Page 64 of Everywhere You Look

Breaker Lawson: Our team suffered an unfortunate string of injuries that took some of our players out of the game. I stepped up to help my teammates out in a time of need.

Ms. Mason: Was one of those injuries the torn LCL suffered by Luke Cannon?

Breaker Lawson: It was.

Ms. Mason: Were you aware that Luke’s injury would have an impact on your personal season?

Breaker Lawson: I was made aware of the situation early on, yes.

Ms. Mason: Did you work with Luke during that season?

Breaker Lawson: Very closely, yes. Even thoughhe was on IR—sorry, the injury reserve list—Luke was at training camp and every practice, every game. He helped me a lot with my technique and gave me more than my fair share of pointers.

Ms. Mason: Even though your success as the Redwoods quarterback was a direct result of his own dwindling career, Luke helped you?

Breaker Lawson: He did, in more ways than one. Luke spent a lot of time being pissed off that year, but he was never anything but professional and kind to me. There’s no way in hell that the team would have had the success that we had without Luke on board. And can I just say, he was a big inspiration to me while I was playing in college. Being an out, queer professional athlete is not for the faint of heart. Luke’s bravery in living his authentic life has helped pave the way for many other queer athletes in many sports, my partner—Lennon Griffith—and I included. I look forward to working with Coach Cannon this season.

DIRECT EXAMINATION

BY Mr. Dennon

Mr. Dennon: Levi Connelly, you were thirteen years old when your sister kidnapped you in the night, correct?

Luke Cannon: My legal name is Luke Cannon. I’d prefer to be referred to by my name from now on.

Mr. Dennon: Answer the question, Mr. Cannon.

Luke Cannon: I was thirteen years old when my sister and I left home together.

Mr. Dennon: And at any point, did you wonder how your parents might feel, knowing that their daughter kidnapped their son from his bed?

Luke Cannon: Gigi didn’t kidnap me. I went with her willingly. And I’d imagine that Joseph and Rebecca didn’t mind. They never looked for us. Never sent out a search party or an AMBER alert. No detectives or private investigators came knocking. I wonder how long it took them to realize we were gone.

Mr. Dennon: That’s quite a blasé outlook you have there, Mr. Cannon. So if Lemmie and Mellie were to kidnap their younger sister in the middle of the night and steal her away, would you be fine with it? I mean, as you point out, it’s all semantics? Correct?

Luke Cannon: I will never fail so spectacularly as a parent that my children will ever think that theywill be safer away from me. And if I do? Then I deserve to lose them.

Mr. Dennon:Samantha, if you could. Please tell the court how you know Mr. Dean McKenna.

Samantha Harris: He was my boyfriend in college. We were in love, and I was planning on following him wherever we went when he entered the NFL draft.

Mr. Dennon: And why did that relationship end?

Samantha Harris: I was pregnant, and Dean didn’t want anything to do with it.

Mr. Dennon: That must have been hard. Why do you think he’d want nothing to do with a baby that you created together?

Samantha Harris: He said that the baby and I would hinder his NFL success and bring shame to his family’s legacy. He basically told me to get rid of it or deal with it on my own.

Mr. Dennon: May I ask, what happened to the baby?

Samantha Harris: After Dean left me high and dry, I had to drop out of school. I couldn’t get a job,and I couldn’t afford a child. I gave the baby boy up for adoption.

Mr. Dennon: Was Dean involved in that decision at all?

Samantha Harris: No, sir.

Mr. Dennon: And, to your knowledge, has he tried to have contact with the child?

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