Anything Like Me

by Kimberly Knight

  We decided that Becca would go first since she wasn’t drinking alcohol. She picked a Queen and questions began to be thrown around the table. It was good to have this one in the beginning since we weren’t tipsy, yet. We went round and round until Blake couldn’t come up with a question and had to drink.

  Jason went next, drawing a ten. “Let’s get this party started for real. The category I choose is ‘sex positions’,” he said with a smirk.

  Brandon went first. “Reverse cowgirl,” he said, giving me that smile.

  “Doggie,” I said, smirking back at Brandon.

  “Missionary,” Ryan said.

  “Sixty-nine,” Blake said.

  “The Superman,” Becca said.

  “The what?” Ryan and I asked in unison.

  Jason was laughing too hard to answer and had to take a sip of his drink.

  “Well?” I questioned, still wanting to know what “The Superman” was.

  Jason proceeded to show us what The Superman was. I was still confused. He did some backwards balancing act above Becca as she laid flat on the deck. I think it was like reverse cowgirl, but with the guy on top. I’m not sure how this was enjoyable for the guy; he had to hold his whole body up with his arms.

  We went round and round drawing cards. We broke out into jives, rhymed words with fight, love, cock and pussy. Blake made Ryan his mate, which caused my eyebrows to shoot up. After he did that, Ryan made me her mate, and then Jason made Brandon his. We named types of liquor, cereal and yoga positions.

  We were all getting extremely loopy except Becca. The King’s Cup was almost full, and there was only one King card left when the evening sky was turning black. Shortly after nightfall, the fireworks show began to light up the sky.

  We watched along the railing of the deck. Brandon wrapped his arms around me from behind, Jason did the same thing with Becca, and Ryan and Blake leaned up against the railing side by side as we all gazed up at the colorful show.

  After the show, we returned to our seats and continued to play the game. The night air turned cool, but I was on my third drink, and the alcohol was making me warm. Once we made sure everyone had fresh drinks, Brandon drew a Jack. We decided on going five rounds of “Never Have I Ever”. Whoever put their fingers down had to take a drink.

  “Never have I ever joined the mile high club,” Brandon said.

  Blake of course put one finger down.

  “Never have I ever cheated on my other half,” I said.

  Blake and Ryan both put a finger down. I gave Ryan a questioning look. “What? It was when we were in college. Not with Max,” she said, then continued with her turn. “Never have I ever kissed a married person.”

  Blake of course put another finger down and so did Brandon. I looked sharply at Brandon.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You’ve kissed a married woman before?”

  “Yeah, a long time ago.”

  “Interesting,” I said dryly.

  Blake said, “Never have I ever,” and then stopped. We all watched him while he thought of something he had never done before. We laughed as he thought for a while and then finally said, “Oh––never have I ever kissed a guy before.”

  Of course Ryan, Becca and I dropped one of our fingers. I think that was a little cheating on his part to get someone to catch up to him.

  “Never have I ever had a threesome,” Becca said, taking her turn.

  Once again, Blake dropped a finger.

  Jason said, “Never have I ever…,” he looked down at Blake’s one finger, “… gotten a D.U.I.”

  “Hey, that’s no fair,” Blake said. I thought he would be mad, but he laughed, finished the rest of his drink, and then stood up to get a refill. “Help me get refills?” he asked Ryan.

  “Sure,” she said, standing up and walking into the house.

  Brandon ran his hand along my leg, making me shiver.

  “Having fun?” he asked.

  “Of course.”

  He turned my head towards him and kissed me softly. I loved his soft kisses. He made me feel special and loved. We were experiencing our first Fourth of July together.

  “We should come up here yearly,” Jason said, causing Brandon and I to loosen our lips.

  “Oh, that’s a good idea,” I said in agreement.

  “You want to come up here with a baby next year?” Becca asked, rubbing her belly.

  “Sure, why not?” he asked, shrugging.

  “We’ll see,” she said, laughing. “You have no idea what is in store for us.”

  Blake and Ryan returned with our drinks. There was a twinkle in Ryan’s eye, and I hoped it didn’t mean what I thought it meant.

  We went through the rest of the cards until finally Becca drew the last King, and we decided that since she couldn’t drink, we would split the cup between the five of us. That was the nastiest drink I had ever drunk. Vodka, cranberry juice, Captain Morgan and Coke do not mix well!

  *~*~*

  The day of the trial was finally upon us. I tossed and turned all night because I was nervous…nervous about testifying, nervous about seeing the evil people again, and nervous about the verdict. The District Attorney and defense attorney had already picked the jury the week before and this was it––no more waiting.

  I dressed in a simple black dress with ruffles down the front and black heels. Brandon wore black slacks and a solid black button down long-sleeve shirt with a black tie. We looked like we were going to a funeral. Ironically, I hope it turned out to be one. Obviously, Christy, Michael and Trevor wouldn’t get the death penalty, but I wanted them to feel like their lives were over.

  Blake rode into the city with us, but had to take care of some business for Brandon and Jason instead of coming to court with us. Needing money, Blake had been hired by Brandon and Jason to handle new clients. Since my boss, Skye, ran her article in November, Club 24 had gotten a ton of exposure. Taking new client applications and getting them set with membership packets that also included two one-hour personal trainer sessions had turned into a full-time job. It actually worked out perfectly with Blake’s arrival.

  As Brandon and I approached the steps of the courthouse, I saw Ryan, Max, Becca and Jason waiting for us. They too were dressed all in black. Having them all here for support was a blessing. The DA had put them on the witness list and may or may not call them to testify. They didn’t have to attend each day of the trial, but they insisted.

  Each one could testify to Christy’s reputation for being a liar and well––being bat shit crazy. Jason and Becca could also testify against Michael and Trevor about their college days and what actually led to all the events that had happened to me to try to ruin Brandon’s life.

  “Who died?” I asked, stepping up to my circle of friends.

  On the Fourth of July, we talked about dressing in black for this day––well week. Ryan wanted to dress in jumpsuit orange, but while that would had been funny, we couldn’t do that since we were testifying…and I didn’t own that much orange anyway.

  “If only…,” Jason murmured.

  We all hugged each other and took a deep breath before walking up the stairs and through security. After being cleared through the metal detectors, we made our way to the wood-paneled courtroom.

  As we entered, I took a big gulp to try to keep my nausea down and my hand instantly tightened around Brandon’s firm grip.

  “I’m right here, Babe, you can do this,” Brandon whispered in my ear as he led me to a seat in the front row on the right side of the courtroom.

  A few minutes later, the DA and his assistant entered the courtroom and set up their files at the desk in front of us.

  “Spencer, you’re going to do fine,” the Assistant District Attorney, Kimberly, said as she turned around to acknowledge we were there.

  “I hope so,” I whispered.

  Brandon rubbed his thumb across the top of my hand. Oddly enough, I was more nervous now than I had been when Christy tried to kill me or when Micha
el and Trevor kidnapped me. I guess it was true; you can do anything with adrenaline running through your veins.

  Moments later, a few bailiffs escorted Christy, Michael and Colin to their seats behind the desk on the left side of the courtroom. I didn’t watch them enter. I couldn’t. I wanted to not show fear, but I couldn’t look at them. I couldn’t look them in the eye. Not yet and maybe not ever.

  I raised my head and glanced over at Brandon; he was looking over at the defendants with a clenched jaw. I couldn’t imagine seeing your past walking into a room in handcuffs, especially after trying to destroy your future.

  “All rise,” the bailiff said.

  I took a deep, calming breath and stood. The judge entered and the longest week of my life began.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  We sat in Becca and Jason’s living room in silence. The jury had been deliberating for most of the morning. After four days of evidence and testimony, it was now in the jury’s hands.

  We arrived at the courthouse Friday morning. The defense attorney and DA both made their closing arguments, and we were excused while the jury took their time to determine the fate of my nightmares.

  “For what it’s worth, Spence, Welsh did an excellent job,” Max stated, breaking the silence.

  Wyatt Welsh was the District Attorney fighting for my rights. I had thought he did a good job, too, but who was I to know. Max, however, was the attorney among us and I hoped he was right. I needed him to be right. We needed him to be right.

  I sat daydreaming on the brown leather couch while the rest talked about the week we had just endured. My brain was too exhausted to talk about the trial. I heard them talking about the defense attorney’s request to Christy to receive an insanity plea.

  “Let me make some sandwiches while we wait. Who knows, maybe the jury will be ready after lunch. We don’t want to be hungry,” Becca said, rubbing her expanding belly. “Plus, Jason Jr. is hungry.”

  My eyes shot up to where Becca was standing. Jason Jr. was hungry?

  “You’re having a boy?” Ryan asked, just as confused as I was.

  “No, we don’t know, yet. We just hope it’s a boy,” Becca said, then leaned down to kiss Jason softly on the lips before turning toward the kitchen.

  We ate our sandwiches that Becca and Ryan prepared for us. I could barely eat mine. My anxiety was running through me, and I didn’t have an appetite. I started to pace, making everyone else nervous.

  “Babe, come here,” Brandon said, motioning for me to come sit beside him.

  “I can’t,” I said, still pacing.

  “Please?” Brandon asked.

  I stopped pacing with a huff and went back to the couch, leaning into Brandon’s side. He wrapped his arm around me as I snuggled close to him. His fingers slowly caressed my arm, calming me. I never felt safer than being in his arms. I knew from the bottom of my heart that no matter what, he would always be there for me.

  My eyes started to drift as soon as Brandon’s cell phone began ringing. Glancing at the screen as he dug it out of his pocket, I saw that it was the DA.

  “Hello?” Brandon asked. “Really? Okay, we will be right there.”

  “Well?” Jason asked when Brandon hit the end button on his phone.

  “Verdict’s in.”

  My stomach dropped. All eyes turned to me. “Okay,” I whispered and stood on shaking legs.

  This was it.

  We all went back to the courtroom. Brandon held my hand, making me feel safe. No matter what the jury said, I was going to be fine. Brandon would make sure of it.

  Just like the first day and every day after, we sat while bailiffs brought Christy, Michael and Trevor over to the left table. They were not in jumpsuits, but in business attire. I really wished they were in handcuffs and those bright orange jumpsuits. My heart was racing, my palms were sweating, and I thought I was going to pass out at any moment.

  We all rose when the judge entered and then took our seats. After the judge situated himself, he turned to the jury and asked the foreman if they had reached a verdict.

  “We have, your Honor,” a middle aged, heavy-set bald man said.

  The few minutes it took for the judge to read the verdict to himself and then give the foreman the okay to deliver the verdict out loud passed in slow motion, like watching a car wreck in front of your eyes.

  Brandon held my hand tight, not letting go. His right leg bounced up and down and I knew he was as nervous as I was, but he was calm and collected for me.

  “In the case of California versus Christy Adams on the count of conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find?”

  “Guilty.”

  “In the case of California versus Christy Adams on the count of attempted murder, how do you find?” the judge asked.

  “Guilty,” the foreman responded.

  My body relaxed some. Ryan grabbed my left hand while Brandon held my right, squeezing it a little to show that she was there for me.

  “In the case of California versus Colin Rhodes on the count of conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find?”

  Brandon looked over to the left of us where Colin Rhodes was standing with Christy and Michael. Christy was sobbing into her hands, but no one touched her to comfort her. She didn’t deserve to feel better. More importantly, she deserved the guilty verdicts.

  “Guilty.”

  As the foreman verbalized the verdict, Colin’s body instantly tightened.

  Brandon released my hand and ran his hand down the middle of my back, soothing my nerves. I leaned into him, needing him to hold me up. I couldn’t believe my ears. While I and my friends both knew they were all guilty, I was scared that the jury wouldn’t believe they were all guilty.

  “In the case of California versus Colin Rhodes on the count of kidnapping, how do you find?”

  “Guilty.”

  Guilty. They were both guilty so far. I thought to myself that the jury had to find Michael guilty of all charges as well. He was the mastermind behind everything. He roped Colin into helping him stalk me and Brandon. He convinced Christy that she could get Brandon back if she killed me. He told me himself that he was the mastermind. Everything was his idea. He wanted Brandon to pay just for being better than him years ago back in college.

  I turned my head over to the table on the left again; Colin’s hands were clenched at his sides, Christy was still crying into her hands, and Michael had no expression at all, like he didn’t hear a word the foreman said.

  “In the case of California versus Michael Smith for the count of kidnapping, how do you find?”

  “Guilty.”

  That was it. Those were all the charges. My friends engulfed me in big hugs while tears rolled down my face. They were all going to prison. I didn’t know for how long, but I didn’t care at that point. I was just relieved that they didn’t get away with anything. If they only got a few months of jail time, Brandon and I would deal with it when the time came.

  The judge pounded his gavel on the desk, requesting that we hush and the defense counsel control his clients. Colin was yelling at Michael, and Christy was still crying. Michael never turned towards Colin while he was yelling. He just looked straight ahead like nothing fazed him.

  Brandon never let go of my hand even as he hugged our friends, too. We were one in this. The six of us hugged and then finally took our seat like the judge was ordering. Finally, my body was relaxing.

  “Thank you for your time and due diligence––you all are excused,” the judge said to the jury.

  I watched as they exited the courtroom through a door near the Judge’s bench.

  “Court is excused until Monday morning for sentencing.”

  Monday? We had to wait until Monday to find out how much jail time they were getting?

  We walked out of the courthouse and into the hall where the DA spoke with us and advised us that we could come back on Monday, or he could call me and let me know how much jail time they each got. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to come back.
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br />   *~*~*

  “You think Brandon will like it?” I asked Ryan and Becca.

  They both went with me after work to get Brandon’s birthday present. I had a surprise trip with all our friends planned for him as well. A limo was picking us up with our friends already inside and then taking us to Napa for wine tasting. We were all staying at the Auberge du Soleil, and then the following day, we would return home.

  “He’s going to love it. It’s beautiful,” Becca said.

  “Yeah, he’ll love it, Spence,” Ryan said in agreement.

  “Well, I hope so or I’m fucked,” I said, laughing.

  I left the girls in the city and returned home. I would see them both in the morning when the limo picked us up, and we were all excited except the pregnant Becca. Actually, she was excited for all the cheese she would eat. That morning, I told Brandon that I needed to drive myself to work because I had a meeting at five o’clock and I didn’t know how long it would take. This was unusual, but Brandon didn’t question it––thank God. Blake was in on the surprise and ushered Brandon into the car so they could get to work on time.

  For Brandon’s birthday, we had told him that we were just going to go to dinner after he and Blake went mountain biking. He seemed a little bummed, but he did love biking and shrugged it off.

  When I arrived home, I tried to stay away from Brandon as much as I could. I didn’t want him to see his birthday present until it was his actual birthday. A few times he questioned why I was wearing long sleeves in July. I tried to play it off and told him that my shirt was thin enough and I wasn’t hot. I was fucking burning up!

  An hour after I got home, I took the bandage off and took a quick shower before Brandon could join me. We usually showered together, so I knew he would be suspicious. After getting out of the shower, I threw on my Giants hoodie and told Brandon that I was comfortable in it when really I was still burning up.

  Since Blake was in on the secret, I saw him turn up the AC for me. I mouthed “thank you” to him without Brandon seeing. Luckily, the Giants had a game, and we drank beer and watched the game until it was time to go to bed.