A secret is a secret | ONC 2024

19 | The final round

The moment that Beck, Cyrus, and I walked into the courtroom, multiple heads turned in our direction to look at us. I didn't look at anyone, I only cared for my boyfriend. My eyes searched the entire room until they landed on him. Alfred had the back of his head facing my direction, he was sitting down in one of the two tables.

My boyfriend was wearing one of those bright orange prison jumpsuits. Right next to him, his lawyer was sitting down, and he was saying something into my boyfriend's right ear. My boyfriend turned his head around as he began looking in our direction. His beautiful dark eyes scanned the entire room until his eyes found mine. One second later, my favorite type of smile appeared on his lips.

The two of us proceeded to make eye contact, matching our smiles as my two best friends, my support system, and I made our way to the front row on the right side of the courtroom and all of us at the same time we sat down. As I was looking at my boyfriend, I took it as an opportunity to scan Alfred's face.

Unlike the last time I saw him, today, my boyfriend looked like his usual self, he didn't look tired or anything like that. I felt glad knowing that the nerves and anxiety of what was coming today, didn't stop him from getting enough sleep last night.

After what felt like an eternity, my boyfriend without breaking our eye contact, Alfred held his dominant hand in the air as he began waving at me, still smiling brightly. It didn't take me long to return to the gesture. Seconds after that, my boyfriend looked away from my eyes and began looking at Beck and Cyrus. However, my eyes didn't get the memo to look away from him.

I felt my chest filled with happiness, watching my boyfriend greeting our two best friends and he didn't stop there. I watched my boyfriend's eyes, realizing that my older sister and her boyfriend were present. Alfred is the good person that I know and love. He waved at both of them, still smiling brightly.

By the corner of my eye, I was able to watch my older sister and her boyfriend greeting him back. Once again, mine and his eyes found each other, returning to smile at each other. This little moment lasted a few seconds until this time I was the one who looked away from his beautiful eyes because I felt someone touching my right shoulder from behind me. I looked over my shoulder, realizing the person who had touched my shoulder was my lawyer.

It was at that moment that I realized my turn to share my witness statement was near. The same witness statement that I hope is going to save my boyfriend from spending an amount of time in prison because he was only defending me that night. I just hope that my words show that it was self-defense and that Alfred is not capable of killing someone by choice.

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Beck walked away from the witness statement stand with her head held up high. My best friend just finished giving her witness statement from that night. My turn to give my witness statement was followed by our best friend Cyrus as the final witness statement. As Beck approached the row where we were sitting, I stood up from my chair.

I took a quick look over my shoulder, focusing on my sister who gave me a quick nod and then I started making my way towards the witness stand. I sat down on the wooden chair as Alfred's lawyer stood up from his chair and began approaching me.

"Good morning, Miss Keegan, I need you to state your name for the record." Alfred's lawyer said, standing inches away from the witness stand.

"My name is Lenora Haven Keegan." I said my name out loud just like Alfred's lawyer had told me.

"Miss Keegan, before you give your witness statement. I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask you if that's okay with you?" Alfred's lawyer asked me as I made eye contact with my sister in the audience.

"Yes, that's okay." I answered his question as I looked away from my sister and started focusing on Alfred's lawyer.

"Miss Keegan, when was the first time you met Mister Birch?" My boyfriend's lawyer asked me the first question.

My lips formed a small smile as the memory of the first time I met him came to my mind like a dream. "The first time that I met him was at a college party back in our freshman year."

"Miss Keegan, would you describe Mister Birch as a violent person?" Alfred's lawyer sent another question my way.

"No, I would not describe him as a violent person." I didn't show any hesitation to answer his question.

"Miss Keegan, would you describe Mister Birch?" This type of question made eye contact with my boyfriend.

This is the exact moment that I realized that he was already looking at me. The real question is how long he has been looking at me.

"The words I would use to describe Alfred are that he is loyal, kind, the nicest person that I have ever met. He put other people's needs first before his own as well he would do anything to protect the people he loves and cares about." I responded to the lawyer's question while still proceeding to make eye contact with my boyfriend.

"Before the night of January 13th, Miss Keegan, have you seen Mister Birch be violent towards another human being?" Hearing his lawyer asking me another question is what made me break eye contact with my boyfriend to focus once again on Alfred's lawyer.

"Alfred has never been a violent person before that night." I answered the question as little flashbacks of that night decided to appear in my mind. This is a bad time for those memories to be inside my mind.

"Miss Keegan, you were one of the three people who were with my client that night?"

"Yes, I was one of them who was present that night." I nodded at him at the same time as I answered his question.

"Miss Keegan, can you please share your point of view on the events that occurred on the night of January 13th?" Alfred's lawyer asked me, giving me the green light to share my point of view from that night.

Before opening my mouth to speak, I looked at my lawyer in the audience who gave me a quick nod of approval. I took a deep breath in and out and then I started speaking retelling all of the events that took place on that night to everyone that was in the courtroom.

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The next minutes after myself and Cyrus finished giving our witness statements. The entire courtroom was silenced; it was unbearable. I swear you could hear a pin drop. My eyes spotted one of the jury members who had stood up from their stand. The same person walked towards the judge and gave him a couple of pieces of paper and they walked back to their spot on the jury stand.

The judge picked up the pieces of paper and I told him that he was reading them. Another few minutes passed by until the judge was ready to share the verdict of the trial with the entire audience.

"Good morning everyone, we are here for the trial of Alfred Birch. After hearing the three witness statements, the medical examiners and the police officers and reading the statement from the jury. I have determined that Alfred Birch is not a killer, this case was not of a permitted killing, this was a case of self-defense to protect and defend one of the witnesses Lenora Keegan. Alfred Birch is allowed to walk free without anything on his record and should be released from prison immediately. This case is now closed. " The judge announced to the entire courtroom, his words made me let go of the tears that I had been holding in.

My sister must have sensed that I was crying because she quickly wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug as she shielded me from the audience seeing me cry.

My two best friends, myself, and especially my boyfriend, had survived the final round.

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Final chapter word count: 1409

Total book word count: 24,793