Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Sixth Amendment Sixth Amendment (Sixth Amendment), n. The part of the U.S. Constitution that explains the rights of anyone who is accused of a crime and brought to trial, including the right to legal counsel. Jessie whispered, "The prosecution rests," and she and Evan went back to their seats. Evan kept his eyes nailed to the ground. He didn't trust himself to look at Jessie. If he did, he knew that all his anger was going to spill over like lava pouring out of a crack in the earth's crust. He'd been humiliated—in front of the entire fourth grade. And even though he knew that Jessie hadn't done it on purpose, it was still all

her fault. If she hadn't called him as a witness. If she hadn't made David the judge. If she hadn't given Scott Spencer that stupid arrest warrant in the first place, none of this would have happened. David banged his gavel three times. "Will the lawyer for the defense please step forward?" Evan saw Scott twist his head around and look at the parking lot. "We gotta wait a couple more minutes," said Scott, matter-of-factly. "My mom's not here yet." "If she doesn't come," said Paul, "does Scott have to forfeit?" David flipped through his cards. "Jessie? Does Scott forfeit if his mom doesn't come?" "Here she is!" shouted Scott, jumping up from his ball. "I told you! I told you!" He turned to Jessie. "Now you're going to see how it's done by a real lawyer. She's going to make you look like a fool!" Scott ran off to the parking lot, where a large gray SUV was pulling up to the curb. Evan watched as Scott ran up to the car and leaned

in at the open window, talking with his mom. Scott turned around and pointed at all the kids, sitting in the courtroom. Evan could just barely see Mrs. Spencer, her hands on the wheel, the engine of the car still running. Then Scott stepped back from the car, and it drove away. Scott came walking back and sat down on his basketball. He shrugged, but Evan could tell it was an act. "She can't stay," said Scott. "She's got a big meeting. Real stuff, not kids' stuff." He shrugged again and looked straight ahead at David, avoiding everyone else's eyes. "So...?" said David. "What do we do now?" Everyone in the courtroom turned to Jessie, who had been keeping quiet ever since she sat down. Evan looked at Jessie. She wasn't smiling, and that surprised him. After all, this meant they won, right? At least, that's how it worked in basketball. If the other team didn't show up or didn't have enough players, then they forfeited the game, and that meant your team won automatically. Usually, Evan hated

forfeit games, even if it meant winning. He'd rather play and lose than win by forfeit. But this time, Evan would take a win any way he could get it. The image that had been haunting him for days—of standing up at Morning Meeting and apologizing to Scott— began to fade, and a new one took its place: Evan playing with his new Xbox 20/20—with all his friends over at his house. Jessie said, "David, you say, 'Will the lawyer for the defense please step forward,' and then Scott says —well, whatever he wants to say in his own defense, and then he says, 'The defense rests,' and that's it." "And then the verdict!" said Salley Knight, who was in the jury box. "Then we vote and give the verdict!" "Right," said Jessie, glumly. What was her problem? wondered Evan. They were sure to win if Scott had no defense lawyer. "Ahem." David cleared his voice. "Will the lawyer for the defense please step forward?" Everyone turned to look at Scott, but it was a

voice from the back of the courtroom that broke the silence. "That would be me." Megan stood up from the audience and walked to the front of the courtroom. What? At first Evan thought he must have heard wrong. Did Megan Moriarty just say that she was going to defend Scott Spencer? "You can't do that," said Evan, jumping up from his seat. "You're... you're..." He wanted to shout, You're supposed to be on my side, not his!, but he couldn't say that. Not in front of the whole fourth grade. "Hey!" shouted David, banging his gavel once. "Order in the court. Plaintiff, sit down. If you keep making a disturbance, I'll have you thrown out of court!" "Oh, right! Like you could!" said Evan, but he sat down on his basketball anyway. "Jessie," said David, holding up his watch. "It's three-thirty. I've got to go in ten minutes. Is this

allowed?" Jessie nodded her head. "Yes. It's... fair." Evan couldn't believe it. Was this really happening? Was the girl he was in love with about to destroy his one and only chance for revenge against his sworn enemy? Megan turned to Scott. "Do you still not want a girl lawyer?" Once again, Scott shrugged. "You're all I got. I guess it's okay." "All right," said Megan. "This won't take long. Can I call my first witness?" David nodded, and Megan moved to the front of the courtroom.