Brave Grave

Chapter sixteen

Fin's court day| part II

"Gregory was more than a friend. Even though I didn't know him for long, he was like a brother to me. There's not a day that I don't think about him. It's not the same going to school anymore. He uh...would meet me in the lunch room for breakfast every morning when we got off the bus and we would hang out after school and ride our bikes. He was such a good friend." Eddie says while sitting in the stand in front of the court room.

"How did you become friends with Gregory?" The state asks as they pace the floor.

"I saw him sitting on a bench alone. He looked sad so I offered him a cigarette. He told me he didn't smoke and we just continued to talk."

"Why was he sad? Did he ever tell you?"

"Yeah, he said someone took his comic book from him and wouldn't give it back." Eddie answers calmly as he looks over at Fin giving him a cold stare from across the room.

"Did you ever find out who took his comic book from him?"

"Yes." Eddie pauses while holding eye contact with Fin.

"Who was it?"

He heaves a lengthy breath and clenches his jaw as Fin continues to stare at him with a threatening look in his eyes.

"Fin." He breaks his silence. "I confronted him about it and he had it in inside of his book bag. He gave it back to Gregory after I confronted him."

"Would you say Fin Maxwell is capable of physical bullying?"

"Yes, he is very capable. He is capable of much worse." Eddie utters. Anger burned deep within him as he saw Fin smirking and whispering to Seth.

"Much worse, as in?" The state asks with a furrow in his brow.

"Murder. He killed Gregory, him and his stupid friends did it." Eddie raises his tone. The smirk disappeared off of Fin's lips and turned into an emotionless rim. Voices from all around the room emerge in a frenzy.

"Order, order!" Judge Costlow screams and bangs his gavel on the stand to silence everyone. Immediately, the room grew silent and all eyes were on Eddie.

"You may proceed councilman."

"Thank you, your honor." He pauses. "Why do you say that Fin Maxwell is capable of murder?"

"Because he tried to do it to me."

"He tried to do what to you? Be clear as you can for the court."

Eddie swallows anxiously and darts his heavy eyes across the appalled expressions staring back at him, one of them being Fin's.

Eddie knew what the truth was, but he knew no one would believe him if he told them about the curse. It would only make him look crazy.

"He made up a game called Brave grave where you get locked inside of a coffin for so many seconds and if you freak out you have to stay inside longer. I refused to do it. He got angry with me and tried to force me inside. We got into a physical fight and he never messed with me again, but he did try to do the same thing to me that he did to Gregory."

"Was he the only one who tried to force you inside or were there more people involved?"

"There were more people. His friends, Travis and Seth were there. They didn't do anything to me surprisingly, but they were there when it happened."

"No further questions."

Fin's attorney stands up straight with confidence while approaching Eddie at the witness stand with a smug look on his face.

"Eddie, you're saying Fin Maxwell tried to lock you inside of a coffin? What day was it exactly, do you remember?" Daniel asks with his fingers intertwined together in front of him.

"It was before Gregory died. Probably about a week before I met Gregory at school which was September 9th."

Daniel goes to his brief case and pulls out a piece of paper and walks over to the judge.

"Exhibit A, your honor. This is the football practice attendance record for the whole month of September. Fin Maxwell attended every practice scheduled after school which lasts from four to six thirty. On the day of September 9th your honor, Fin Maxwell was present for practice on the record, am I correct?"

Judge Costlow grabs ahold of his glasses that sat on the tip of his nose to examine the attendance record.

"Yes, it says that Fin Maxwell was present at practice on September 9th."

"If he was at every practice from four to six thirty, how did he have time to lock you inside of a coffin after school?"

"He wasn't at practice, I am telling the truth. He did try to lock me inside of the coffin on that day." Eddie says knitting his brows together. His hands grew clammy as his anxiety consumed him.

"The evidence says otherwise. You can take a look at it yourself if you'd like."

"I don't need to look at it."

"No further questions."

**

"I remember I was working until nine pm that day when Gregory came into my store. He had a bag of lays potato chips and a coke in his hand and put them on the counter. He seemed... happy about something. He had a smile on his face the whole time I was ringing him up at the register. I couldn't help but smile back at him, it was so contagious. He walked out of my store and I went to restock some items that were getting low. About a couple of minutes later, I hear laughing and a loud shattering noise outside. I stop what I was doing to go check and I see Gregory on the ground with three other boys standing over him. He didn't have his coke or chips near him. The boys had taken his snacks away from him and helped themselves. I walk outside and confront them. Gregory was terrified, he wasn't smiling anymore. He took off running into the woods. The three boys ran the opposite direction and that's all I know. I don't know what happened after that. All I know is, it was the last time I saw Gregory come into my store."

"Mr. Holden, Can you describe how the three boys look?"

"One was really tall with dark hair, he was the one who was leading the bullying. The other two had blondish hair. I didn't get a good look at them before they ran off." He replies while trailing his tongue along his thin lips.

"Why do you think they were bullying Gregory?"

"I don't know, I guess because they felt like they could push him around because of how small he was. Whatever reason it was, It wasn't right. The kid didn't deserve that, no one does."

"Are these the three boys you saw that day?" The state hands him a photo of the boys.

"Yes, that's them."

"Do you think they murdered Gregory?"

Mr. Holden heaves a lengthy breath and tucks his bottom lip under as he examined the photos once again.

"Honestly, no. I think the boys were just being bullies, but I don't think they are capable of murdering anyone. They are just children."

Fin shuts his eyes and sighs in relief.

"Are you aware of how Gregory died Mr. Holden?" The state asks belligerently.

"Yes, he was locked inside of a coffin."

"So, you are saying three boys aren't capable of locking a boy as little as Gregory inside of a coffin and leave him there?"

"No, but they are children. I don't think they would want to mess up their life so early. They have their whole lives ahead of them, why would they want to screw that up by killing someone? I feel like they are capable of physical bullying, but not murder and that is where I stand."