“And this went on for a while?”
“Oh yes, years.”
“When did things change?”
“It’s hard to pinpoint when things began to change exactly. It was a gradual thing, but it was when she and Alec became a couple that things became more noticeable.”
“How so?”
“Little things, really. She would be happy one minute, then snappy and standoffish the next. She was very focused on herself, which I understand. Her home life wasn’t great, but she started making Alec feel bad for having a loving family. In the end, she began isolating him from us. She started causing fights, manipulating situations to make us seem like the bad guys, and putting Alec in a position that left him feeling torn between the girl he loved and his family. I think it was those actions that had him reevaluating things.”
“How was he reevaluating things?”
“He was talking about moving farther away for college, making a clean break from Sorrow. He felt obligated to make sure she was okay, but he knew it wasn’t the right reason to stay.”
“What happened the night of the crash?”
She wipes her fake tears as I stare at her in disgust. The way she lies so effortlessly makes my skin crawl. It has me questioning everything that ever came out of her mouth.
“They fought.”
“Sorrow and Alec?”
She nods. “He went to spend time with his friends, and she called him, started an argument, and told him she was going to kill herself if he didn’t meet her.”
“How do you know this?”
“He called me on the way over to her. I tried to calm him down and told him I’d call the police to check on her, but he was so worried he wouldn’t listen to reason. Next thing I know, the police are on my doorstep, and I just knew.” She starts sobbing then, these tears more genuine than the others.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Bannerman, it’s never easy losing a child. Are you able to carry on?”
She dabs her eyes but nods. “Yes.”
“Alright, what happened after the police left?”
“We went to the hospital. We had to identify him. He was hard to recognize.”
I feel my stomach churn. I might hate my brother for what he’s done, but it’s hard to forget about the little boy who used to be so happy and carefree.
“We heard from the police what happened. I didn’t go visit Sorrow. I was so angry that this had all happened. I had no idea she was pregnant. I don’t think Alec did either. Hell, I’m not sure it was even his, or a way to trap him into staying.”
“Objection,” Mr. Knowles calls out. “Miss Wells isn’t on trial here and has been victimized enough.”
“I’m sorry,” Mom sobs as the judge reminds her to stick to facts, not opinions.
“Why did you push so hard for Miss Wells to be charged as an adult? She was seventeen at the time and had already been through a lot.”
“My son was dead because of her cruel and reckless behavior. She made adult decisions, and they come with adult consequences.”
“Nothing further, your honor.”
Mr. Knowles taps his fingers on his table before starting. “Let’s back this up for a minute, shall we? You took Sorrow into your home?”
“Yes. We welcomed her with open arms.”
“You fed her?”
“That’s correct.”
