****
Wemeet with the prosecutor brieflybefore the hearing and then she and my mother continue in privatewhile Sam and I wait outside the courtroom.The prosecutor told usthe Forbeses and their two lawyers, not including my father andRobin's, are already inside, so Sam and I will wait until the lastminute to go in ourselves.
I hoped to avoid any kindof confrontation, but I should have known better than to think myluck ran that way.
My father exits thecourtroom while my mother is still busy with the prosecutor.Samsteps in front of me and I squeeze his hand, not sure if I'mseeking comfort or if I mean to call him off.My father barelyglances at Sam, but the brief look he does spare him makes it clearthat he see's him as little more than scum.
"Aurora," he greetsme.
I study myshoes.
"I hope you're happy," heaccuses.That gets my attention, and I meet his accusinggaze.
Sam steps forward andopens his mouth, but I pull him back, this time clearly calling himoff.
"Do I look happy?"Iretort.
"You are destroying afamily, does that mean nothing to you?"
"You destroyed ours," Iremind him, but he ignores me.
"What did you say to Laceyin New York?How did you even know she would be there?"
"That—" Sam begins but Isqueeze his hand again.
"Don't you think you'reputting Robbie through enough?Now his own kid sister won't speakto him!How do you think Bobby and Cindy feel—their own daughterrefusing to support her brother!"
This stuns me intosilence.Did Sam actually get through toLacey?
I look up at him, but he'sstill glaring at my father murderously.But he squeezes my handagain to let me know he knows what I'm thinking.
"What do you think you'redoing?"My mother's furious voice calls from down thehall.
My father startles,turning toward my mother and Prosecutor Counter.
"Amy—" my father soundsalmost remorseful, but anything he feels is lingering emotions formy mother, not me.He just hates me.
"Mr.Reed you are apotential witness in this case, I'll ask that you refrain fromcommunicating with Miss Reed for the duration of the motionhearing," Prosecutor Counter says pointedly.He isn’t really, buthe technically could be called to the witness stand, so I supposethat's enough.
My father says nothingmore, he simply walks away and heads to the men's room without evenlooking at me again.
****
Isit stoically through the defense's opening statement whileSam cringes and nearly growls at every other word.Every other lie.It's nothing new.Just Robin's statement retold in dramaticfashion, describing the crazy ex-girlfriend he ran into on springbreak, our hooking up in an alley outside a bar, and my turning onhim when I supposedly questioned him about his love life since ourbreakup.Apparently I was jealous and I attacked him.Then come thedetails of Sam and Tucker's beat-down.I can't help but wonder howmuch of them are true.They don't even make Sam sound like a badguy.They make him sound like another one of my victims.Like I'msome manipulative, sociopathic witch who tricked him into believingmy stories about Robin just like I'm trying to trick thecourt.
Outside, I'm an ice queen,but inside, I'm hyperventilating.I feel the shape of my pillbottle through the soft leather of my purse, trying to count thehours since I took the last one, and wondering how soon I shouldtake another.
Sam doesn't hold my hand.The prosecutor told him not to.That he should do his best toappear unbiased or it may affect the judge's perception of histestimony.
His testimony comes next.It sounds much like his statement, just longer, and he shows lessemotion than that night in Miami.His cross-examination runssignificantly longer than his initial testimony.The defense triesto paint him as my puppet.They try to get him to admit that hecouldn't possibly have known for sure if it was Robin or me whostarted the altercation, and that when he came upon us in the alleyit was possible Robin was holding me against the wall to keep mefrom assaulting him more.
He doesn't.
Sam just keeps saying thatit was clear what was going on and that the defense's story isn'tremotely plausible.But they keep at it.
Eventually Sam loses hispatience.Despite his best performance, his detailing of the exactsight he first saw in that alley gets to him.It gets to me, too.Ihate seeing him so affected by it.But he's effective.After all,it's hard to defend holding a girl by her throat, cutting off herair, and shoving your hand under her skirt as self-defense.But itwill only be effective if they believe Sam, because that's aboutthe time the defense changes tact and starts questioning Sam aboutour relationship and his devotion to me—specifically how far hewould go to back me up.
They question him over andover about the supposed beating he delivered to Robin after I wassafely removed from the alley—after Robin was already subdued.Samdenies it.He swears he did what he had to do to keep Robin down,to keep him from coming after me, nothing more, nothingless.
