Stefanie Young

Ms.Mounts

Creative Writing

14 February 2019

The murder

I stand on the grass, under the bright game lights that hover over the couple hundred

people that are gathered in one big crowd, covering where big sweaty guys usually tackle each

other and throw around a football. The whole community is here. Teachers, parents, coaches,

students, Jamie's friends and family, and even people that never really knew her, because no

matter who they are, everyone around here feels like it's their duty to be here. All of the girls that

got the messages are here, except Jaimie and Blair. Taylor is toward the back with her new

boyfriend. She really went downhill after everything Kyle did. After realizing his text was meant

only to lure her to her death she was in complete shock, but learning that she wasn't the only one

was worse. Taylor learning that she wasn't the only girl he texted was the most difficult thing to

gather in her mind, at least that's how I observed her reaction. In a way, I kind of understand, I

mean seeing an obituary in the paper and all over social media, right next to a picture with the

murder story will make your brain add things up pretty quickly. Lindsey is standing toward the

middle of everyone, next to her friend that I've never learned the name of. Both of them also

received one of the messages from kyle, trying to lure them like he did Jaimie. Lindsey’s friend

went downhill too. She started partying harder than anyone I've ever met. That girl went way too

crazy for how old she is. She's a good person though. I've seen her around school, she sits alone

at lunch, but any other time she's always with Lindsey. Lindsey always looks runway ready, and
is the most enthusiastic person I've ever talked to. The only person I know isn't here, that

received a message and lived, is Blair, the last girl that Kyle texted. I look up at a stage, there's a

podium on it, and a slideshow of Jaimie growing up playing on a giant screen. The cheerleaders

are just finishing passing out bright red candle sticks poked through styrofoam cup to shield our

hands, when Jamie's brother gets up on stage. He’s tall with dark brown hair, and bloody tissues

stick to his cheek where he must have nicked himself shaving. He fights his tears and grabs the

mic, “The best thing about Jaimie, is that she was always laughing. That’s why I wish she could

be here today. So she could be laughing with us.” He walks off the stage, and a group of choir

kids that stood behind him pat his back on his way off. The choir begins to sing another one of

their songs about life and happiness, then change to a sad one about losing a loved one. I look

around and when the chorus hits, heads tilt down and tears start to fall. I look up at the edge of

the stage where Jaimie’s parents stand, and her mom has buried her face in her father’s chest.

They stand there now, with his arms completely wrapped around her, and her sobs so loud I can

hear them all the way back here. Kyle told people that one day he would be famous, but nobody

ever thought it would be because of something so horrible. He had said, “You watch. One day

I'm going to be famous. You’ll see me on the front page of the newspaper.” That was exactly

what he told Blair when she refused to meet with him at the fanciest restaurant in town. Blair

said that she wished she had done something, but she just wrote off his comment as his general

weirdness. All of us girls that received his messages are four years younger than him, and even

though we’re seniors about to turn 18, none of us got the hint that Kyle was so dangerous. Out of

everyone, the least deserving of this brutal death, received it. Jaimie was known as the sweetest

girl in school. Whenever she saw someone alone, she would go sit with them, and most of the
time she would ask them to hangout after school too, because she knew it would make them

happy. That was Jaimie, the girl that brought happiness to this miserable world.

The glow of the candles keeps the field alive. The mayor gets on the stage, and dismisses

everyone on the field. Taylor, Lindsey, her friend, and I meet up before leaving. We talk about

everything except kyle. Taylor invites us to her house to do our hair, but judging by her purple,

teased hairdo, I don't think I really want to accept that offer. I know we all think about it, how we

were all involved just by being one of Kyle’s targets. I believe that I feel the worst out of

everyone. Kyle texted me, asking to hang out. When I told him no, he said that he needed

somebody to talk to. I told him I was too busy and recommended Jaimie. This is all my fault and

nobody knows it yet. Kyle is in jail waiting for his trial. All of us girls have had meetings with

lawyers to tell them our side of what happened to prove that he's guilty.

I find it weird that Kyle used different excuses for all of us to meet with him, and they all

tell the rest of the community something about us. He told Jaimie that he was thinking bad and

needed someone to talk to, knowing that she would help. He told Lindsey’s friend he had some

drugs and wanted to hangout with her and share them. Blair was invited to dinner at the fanciest

restaurant in town, and when she refused, Kyle said he was going to be famous. I don't know

what he told Taylor and Lindsey. I just think that his reasons to get those girls to go where he

wanted them really show what they would risk their lives for, drugs, a nice date with a guy, and

someone who would help him with his own fake problems. We all blow out our candles and hea

our separate ways, except for Lindsey and her friend. Lindsey came alone and left with her

friend’s family.
 I find that all of us girls with the messages often get stuck in the same place, this place

makes sense though, the courthouse on the day of the trial. I'm not sure if Kyle will be in the

room when we all testify, but I have a good feeling he will be. No judge is going to be worried

about a witness breaking on the stand, that's how they get evidence to make a decision. The other

girls have shared their feelings. Lindsey sits next to me, fixing her makeup in a small round

mirror, and snaps it closed when she's finally had enough of her friends endless leg shaking.

None of us talk, except for Lindsey telling her friend that she needs to chill out. It's odd how

unaffected she seems. Sometimes I wish that I could be her; confident and innocent. I feel like I

should be just as responsible for Jaimie’s murder considering i suggested that he go to her for

help instead of me. Everyone knows Kyle. Through highschool he was the weird kid nobody

talked to, and slightly creepy, but nobody saw him as a threat. I get called into the courtroom and

take a seat at the witness stand. I'm not a witness, but I was involved in what happened, even

though nobody knows that I suggested that he should ask Jaimie for help. In my opinion, it isn't

entirely my fault, I didn't know what he was planning, or that it would get as bad as it did. A man

in a grey suit with a black tie asks me, “What did Kyle text to you on the day that Jaimie was

murdered.” My first thought was, why can't he just say the date for the sake of everyone in the

courtroom right now? I answered best I could without throwing myself under the bus. When the

people asking the questions see me getting nervous, they start asking faster and faster. They're

trying to break me. I am one one the deciding factors on if Kyle gets the death penalty, and I

actually feel like people are counting on me just to get him that. The last question I am asked is,

“Did you know that he was a threat?” I responded with no right away, but added that he was a

little weird to me, which is why i didn't meet him. My answer made people want to ask me more
questions, but the judge didn't think that it was appropriate. Im dismissed from the courtroom,

and when I open the door, the head of the girls waiting outside popup to see who's coming. “Was

he in there?” It was a question, but a very demanding and loud one. I shake my head no and sit

down next to lindsey again.

The weeks following the trial are uneventful, yet nerve wrecking. It's like standing at the

edge of a cliff, not ready to jump, but you don't know if something will make you. If anyone

finds out what I said to him about Jaimie, I'll be locked up for good. The weeks after were filled

with my usual schedule. I went to school everyday, spent the night at Jared’s house on Fridays,

went for my afternoon jogs by the river, and did lots of thinking. Tomorrow is when we find out

what will happen to Kyle, and I wonder if the whole city will be there, like at Jamie's ceremony.

The courtroom will definately be filled with news reporters, because this story has been the

headline of any kind of news media you could think of since it happened. Mostly, I wonder if her

family will be there to see when the judge assigns him to the death penalty. There's no doubt that

he's guilty. Kyle stomped on her head and beat her to death, leaving her on the side of the road to

be found next to her car that he drove her farther out of the city in. The police have all the proof

they need, but nobody can ever be too sure when they are just a part of the community.

It's time for the announcement and the room has less reporters than I thought there would

be, but there's still a lot of them. Jaimie’s family didn't come, I wouldn't either if I could watch it

on TV at home, but they needed to ask me more questions. The questioning is finally over, and

the judge is about to announce the decision. “Kyle Paxon,” the judge announces, “the court finds

you guilty of the murder of Jaimie Strand, and sentences you to death.” He hits the stand with his

gabble, reporters get loud, and everyone is exiting with relief. They still don't know that I told
him who he should go to, but why does it matter so much? He still had a plan to kill one of the

girls he messages, whichever one was willing to meet up with him. I watch as Kyle is escorted

out of the room, and transported to jail. Some people cry, and some just walk out with no

emotion, but I sit here and watch.