Page 50 of For Your Own Good
Zach gives her the details, stretching the story out to be as dramatic as possible. Anything to avoid talking about the trial or Courtney’s mother.
“I knew they’d never make it,” she says. “What else?”
He tells her all the gossip he can remember, even the small stuff. Shesmiles and laughs, and even squeals a few times, but it sounds forced. Like she’s trying to enjoy the things that used to make her happy.
Kay appears in front of the cell door, looks inside, and then disappears.
Finally, Courtney gets around to asking the question Zach knew was coming: “Does everyone think I did it?”
“No.”
“But some do.”
He shrugs.
“Truth,” she says.
“Yeah, some do. The assholes.”
She shifts in her seat, leaning forward toward Zach. “What are they saying on TV?”
He hesitates.
“Comeon. No one will tell me,” she says.
He takes a deep breath and tells her the truth. “They’re saying you cracked under the pressure to get into a good college.”
Courtney sits back and stares at him, shaking her head. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s messed up.”
“But on the upside,” Zach says, “you’re the poster child for why parents need to back off.”
Her eyes widen. “I’m a poster child?”
Kay appears in the doorway. “Hank’s break is almost over. He’ll be back soon, so wrap it up.”
Zach nods. Courtney stares at the one window in the cell. It’s small and narrow, with bars on it. She looks much older now, though he isn’t sure why.
“It’ll be okay,” he says. “This will all be over soon.”
She turns to him. “I didn’t hate her,” she says. “I mean, yeah, I said that, but I didn’t really. She was my mom.”
“I know.”
“You get that, right?”
“Of course.”
Courtney sighs, her body slumping. She looks so defeated. “You remember when we were like eleven years old and our families went to the lake? We all stayed in that house together?”
He nods. “Sure.”
“We had that blow-up raft with the clear window in it, so you could see the water below. We lay on it facedown to watch the fish.”
Zach smiles. “And floated out too far. We had to take turns paddling back.”
