THE COURTROOM - MORNING

"Candice...may I call you Candice," Cameron begins as Candice nods her head in approval. "Your boyfriend could go to jail...do you understand that?"

"Yes," Candice replies.

"Then how in the world can you sit back and let that happen...knowing you have the evidence to set him free?"

"What...what are you talking about?" Candice questions nervously.

"I’m talking about the letter...the letter that you gave Alex by mistake on the night of the accident." Cameron says leaning into Candice.

"That’s ridiculous!" Candice scoffs, a sweat forming at her forehead. "It was a Valentine’s Day card!"

Alex looks puzzled, and he looks straight at her.

"Candice, a few minutes ago I received this envelope by an anonymous tipster claiming to have found it at the same site where Alex had hit Ms. Lische with his Ford Explorer. The envelope belongs to you. Do you know what’s in it?"

Candice’s eyes go wide. She is horrified, and the truth is coming out, whether she likes it or not.

"Your honor, May I read it?"

"Objection!" Lauren cries, standing to her feet, "Irrelevance!"

Cameron almost rolls his eyes. "Your honor, I am trying to prove that Josie Lische was mentally capable of murder."

"Overruled. Counselor, please continue." The judge booms.

"Candice, what was your relationship with Ms. Lische?" Cameron asks.

Candice is quick to respond. "I didn’t know her."

"Your under oath, Candice." Cameron warns, his tone firm.

Candice hesitates, tears coming to her eyes, desperation welling up in her throat. She coughs, devastated. "Josie was...she was my step-sister."

ROLL OPENING CREDITS, "This Time Around" Hanson

Starring:

Nicholas Brendon as Alex Harrison

Jonathon Taylor Thomas as Taylor Brookdale

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Lyndsay Schofield

Britney Spears as Candice Rogers

Gillian Anderson as Kortni Hope

Christina Aguilera as Amanda Friedman

The courtroom is alive with gasps of controversy. Alex’s mouth drops to the floor and Lyndsay almost stands up in shock. The other’s watch on in disbelief.

Cameron nods, as if he knew it all along. "And what is in this envelope, Candice?"

Candice cries harder. "There’s a document in there diagnosing Josie with schizophrenia. It also points out that she’s a menace to society."

The crowd is in a frenzy. The rushing sound of talk is cut in half by the booming of the judges mallet. "Order! Order!"

Lauren becomes very nervous, and she is anxious to make an objection.

"Your honor, I would like to submit the envelope as Defense Exhibit B. Now, I would like to examine State Exhibit D."

The judge hands Cameron the police report that Josie filed. After inspecting the report, Cameron furrows his eyebrows. "This court report was filed on February 13, 2000 at 11:30 am. That is over 24 hours before the night of the accident. This police report is a farce!"

"Objection, your honor!" Lauren cries, "That police report was filed by Josie Lische against Alex Harrison for attempted murder."

"Your honor, the report was filed 24 hours before any incident!"

The judge does not hesitate to answer. "Overruled!"

Cameron turns back to Candice, who is weeping hysterically. "Candice, is it possible that Josie staged this whole incident? Is it possible that her psychotic tendencies pushed her to do something this bizarre? To file a police report blaming someone of a crime and making that crime come true?"

"Yes, I truly believe it is."

Cameron smiles, victorious. "The defense rests, your honor."

Lauren looks puzzled and empty. "No questions."

The judge nods. "Alright. Court will go on a brief recess for lunch. We will gather here at 1:30 for closing arguments and then jury deliberation.

He slams his mallet onto a slab on his stand. Alex, Taylor, Amanda, and Cameron look at each other in angst. Candice gets off the stand and walks straight to Alex.

"You b@stard!" She whispers as she walks by him, furious. He stands up. "Candice, wait! Where are you going?!"

"Away from you!" She murmurs as she stomps out of the courtroom.

***LATER***

"Alex Harrison committed murder. Well, at least he thought he did. He ran over Josie Lische and just like any law-abiding citizen, he stuffed her in his trunk and drove off. Amanda Friedman killed Josie Lische in cold-blood. Ladies and gentleman, this whole trial seems so confusing,, but when you get right to the middle of it, Josie Lische was murdered. This whole "plot" that Mr. Harrison has going on is hardly anything but circumstantial evidence. Remember when you go into that room, that Ms. Lische is dead. She was MURDERED. Thank you."

Lauren sits down, a smile on her face, feeling somewhat victorious. But Cameron is even happier. He knows her closing argument was weak, and that he could out-do her, but the things that the jury had seen and heard were irreversible. Things were looking bad.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We have been here for 3 weeks, an awful short time for a murder trial. We have watched this soap opera of a trial unravel, and before you go into deliberation, I want you to remember a few things that prove my client’s innocence. First, Amanda Friedman is an A student, and has never broken the law, ever. She killed Ms. Lische in self defense. We have seen psychologists documents showing that Josie Lische was mentally unstable. We saw an outdated police report which holds no substantial evidence. We have heard that the car accident involving Mr. Harrison was possibly staged. All signs here point to a not guilty verdict. To find Amanda guilty and to persecute Mr. Harrison and Mr. Brookdale would be an injustice, it would take away the lives and futures of three young, innocent teens who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Thank you."

After a brief silence, the judge speaks. "The jury will now go into deliberation. Court adjourned."

CANDICE’S DORM ROOM - 2:00 PM

Candice sits at the couch, infuriated. Her secret had been found out, and she was humiliated in front of the media and her peers. She stares, dumb-founded, at the television, which is having a live broadcast of the trial. The news reporter is in the middle of a speech.

"The amazing Friedman murder trial comes to a close today, and jury deliberation is happening as we speak. New evidence was brought in by the district attorney yesterday, showing that Josie Lische filed a police report saying that former Crystal Cove star Alex Harrison attempted to murder her. Friedman’s defense attorney, Cameron Banks, brought to light even newer evidence, an envelope which was delivered to him this morning, which was said to have belonged to Harrison’s girlfriend, Candice Rogers. What was inside the envelope? Our Channel 7 camera’s caught the amazing twist of events as they happened."

The TV shows the inside of the courtroom, and Candice sitting on the stand, weeping.

Candice rolls her eyes and shuts off the TV. "God, Alex, this better be worth it."

COURTROOM - 6:45 PM

Alex, Amanda, Taylor, Lyndsay, and Cameron take a seat as the jurors walk in to the courtroom and the judge takes a seat at his stand. Lauren is already sitting at the adjacent table, waiting, hoping.

The judge slams down his gavel. "Court is now in session."

The commotion gradually quiets down and the judge looks at the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?"

The foreman stands up. "We have your honor."

"Please approach me." The judge orders. The foreman walks to the judge and hands him a slip of paper. He nods and hands it back to the foreman, who walks back to the jury box.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, what say you?"

Alex and Amanda hold hands, while Lyndsay and Taylor both hug, closing their eyes. Cameron distances himself, hoping that his little cousin will make it out of the courtroom today.

"We the jury, find the defendant, Amanda Friedman, on the count of Murder in the First Degree, not guilty."

The courtroom is silent. There is still 1 more count to be read.

"We the jury, find the defendant, Amanda Friedman, on the count of Murder in the Second Degree, not guilty. We also find that Alex Harrison and Taylor Brookdale be released from all charges."

Amanda stands up and screams, tears welling from her eyes. Alex stands up and gives Amanda a big, hefty hug, then turns to Cameron and hugs him, too.

"Thanks, cous!" Alex whispers.

Cameron is ecstatic that his family will survive, and he just hugs Alex back, speechless. Lyndsay and Taylor jump up and down in each other’s arms, as the courtroom becomes alive with controversy.

"You are all free to go." The judge says, as the others celebrate. Lauren slumps in her chair, defeated.

Cameron gathers the teenagers and looks at them all. "We are going to Arcadia Springs and we are going to party!"

They all cheer in happiness.

GO TO ROMANCE TOWERS TO CELEBRATE WITH ALEX AND THE GANG!

ROLL CLOSING CREDITS

I'd like to thank Mark Ionadi for a wonderful crossover and a great experience. His hard work and dedication made this event one-of-a-kind. Thanks for reading Friends and Foes!

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