Assistant Coach Mathis was in the next group of witnesses called to testify in the hearing that Friday morning. Instead of starting with her usual question, Lewis, refusing to look up from her notes, instead opened with “where were you on Thursday, September 14th, between seventh and eighth period?”

“I imagine I was waiting on my last class of the day to come in” he scoffed.

“So you were present that day? At that time?”

“Well I was at work” he shrugged.

“And when you came to the locker room that day at that time, were there any students present?” Lewis continued, still not looking up.

Mathis sighed with a bit of annoyance, “does this have something to do with that Vargas... kid?” he decided on.

“Why would you say that?” Lewis continued to feign interest in her notes rather than the witness.

“Just answer the last question” Sullivan put in, causing Lewis to finally take her attention from her notes to cast him a cold look.

“Yeah, I think Spencer and Vargas were probably in there.”

“Probably?” Lewis asked, “they were or they weren’t?”

“They were” he returned coolly, “Vargas was late leaving seventh. He was busy redoing his makeup” he sneered bitterly. “And Curt came in early for eighth. He was always eager to get out on the field. You know, while he still had a football career anyway” he added with further sarcasm.

“And what were Curt and Sky doing when you entered the locker room?” she asked, finally holding him in her gaze then.

Mathis just scoffed again as he shrugged, “standing by the sink?”

“Just standing? Not talking? Just standing?” Lewis asked.

“Not like the two of them were friends.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. Were they talking? Were they touching? What were they doing?” Lewis pressed.

“Touching? What the hell are you trying to imply about our star quarterback?” Mathis bit out angrily.

“Former star quarterback” Lewis corrected, “hasn’t he been replaced now?”

“Well he can’t play now because of what that other freak did to him” Mathis returned angrily.

“Please only answer direct questions” Sullivan interrupted.

“Yes, he’s been replaced” Mathis sneered.

“So, then there’s no stake you have in his future any longer, right?” she asked pointedly, but moved on, “Curt’s been accused of some sort of altercation that day. And you apparently were there at the time, so you apparently saw this alleged altercation. What we need to know is what it was you actually saw. So just tell me what Curt and Sky were doing when you came into the locker room” Lewis pressed.

Mathis scoffed, “Spencer might have gotten a little rough with him. But that’s what boys do when other boys are putting on makeup in the locker room.”

“Rough with him?” Lewis repeated as Sullivan lowered his eyes again, “you’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

Mathis just let out another angry sigh, “that Vargas freak said he was gonna drop all this bullshit if I let him outta my class. And I did. So, why the hell am I even here?”

“Rough with him how?” Lewis asked more forcefully.

“I didn’t see that much” Mathis denied, finally showing a little fear behind all that anger and sarcasm.

“What did you see?” Lewis asked again.

“I couldn’t really tell what they were doing. They stopped the second I came in” Mathis denied.

“But there was physical contact?”

“For all I know Curt had his face in the sink tryin to wash all that shit off it; like his parents should have before they let him come to school” he added with further sarcasm.

“So, you’re saying you saw Curt bending Sky over the sink?” she asked pointedly, Sullivan tensing further.

“Well how else would he get his face in there?” Mathis scoffed, though his discomfort was obvious.

Lewis took a breath, “So, Curt was standing behind Sky as he bent him over the sink?”

“Now you’re just tryin to make Curt sound like a fag too” he bit out.

“I was just asking you to clarify. Why would you say that? Was there something sexual going on as well?” Lewis nearly growled the question.

“Curt ain’t a fag lady. And I think it’s time you stop trying to imply it” he retorted angrily.

Lewis looked down to gather herself before continuing, “so what was the state of Sky’s clothing, as Curt had him bent over the sink in a non-gay way?”

“Argumentative” Sullivan bit out then.

“I’ll rephrase” she swallowed, “was Sky’s clothing either fully or partially removed at the time?”

Mathis scoffed again to cover his increasing worry, “Curt was just fucking with him. It’s what real men do when they see something like that Vargas kid, looking the way he looks; acting the way he acts.”

“Just answer the questions asked” Sullivan warned him again, his own teeth clenched then.

Mathis sighed angrily, “Sky’s pants may have been down. But for all I know he was comin onto Curt.”

“He was coming onto Curt? That’s your opinion of what was going on in that locker room?” Lewis asked with a raised brow.

“I don’t know, I don’t speak fag” he scoffed.

“So, Curt was bending Sky over the sink, but Sky was the one coming onto him?” she repeated with a shake of her head.

“Well isn’t that how the gay boys like Vargas like to do it?”

Lewis shook her head again, “so, to recap; Curt had Sky bent over the sink, with his pants down, and they weren’t exactly friends and Curt’s not gay? Am I following you so far?”

“Now you’re just making it sound like...” Mathis shook his head.

Lewis took another breath, “fine, only one more question, though it’s a two-parter. While this was going on; while Sky’s non-gay non-friend had him bent over the sink with his pants down, was Curt touching Sky, and was Sky crying?”

“Wouldn’t most people cry if they had something shoved up their ass? But Sky’s not most people. He likes that sort of shit” Mathis bit back angrily.

“Likes it so much that he was crying and he told his sister that he was raped? No further questions.”

Mathis then angrily left the room as Sullivan turned to Lewis. “And where did you get all those details?”

“Prepping witnesses, just like a trial. Hope you prepped yours” she told him bluntly as she turned her eyes back to her notes with a slight sniffle.

Then, the next group included the first of the four now soul-mates. It was Star who just kept mentally reminding herself to tell the truth about Curt, and not let them try to drag any other truths out of her. After all, telling the truth was Sky’s idea, so she would abide by his wishes, no matter how painful it was for either of them to tell that truth.

As Star warily took her seat and made her introduction, dark eyes cast down, Lewis began with her usual question again; if Star knew of any sexual violence carried out by Mr. Spencer.

“Yes” she answered hoarsely. “We know he grabbed Crista at the mall. Kole told us he raped Sammi two years ago. And I was the first person Sky told; an hour after it happened to him” she answered shakily.

“And what did Sky tell you had happened to him?” Lewis asked.

“He said Curt bent him over the locker room sink, pulled his pants down, and forced his fingers inside him” she sniffled.

“Into his anus?” Lewis made herself ask.

“Where else?” Star choked a bit. “Yes.” she quickly corrected herself.

Lewis took another breath, “and Sky did not indicate that he enjoyed or wanted that to happen?”

“God, no!” Star retorted, “he hated Curt, but he couldn’t fight him. Curt did it anyway; while Sky cried, and whimpered in pain, and bled. And Mathis saw it, and then he blamed Sky” she told her, every word causing her pain as well then. “And that’s why Sky never reported it” she added before Sullivan could ask, “he already got blamed for it once. Just for being who he is.”

“Well, no further questions I guess” Lewis said as she gave Sullivan a pointed look, though he simply stared at the floor. Once Star shakily left the room, Lewis looked at Sullivan again, “ready to cut this one loose yet, Sullivan?”

Sullivan just sighed in annoyance, “shouldn’t we at least talk to the actual victims?” he muttered.

“Don’t you mean alleged victims?” she couldn’t help asking, then added, “yeah, I’m sure their stories will be so different” she scoffed before turning back to her notes.

The last ‘non-victim,’ though that term was rather relative, was another of the four. This time it was Kole who took a seat and made his somber introduction. Again, Lewis started with her usual question.

Kole sighed, and gave his usual answer, “Yes, Curt grabbed my friend Crista without her permission this past weekend. And Curt raped the girl I was dating two years ago, and then my friend Sky three weeks ago” he stated plainly, eyes down.

“You witnessed the incident with Crista? And the others, they both told you this?”

“The incident that I witnessed is on video. And yes, the others told me he raped them” Kole responded in the same brief manner.

“And the two you’re referring to, that’s Sky Vargas and Samantha Charles? Just to clarify” Lewis added,

“Yep” was Kole’s simple response.

“You seem rather calm” Sullivan put in.

“Not calm; just broken” Kole said, the slightest emotion seeping into his voice then.

“It was your baby that Sammi lost?” Lewis couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“She didn’t lose it. Curt killed it. And does it even matter whose it was? The baby is still dead. And that didn’t matter to anyone then. Why would it now?” Kole whispered.