"Court is back in session."

            Kennedy watched as Judge Adamson looked around the room with a deathly glare, her eyes landing on who Kennedy was sure was Leo Lutz, sitting somewhere behind the prosecution's table.

            "ADA Karl, I have decided to rescind Mr. Lutz's testimony and it will no longer provide a valid argument in your case. His testimony relied heavily on a coerced confession from Miss Eaves. You," she turned to address the jury, "will not allow Mr. Lutz's testimony to influence your decision in this case."

            The jurors all nodded haphazardly, some of their eyes darting to Leo while others found Kennedy. She couldn't tell if this had helped or hurt her case, in their view.

            Because let's be honest—the jurors had still heard Leo's testimony. It wasn't like they were going to magically forget about it just because the judge asked them to.

            "We will now resume with the questioning of Miss Eaves." Adamson nodded towards Jaxson, the look in her eyes capable of freezing over a Florida golf course in the middle of July.

            "Thank you, Your Honor." Jaxson stood tall, either oblivious to or choosing to ignore the judge's expression. "Miss Eaves, has your relationship to the defendant changed at all since the death of Mr. Wilcox?"

            Kennedy stared Rebecca down, hoping and praying that she wouldn't mention the whole kicking-Rebecca-off-of-Drew-Parley's-Instagram-account fiasco.

            "Yes." Rebecca nodded, her eyes looking anywhere but at Kennedy, "I was angry with Kennedy for a little bit, and that's why I ended up writing the article for Chopped."

            Jaxson nodded.

            "What did the defendant do to make you want to reveal this after staying quiet for so long?"

            Rebecca paused for just a moment, her eyes darting over to Kennedy. Kennedy watched as Rebecca took a deep breath and looked back at the ADA.

            "I wanted her boyfriend, and I thought he would break up with her over this. Kennedy didn't do anything."

            Whispers started to come from the jury as Jaxson suppressed a laugh.

            "I'm sorry, Miss Eaves, let me make sure I understand this—you revealed a very damaging secret because you wanted to date the defendant's boyfriend?"

            Rebecca nodded.

            "It might sound silly now, sitting in a courthouse, but I mean...I'm twenty-one, Mr. Karl. I'm still in college—sometimes I don't think things all the way through."

            "I see." Jaxson nodded slowly. "I have no further questions for this witness, Your Honor."

            "Defense?"

            Brianne stood and walked over to the witness stand as Kennedy tried to wrap her head around what had just happened. If nothing else, Rebecca was some sort of masochist who had absolutely no problem with both lying under oath and coming across as one of the most out-of-touch people to ever sit on the witness stand. She had made herself look like the petty airhead who would betray a so-called 'friend' over a boy. Which Kennedy knew was one of Rebecca's absolute biggest pet peeves in the entire world.

            Rebecca Eaves may have also been a genius, as no one would be able to find proof that she didn't want Kennedy's 'boyfriend.' They had her blog, but it could have been a cover. They could investigate the paused Drew Parley payments, but that could have coincided with Rebecca getting jealous and quitting the account.

            And Rebecca was right—they were still just two girls in college. They weren't expected to always make rational decisions. And this time, it seemed to have worked very well in their favor.

><><

            "Miss Eaves, you informed the ADA that you 'wanted the defendant's boyfriend.' Who was this boyfriend?"

            Rebecca paused for just long enough to feign embarrassment at the continued line of questioning from Brianne Hotchky. She remembered Kennedy sneaking into the room with a guy, Lyla's boyfriend, back before everything had gone to shit. She just couldn't remember his name.

            Doug. His name had been Doug.

            Everyone's going to know that I'm lying. Who would be so into a guy named Doug that they revealed a murder plot to the entire world?

            "Doug." Rebecca replied, avoiding Kennedy's general vicinity with her gaze. She knew Kennedy was probably glaring at her, which the jury would think was because Rebecca apparently tried to steal Doug, but Rebecca knew was because she didn't need Lyla to be pissed off at her in the current moment. They had probably just recently moved past the sleeping-with-your-best-friend's-boyfriend part of their friendship.

            "Doug." Brianne nodded, raising her eyebrows. "And you were in love with Doug?"

            "Objection, Your Honor." ADA Karl stood, "This is irrelevant to the case at hand."

            "I'm inclined to agree with the ADA, counsel." Judge Adamson looked over at Brianne, "Do you have a reason for this line of questioning?"

            Brianne shook her head silently.

            "Objection sustained." Adamson nodded and Jaxson sat down, "Choose a different question, Ms. Hotchky."

            "Yes, Your Honor." Brianne nodded and turned back to Rebecca, who was staring at the attorney as if she weren't sure whether she was allowed to laugh. She felt like laughing; the whole idea of that being the reason she had sold Kennedy out made absolutely zero sense, but it had been the first thing that came to her head that didn't paint Kennedy as the bad guy.

            Although perhaps if she had told the truth, it would give her motive to lie about everything that had happened with Hank, and Brianne could use that to the defense's advantage.

            Shit. That's probably what she was planning for, Rebecca thought as she watched Hotchky struggled to find words, She was going to go the 'scorned lover' route with all of this, and I not only made it clear that I'm interested in men, but also that I don't have any reason to lie about the hit-and-run now.

            Whoops.

            "Counsel?" the judge spoke and Rebecca realized that at least a full minute had passed without Hotchky saying a single word. She was just staring at Rebecca as the witness zoned out, staring at the courthouse door and reminding herself that she was not, in fact, in love with Kennedy Abrams.

            "I have no further questions for this witness," Brianne muttered, just loud enough for Adamson to hear, before turning and sitting back down beside Kennedy, who looked like she was about ready to punch her lawyer square in the jaw.

            "Alright, then." Judge Adamson nodded, eyebrows raised. "Court is adjourned for the day. We will reconvene with ADA Karl's fourth witness tomorrow morning at 9:00."

            She stood and left the room before everyone else stood as well, a few security guards wandering up to keep an eye on Kennedy. Rebecca couldn't tell if they were there to protect Kennedy from the people around her or vice versa.

            Rebecca stood from her position at the witness stand and found herself immediately confronted by a very red-faced Leo Lutz.

            "Miss Eaves," Leo said, his tone the exact opposite temperature as his face, "Care to explain what that was?"

            Rebecca raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side, staring at Leo as if she weren't sure if he were the lunatic or if she was.

            "I'm sorry," she began, "I don't know what you're talking about."

            Leo huffed out a sigh that smelled like tobacco and strawberry jelly.

            "You lied under oath," he snarled, "You said I forced you to speak to me. I never—"

            "Leo," Jaxson Karl's voice sounded from behind the pair, "Leave."

            Leo turned around and the lawyer pointed one finger towards the door at the back of the courtroom, his eyes slits as they glared at the investigator.

            "Don't make this worse than you already have." Jaxson growled out of the corner of his mouth when Leo didn't budge, "I will not have you associated with this case or the people in it any further."

            Leo paused for another second before turning on the heel of his shiny black dress shoe and walking out of the courtroom without saying another word.

            Rebecca kept her eyes away from Jaxson and she slowly followed Leo's path, refusing to look at anyone as she went. She could hear whispers following her when she passed by different rows of seats. She didn't know if people were staying because they wanted a good look at Kennedy or simply because they had nothing better to do with their day, but she wished they would all go home.

            Her phone buzzed in her back pocket.

            Almost instinctively, Rebecca turned around to look at Kennedy, still sitting at the defense table, as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. The girl on trial for murder was staring at Rebecca in the same exact way she had looked at her when she had abducted her accomplice from the latter's apartment in the dead of night. So, the text came as no surprise.

            We're gonna have to talk about that absolute shitshow.

            Rebecca started to type out a response before thinking better of it and putting her phone back in her pocket. She was sure Kennedy would just show up at her apartment in the next hour regardless of whether or not Rebecca replied to the text.