The following day, Brian woke up with a huge hangover.  He was grateful that it was a Saturday, and he didn't have to be at work.  He was also grateful not to have to face Justin.  Rather than deal with the overwhelming emotions he had felt when the luscious blond had kissed him,  he focused his thoughts on the kid's disturbing admission.
 
Brian deduced that Justin was only fifteen at the time he was raped.  Yes <i>raped</i>, Brian loathed to call it that, but that's exactly what it was. He could never understand how anyone could force themselves on someone else.  How the hell did the kid wind up in prison, and not his stepfather?  Surely any jury would be able to see that Justin was indeed the victim in all of this.  Brian decided he would investigate this further, and find out exactly what had happened at Justin's trial.
 
After dwelling upon the information he had imparted to Brian, Justin's mood had altered from the previous day.  Although he was still relieved that Brian knew his secret,  Brian had made it perfectly clear that anything between them was impossible.  It made Justin feel disheartened because Brian seemed committed to his decision. On the other hand, he was also smart enough to realize that the strong attraction he and Brian felt  could not be discounted.  Justin contemplated that if he tempted Brian enough, perhaps the older man would eventually give in to his desires.
 
Brian reviewed Justin's file again, searching for any and all details of the trial.  He was rewarded when he stumbled upon a court transcript.  Hoping to gain some insight,  he began reading. Brian was shocked at what he discovered.  How in the world could that happen?
 
Justin walked into the room and smiled when Brian greeted him.  He looked tired, and Justin wondered if he was the cause of Brian's current state.  Brian had a serious expression on his face when he said to Justin, "I need to ask you something, if it's okay with you."  "It's about what you told me the other day."  Justin was not in the mood to rehash the events of that fateful day, but trusted Brian, so he agreed.
 
"What your stepfather did to you, it was against your will, right?"  Justin looked confused, but responded, "Yes."  Brian continued, "He abused you, he forced you to do things to him, he violated you."  Again, Justin said "Yes". He wasn't sure what Brian was trying to say. "Why are you asking me this stuff, when I already told you what happened?"  Challenging Justin to tell him otherwise, Brian proclaimed, "Then why, in your wildest dreams, would you or your lawyer think that it was in your best interest not to testify?"  Justin froze, unable to reply to the question.   So Brian had dug deeper into his past, and found out the truth.  "Shit!"  Now what was he going to do?   How could he make Brian understand.  
 
"Justin, didn't you <i>want</i> to take the witness stand to defend yourself?", Brian admonished him.  Justin shook his head indicating "no".  Nothing made sense. Brian stared at him in disbelief. Justin shouldn't be in prison.  His asshole stepfather should.  There was no way the kid should have been convicted of attempted murder.  How could his lawyer and his mother let this happen?  Why would Justin prefer to go to prison, rather than see his stepfather rot in jail?   Brian was not going to let Justin leave his office until he got all the answers to his questions.