I Swear by Lane Davis

Leslie is dead. She was a beautiful, smart, nice high school senior, and she took her own life. And the questions linger: why did she do it and is someone responsible?

Leslie was the new girl in school her freshman year. She immediately caught the attention of Macie who didn't like her because Leslie seemed to be getting too close Jake (who she met the summer before).  Macie assumed Jake would be hers. The bullying began right away turning Leslie's friends against her. All through high school, Leslie was tormented, isolating her from others. Words on her locker, rumors, Facebook posts were all used against her. 

Macie is the daughter of a successful politician and wields her own power and charisma to manipulate her world and the people around her. Jake never bought in to it and continued to hang out with Leslie hoping for a deeper relationship.   

When the hammer falls, Macie's friends find themselves giving depositions in front of lawyers. Will their families be sued or will criminal charges be brought against them. Katherine is the beauty pageant participant who is fairly new to the school, but was immediately sucked into Macie's circle. Beth is the petite successful gymnast who has her own secret she wants to keep . Jillian is Jake's twin and was once Leslie's friend.  

Fear, peer pressure, insecurity all play a role in the bullying of Leslie. There are no easy answers in this story.  Even with the flaws revealed in the teens, there is hope that they will learn and be better for it.                                                                                                     

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