Lisa reflects on her situation

Lisa sat in one of the rooms, staring blankly at the wall. A woman and a man entered the room, the woman holding a manila envelope in her hands.

"Hello, there, the police have given me a file with your photo and basic information. Just for confirmation, you are Lisa Ann Caruthers, correct?"

Lisa looked at the floor, and then at the woman, mumbling a quick "yes".

"Fantastic, thank you. Now, Lisa, I'm sure you've been told this before, but you have the right to remain silent. If you wish to waive that right and continue speaking with us, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you wish to waive your right to remain silent, you also have the right to have counsel be present with you during our discussion. Knowing all of those things, would you like to continue talking with us?"

Lisa, one of the smartest girls in high school and the cherished daughter of a respected attorney, quickly answered "no, I do not wish to waive my right to remain silent."

It is, as Lisa had long been drilled, never a particularly good idea to discuss any matter in which you are reasonably suspected to the police, especially without a lawyer. As she mulled over it, however, she realized how little that would probably matter.

She knew that Alicia was probably going to squeal on all of her antics, and Carrie was probably not so much better. God bless all of them, she thought, but man were they ditzy. She also realized how much shit she was likely in; the two could easily take a plea deal in exchange for testimony, and she was probably going to have the book thrown at her. Unlike the other two, she couldn't cry on about anything that could make her sympathetic; she was cool, level-headed, calculating, and in control at all times. That made her like Marilyn vos Savant at best - and Elizabeth Holmes at worst.

Not that that would be wholly undeserved. Alicia and Carrie were playful and bubbly with their interactions of Erica, but she was cold and mean. Granted, she was like that with everyone, but Erica received much of the brunt of her ice as she found herself as an involuntary naturist. She could see Erica forgiving the other two, but she would have to do quite a lot of explaining and begging, especially the begging, for Erica's goodwill. Could she do that? Could she beg? She'd like to think she was too proud to beg, but evaluating her Erica escapades she became very concerned as to how serious they were - maybe she would become an "f" word, or worse still the "r s o" words. All she could do now was hope against hope that neither Erica nor the DA would press any charges. Her throat began to dry up and her eyes became damp. No, not right now, please not right now in front of these people.

"Would you like a bottle of water?" the woman asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes, please" she eked out.