Baby || Zach Dempsey

|25|

"Good morning to you two" Mrs.Dempsey said giving us a look as we walked down the stairs "morning mom" Zach said "good morning Mrs.Dempsey" I say

"how many times have I told you Kensley call me Karen" She said "right sorry I forgot" I say she smiles at me "Zach!" I hear May say behind us "good morning" Zach said hugging her

"Zach I think we should talk later about what happened" Zach's mom states he nods rubbing his face and looking at me smiling and shaking his head "come on breakfast" Karen said there was an envelope on the table as Mrs.Dempsey opens it

"They want you to testify Zach" She said reading the letter I look to Zach as he looks to me "I'm surprised at Andy and Olivia I'm sure they miss Anna" I stop eating my cereal and swallow the lump in my throat

"Hannah" Zach corrected "Hannah of course but this is a witch hunt" she said putting the envelope down Zach shrugs "I don't know" he said playing with his spoon

"they're wasting their time you didn't do anything you're not that kind of kid I know how kind are I see you take care of kens and your sister" Mrs.Dempsey said talking with her hands and chewing

"you're not going to jail are you?" May asked worried "he's not going to jail how well did you even know this girl?" She asked I look down suddenly not hungry anymore

"I asked her out once" Zach said I look at him as he looks to me "how about you kensley" I turn to Karen "oh we were friends for a while but we fell out" I say shrugging she nods

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"The first thing we need to do is find out what they know" Marcus said as we all sat at monets after school"or the first thing we need to do is tell the truth" Alex defended

"I'm with Alex" Zach said I look up at him "yeah me too I guess" I say "I don't think it's as easy as you think what exactly is the truth?" Marcus said

"profound Marcus truly profound" Ryan said "and bullshit" Zach says stirring his drink "oh my god how did you find us?" Courtney asked as Tyler walked up to us

"I deserve to be here" He said "no you don't" Courtney snapped I look at her she's only saying that because of what Tyler did "because you don't like me cause I embarrassed you?" Tyler said "I'm getting it worse than any of you" He spoke

"let him stay" I speak up "yeah Courtney how did you get to run this meeting anyway? It's not the dance committee" Zach said making me and Ryan chuckle a little "I sit or I start taking pictures" Tyler said

"Sit down" Ryan said patting a seat next to him "and calm down" Marcus said "I think it's clear what they know" Ryan says I turn my attention to him "look around what do we all have in common?" Ryan said

"we don't know who got the subpoenas Sheri didn't" Marcus states "or she didn't get one yet" Ryan says "I told her to come anyway maybe she's hoping she'll avoid the whole thing" Marcus spoke

"your dad must know something from the other deputies" Courtney said looking at Alex "my dads more of a 'sweep it under the rug' kind of guy" Alex said looking around the table "works for me" Marcus says

"yeah I don't think he gives a shit about you" he said to Marcus which made me laugh a little

skye walks over with some food everyone stares awkwardly at the food as I look up at skye who looks at us like we're fucking stupid she turns around and walks away

I place my elbow on the table and rest my head on my hand "what the hells up with you lately?" Ryan ask I look at him "I'm tired" I say

"yeah from you and Zach fucking all night" Ryan said laughing along with mostly everyone else I look to Zach who's not at all amused then I look at everyone else "fuck off" I say crossing my arms and dropping my head down so they can't see my face

"moving on" Courtney said "if we don't get our stories straight before these depositions it's bad for all of us" I hear Courtney say "but what is the story exactly?" Alex's ask I sit up leaning back in my chair crossing my arms

"Hannah was a liar she was jealous and needy and emotionally unstable she thought everyone was out to get her" I look at Courtney disgusted

"aren't you describing yourself?" Tyler ask I cover my mouth he was right tho "we tried to be her friends we did she blamed us when things went wrong but she was the one with problems" Courtney said

"that's the story?" Zach ask wrapping and arm around me "yeah what would you say it is?" Marcus ask "it doesn't matter what I say it is" Zach says "Cause there are three people who aren't here who are likely to say whatever the fuck they want" Zach said

"where are Jessica and Justin?" Marcus ask looking at me and Zach "they weren't at school" Tyler said I look up at Zach and then over to Alex's "either of them" Alex said looking at me and Zach "what?" Courtney ask looking at us

"Justin went to Bryces last night he freaked because Jess was flirting with Bryce so he called Bryce a Rapist and told Jessica that everything on the tapes was true" Zach said as I nod "no fucking way" Marcus says "Monty and Jamie and a few other guys heard everything" Zach says

"wait wait wait they heard they know about the tapes?" Courtney ask "well Jessica didn't go into detail about the tapes no but they heard him call Bryce a rapist and that Hannah was telling the truth" Zach says as everyone thinks about what to say

"good for Justin and Bryce is a rapist" Ryan says I rub my eyes the image of Bryce raping me coming to mind "if you believe Hannah" Courtney says I stop rubbing my eyes and looks at Courtney dead on

"seriously? You and I are the only girls here and that is the position you take?" I ask her "Hannah lied we know this" Courtney said Ryan scoffs and I roll my eyes " I don't know it" I say giving her a nasty look "we can contain this we have to control the narrative" Marcus buds in

"you're deluded the narrative is Jess knows Bryce raped her" Ryan says "you guys would make shitty chess players" Alex said "really that's what your thinking about right now chess?" I say looking at Alex

"I mean we're like two moves away from being checkmated" Alex's says "not necessarily not if we bring Bryce into it with us" Marcus said

"fuck that I'm out if that's the case" I say "Bryce the rapist" Ryan says agreeing with me "alleged rapist" Courtney said "fuck off Courtney" I say snapping at her "what are you gonna do hit me again?" She says bring up a fight I had with her when she was messing with Hannah no one found out about it until now I guess

I bite then inside of my cheek looking her straight on as I jump up to lunge at her as she flinched Zach standing up pushing me back down into the chair "stop it" he said

"or we turn him in" Tyler says "Bryce is dangerous I don't get why we're still protecting him" Tyler says "thank you" me and Ryan both say "we're not" Marcus says to us

"we're protecting ourselves" He says "I applied early admit to Columbia Zach's got scholarships Ryan I know you've got big plans Courtney? Alex? Kenlsey?" He says looking at all of us

"I've go no plans I'm good to tell the truth" Alex says "yeah I have nothing else to fucking lose" I say shrugging

"come on Alex kens just cause Hannah fucked up her life doesn't mean she has to fuck up ours" Zach says looking back and forth between me and Alex's

"hear me out if Clay gave the lawyers our names and Justin is running around saying everything on the tapes is true then it's only a matter of time until we're all screwed but if we can get ahead of it-" Tyler says Marcus cutting him off "what do you mean?" I lean into Zach's side

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