March 3rd, 2007
"Has the jury reached its decision?" The stern and tired looking gentleman asks the twelve people sitting nicely in the side box.
"Yes your honor we have." A young woman with a yellow shirt stands and answers the question. I hang my head to stare at my shoes, my hands massaging my knees; I was going to be sick. This was the moment that would change everything for me and the ones I cared about. No matter what the verdict is read as life as I know it will vanish drastically. I like change, it's good, but not like this!
"What say you?" The judge asks obviously used to saying this several times a day.
"We the juror find the defendant Thomas K. Young guilty of first degree murder by reason of insanity." I didn't throw up but find myself getting misting eyed. I look over towards Thomas to catch his reaction of the news that was just annocounced. Like so many times before he's had before stone-faced expression. Does he not realize wasn't going on? Is he that insane? Or this is a perfectly calculated plan to get off easier? For all the years I have known Thomas, I can't provide that answer. I always knew he was a strange one, walked in his own beat. But to think he'd ever take another living persons breath away is infallible to me.
I was then over come with a strong desire to jump over the miniature wooden wall separating us and strangle him to death. How could he do this to me!? I need this band, the excitement of the stage and he took that all from me! Lack of sleep from the past few weeks, I can't even remember the last time I caught more than an hours of sleep at one time, was starting to take a toll on me. I felt like an infant ready to starting crying because the sand man had hit him forcefully across the head. The Horse Riddles would now officially break away from one each other. It was a long time coming even before Thomas's break down of total sanity. None of us were buddy-buddy anymore, no matter how much I pretended it was all happy like the Partridge Family.
Where do I go from here? Chad and Leo were going to stick together and cruise the L.A scene waiting for an opening in a band. Or just start their own up. They offered me a chance to join them but Thomas was the only member of the band I'd follow. I'd also follow Molly and her band as well. Looking back I can't believe I let that go. I have barely anything to show for hanging my hat up with them. Far as I reached was one appearance on an award show, and it didn't even boost our record sells. I have heard rumors that our performance and being invited was the worst mistake ever made. Molly won't be invited, won't have a fraction of the audiences The Horse Riddles did, but I don't care.
Finally the tears start to fall silently down my face. The toll of everything had become too much. I knew what I had to do.