Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Twenty-Three

PRESENT TIME
FOUNDRY'S OFFICE
IMOGEN'S POV

"So your response to all of this is just... more punishment?" I asked Foundry as I scoffed. I couldn't believe it. They want to police us even more? I get it, someone set Bolan's car on fire and that was not okay in any way, shape, or form, but getting even tougher on us is not the answer. We want our school back. I know we call school 'hell' and say it's like we're going to prison, but it really does feel like a prison with the way they are running things.

They already made us stay home for a week.

"The police have deferred prosecution pending our investigation, so we need to find out who did what, and why." Foundry said.

"Hey, look, punish me? Fine, but don't cancel our prom. That's not fair to everyone else." I said. Honestly, I would be lying if I said I haven't been looking forward to prom since freshman year. I would've gone to prom last year... if Jeff hadn't died. Prom is for the juniors and seniors, but I was going to skip it my junior year because it wouldn't hold as much importance, but Jeff wasn't going to let me, because he said, since his senior year is my junior year, I'm going as his date no matter what. He said even if Justin and I were dating, I was still going to be his date.

Man, I really miss that kid.

"Imogen, a group of parents managed to get a county judge to issue a gang injunction against the students at Liberty. We can't have a prom." Foundry said and I scoffed. Is he serious? None of us are gang members, and why are we the ones getting punished? All we did was walk out of school and we stood there doing nothing. The police department called in armed backup against a bunch of unarmed children.

"That's insane, and you know it is," I said.

"Yeah, no... it wouldn't have been my choice on how to proceed, but nonetheless there we are. You can help me if you can let me in on a secret: why were Justin and Diego fighting in the first place?" Foundry asked. Honestly, I don't know. I wasn't in the hallway when they started fighting and I didn't ask Diego or Justin about it because honestly? I didn't care and I didn't want to know.

"I don't know why they were fighting... truthfully," I said.

"Do you know why your brother was destroying security cameras? What's really going on here?" Foundry asked. Clay was destroying security cameras? He was the one who broke the camera? There's no way... unless he's having blackouts again.

"What's really going on here... is that we're going to have a prom," I said and Foundry sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. "And I'm going to fucking dance like I don't have a care in the world, and for one minute, just one. I'll be free, from all this shit."

"And I wish I could promise that, Imogen. I truly do, but I can't." He said and I shrugged my shoulders. Honestly, I respect Foundry a lot more than Bolan. Foundry hasn't done anything to make me not respect him. I know that he's here and actually trying to do his job, and Bolan is just a sellout.

"I don't need you to. Jess and I will make it happen."

―

HO CAVE
IMOGEN'S POV

Jessica, some of the other girls, and myself were down in the HO cave. Jessica and I were talking about ways that we could still make prom happen while also cleaning up the cave. I've been looking forward to prom for a long time and it's the last thing that the senior class is going to do together before we graduate. So, I think it's important that we have one. As I was moving a stool back, I noticed Diego walking in.