Page 106 of More Than Chemical
The judge struck her gavel, and Dad rolled himself back to the table.
I whispered into my mom’s ear, “How are things going?”
According to her, Plunkett’s testimony went poorly for Dad. I was glad I hadn’t been here for that. Instead of just feeling sick, I would have gotten sick.
The blonde woman, whose name, I learned, was Melanie Burch, was called to the stand.
“Ms. Burch,” the prosecutor said, “please state your position at the university and explain your job description to us.”
“I’m the head hockey cheer coach.”
A sudden jolt of cold went through me.
“Each year, we recruit members to try out for our cheer squad, and then we hold a full season of workouts, performances, and cheer.”
“So, hockey cheer is a separate tryout from other cheerleading squads?”
“Yes. Hockey cheer is its own quite unique separate group because of the skating components involved. We have high standards for those on the squad in terms of technical skating abilities.”
The prosecutor stood. “Your Honor, may I have permission to approach the witness?”
The judge nodded. “Permission granted.”
The prosecutor came around the table and handed Melanie a piece of paper. “Do you recognize this?”
Melanie took it and looked it over. “Yes.”
“What is it?”
“An inquiry I received in February of last year.”
Oh no. It couldn’t be. This really was happening.
“Please read the message to us,” the prosecutor said.
Melanie scanned the page, and then she began. “Dear Ms. Burch, I am reaching out to you regarding hockey cheerleading. My daughter is a figure skater, quite an accomplished one, having obtained her gold medal in Skating Skills and being close to completing her Free Skate tests. She has been accepted for enrollment at Minnesota University next year and is interested in information about how to try out for your team. Best regards, Coach Bianchini.”
The gazes of the jury slid my way, including the EDM juror.
My face turned hot. I’d known that my dad had contacted the head coach about me, and I’d been mad about it. But now, having heard what the email said, I couldn’t believe how innocent it was. He’d even used the correct figure-skating lingo.
I raised my chin. My lungs expanded with deep, satisfying breaths.
“Did you know who Coach Bianchini was at the time of receiving this message?”
“Yes, of course. Everyone knows Coach Bianchini.”
“Did you send him any information?”
“I did. I sent him a link to our hockey cheer tryout packet and application.”
“So, this packet and application are readily available on the internet?”
“Correct.”
The prosecutor crossed her arms. “And easy to find?”
“Relatively easy if you know how to navigate the website.”
