The Fantasy

Frank, Caterina and Mikey walked side by side, each student dressed smartly in a black suit or dress as they seemingly led the press up to the court house. Ever since Gerard’s arrest and prosecution for child abuse, there had been a media frenzy aimed at the pair. Some were sympathetic, reporting on how a teacher groomed a naive student, engaging in acts that were perpetrated with violence. Others were not so sympathetic, branding Frank a liar and troublesome student who thrived off the attention he was receiving.

But this morning, Frank’s head hung low, refusing to look up as the flashing lights of the press tried to capture a picture of the victim of this case. Memories of his relationship with Gerard haunted him like an endless nightmare. Why me? he often asked himself as he clawed away at his head, trying to work out why Gerard treated him the way he did. He couldn’t deny the fact that he had fallen in love with his teacher, but that didn’t he deserved the way he had been treated. He sniffed, quickly wiping away the tears with the back of his hand as he felt Mikey’s eyes suddenly fall on him. “Whatever happens, just tell the truth, I’m so sorry for what he did to you” Mikey whispered, patting Frank on the shoulder as they entered the courthouse. The large double doors swiftly shut behind them, plunging the group of friends into an uneasy silence.

A woman dressed in robed approached Frank, a large smile upon her face as she studied the young teenager; she could tell he was nervous. “Hello Mr Iero, I’m Aimee Carter, I’ll be your lawyer for this case. Don’t worry, we’ll get him” She said reassuringly, gesturing him towards the courtroom. Frank swallowed hard, glancing back at his friends who offered him smiles of reassurance before he walked off with the barrister; his heart pounding in his chest as he took his seat in court.

*****
Gerard’s lawyer was a vicious woman, in her 22 year career she had failed to lose one case. As she addressed Frank, her venomous eyes locked onto him, sussing him out as she prepared to ask her questions; determined not to make this case her first loss.

“Mr Iero, would you care to explain to the court your relationship with Mr Way?” She asked.
Frank swallowed hard, his hands fidgeting nervously as he prepared himself to answer the questions. “He was my teacher… and my boyfriend”

“So you say you were in a relationship with my client, is that correct?”
“Yes”
“Mr Iero, how do you describe Mr Way?”
“He was… he could be a violent man”
“Could be? So your suggesting he wasn’t always violent”
“Well, no, I mean some days we’d get on fine then he’d fly off the handle”
“I see, Mr Iero, my client tells me that you and him were never in a relationship, that this was all a figment of your imagination, a way of getting attention”
“NO! No of course not! Why would I lie about the things he did to me?”
“You wanted his attention but he wouldn’t give it to you…”
“No that wasn’t it at all….”
“So you made up a story of abuse to try and lure my client in, even had your own mother sent to prison just so you could fulfil your sadistic fantasies”

Tears began to trail down his cheeks as the barrister tore him to shreds, he wasn’t prepared for this. Piece by piece, her spiteful words chip away at him, pushing him over the edge until finally, he snapped. “NO! NO THAT WASNT HOW IT WAS!” He yelled, immediately grabbing the attention of the judge who silenced him immediately. “I… I thought he loved me, he told me time and time again he loved me. But he still abused me, he still beat me until I couldn’t walk. He still wore me down and made me feel like I was nothing. He made me cut myself because I felt like I couldn’t cope with the relationship. I felt if I left him or if he left me, my life would be worthless and I wouldn’t be able to carry on. He made me feel like nothing, that my life wasn’t worth living with out him. He… he raped me. I begged him to stop but instead he carried on, making it seem like it was my fault. I didn’t create some fantasy about me sleeping with my teacher, he abused me.” Frank said shakily, forcing the court into a moment of silence while Gerard’s lawyer stared at him, her eyes softening at the young boy as he sat back down.

“No further questions your honour” She said, sitting back down.
*****
Gerard took to the stand shortly after Frank, straightening his tie as he cleared his throat. He had been preparing himself all week for this moment and now was his chance to prove to the court and the outside world of his innocence.

“Mr Way, can you describe your relationship with my client?”
“Yes, I can. You see Mr Iero is a very trouble young man. As the school records state, he was moved to Birchwood high because he had trouble with violence and getting into the wrong crowd. He’s a manipulative liar and has, in the past, made me feel rather intimidated. He once cornered me after class and tried to kiss me…”

“THATS A FUCKING LIE, YOU TRIED TO KISS ME!” Frank yelled, security quickly pulling him out of the courtroom as he continued to protest against his former lovers lies. He couldn’t believe this was happening, all those times Gerard had told him he loved him, that he wanted to protect him, was all lies. All he wanted was sex, something he could use and control however he wanted.

“Like I was saying, I was never in a relationship with Mr Iero, he simply imagined it. All I did was try to help him, even taking him into my home when his mother was arrested for child abuse. I think that’s why he became so mentally unstable in the first place”
“So, your saying my client was a fantasist”

“Yes, nothing more than a compulsive liar”

Notes

Will Gerard get away with his crimes?
The verdict will be up in the next chapter- do you think he should be sentenced as guilty or not guilty?

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