The High School Years: Part 11 - The Final Trial

Forget or missed a part? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

It was the morning after the Prosecution side of our team, consisting of both Anna and Alura, dominated their opponent to give us a chance to advance to the next round. All my side, the defense side, had to do, was win and we would finally achieve my dream of making it to the next round. The one thing that I wanted so bad but so long alluded Team 2 for the past 4 years was within our grasp. Even if we lost, if our score was high enough, we might still get in because our score from the first day was so high.

All that we needed to secure such a wonderful opportunity was for all of us to show up to school and get on the bus to go to the courthouse. It truly is amazing how much easier said than done that last statement is.

The day before I go on the witness stand and testify that I, Jaden Sinclair, did not kidnap Kiran Taufique, I have to present and test the wonderful trebuchet that Kait and Kelly made while I was forced to watch Super Bowl XLII against my will.

Just how were we testing these things? Easy, by firing golf balls in the gym, of course!. The trebuchet that launches the golf ball the farthest will get the best grade. Now normally, such a dangerous activity would be held outdoors, but because the weather was not cooperating that day, we needed to do it inside because for goodness sakes, we could not actually wait for a nice day in March or something to do it. We were going to launch golf balls with trebuchets in a 2-story gymnasium. Yeah. I know what you are thinking at this point. My teacher Mr. Johnson really was this crazy.

So we were testing this monstrosity in our gym and Kait realizes that she forgot to bring her glasses. Apparently she needed them to see the ball better or something, I don’t know, maybe there was a criteria that we were graded on that I totally forget and that’s why she needed the glasses, but for whatever reason she needed glasses and did not have hers. So I gave Kait mine.

Apparently my rather strong prescription worked for Kait and all was well in that department. As an aside, if anyone is wondering why I have worn glasses since I was in upper elementary school and have never gotten contacts is because I could never put them in my eyes. My eyes are too sensitive for me to force them open and carefully place a contact in them. I’d shut my eyes every time and it would not work. When the technology advances somewhat and I have the money, I have thought about the real possibility of laser eye surgery, but until then, I’ll be wearing glasses for an indefinite amount of time.

Where was I now?....Ah, yes, Kait needed my glasses to help her see the ball. Apparently glasses fitted for me on my eyes are not good enough for Kait and she needs to see it for herself with someone else’s glasses. Things work better that way. This is Kait we’re talking about. Please don’t ask.

So I was left glassesless and basically clueless as to where the ball was going. How this benefitted the team I don’t know but Kait was not going to take no for an answer. We would constantly adjust it so as to get maximum distance but sometimes we would adjust it too much and instead it would just pop straight up in the air. Of course, I was without glasses so it would frequently take me awhile to recognize it. So one time I failed to spot a pop up at all and the next thing I know….

POW!

Plummeting golf ball, meet the underneath of my right eye.

I crumpled to the ground in a heap clutching my right eye. For a second I thought that I might never see again. The impact of the golf ball had forced it shut for the time being with my hand grasping it.

Mr. Johnson and The Only Gym Teacher In The World With A Beer Belly came over to assist me. After a couple minutes I was able to get my hand off my eye and open it up. Of course, upon the removing of my hand, I saw the hand and saw the blood on it. Eep. This one was going to require the nurse and a trip to the emergency room.

I leave the trebuchet to Kait and Kelly while taking back my glasses. It took a golf ball to the underneath of my eye, but I finally got my glasses back from Kait. HOORAH!

It’s on the ride to the emergency room that I really begin to ponder whether or not I will be able to make it to the trial the very next day. If the cut is too bad or if my eye is too swollen or if I got a concussion out of it, I probably would not be able to go. They gave me some sort of invisible pasty bandage that serves the same purpose as stitches on top of the cut. Supposedly these provide the nicest looking scar, plus it was invisible. I’d look bad enough with a black eye, the last thing I needed was to have a black eye with bothersome stitches. You can’t pick it up in any pictures or videos of me, but if you look under my right eye, you can see the scar. And yes, it is a pretty scar.

After coming home from the emergency room, I emailed everyone in mock trials to tell them the situation. Luckily Mike, who went the day before knew my role, could fill-in shall I not be able to go. But I wanted to be there. This was going to be my last chance and I did not want to be denied it because of a freak accident.

Even if my right eye did balloon to the side of a golf ball the next morning, all I needed to do for the competition was to show up and spurt out facts and information and answer questions on the witness stand. Why would I need a second eye to do any of that?

I woke up the next morning feeling like P. Diddy….only with a black eye. Shockingly, and much to my pleasure, it was not that bad or that awful. Sure it was a black eye, but at least it was only half swelled shut, and now swelled shut all the day. All things considered I made a very easy decision that day: I was going to school and I was going to the mock trial competition. I was not going to let my mock trials memories go unfinished like that.

By the time the trial came, nothing much had changed. My eye was still half-swelled shut, and I was ready. A little bit nervous, yes, but I was ready. I knew my statement inside and out, I knew what I needed to say, and I had several cross-examination counters in my mind.

At the end of the day, we meet in the classroom to change into our dress clothes and finish up preparations for the trial. Hearing what people from the prosecution side that went Monday would be making the trip to watch us, I am somewhat disheartened that neither Anna nor Alura could make it. This could be one of the last times that I see them in person. Was I disheartened by Alura’s cowardly way of dumping me? Yeah, but I still sort of wanted her to be there.

The trial begins. The trial starts with each lawyer making an opening statement. Afterward, begins the testimonies of the 4 witnesses. This year, I am witness 4 of 4. Something, which is not the best of things considering that the longer I wait, the more nervous I get. I was feeling relaxed all day, but now, I was beginning to feel very nervous and anxious for this whole thing.

Now throughout the trial people discreetly walk in and out the door. Or as discreetly as possible. After all we are in a real court room at Montgomery County Courthouse and the acoustics in the room make it so that the slightest noise can be heard anywhere in the courtroom. I feel bad for the poor schmuck who farts on the wooden bench in the back and the judge stares at him for the next 5 minutes.

During the 2nd witness of the trial, the door creaks open for the 500th or some of the trial. Out of habit, I turn around to see the person walking in.

It’s Alura. Walking through the door. At my trial.

A wind of calmness and relief swept through my body. Really that’s the best way I could describe it. I just felt more relaxed and more comfortable and more confident. She did not gesture to me or anything, but despite all that I went through with her, seeing her still eased me.

It’s my turn to be called up to the witness stand, now fully relaxed with Alura watching from the back. I walk up to the stand and raise my right hand….

***

“You were a rock star”, Mr. Zu told me after the trial.
I knew I had knocked it out of the park. I nailed down the direct exam just like it was practiced over and over beforehand and I had an answer to everything they asked me on cross-examination. Those that dare think about cross examining Jaden Sinclair shall suffer pain I tell you. Pure, unadulterated, pain! I did not kidnap Kiran Taufique. Now believe me, bitches.

Okay, so I did not really say that on trial, but darn, it would have been totally awesome if I did, no?

In mock trials, the jury “deliberates” for 10-15 minutes to come up with a preliminary winner. The official scores and winners are then posted later that night on the website. With that being said, the jury came back with the initial verdict:

“We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.”

YES! That was us!!! We got the verdict!

Now if only the scores held, we would be advancing to the 2nd round! For me and all of the seniors, the last time would be the charm. We would finally get to the second round that has so long eluded us for the past 3 years.

At around 8:30 at night, the scores are posted.

Hartline High School: 53.3 points.
Windy Hill High School: 56.3 points.

YES! We had finally done it! The 2 wins meant we were guaranteed a spot in the next round. But wait….

Hartline High School: 2 jurors.
Windy Hill High School 1 juror.

The averaged scores favored us, but because Hartline had more 1 more juror than us, that nullified our lead in the scores. Just like that it was over. Hartline won. Our average score from the 2 competitions was not high enough to put us in the next round as a 1-1 team. It was over for us.

Just like my high school personal life, high school mock trials ended in the exact same place for me: Heartbreak City. Sometimes in life, you just can’t get your way. Sometimes, you think things are going to turn out differently then they end up turning out. That was always the case for me in high school. I thought for sure Alura would be the girl of my dreams that I would end up marrying, and now, I could utterly careless about her.

Coming up next: The Epic High School Years Epilogue!