"Jack Bassam Barakat, do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"


His body felt numb. The thoughts in his mind refused to sit still long enough for him to grasp one of them and float back down to reality. There was a lump in his throat that made it hard to swallow, a scratchy feeling driving him insane from the dry, bitter taste lingering on his tongue. Once he was arrested at the bar, depsite the begging and pleading from his band mates and manager, he was taken to the station. Officers tried left and right to make him admit to the murder, but Jack refused to say even a single word. Because he was innocent until proven guilty, Jack was allowed to go home long enough to find himself a lawyer, the fault in this plan being that Baby's parents pressed the issue of a court date until it was set in stone. One week after he was released from custody, Jack was in the court house, being sworn in under oath.


"I do."


Jack still didn't understand how they'd found him so easily, just one night after he murdered the young girl. It didn't make any sense. Nothing made sense. He was swimming around in a world that no longer wanted him. Jack inhaled a sharp breath and took the stand, his eyes flickering from his laywer, to his friends, who looked scared and ashamed. How could he do this to them? To her?


"Mr. Barakat," the laywer speaking in Baby's defense slowly walked up to the stand, his hands resting on the wood as his fingers tapped against it. "Witnesses say they say October leave the bar with you. Were you aware that she was seventeen-years-old?"


"N-No," Jack answered, his voice quivering with fear. "I admit, she looked young, but I had no idea she wasn't even a legal adult. I assumed since she was in the bar buying shots that someone had checked her ID, that she was allowed to be there, doing all the things that she was doing."


"Well, I can't say for sure if they checked her ID, but the bar is under investigation as well," the man turned to the jury, a charming smile on his face to swoon them. Jack gagged silently. "Is it true, Mr. Barakat, that you bought October alcohol while she was in the bar?"
"Yes, but like I said, I thought she was of legal age to drink."


The man nodded, adjusting his fitted suit. He rose an eyebrow to the jury before he turned his back to Jack.


"And Mr. Barakat, isn't it true that you have a drug problem?"


"Y-Ye-Yes."


"So is it safe to say that you and October scored at the bar?"


"Technically, she did. We made each other a promise. She would quit all the bad things she was doing if I let her do it with me and I would stop entirely after one more night with her."
Jack could see Alex's face fall from where he was sitting. His palms began to sweat. Never before had he ever felt so bad about himself or his addictions. After all, it cost a girl her life.
"So once you two left the bar, what happened, Mr. Barakat?"


"I tried to tell Baby that-"
"Baby?"


"That's what she told me to call her," Jack confessed, blinking back tears as he remembered everything that happened that night. "I tried to tell her that it wasn't a good idea for her to come home with me, but she insisted. I'm a man, October was a beautiful girl, how could I deny myself of that? So I took her back to my place. I poured us some shots and by the time I got back to the living room, she had taken out almost everything that she'd bought that night. I knew it was too much for her first time, but there wasn't much I could do about it then. She seemed fine. We drank our liquor and ended the night in my bedroom."


The jury let out a gasp, which put a smile on the lawyer's face. Oh, Jack was done for now. As if October being dead wasn't bad enough, but now he'd confessed to what the court system would see as rape, even if October agreed to it.


"So you got her drunk, got her high and had sex with her? You should be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Barakat." Once again, he made a face at the jury, winning them over more and more with each passing second. "So the next morning, what happened?"


"Well, when I woke up my mind became a little more clear. I attempted to wake Baby up and ask her to leave, but she wouldn't respond. I got a cold rag to try and sober her up, but I soon realized that she'd snorted too much the night before. She overdosed."


"An overdose, eh?"


Jack nodded slowly as the man made his way to the table that October's parents were seated at. Both of them shot Jack a dirty look, even though they seemed more fucked up than even Baby had. The man on trial watched carefully as the laywer grabbed a plastic bag and began making his way back over, a smug grin on his lips the entire time. When he neared Jack and the jury, he held the bag up. Inside was Baby's ID, melted and barely in tact, but that was definitely her picture. Jack inhaled sharply, nearly vomiting right there. So that's it, that's how they knew.


"So you say she overdosed, but do you deny that this ID belongs to October?"


"No, I do not."


"You know, it's the funniest thing, Mr. Barakat. We got a call from a sweet old lady who lives very near to where you do. She claims she saw you carrying something awfully big through your yard, and when you returned, you were empty handed. She also phoned in to tell the police about the strage fire you started in the burning barrel. That, Mr. Barakat, is how we managed to find October's ID. Would you like to tell us how that goes along with your overdose story?"


That fucking bitch. Jack knew, he just knew, that she had something to do with it. Should he manage to walk away from this today, he'd kill her, too. Through gritted teeth, he exhaled a long breath and closed his eyes, taking a moment to gather himself. What would be the point in lying anymore? They had their proof. The jury most certainly wouldn't rule in his favor. By now, they'd probably already dug up Baby's body.


"She did overdose, that isn't a lie. I honestly tried to help that girl, but when I found her ID in her shoe.. I freaked out. This is a perfect example of why no one would believe me about what happened. I would go to jail regardless. And Baby was just so.. Helpless, she was miserable and scared, too."


"So what happened, Mr. Barakat?" The man pounded his fists against the wood, making the jury jump. "Tell them how you killed her!"


"Fucking all right!" Jack threw his arms up, his breath falling short. "I did it! She had no fight left in her, so I covered her face with the pillow until she faded away. I buried her in back yard and I burned any trace of her! Are you fucking happy now?!"


The jury jumped back in their seats, Baby's mom let out a soft scream and the members of All Time Low stood from their seats and exited the room. Sweat was now dripping from Jack's forhead and he was certain his heart was going to explode.


"That's enough, quiet!" The judge grumbled, his fat fingers wrapping around a stack of papers in front of him. "Send a crew to search for October's body. As for you, Mr. Barakat," he stared down at the scared young man, his face cold as stone. "You are found guiltly of murder in the first degree. I sentence you to twenty-five years in prison, no parole. Case closed."

Notes

So give me one last line and I promise you, I'm done-
This is the story of how one night can weigh a ton.

It's finally over! If you haven't already looked it up, this story is based off of the song "Cocaine," by Strata. Thank you guys so much for reading, commenting, voting and subscribing! <3.