Deke looks baffled. “Did what I did? You mean grab the food?”

Mia is resolute. “Everything. Why you’re so cruel. Why you never say a nice thing to anybody. Why you encouraged Tony to make a fool of himself.”

“I told you. Because it was fun being big and bad. Stupid fun.”

“Deke, that’s how everybody sees you. As a big, mean boy! Sorry, but it’s the truth. Some people admire bullies, and approve of their behavior, so you probably think you’re popular. But you can’t really be friends with a bully. Not true friends. Because a bully will turn on you when it becomes convenient.”

Deke looks devastated, but maybe he’s just feeling sorry for himself. “You’ll never trust me, no matter what I say. So what’s the point? Take your vote or whatever. Please, let’s just get this over with.”

He’s right. The time has come for making up our minds. Go or stay. Live or die.

Which will it be?

34. The Gleam in Her Eyes

“You heard him,” Mia says. “We have to decide, one way or another. I kept asking Deke to defend himself, to explain why we should trust him, but he never had a good answer.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know,” I say. “People don’t always know why they do the things they do. Especially the bad things.”

She looks surprised. “Are you defending him?”

“No,” I insist. “Just saying.”

Imani breaks her silence. “What would happen in a real court, with a real jury?”

“The judge would give them instructions. Then they’d deliberate.”

“Deliberating is deciding?”

“Sort of. Deliberate means they examine all the evidence very carefully, and discuss it, and then decide whether the defendant is guilty or not.”

“And not guilty is the same as innocent?” I ask.

“No. A guilty verdict means the jury finds the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Not guilty means the evidence wasn’t there to convict, but it doesn’t mean the defendant is innocent. Innocence is not something that can be proved in court.”

“And this isn’t a court,” Imani says.

“No, it’s us deciding what to do. The Team. One for all and all for one. Should we leave him tied up, for our own protection, or let him go?”

“Get it over with!” Deke screams. “Just do it!”

“We’re trying to be fair!” Mia shouts back. She turns to us. “I have deliberated and I have decided, so I’ll go first. I vote to leave Deacon Bailey tied up. Daniel? Have you made up your mind?”