Emily's POV

I wheel myself up to the podium and try to pretend like all of Rosewood's eyes are on somebody else. I've always hated public speaking, and here I am, voluntarily making a closing statement in front of a full court room. Everyone here probably thinks I want to fry Spencer for putting me in a wheel chair, but they're wrong. I take a deep breath before leaning into the microphone, and spilling my guts to the world.

"Spencer has been my best friend since the first day of kindergarten. I was a shy kid, while she was the most outgoing five year-old in our class. The only reason we even started talking was because our moms bought us the same lunchbox." I say as I stare into Spencer's familiar brown eyes.

Tears are pouring out of her eyes, and I take a deep breath before continuing my statement.

"Lately I've been thinking about what would have happened if my mom had bought me a different lunchbox. Spencer and I never would have become friends, and I would have never gotten in the car with her." I say without breaking eye contact with Spencer.

"When I first found out that Aria and Hanna were dead and I'd never be able to walk again, I was furious. More specifically, I was furious with Spencer. We can all agree that she shouldn't have gotten behind the wheel after drinking that night..." I start to say.

Before I can finish my sentence, Spencer springs to her feet.

"I'm sorry, I need to leave." Spencer mutters.

"Mrs. Hastings, please take a seat." The judge says in a firm voice.

"I can't..." Spencer starts to say.

"Mrs. Hastings." The judge says raising her voice.

Spencer sighs before taking a seat next to her lawyer, and avoids looking into my eyes.

"As I was saying, I was furious with Spencer, but not for the reason you would think. I was angry at her because it was easier to place the blame on someone who wasn't myself." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.

"The night of the accident my girlfriend cheated on me, and I was devastated. I had a couple of drinks, and I was an emotional mess. The girls found me, and insisted upon taking me to the lake house for a fun and carefree night. I was on board with the idea, and I even offered to drive us to the lake house, but Spencer stopped me. In reality, this mess is just as much my fault as it is Spencer's." I say before I burst into tears.

"Emily, it's not your fault!" Spencer exclaims as she springs to her feet.

Spencer's lawyer whispers something into her ear, and she quickly sits down.

"If the worlds were reversed, I would be in Spencer's place and she would be sitting in a wheel chair. It might have even been Aria or Hanna..." I start to say.

"Don't you dare try to pin this on my deceased daughter!" Byron Montgomery says as he springs to his feet.

"That's it, if anyone else interrupts they will be removed from the court-room." The judge says as she glares at Aria's dad.

"I'm not trying to pin this on Aria or Hanna. I loved them like sisters, just like I love Spencer. I know my best friends well enough to know that they'd forgive Spencer, and ask you to let her move on with her life. I know Spencer well enough to know that she's special, and if you let her she'll change the world. Don't end her life for no reason, give Spencer another chance. Please your honor." I say before I burst into tears.

"Thank you Mrs. Fields." The judge says before giving me a small nod.

Spencer offers me a small smile, and for the first time since the accident, I know we'll both be okay.

Spencer's POV

I sit in my prison cell and try to memorize the cracks on the ceiling. I'm going to be here for twenty-five years, so I might as well acquaint myself with my surroundings.

I knew I was going to end up in prison, and if we're being honest, I got the sentence that I deserved. Ironically, I'm not sad. In fact, I'm almost happy.

Emily's statement gave me hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. She forgave me for taking away her mobility, and killing two of her best friends. Even though I'm nowhere close to forgiving myself, I have to find someway to do it, because I have a long life ahead of me.

Sure, I'm going to spend the next twenty-five years in prison, and I'll never get those years back. I'm not going to graduate from The University of Pennsylvania in honors, and I'll probably never get married and have a family of my own. It's not the ideal life, but it's still a life, and I have to make the most of my time on Earth.

Emily really believes in me. She thinks I can change the world, and I'm sure as Hell not going to disappoint her. Like she said in her speech, this could have happened to one of my friends, but it happened to me. As much as I hate to admit it, there has to be a reason Hanna and Aria died, and I survived.

Did you know that every fifteen minutes someone in The United States dies because of a drinking and driving accident? Every fifteen minutes someone loses a life, a friend, a daughter, a lover, or the ability to walk. Every fifteen minutes someone just like me finds out that they are a murder, and will have to spend years in prison.

These statics are to high, and they need to be brought down. Maybe if someone heard my story, it would stop them from making the same mistake that I did. Maybe it would stop someone like Emily, Aria, or Hanna from getting behind the wheel with someone who is under the influence. Maybe I can make a difference.

I'll spend the next twenty-five years writing my story, and thinking of a way to spread it across the country. After I get out of prison, I'll go to schools and tell people my story in person. I'll change the world, just like Emily wants me to.

Every fifteen minutes, I'll save someone from making the same mistake I made.

What did you think? Obviously the moral of the story is don't drink and drive! Not only are you putting yourself in danger, but you're putting other people on the road in danger. Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story, even though it's kind of depressing and the boyfriends/girlfriend wasn't included. I hope you enjoyed this, and you took something away with you. Keep looking out for my writing, because I'll be posting a new story in about two weeks. Thanks again!

PS: Every Fifteen Minutes is a program that came to my school to talk to us about drinking and driving. If anyone knows the program, I was one of the people who "died" so their message really hit me hard. If the program hasn't come to your high school, you should check out their website.