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"Do you swear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" the bailiff asked, Kyle holding his right hand in the air and his left on a thick black bible.

"I do" he said.

"You may be seated" the judge said Kyle, Garrett, Damien's lawyer, got up from the table and buttoned his jacket.

"Kyle, how long have you known my client?" he asked.

"Eleven years" Kyle said to him.

"How would you describe your relationship with Damien?" Garrett asked pacing back and forth in front of Kyle.

"He tried to kill me I think that says it all" Kyle said to him.

"So...less than favorable you would say?" Garrett asked leaning against the witness box.

"If you want to put it that way, sure" Kyle said to him.

"Kyle describe to me what occurred on the morning of the shooting" Garrett said to him.

"There was a mandatory assembly at school, it was the annual awards ceremony" Kyle said to him.

"What awards were being presented during assembly?" Garrett asked.

"Uh...there were some academic awards and the MVP award"

"The coveted MVP award has been a part of the Hilridge High School football team ever since the school opened in 1945" he said to the court, walking across the room to the jury "Kyle, who was nominated for this award?"

"Damien and myself" Kyle said.

"And what are the qualifications for this award?" Garrett asked.

"Uh...sportsmanship, playing ability...stuff like that" Kyle said.

"And you won?" Garrett asked passing by Kyle once more.

"I did" Kyle said "Damien obviously did not take it very well" Kyle said.

"How do you mean?" Garrett asked.

"As I was approaching the stage he pushed past me and stormed out of the auditorium" Kyle said.

“What happened after the assembly was over?” Garrett asked standing in front of the table Damien sat at.

“Damien and I are in first period together so, to make things less awkward between us, I offered up a truce” Kyle said.

“A truce?” Garrett asked surprised.

“Yes, I just wanted all the bad blood between us to be over” Kyle said.

“And what was his response?” Garrett asked, his hands pushed inside his pants pockets.

“He stormed out, I didn’t see him again until lunch when he showed up to the cafeteria drunk” Kyle said.

“Yes, now during your confrontation with Damien in the cafeteria did you not tell him he was a ‘self-entitled, arrogant son of a bitch’?” Garrett asked.

“Objection” Ian called out.

“Overruled, you may answer the question” Judge Buchanan bellowed.

“Yeah…I did” Kyle said.

“There a reason or did you just feel like rubbing salt in the wound?” Garrett asked.

“Objection!” Ian called once again.

“Sustained” Judge Buchanan said.

“You say in your statement that Damien threatened you correct?” Garrett asked.

“Yes” Kyle said “He did” he said.

“What exactly did he say?” Garrett asked approaching the witness box.

“He said ‘Just watch yourself, you’ll pay for this’” Kyle said.

“Okay…there was no threat of violence or bodily harm correct?” Garrett asked.

“No…” Kyle said.

“That statement could have mean any number of things” Garrett said.

“Objection your honor…is there a point to this line of questioning?” Ian asked.

“Sustained, move on counselor” Judge Buchanan said looking over his glasses at Garrett.

“That’s all your honor” Garrett said sitting down.

“Mr. Deckler?” Judge Buchanan asked, motioning for him to take the floor.

“Kyle, what happened later that day? After the scene in the cafeteria, when you heard the first gunshots?” Ian asked approaching the witness box.

“I was in my math class, Adam’s in the class with me and we heard this loud bang, we didn’t know what it was” Kyle said “we heard a few more and Adam identified them as being gun shots” Kyle said. “Our teacher told us to get under the desks while she went to see what happened” he said.

“What happened when Damien came into the room?” Ian asked.

“He yelled at me to get up, so I stood up and he told me I was going with him” Kyle said.

“Was he pointing the gun at you at this point?” Ian asked.

“Yes” Kyle said.

“Did you go with him?” Ian asked.

“Yeah and then Adam got up and volunteered to go with me” Kyle said.

“Kyle, tell me what happened in that classroom” Ian asked.

“Damien and I stared each other down for a few minutes, then he told me about shooting coach Reinhart and Mr. Burns and Bradley J.” Kyle said.

“Bradley Littrell?” Ian asked.

“Yes” Kyle said.

“Did he have any remorse?” Ian asked.

“No, he was bragging about it, he seemed proud” Kyle said.

“What happened next?” Ian asked.

“He shot out the lights in the classroom, I pushed Adam down to the floor and we huddled behind one of the lab stations” Kyle said. “I told Adam to stay down while I confronted Damien” Kyle said.

“Damien have anything to say at this point?” Ian asked.

“Objection your honor” Garrett said.

“I’ll allow it” Judge Buchanan said.

“He was just going on and on about everything that I had taken from him” Kyle said.

“What have you taken from him exactly?” Ian asked.

“Nothing or at least I thought so” Kyle said “I felt a glass beaker the was on the table behind me so I grabbed it, I was able to smash it over his head when Adam distracted him” Kyle said. “we fought over the gun and then I saw Harry come into the room” Kyle said.

“Harry Dorough?” Ian asked.

“Yes” Kyle said “The gun then went off and I saw Harry had been hit” Kyle said recounting his terrifying ordeal.

“How was Damien at this point?” Ian asked leaning against the witness box.

“He thought it was amusing” Kyle said glaring at Damien who looked at him with such hatred. “I was able to take him down and get the gun away from him at which point I knocked him out” Kyle said “Then I ran for help, got the paramedics and Damien was taken away” Kyle said.

“Thank you Kyle, no further questions” Ian said returning to his seat.

“Redirect your honor?” Garrett asked standing up.

“Kyle, before you knocked my client over the head with the gun do you remember what you told him?” Garrett asked.

“Uh…” Kyle stammered nervously.

“Defense evidence A and I quote: “As much as I would love to blow your head off, it wouldn't make me any better than you are, besides you'll get yours, when you're in prison and are being passed around like the bitch that you are, One can only hope’” Garrett read “Kyle, did you say this?” he asked.

“Well yeah but…” Kyle said nervously.

“So you wished bodily hard upon my client?” Garrett asked.

“He had just shot two of my friends” Kyle said “Not to mention he had been picking on us and bullying us for years I was angry” Kyle said.

“That wasn’t the only time you said something of that nature” Garrett said "Kyle your name was listed on the sign in sheet and the Hilridge PD."

"Yeah...I went to see Damien" Kyle said.

"So...if you guys don't get along as you say...why go see him?" Garrett asked.

"I just wanted answers that's all" Kyle said to him.

"Answers to what?" Garrett asked.

"Why he did what he did” Kyle said.

"Did you not tell my client that he quote 'deserved to have his ass passed around jail like Halloween candy'?" Garrett asked. Kyle closed his eyes "We're waiting" Garrett said to him.

"Yeah, I said that” Kyle said, defeated.

“Well no offense Kyle but this all makes you seem like the bully…doesn’t it?” Garrett asked.

“Your honor” Ian said.

“That’s enough counselor, you may step down” Judge Buchanan said to Kyle.

“Mr. Deckler call your next witness” Judge Buchanan said to Ian.

“The people call Bradley J. Littrell to the stand” Ian said as Bradley approached the witness box.

"Do you swear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" the bailiff asked.

“I do” Bradley said sitting down.

"Bradley J. in your words can you tell us what happened to you?" Ian asked.

“I was on my way to study hall in the library, I saw Neilson in the hall by his locker” Bradley said.

"Neilson Carter?" Ian asked.

"The one and only" Bradley said.

“Continue, please” Ian said to him.

“Neilson thought he lost his cell phone so he pulled all of his books out of his locker to look for it, so he handed it all to me to hold” Bradley said. That's when I saw Damien come in at the end of the hallway". "I saw the gun in his hand, the metal reflected off of the lights in the hall, I tried to get Neilson to leave but he wouldn't go until he found his phone, Damien raised the gun in the air and fired, I pushed Neilson down to the floor and when we got up I saw that I had been hit" Bradley said.

“What happened after you were shot?" Ian asked.

"Neilson and Natalie pulled me into the girls' bathroom" he said "They were afraid Damien would spot us trying to escape and kill us" he said to him.

"How long were you in there?" Ian asked.

"I don't know, felt like forever...I didn't think I would make it out in time" Bradley said.

"Thank you Bradley, that's all your honor” Ian said sitting down.

“Your witness Mr. Benson” Judge Buchanan said to Garrett.

“Bradley what happened earlier that day? Before you were shot?” Garrett asked approaching the witness stand.

“Uh…nothing, I went to the assembly, all my classes like usual” Bradley said.

“You don’t remember laughing at my client after he lost to your friend Kyle?” Garrett asked.

“No, well yeah, I remember that…” Bradley said.

“And then you and Neilson Carter were involved in drawing a rather scathing caricature of my client" Garrett said.

"That wasn’t…that for Neilson's art class” Bradley said in defense.

“Also, if you and Mr. Carter were going to study-hall, why did he need his cell phone?” Garrett asked.

“That was my question” Bradley said.

“Bradley is it true that sometimes, not always you and Mr. Carter usually skip study hall?" Garrett asked leaning in close to him.

"Sometimes..." Bradley said to him "What does that have to do with anything?" Bradley asked.

"I could ask the same question" Ian said.

"Mr. Deckler, please voice your complaint in the form of an objection, Mr. Littrell watch your tone" the judge said to Bradley.

"Yeah, fine we ditch study hall from time to time" Bradley said rolling his eyes "Who hasn't?" he asked.

"Objection your honor, relevance? School attendance is not an issue here" Ian said to the judge.

"Did you ever think that maybe if you and Mr. Carter were in class where you were supposed to be you would be just fine right now?" Garrett asked.

"Objection your honor" Ian said to the judge.

“No further questions” Garrett said retreating back to his seat.

"Thank you Mr. Littrell, you may step down" the judge said to Bradley.


~*~



"Now Adam, you said that Damien came into the room where you and Kyle Richardson were during class...why did you get yourself sent with Kyle?" Garrett asked.

"Because, I didn't want him to go alone, I knew Damien would kill him if he did" Adam said as he sat on the stand.

"What makes you so sure?" Garrett asked.

"Because, I heard him say so myself earlier that day" Adam replied.

"Oh really? I believe all Damien said was ‘You’ll pay for this’ what exactly make you think he meant murder?” Garrett asked.

“Um…he came to school later with a gun…and shoved the barrel into Kyle’s chest, now I’m not exactly Einstein but…” Adam said.

“Alright, that’s enough” Garrett asked.

“You asked” Adam said to him, Ian began to snicker quietly to himself.

“You were witness to Harry Dorough’s shooting correct?” Garrett asked.

“Yes” Adam said.

“Now while Kyle was holding my client at gunpoint, what exactly you say to him?” Garrett asked.

“Oh you mean after Damien had spent the better portion of the day holding me at gunpoint?” Adam asked.

“Your honor” Garrett said to Judge Buchanan irritated.

“Mr. McLean answer the question and watch your tone” Judge Buchanan said to Adam.

“I don’t remember okay? I was too busy making sure Harry didn’t bleed to death” Adam said.

“You instructed Kyle to and I quote: ‘Blow his head off, end his miserable life’ is that not what you said?” he asked.

“I may have said something like that yes, I was angry okay he just shot one of my friends right in front of me, not to mention the guy’s been a complete jerk to us for years” Adam said “So yeah, I may have said something to that effect” he said.

“No further questions, your witness” Garrett said to Ian as he took his seat.

“Adam, after Harry had been shot, what did Damien do?” Ian asked.

“Started laughing, blew on the barrel of the gun and said ‘2 down, 3 to go’” Adam said.

“Objection your honor” Garrett said.

“Overruled” Judge Buchanan said to him.

“Do you think given the chance, Damien would’ve killed all of you?” Ian asked.

“Objection!” Garrett bellowed.

“sustained, Mr. Deckler you know better” Judge Buchanan said to Ian.

“Sorry your honor, no further questions” Ian said.