I looked down at my feet that were already killing me. I wore small black heels, a black pencil skirt, and a cream blouse to look professional. I glanced at Asher, who wore a black suit with a cream tie. He seemed laid back, so certain that justice would prevail. I prayed he was right.
Mr. Higgins straightened his navy blue tie and matching navy blue suit. “Thank you both for coming. We are not permitted to stay except for the testimonies from the staff at the school. Then, we will be excused. The trial doesn’t end with us but it shouldn’t be much longer until the verdict.”
I nodded.
His eyes rested on me. “I just found out Preston will be the one asking the questions on their side.”
I hesitated, pulling at the curls in my hair. Of course he would be. Before I could answer, the door opened and a short man with a green suit greeted us. We followed behind him into the courtroom.
The green carpet was worn down as we walked past the long bench rows. We sat on the right side, the bench closest to the jury. I noticed Rosie’s absence and breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t want her to hear all of this today. The judge sat up at that big wooden desk with papers littered all over it. The judge was a woman with shoulder-length gray hair and kind brown eyes.
She cleared her throat. “I am Judge Marty. Asher Wells, please follow Mr. Smith to the stand.”
Asher followed Mr. Smith, the man in the green suit, to the stand and sat down. He didn’t look nervous. He wore a neutral expression as the judge went over formalities. Preston walked to the podium with an air of confidence. He was in his element, and seeing him shook me to my core. I swallowed the bile that crept up my throat at the sight of him.
I shook those negative feelings away and trained my eyes on Asher.
“You may begin,” the judge said.
“Thank you, Your Honor.” Preston smiled at her before he turned to Asher. “How did Rosie Jenkins’ claim come to your attention?”
Asher’s jaw ticked. Claim, as if she lied. “We were practicing self-defense in gym class when her partner grabbed her arm. She had a meltdown and when I pulled her away to see what happened she broke down.”
“And what did she say during this… break down?”
“She told me that she hated her uncle.” His Adam's apple bobbed. “Because he made her feel bad. He touched her where she didn’t want to be touched.”
“And what did you do when she told you?”
“I took it to our school resource officer and our school principal immediately after I had taken Rosie to the nurse.”
“Could she be acting out to get attention?” Preston’s gaze was hard as he stared at him.
“Absolutely not.”
“You’re a gym teacher. Not a child psychologist, correct Mr. Wells?”
He nodded.
“So you wouldn’t really know if she were acting out for attention.”
“Rosie was a bright and bubbly kid. Always helping out. That light inside her dimmed within a week. She was withdrawn. Then, her breakdown happened. I may not be an expert in behavior, but I know when something severely wrong is going on in my students’ life. I have a duty to report any signs a student exhibits, especially when they confide in me the way she did.”
Preston started digging deeper, becoming more intense with his questions. The opposing counsel ended up interrupting him a few times before the judge stopped Asher’s testimony, then the opposing counsel clarified his answers.
After Asher, Mr. Higgins went up to the stand. Preston asked him questions about how it came to his attention, how Rosie acted when she was approached about it, did he think there was a chance she could be lying, did she want attention, and how were the parents when they found out. Higgins answered everything fully and honestly. I could see Preston’s composure deteriorating.
When it was my turn to go to the stand, Preston smirked at me.
“I am aware that Mr. Hill and you were in a serious relationship that has now ended. Regardless, we have another lawyer present to lead this testimony. Is that okay with you, Ms. Reed?”
I nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.”
Preston’s eyes scanned my chest before drifting up to meet my gaze. His eyes narrowed before he walked over and sat down.
A tall man in a maroon suit stood where Preston had. “And how did you become aware of Rosie’s situation?”
I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Rosie is in my homeroom class. Mr. Wells pulled me away to inform me before I met with Mr. Higgins.”
“And why did he tell you before Mr. Higgins told you?”
“I love all of my students. Their wellbeing is very important to me.” I let out a shaky breath. “Mr. Wells knew this and wanted to give me a heads up before going into a serious meeting with my boss.”
He nodded. “Have you noticed anything unusual about the girl during class?”
“I noticed several things. She had become withdrawn. Didn’t want to play with her classmates anymore. Didn’t want to work in groups. Didn’t want to do her class job. All of these things are highly unusual for her.”
“Her uncle moved in. Her parents began giving him a little more attention than her. She could have felt lonely or even thrown away, in a sense.” His gaze intensified. “Do you think she could be lying about her uncle?”
I shook my head. “I’ve known Rosie since last year. She’s not a liar. If anything, she’s too honest.”
The man’s shoulders slumped as he realized he couldn’t get anything useful out of me. “That’s all. Thank you for your time, Ms. Reed.”
After that, as we had all given our testimonies, we were walked out of the
