jason should tell, but since he keeps insisting that I’m way better at it than he is, I’m going to go ahead and do it. But I really wish you could have seen the look on his face when he told me the first time, in full detail, what actually happened that evening in the coach’s office at the stadium. The night that all of our lives changed forever.
Jason had gone to the Boys’ Center the afternoon of the big game to ask Leo if he wanted to come and watch from the sidelines, but when he went to the Center, he couldn’t find him. Kids from the neighborhood said that he was at home and that he’d quit the Center entirely.
Jason got his address and went over to see him. Leo at first refused to come out, saying his Grandma was working and didn’t want any strangers coming in, but Jason convinced him to come out on the porch for a chat. That’s when he noticed something was wrong.
Leo wouldn’t look him in the eye. He refused to say why he didn’t want to be at the Boys’ Center anymore.
Jason thought he’d get Leo to talk by changing the subject. He talked about how much fun Leo’d be missing by not coming to the game that night. He mentioned how all the scouts were supposed to come out and then maybe contact him about college scholarships. He figured the kid’s hero worship would be enough to get him to come.
“You like football?” Leo asked.
Jason was confused about the question at first. “Sure, I love football. It’s my life.”
“But aren’t there things you don’t like about it?”
Jason thought about it for a few seconds and shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I mean, to be good you have to work hard. That’s a lot of practices, a lot of drills, and lot of hits to take.”
“Yeah.” Leo seemed lost in his own world. “Is there anything else you don’t like?”
Jason laughed. “Nah, man, it’s all good. You get the girls, you get the fans, you get free stuff all the time. Like those red shoes. You want a pair? I can get you a pair if you want.”
Leo looked up at him, his mouth quivering. “You want to give me a pair of red shoes?”
Jason shook his head at the boy’s expression. “Why are you acting like I just offered to kill your pet hamster?”
“Coach offered to buy me a pair of them shoes.”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy like that.”
“He buy you shoes? Red ones?”
“No, not red ones, but other ones. Blue ones,
black and white ones …what’s the big deal?”
“And you do whatever the coach tells you to do? Cuz he buys you those shoes?”
“Sure I do whatever he tells me to do. He’s the coach. Every team has a coach. And he’s the best coach I’ve ever had. He’s like a father to me.”
Jason remembers Leo’s face going very pale at that point. “I gotta go,” he said. “See ya.”
He stood up and went into the house without saying another word.
Jason could have left. He was tempted to. But that look on Leo’s face was just killing him. He went into the house and called out his name.
“Leo,” he said, “where are you, man? Come out and say goodbye, at least.”
Jason followed the sounds of sorrow that came to his ears and found Leo sobbing in bed.
“Dude, what’s wrong with you?”
Leo sat up and screamed, “I can’t do the things he asks me to do anymore, okay?! I can’t do it anymore!”
Jason said he stood there confused for the longest time. First he thought to himself that this kid was upset because the coach had told him to do some pushups or something, or had told him to run sprints. He liked to make the young kids run the bleachers over and over until they were ready to collapse. He said his job was to make men of them.
But then other thoughts entered his head and made him extremely uncomfortable. Leo was way too upset to be freaking out about pushups.
“Leo, what did the coach ask you to do?”
“He didn’t ask me, he made me. He made me do it!”
“Okay, what did he make you do?” Jason distinctly remembers feeling physically ill at this point. He didn’t yet know the truth, but deep down inside, he knew the truth was bad. Very bad.
Chapter Sixty
LEO SPOKE IN A MONOTONE, staring at the wall as he lay on his side.
“The first time, he touched me … on my private parts.” Leo whimpered a little but kept talking, trying to maintain the disaffected tone he started with. “The next time, he made me touch him. He said all the guys do it. It’s part of being on the football team.”