It had been late by the time Justin got to his grandparents’ house the night before. His mother had been the only one awake. She looked more relaxed than he ever remembered her. After she showed him to the room he would be staying in, he went straight to bed. This morning though, he expected the third degree from all three of them.

He was due at the courthouse again at eight. Luckily, he fell asleep easily and woke up before his alarm.

It was just after five when he made his way downstairs. His grandparents lived in a spacious five-bedroom house, they liked to throw parties so they wanted something big.

He heard quiet arguing as he neared the kitchen.

“Daddy will give you the money, Jennifer,” he heard his grandmother say.

“I’m tired of needing a man to take care of me and my children, Mother. What kind of example does that make for them?”

“Just until you get on your feet. Justin will be in college in a few months, you need to worry about you and Molly right now.”

“Just because he’ll be in school doesn’t mean anything. He’ll still be living with me.”

Justin shivered, that wasn’t going to happen unless she stayed with his father. If she did, he would stay to protect her and Molly. His father was a powder keg ready to explode.

“Are you sure, dear? He’s a young man. He’ll want to have his little boyfriends over.”

Justin’s jaw dropped. No one except Daphne knew he was gay. How had his grandmother figured it out? Maybe she called regular friends boyfriends, maybe it was an old person thing. He had only seen her a few times since they moved back.

“Mother, Justin won’t have boyfriends,” his mother said, his heart sinking, he’d thought she might accept him.

“What? Oh, I don’t know what their called these days. Partners is what I think Oprah said.”

“Justin is not gay.”

He was kind of offended at how loud and heartily his grandmother laughed. “Oh, course he is. He told you so himself.” That was news to him.

“He’s never.”

“How easy you forget. He was four years old. Saw that boy at the Zoo and insisted we follow him around. Told Daddy and me that he was gonna marry that boy. Told you the same when we brought you home.”

“Mother, you said that boy was at least sixteen. Justin just was infatuated with an older boy, there was nothing sexual about it.”

“Never said it was sexual, he was only four. But I know a besotted boy. He followed that boy and his friend until we left the zoo. Daddy had to pick him up and carry him away kicking and screaming. Do have to admit though, for a teenager, the boy was a cute kid. He had been sweet to Justin too. Called him Sonny boy.”

Justin didn’t remember any of this. He vaguely remembered his grandparents took him out to different places when he was little. It stopped after his grandfather and father fought.

“You said it was just a phase,” his mother said.

“True, I said that to calm you down. He was four and you were acting like he was saying he was going to an orgy.”

“MOTHER!”

Justin bit back a laugh. His grandmother, she wasn’t prim and proper like his mother. His grandfather’s parents lived with them and made sure his mother and her brothers were proper. But his grandparents were just characters…and he loved them.

Justin decided to break it up before his mother started fighting with his grandmother. Entering the kitchen his grandmother smiled at him while his mother looked at him oddly. Probably trying to see if he was a gay.

“Hello, sweetheart,” his mother said.

“Morning. I wanted to get up early enough for breakfast today. Yesterday was torture until lunch with only a granola bar in my stomach.”

His grandmother made a tsking noise before pulling a chair out for him. “Sit down right now. You’re a growing boy, I’ll make you my world-famous eggs Benedict.”

“Thank you, Grams.”

“Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell food of an Englishman,” his grandfather said as he stomped into the kitchen.

“Morning, Gramps,” Justin said, standing up and giving his grandfather a hug.

“How’s my little bunny this morning?” his grandfather asked.

“I’m eighteen, please stop calling me bunny,” he plead, his face reddening.

“Nonsense, you’ll always be my little bunny. You even still crinkle your nose when your mad.”

“Morning,” Molly said, coming into the kitchen.

“Morning, Princess,” his grandfather said.

“Wait, why does she get called princess?” he asked.

“Would you rather be called princess? Is that a gay thing? I guess I could do that,” his grandfather said.

“Geez, it’s not a gay thing. Forget I ever said anything,” he muttered.

“Whatever you say…princess,” his grandfather cackled.

He ate his breakfast and tried to keep his nerves in check. Today the trial started. He would be sitting in judgement of someone. Someone’s life was going to be in his hands. Suddenly the food he had been eating felt like lead in his stomach.

“Are you alright?” his grandmother asked. “You look a bit green.”

“I’m fine, Grams. I just need to get ready to go.”

“Your mother said you’re on a jury. I know you’re not allowed to talk about it but just remember. No matter what the case is, this is someone’s life. Take that seriously, give it your full attention. Don’t let you mind wander,” his grandfather said, suddenly serious.

“I know. I’ll take it seriously, I promise.” He stood up and grabbed his things. “Mom, I’m going to go stay at Daphne’s tonight.”

“Alright, honey. Your grandmother said you can use her car throughout this. She won’t be needing it.”

Justin looked at his grandmother and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Thank you, Grams.”

“No problem, dear. Just make sure you don’t knock up the girl.”

Again, he was kind of offended by not only his grandmother’s uproarious laughing but his grandfather’s too. It did seem he didn’t need to come out of the closet with them, but they also seemed to be getting way too much enjoyment from it.

He regretted taking his grandmother’s car the second he saw it. It was a lime green Cutlass Oldsmobile. It looked like it belonged on an episode of the Dukes of Hazzard.

Going through security was easier this time. He was directed to a smaller room where a few of the other jurors were. A bailiff was there, and instructed them again that they weren’t allowed to discuss pretty much anything.

After what felt like a lifetime, they were escorted into the courtroom. Unlike the day before it was filled. There were people with tense faces, sad faces and some looking openly hostile.

(I don’t know any more about courts than court tv, My Cousin Vinny and some intro videos I’ve been watching on YouTube. So, if there are people out there with real knowledge of this, I’m sorry. Just suspend reality for a moment. I do try and get close.)

The judge went on a long-winded speech that basically said they weren’t allowed to talk about the trial. They had been told that the day before.

“Last night did any of you read or listen to any television or radio about the case?” the judge asked jury.

Justin shook his head, unsure if he could actually speak. The rest did the same.

“Did any of you get on the internet and do independent search about the case, people, places?”

Again, he shook his head.

“Did you discuss this case with anyone?”

Another shake.

“Did any of you send an email about the case?”

Another shake. But he was starting to think going over Daphne’s would be a mistake, she would try get it out of him.

The charges were again read out for the court. The jurors in the box with Justin were all older than him. Four other men and seven women. He was juror number seven. The judge talked forever about not talking to anyone.

The prosecutor was the first to make his opening statement. Justin felt on the edge of his seat to find out more about the mysterious defendant. He knew looks could be deceiving but the man was beautiful, he hoped he wasn’t a killer.

“On the night of December 24th 2000, Kip Thomas went to Brian Kinney’s residence, a senior executive at the ad agency he worked at. That was the last time anyone other than Mr. Kinney saw him. That night, this man, Brian Kinney, killed Kip Thomas in a premeditated move. Something he planned since the victim filed sexual harassment charges against him.”

“OBJECTION! That is inadmissible,” the defense said, jumping up.

Justin watched the prosecutor smirk, it seemed he got what he wanted out.

“Bailiff, lead the jury out of the courtroom.”

With that they led out of the courtroom. Justin could hear muttering behind him but not real words. Justin wished he could still be courtroom.

What the hell is going on in there?

Brian was seething, Greg, his lawyer said that the sexual harassment claim wouldn’t be brought up. He had beaten that charge with Mel as his lawyer. Because he was cleared of it he was told it wasn’t allowed to be brought up. Hell, they had a whole argument about it before they brought the jury in.

All this was so fucked. He hadn’t killed Kip, he hadn’t even seen the little weasel since he beat the sexual harassment claim. Marty was too scared to fire him because Brian did have sex with him, so he moved him to where he wouldn’t be running into Brian.

Then on Christmas eve he had left his loft and flew out to Australia. A fire started in the loft below his, the fire department broke down his door and found Kip in his loft. He had a scarf around his neck and was tied to his bed.

The body was found hours before he landed in Sydney. He got a fancy extradition. He didn’t fight it because he knew he was innocent. Now six months later he was in middle of hell. His friends, even Mel believed he was innocent but that didn’t help him much. None were in the courtroom because they were all character witnesses. The only witness that could help him was the guy he fucked before he got on the plane. It seemed fitting that his no names, numbers or repeats would be his downfall. All he had to go on was tall, brunet, built guy that liked to talk about his Pomeranian after they fucked.

Sadly, he wasn’t at any of his usual spots. He met the guy a gas station, one that had a dummy security camera. His biggest fuck up on the whole damn thing was paying with cash instead of his card. For that one mistake, he would be sitting in jail for the rest of his life. That is if the idiot jury listened to the fucking prosecutor, who seemed to be out for his blood. He was so fucked…without lube.