Dark Like Me

27~The Others

"Sirrah Winters?" An officer calls my name. I, my mother, and my father enter the courtroom. 

On the left is Alchemy and behind her in the audience is her family and support group. On the right, is the defense where I am going to sit and behind me is my family and support group, including Andy, Cole, and some of the members from the club.

Sitting down, I look in front of me where there are 7 YG peers of high student ranking sitting at a long table sorting out papers and chatting amongst themselves before they actually start. I begin to fidget and bite my lower lip while trying to rid my hands of their clammy feeling on my jeans. There is no going back now.

The whack of the gravel on the table hushing the small chatter of the courtroom and causes me to jump. I look behind me and my parents give me a reassuring nod, I turn back forward.

"We have Sirrah Keyarra Toriella Winters versus Alchemy Reilly Ann White." A teenage boy announces to the people in the courtroom. 

His name is Clarence Siletz and he is a senior with the Sage Rank. "Alchemy White is being accused of bullying Sirrah Winters on numerous accounts. In this came a physical altercation where Alchemy had slapped Sirrah. Sirrah didn't hit Alchemy back. When Alchemy had tried to strike Sirrah for the second time, in self-defense Sirrah retaliated by punching Alchemy in her face. The punch caused Alchemy to fall over the railing and hurt her back. Alchemy, you are being charged with bullying and attempted assault, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Alchemy says with a slight close-lipped smile.

The murmurs on my side arise causing Clarence to bang the gravel, silencing the room. "Order! Alchemy and Sirrah, do you have your attorneys picked out and ready for process?"

"Yes, sir." We both declare.

"Call them, please."

I nod to Andy and when she sits beside me, her family gasps. Andy's mother looks as if she was about to fall apart. Alchemy calls none other than Tannya Turner. I expected that since they both run in the same circles. But, after getting in trouble for teasing me, Tannya stopped and started hanging out with better people. 

"We may now begin. Ms. Andromeia, do you have any witnesses to call up?" Clarence asks.

I am so scared, I could either fidget harder or pass out. I pick up a sheet of paper and start writing instead.

"We do."

Clarence nods and turns to Tannya. "Do you have witnesses together?"

Tannya nods slightly unsure, but Clarence still takes that as a decent answer.

"Andy, you may begin."

"First call," Andy flips through the folder of witnesses she put together. We agreed to start with the ones who are being bullied the worst by Alchemy.

"Skender Prunea."

A boy with coke bottle thick glasses, very skinny figure, and pale white skin that goes with his black hair takes the stand by the YG's table. The principal swears him in and he sits down. I could tell this is going to be a long trial. I just hope that my point gets across.

"Skender, have you ever been bullied?" Andy asks slowly approaching Skender.

"Yes, plenty of times." His voice shakes a little.

"By Alchemy?" She points to her sister who is sitting uninterested.

"Yes, mostly her." He answers. I need what some of he has, he is neither nervous or scared. He is more confident than anything else. If he is nervous, I can't tell. 

Andy nods. "How come?"

Skender goes into a deep explanation, "Because of my glasses or my last name, the paleness of my skin."

I can hear the people murmur in the background as Skender explains to Andy and the YGs about his ordeal.

"Has she ever gotten physical with you?"

"Yes, she has."

"How?"

"She has tripped me in the hallway. She has shoved me into lockers causing me to get 6 stitches above my eye." He points to the healed stitches above his right eye. "Sometimes, she would threaten to have me beaten up or that she would beat me up herself."

I cringe at his testimony. So, it was not just me, after all. I figured that with the club, but Skender never joined the club or even came to a meeting for first timers.

"Has anyone else bullied you?" Andy asks a little haunted by her own sister's actions.

"Yes. A few of Alchemy's friends, including Tannya. But, excluding Sirrah. Sirrah is always nice to me." He states.

Some of the people in the courtroom gasps at the Tannya being a bully business. I am sure the most of us that didn't gasp already knew that. Tannya's face goes white.

"That is all for me." Andy sits down, she eyes Tannya and smirks a little.

Clarence asks, "Ms. Tannya?"

Tannya stands up. "Mr. Prunea, have you ever provoked Alchemy?"

"No. Well, sometimes we played around but nothing to the point where I would say anything offensive to her."

"Played around, meaning what?"

"We would joke about each other's clothes and such but when the name calling from her started, I backed away."

"Names?"

"Four eyes, of course. Poor boy, ghost, emo, wrist slitter . . . so on." He shifts in his chair a little uncomfortable from what I can tell.

"But, you didn't say anything to her? Defend yourself?"

"At one point, but without the name calling. I told her to stop and asked her how would she feel if someone did or said those things to her. She laughed in my face and called me an uh . . ." he trails off not sure if he should say what he was called.

"A what?" Tannya asks arching her brow and pressing on.

"A pussy, weakling, wimp." He names a few.

There is a huge collective, dramatic gasp that fills room. I can hear Alchemy's mother shout-whispering at Alchemy. I do not look back because I know how angry Alchemy's mother can look.

"That is all," Tannya says and goes to sit back at her seat.

Clarence nods. "You may step down, Skender and thank you."

Skender huffs relieved and walks out of the courtroom.

 Clarence and his peers' shifts papers around, then whisper to each other. "Okay, Ms. Andromeia, do you have any more witnesses to call on?"

The Y.G. court process does not take a long time. However, it does seem like it takes hours to get through everything. With most witnesses called and points made that Alchemy along with a few other students are in the wrong, it was almost time to wrap things up.

"I do but seeing as how we are going to wrap this up soon. I have one more." Andy informs.

"Ms. Tannya, yours?"

"Just one."

"Proceed with your witness." Clarence waves his hand to her.

"Sirrah Winters."