I Swear by Lane Davis

the window. Brad didn’t follow her with his gaze, just looked directly at me and let out a long, slow sigh.
    I pursed my lips into almost a smile that said, “We’ll get through this.”
    Then I noticed Katherine staring at Brad staring at me, and I couldn’t make out the look that crossed her face, but whatever it was, I didn’t feel calm anymore.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Macie standing by the windowsill where I kept my snow globe collection. She was staring out onto the driveway and down the street. I could see Jake several blocks away, running toward the house, and I knew Macie saw him, too. She slowly dropped her eyes to the snow globes, and I saw her brush her long, perfect nails overthe one from Vegas. My Granny and Gramps had brought it back for me when they went on their annual blackjack trip last Christmas. Macie rolled it slowly back and forth in her hands while Beth started to tear up. Krista heard her sniff and rolled her eyes.
    “What?” Beth said too loudly. “What, Krista? I’m the one who has to go first.
    “Oh, brother,” Krista groaned. “What are you so freaked out about?”
    “I’m freaked out because I was on a balance beam when this dude in a suit walked in and handed me a subpoena.”
    “Yeah, and I got mine in the parking lot, and Katherine got hers at a salon,” Krista ticked off in her bored voice. “It’s been a long week and it’s only Monday. Get over yourself.”
    Beth started crying, and Katherine sighed. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Daddy’s friend is gonna take good care of you, sweetheart,” she said, and reached across to pat Beth’s leg.
    “Hope you’re right,” said Brad absently, and something in Katherine snapped.
    “Hope is not a strategy, Brad.” Her nostrils flared as her eyes shot daggers into his. “These are the best lawyers in the Northwest. You can rest assured that their preparations for the depositions will be founded on facts.”
    “But what am I going to say when they ask me about stuff and Leslie and the Facebook messages?” Beth was in hysterics now; her face was red from crying.
    “You’re just going to tell them the truth,” said Katherine.
    “That we were so mean to Leslie that she killed herself?” Beth choked out.
    “What?” Krista scoffed. “Would you stop acting like she was the victim here? We’re not the ones to blame; it’s her parents who missed the boat here.”
    “Still,” I said, “it’s good to be prepared. I mean, who knows what they’ve been able to dig up on Facebook and stuff.”
    “They can’t do that, can they?” Josh asked. “I mean, they can’t just call Facebook and get our profiles or anything, right?”
    “Yes, Josh,” said Katherine sternly. “They can subpoena everything, including, but not limited to, the kitchen sink, and they don’t have to tell you about it until you’re in the room at the deposition.”
    “That’s total crap,” Josh said.
    “Well, it’s the truth,” said Katherine.
    “Oh my God—,” cried Beth. “What are we going to do?”
    “Everybody calm down,” Brad said, louder this time.
    “Would you stop saying that?” Krista yelled back. “Jesus.”
    “Why don’t you stop talking?” Brad said to Krista. “You don’t know what’s going to happen until you get into the room, Beth, so there’s no sense in crying about it now.”
    Beth glared at Brad, her face flushed, the tears on her cheeks unable to quell the fire in her eyes. “Excuse me for being the only one who has any feelings about this,” she yelled at Brad. “Maybe it doesn’t make a difference to anyone else,but I’ve got one shot at college and I doubt the athletic department at UCLA looks too kindly on wrongful death charges or depos—”
    “ Shut up! ” roared Macie, and I glanced back at her just in time to see the Vegas snow globe leave her hand and sail across the couches before it slammed into the door to the media room and shattered in a spray of water and plastic