I sit, stunned by her cold words that could freeze the room over.

“One of my friends… committed that crime…?” I ask despite pleading to myself to keep quiet.

“Yes. I believe that is the case. I—”

“Wrong! My friends aren’t like that!” I scream as I forcibly reject everything that she’s saying out of my head.

I don’t want anything to enter my mind! I don’t want to think about that at all! Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!

I continue to shake my head repeatedly even though she had already stopped speaking.

“Why does it have to be my friends?! What makes you think that any of them...