Lost in Clover by Travis Richardson Read Free Book Online Page B

intended to do when they encountered him. Nothing that the prosecution says can be substantiated by any eye witnesses except for Mr. Cochran, who is currently in a coma, and the Cooper family, whose house those men descended upon in the middle of the night.”
    Lawrence turned and sat down. Jeremy swallowed hard. Carrie gave him a nudge.
    “Are you okay? You look as white as a ghost.”
    “I think I need some air. It’s stuffy in here.”
    As if the judge were listening, he banged the gavel and called for an early lunch break. He said it was “too hot and humid with all these bodies in here.”

15. UNAVOIDABLE
    The springtime air, while fresh, didn’t clear Jeremy’s nausea. He sat on a park bench, trembling.
    “You want me to get you some water or something?” Carrie asked.
    “No, I think I just need to head on home…or to school.”
    “You were close to Kevin, weren’t you? I’ve seen how the massacre has affected you. You haven’t been the same.” She put her hand on his knee.
    “It’s not that. I mean, I knew him from church and did some roofing jobs with him, but… I remember the party before they went after Crazy Eddie.”
    “You were there!”
    “Shhh. Not so loud.” Jeremy looked around at people milling around.
    “Did you tell anybody?”
    “I don’t have anything to add. At least nothing that would help Kevin’s family or the others.”
    “What did they want to do?”
    Jeremy shrugged. “They wanted to kick Crazy Eddie’s ass. They really had it in for him. Especially Trevor.”
    Carrie nodded. The ex-quarterback’s could’ve-would’ve-if-not-for-Crazy-Eddie excuses were well known. “I understand why you don’t want to talk to anybody, but…” she squeezed his knee and looked into his eyes. “You should see a counselor.”
    Jeremy felt panicked. Did he tell Carrie too much? He couldn’t tell anybody the whole story. Not if he wanted to keep living in Clover.
    “Carrie. Jeremy.”
    Carrie yanked her hand off Jeremy’s knee. Zack walked up with Michelle following behind. Zack gave a sly smile while Michelle stared sourly at Carrie, as if telegraphing “he’s mine bitch” to Carrie.
    “What are you guys up to?” Zack asked. He had his thumbs hooked into the back of his faded blue jeans, like he was trying to mimic Kevin’s swagger.
    “Oh, we’re just…” Carrie began.
    “I think I’m coming down with the flu,” Jeremy said, standing. “I’m going home.”
    “You don’t look…” Carrie started, but then read Jeremy’s pleading eyes. “Sorry I dragged you here.”
    “It’s okay. I just need to rest. I’ll get over it.”
    “Later, man,” Zack said. “Thanks for keeping us safe.”
    Jeremy stopped, frozen. “What?”
    “From germs, dude.”
    Jeremy nodded and walked to his truck.
    *
    Jeremy lay in his bed, knowing that he should try to avoid the trial as much as he could. Why did he have to be the one who knew where the Coopers lived? His brain spun into a piercing headache. 
    Jeremy stayed in bed the next few days with a minor fever. He didn’t go to the trial or to school and didn’t want to hear anything about them. He wanted to be alone and have the world go on without him. But in the idle moments of silence in his mind, even if he was listening to heavy metal on his headphones, he desperately needed to know what was happening.
    Carrie and other friends emailed and texted up-to-the-minute details from the courthouse. Because of the constant crowds and truancies, the judge would allow broadcasts “against his better judgment” the following week. Lawrence Eliot was being called “Lawrence from Lawrence”—home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks and where he lived. It seemed that Lawrence was more persuasive than Carson, tearing down the prosecution’s arguments, and even had the people of Clover wondering about the true intentions of the boys. When L.T. Diamond gave testimony about the pureness and unlimited potential of his son, Lawrence