𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋. 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙀 ─── 𝖲𝖤𝖠𝖲𝖮𝖭 𝟮
❝ 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝖨𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 ❞
❪ 𝘽𝙔𝙀 ❫

𝟥𝟫. ╱ ✷ ❝ but 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, we 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 to 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼 ❞

𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑
𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟏𝟖𝐓𝐇

"𝙄 𝙏𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙂𝙃𝙏 a long, long time ago about what to say today. How to pay tribute, but also tell the truth."

"It truly hurts me to think that my actions have caused anone emotional distress. When I think of the pain that I may have caused, I--I just...well, I feel awful. Every day, I wish that I could go back in time." Bryce spoke in front of the judge, Riley sitting in the empty room behind Jessica as support. "I was used to a certain culture of partying and hookups, and many of us never questioned it, but it is time to question it."

"And I know that I need to be the one to set an example. And I know that I need to be the one to set an example. I'm...I'm trying every day to be a better man, to be the man that my parents raised me to be. And to be a positive influence at Liberty High. It is my sincerest hope that you will allow me to do so. Thank you, sir."

"Does the country accept the allocution?" The judge asks.

"We do, your Honor. Prior to sentencing, the victim would like to exercise her right to make her own statement."

"Proceed."

"I have to admit, when I was asked to speak today, I didn't want to. To stand up in front of all these people, but it's what Hannah deserves."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥 thank you for this opportunity to address the court. If it's alright, for the first part of my statement, I'd like to address the defendant directly." Jessica stood at the podium, Riley putting a comforting hand on Jessica's mothers shoulder."

"Go right ahead." The judge tells her.

"The first week of September, my parents were out of town and my little brothers were at their grandparents'. I wanted to host a party like I thought a popular cheerleader should. My boyfriend was there." Jessica spoke, "Your friend, Justin. We had been drinking. We decided to go up to my room. I remember making out with him. And then I...and then I started to fall asleep or...or pass out. I just...I remember thinking that I just needed to close my eyes for a few minutes. Then he...then he walked out of the room."

"And then I remember waking up to you pulling off my underwear. I remember feeling you push yourself inside of me. I may not remember all of the details,but I will never forget the sheer terror of feeling your weight on top of me, of not being able to breath. Your Honor, when we heave this courtroom, Bryce Walker gets to leave convinced that he chose the wrong girl to have sex with.

"I get to leave constantly looking over my shoulder for monsters dressed up as the popular kid, constantly on edge and assuming the worst in every boy. The sentence you decided today can tell Bryce Walker what he did was wrong. It can say that to every boy, every man who behaves like he does. And it can say to a victim like me that our story matters. Thank you." Jessica finished.

"Prosecution had put forth a sentencing recommendation. Does the defense have anything to contribute?" The judge asked.

"Your Honor, this is a terribly unfortunate event. And two young lives have been changed forever. Bryce has lost all his scholarship offers. The school district has cancelled what might well have been a championship season. There is a reret on all sides. We urge the court to let these two young people start rebuilding and return to their lives."

"This is a tragedy all around." The judge says, taking his glasses off, "As a judge, its' my role to look at both sides. And California law requires every judge to consider rehabilitation and probation for first-time offenders. I'd like to see these two young people look hard at their lives and their choices. But I don't want to do any further damage. Mr. Walker...I expect to see you walk the straight and narrow. I'm sentencing you to three months probation. So ordered."

"Your Honor." Lainie stood up, glancing at her niece and the others, "Three months probation?"

"That's all."

"I'm angry. I'm sad. And I still have no idea how what happened happened."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥 Bryce Walker was released on bail within hours of his arrest, and Justin had been stranded in Juvenile detention for almost a month." Lainie stood next to Justin, who was wearing an orange jumpsuit.

"I'm aware of the timeline." The judge spoke.

"The related case is complete as of today." Lainie glanced at the teen next to her, "Justin's plea is in, the paperwork is done."

"Understood, Counselor, but as a minor, he had to be released into custody."

"We have been searching for Amber Foley for weeks, your honor." Lainie tells the man, "She's nowhere to be found."

"Keep looking. Until then, he's remanded. Bailiff?"

"Hang on, Justin. We're working on it." Lainie tells him after turning to look at Dennis.

"I know. Thank you." Justin tells her.

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝙒𝙀'𝙍𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙇𝙇 learning all the way we've been changed. All the things we've lost."

"I'm so fucking sorry." Clay tells Jessica as he, her and Riley sit outside the courtroom.

"It's insane." Jessica tells him, "But somehow I still feel stronger."

"Wait, where's Justin?" Clay questioned his mother as her and Dennis walked out of the room with no Justin.

"They'll only release him to a guardian..and the judge won't move on it." She tells her son, niece and Jessica. "We've filed emergency papers, but it's a twenty-four hour minimum."

"I'll take the petition to Purdy. He still owes us." Dennis says, "Do you wanna start on the order for the school?"

"Yeah." Lainie says softly, "We're asking for a court order to force the school to protect you. To keep him away from you."

"Thank you." Jessica tells her.

"Mom, is your firm...I mean, are they cool with this?" Clay asked.

"I've left the firm..."

"Oh, that's....that's cool."

"We're just starting to figure out how to go on with our lives. I say "go on" and not "move on" because in some ways...we'll never completely move on from what happened."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗛𝗢𝗪'𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 go?" Scott walked over to his girlfriend as she stood at her locker.

"Well, Bryce got three months probation and Justin is still locked up in a cell." Riley answered, closing the blue metal door and leaning her back against it. "They've been trying to find his mom but they aren't having the best of luck in doing so."

"And I don't say "get back to normal" because life will never be normal again."

"Can't your aunt do something?" Scott asked as the bell rang and the two started to go to their first period.

"She's doing the best she can." Riley tells him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "But you seriously need to focus more on your school work, I gotta be able to brag about dating a college boy."

Scott laughs, kissing the top of her head, "I still don't know why you won't let me just go to college close by."

"Scott, you got into Stanford to play ball! You are not staying here just because I still have a year of school left." Riley rolls her eyes, "You are going."

"And leave my gorgeous, kind and sexy girlfriend behind? No, thank you." Scott grinned, "I need be close enough to scare the little Freshman boy's away."

She rolls her eyes at him, "Find a more permanent way. One that will show them while you are far away, going to a good college."

"Already working on it."

"Life is divided into "Hannah" and "After Hannah''. Memories are sometimes a relief. And sometimes they're torture. But we hold onto the memories...because they're what we have left."

"And we have an urge to remember, to commemorate another time, to hold on to this as long as we can. But today, we begin to let go."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟏𝟗𝐓𝐇

"𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗗 of going to New York to become a writer." Olivia stood up, speaking about her daughter at Hannah's funeral, "I'm not sure when that dream began to feel impossible for her. Hannah was my dream. And now I get to dream for Hannah as well as for myself. And so do all of you."

Riley let a tear roll down her cheek, hand intertwined with Scott's, who kissed her head, and was there for moral support for his girlfriend.

"So, please, dream your dreams." Olivia says, "And dream them for Hannah, and don't let anyone take them away from you. Don't ever let them go.

"Hannah Baker came into my life at the end of one summer like a star that fell to Earth. Like nothing I had seen, like no one I had ever met." Clay spoke. "She was funny, and smart, and moody, and....and maddening, and beautiful. And....I loved her. I loved her so much. And I ask her every day why she did what she did. But I get no answers. She took those with her when she went. Leaving me, all of us, angry, empty, and confused. And I know that hurt won't ever go away.

"But there will come a day when I don't feel it every minute. And the anger won't be so hot, and the other feelings will face, and I'll be left with only love. A good friend once said to me, "I can love you and still let you go". So, Hannah, I love you. And I let you go. And I miss you. And I hope that wherever you go next, I hope you know that I love you."

₊˚.༄𖥸

" 𝙃𝙊𝙒 𝘿𝙊 we take care of ourselves and look after each other? And celebrate Hannah's life and let it remind us to hold on to each other...and the precious time we have?"

"Yo, dude!" Zach yells, running over to pick Justin up in a hug.

"Oh, my god, you're crushing me!" Justin laughs, hugging Zach back. When he was sat down, he wrapped his arms around Scott in a hug and then Riley, kissing the top of her head.

"You're, like, down to nothing. We gotta get you on a program." Zach tells him.

"Okay, sure."

"How the fuck did Bryce only get three months and you got six?" Zach asked.

"Aren't you pissed?" Scott threw his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders.

"I guess I just wasn't surprised." Justin tells them, "You've been treating our girl right?"

"He's been treating me well." Riley tells the boy, hugging her boyfriend, "Great even."

Scott chuckled, leaning down to kiss her, "I love you."

"I love you."

"You love us more though, right?" Zach asked, looking down at the girl who was way shorter than he was.

Riley tilted her head to the side as she pretended to think, "Debatable."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗦𝗢 nice that everyone came." Lainie spoke up, sitting at a table with Clay, Justin and Riley, Scott having been taken away by Zach and a few others. "Maybe I should, uh, leave the three of you alone to catch up? Maybe you have some things to talk about." She gave her son and niece a look.

"Yes. Yeah, there are." Clay says, nodding his head.

Riley moved over so that she could take the now empty seat next to Justin and across from Clay.

"What...what things?" Justin asked the two.

"So, um...." Clay cleared his throat, glancing at his cousin who gave him a quick nod, "I think my mom explained to you how she got you released into emergency custody."

"Yeah, she explained it." Justin says.

"The thing is that's only temporary." Riley said, "And because you're not eighteen for almost a year, once that expires, you become a ward of the state."

"Yeah, the...the social worker told me about that."

"Okay, yeah." Clay said, "And there's only two group homes in this country you'd be eligible for, and you couldn't finish school at Liberty and stuff. And my parents and Riley....I mean, me, my parents and Riley, wanted to see if you might want them to adopt you."

Justin chuckled, "Wait, what?"

"Like, adopt you into our family." Riley says.

"You mean, like, I'd be your brother? And Lee would be my cousin?" Justin asked.

"Well, I'm - I'm not familiar with all the lingo, but--,"

Justin cut him off, "Wait, Why are you two asking me and not them?"

"Because it was their idea, to be honest." Clay looked at his cousin again before he looked back at Justin. "And at first, I thought it sounded, um...idiotic. And they left it up to us, seeing as we were the people who brought you into their life in the first place. And...maybe it's a good idea, so..."

Riley's eyes grew wide as Justin started to cry, "I - I, I don't know what to do! I - I've never been good with people crying?"

"Are you...Are you crying?" Clay asked him.

"You know I'm, like, really fucked up, right?" Justin asked the two.

"Well....A, yes." Clay says, making Justin laugh, "But you're clean and going to meetings. And B, we're also fucked up in certain ways, so...."

"Okay, yeah." Justin nodded, "I'd like to be adopted, yeah."

"Okay. Cool."

Riley let a squeal leave her mouth as she threw her arms around Justin's neck in a tight hug, the Foley boy wrapping his arms around her waist to return the hug.

"Everything affects everything. Everyone affects everyone."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗔 go to this dance?" Justin asked Clay.

"What? The Spring Fling thing?" Clay asked, "Why in the world would I go to that?"

"I don't know." Justin shrugged, "It..it might be fun?"

"I don't go to dances." Clay says, "You and Riley can go."

"No. I just thought that it'd be my first thing back and I could show people that I'm not, like, hiding or whatever." Justin clicked his tongue, "Forget it."

"Fuck. Fine." Clay scoffed, "We'll go. But you're gonna be the one to convince Riley to get in a dress. Today was an exception."

Justin smirked, "Oh, I can get her to go."

"We can get better. We can do it. But we still live in a world that is out to break us anyway it can."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗦𝗢, 𝗜𝗧 turns out the Sushi place doesn't in fact deliver, so my dad and I are gonna pick it up. You wanna come?" Clay asked Justin as the boy sat on his bed.

"Nah, I'm...I'm good here." Justin tells him, flashing him the comic book in his hand, "These are kind of addictive."

Clay chuckled, "Yeah, right. You okay? You seem weird."

"I think, maybe...I'm happy." Justin tells him.

"Oh. Cool." Clay nodded, "Riley is in her room with Scott if you need anything.

Justin scrunched his face up, "I think I'll be okay."

"Good call."

₊˚.༄𖥸

𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟐𝟎𝐓𝐇

𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦 in amusement as Clay and Justin stood at the mirror in Clay's bedroom.

"Now bring that around to the right. No, no, no, the big end." Clay tells Justin, "The big end."

"That's what I'm doing."

"That's not what you're doing." Clay said, "Oh, my god, start over."

Justin scoffed, "Would you fucking relax?"

"You--you don't listen! Clay exclaimed.

"You are so uptight."

"I am not uptight."

"You kind of are." Riley shrugged.

"Shut up, Riley!" Clay spoke, going back to his conversation with Justin, "It was your idea that we should wear ties. It's not even a formal dance. And if you wanna wear a tie, you should follow my instructions."

Justin shared a look with Riley, eyes going to the mirror as he started tying the tie over, "We really need to get you laid."

"Amen." Riley raised her hand.

"Shut up, both of you. Start over." Clay says, walking to sit on his bed.

Justin chuckled, "Seriously, Jensen? Okay? You help me tie a tie, and Riley and I will help you get laid."

"I don't need your help."

"I--I know. I was just...I was just saying."

"I mean, you've had, like, a lot of sex, haven't you?" Clay asked Justin.

"Yeah, I've...I've had a good amount." Justin tells him.

Riley laughed loudly as Justin turned around to face the two cousins, his tie tied. "Oh, this is gold. I'm loving this."

"Shut up, Riley!"

"Riley!" Lainie called up, "Scott is here!"

"Well, fellas." Riley stood up and walked towards the door, "I shall see the two of you at the dance."

"Oh, you mean the dance that you didn't want to go to?" Justin smirked.

"Shut it, Foley." Riley playfully glared, "I know where you sleep at night."

"So, how do we survive? How do we bring light to a world that seems only dark?"

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡!" Cyrus' sister walked over to where the boys were at, Scott and Riley behind the two of them. "We gotta go in for this one!"

"Okay, but it's full contact." Cyrus tells his sister, "This dance desperately needs it."

"Come on, Clay!" Riley grinned at her cousin.

"Are you about kicking ass or are you not?" Cyrus asked him.

"I'm...I am. I totally am." He stood up and turned to Justin and Zach, "Hey, come on!"

Riley playfully rolled her eyes, "If Jeff Atkins were here, he'd say, "Get your asses up and come on"!"

Clay grabbed a pillow from the ground, throwing it at them, "Guys, come on! Come on!"

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Scott grinned, pulling his girlfriend with him.

"How can we find joy in our lives...in this world after Hannah?"

The group of old, and new, friends jumped around to the music, wide smiles on their faces.

"How do we take what hurts most? Take the darkness and turn it into light?"

Riley tugged on Justin's arm as he had stopped, staring at Jessica and Alex who he had just seen kiss, "Hey. Don't worry about that right this second. Live in the moment?"

Justin grinned, grabbing her arm and spinning her around in a circle, laughing alone with her.

"I think the answer is we love each other. Easy to say. But what do we do when it's hard to love?"

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦𝗡'𝗧 too bad, huh?" Scott grinned at the blonde girl that sat on his lap, the music playing loudly in their ears.

"I guess it's not too bad." Riley spoke, leaning in to kiss him just as a familiar song started to play, "Shit. Come, on. We gotta find Clay."

"What'? What's wrong?" Scot asked following the blonde.

"This is the song that Clay danced to with Hannah." She tells him.

She found Clay in the middle of the dance floor with Tony. She joined in with them, a tear rolling down her cheek. Shortly after, Jessica and Alex followed, then Zach, then Courtney and Riley, all of them dancing and holding onto each other in a giant group hug, morning Hannah Baker."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗪𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 let him do this. We have to stop him." Clay says, everyone but Jessica and Justin, standing around after reading the text that Tyler had sent to Mackenzie.

"No, we need to get the fuck out of here. We need to call the cops." Zach tells them.

"Agreed." Cyrus spoke.

"If we do, his life is over." Clay says.

"His life is over either way. He's either going to jail or he's dead." Zach says.

"Tyler doesn't wanna die." Alex says, "I know he doesn't."

"What's going on, guys?" Justin asked, walking over.

"Have you seen Jess?" Alex asked him.

"The next time someone is in desperate need....and they're about to make a terrible mistake, what do we do?"

"Justin, find Jessica." Clay spoke, "Get everyone you can. Lock the doors, stay inside. And don't call the police. Riley and I are gonna go find Tony."

"What? She's not going." Scott tells him.

"I'll be fine." Riley tells her boyfriend, hand on his chest, "I'll have Tony and Clay. I love you."

"I love you."

"What the fuck? Clay! Riley!" Justin called after the two.

"Do we look the other way? Do we just protect ourselves or do we help them? Do we do whatever we can to save them? I think I know what Hannah would want us to do."

₊˚.༄𖥸

"𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘𝗥! 𝗧𝗬𝗟𝗘𝗥, what are you...what are you doing?" Clay questions, running down the steps of the building where the dance was behind held.

"Get out of here, Clay. Go home." Tyler tells him, closing the trunk of his car.

"No. No, I.....don't....don't do this, Tyler." Clay tells him.

"You need to leave right now."

"Tyler, please, listen to me." Clay moved to get in front of him, with the hopes that he could keep Tyler from going inside.

With the hopes that Riley would be perfectly fine.

With the hopes that nobody in the building behind him would end up losing their lives to a fellow classmate.

"You don't wanna do this. I -- I know you don't."

"You don't fucking know anything about me." Tyler tells him.

"No. No, I do. I do know because I hurt, too. "Clay said, "And I'm pissed off. I didn't realize how bad it was for you. And I'm sorry that I didn't."

"Clay!" Justin and Jessica ran outside with Scott behind them.

"Hey, go -- go back inside!" Clay yelled as Tyler pointed the gun towards the two.

"Jesus, Clay!"

"Go inside!"

"Get out of my fucking way." Tyler now had the gun pointed at him.

"Tyler, please. Don't do it." Clay begged.

"I have to."

"No, you don't have to. You can turn around. You can go home." Clay said, police sirens wailing in the distance.

"Everybody knows already." Tyler said.

"No. The only people that know are the people who know you, and they wanna help you." Clay tells them.

"Bullshit."

"No, look." Clay says, backing up, "Tyler, they know you're hurting, we all are. And I don't know what to do about it, either. Okay? I tried hurting other people. I tried hurting you, and it didn't fucking help, man. It doesn't do any good. Listen to me. It doesn't!"

The police sirens go louder.

"Tyler, listen. You don't get out of this alive. And I don't want you to die. I--I don't want you to die. If you think this is the way, if you really think this'll change a goddamn thing and not just be another fucking tragedy that adults cry about for a week and then forget, if you really think this is gonna be different, then do what you gotta do. Come on, Tyler. Please?"

"There's nothing else I can do." Tyler says.

"There is." Clay tells him quietly, "We'll figure this out. Okay? I swear."

The sound of tires screeching was heard as Clay got Tyler to lower the gun, "What the fuck?" Tyler asked.

"That's Tony and Riley It's okay. It's Riley and Tony." Clay tells him as the red sports car comes to a halting stop.

Riley gets out and ran into her cousin's arms, "Get in the car, Tyler, please."

"Get in the fucking car!" Tony yells from the opened door.

"Let me help you." Clay says, taking the gun from around his neck. "Come on, It's okay. Fuck. Go, come on. Come on. Get in the car."

Tyler got in the passenger seat of Tony's car, Clay slamming the door closed before Tony quickly drove off.

"Clay! Riley!" Jessica screamed as she and Justin rushed towards them.

"Fuck."

"Are you okay?" Jessica asked him.

Clay swallowed the lump in his throat, "No."

"This is fucked up, right?" Justin asked.

"Yeah." Clay held on tightly to Riley, feeling not only his body trembling from fear, but hers also she let out a heartbreaking sob.

"You're okay, baby." Scott ran his fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down as Clay gently pushed her into his arms, "It's okay. I got you. Everything is gonna be fine."

"What do we do now?"