Page 104 of Starstruck
“No one will believe you. No one will care.” The words feel sour on my tongue as I say them, because I know they aren’t true in the slightest.
Lennon will care. And her opinion is the only one I care about anymore.
“Guess we’ll see. If I go down today, I’m taking you with me.”
“Go fuck yourself. I told you you’re dead to me. Stay that way this time.”
I hang up before he can say anything more. When I push the bathroom door open to find Lennon still asleep in my bed, there’s a pit in my stomach that wasn’t there before.
We take our seats at the front of the room, and I keep my eyes locked on the back of Logan’s head as the jury returns to the panel.
The room is silent as the judge enters, immediately looking toward the jury.
“Has a decision been made?”
“It has, Your Honour,” one of the members states.
The court officer at the front moves toward them to retrieve the piece of paper with the final verdict on it, and I hold my breath.
It’s crazy to me that that piece of paper holds Logan’s fate. That piece of paper is currently the only thing standing in the way of him either rotting in prison for the rest of his life or walking free, living to commit vehicular manslaughter another day.
I know what I want it to say. I want him to suffer the same way I did after our mom died. I want him to realize his actions have consequences, and that despite what he told me in the courtroom all those years ago, he’s the only one of us who’s like our father.
I want him to know I won.
But at the same time, part of me is worried about what he’ll do. His threats shouldn’t scare me. He’s just looking for someone other than himself to blame.
But the thing is, I know he’s not bluffing. He has nothing left to lose, so he wants to get back at me for cutting him off all those years ago. But I did it because I had to. My brother was slowly morphing into our father, the man I hate most in the world, and I couldn’t sit by and watch it happen any longer.
I knew then that he would end up here. I just didn’t think he’d hold any power over me when he did.
A hush falls over the crowd as the judge begins to speak.
“In the case ofThorne v. Jameson, the defendant being charged with one count of driving under the influence and two counts of impaired driving causing death, the verdict is…”
She pauses to open the piece of paper, rolls her lips together, and then closes it.
“Guilty.”
I watch Logan’s jaw tense as the room around me erupts in cheers. Lennon smiles as she wraps her arms around me, but over her shoulder, I keep my gaze trained on Logan.
It was the best possible outcome, the one everyone wanted and expected, myself included. But as I watch the court officer drag him away, watch him mouth the words, “You’re done,” as he leaves, the pit in my stomach grows even bigger.
If nothing else, at least Logan is still good for one thing. He’s forcing my hand—just like he did when I cut him off. He’s giving me no choice but to come clean with the secret I’ve been keeping for months.
I can’t wait any longer. I have to tell Lennon. And I have to hope that when I do, she’ll be able to forgive me. Or else Logan will have been right about one thing.
He went down.
And he took me down with him.
[46 ]
READY TO BLOW
LENNON
Two Weeks Until the Concert
