“N-no. Wait!” I hung up before she could waste anymore of my time trying to get me to pity her into feelings, and called him. It rang twice before I heard him pick up.
“Cash?” His voice sounded unsure, like he was trying to stay as quiet as possible. I heard typing stop in the background and a grouchy voice I recognized as the secretary.
“Calen. Did you get into a fight?” I wanted to ask right off the bat, get to the bottom of it.
“No. I stood up for a girl that was getting bullied. The principal is sorting it out now. I think they’re going to let me go back to class soon.” I heard a scoff from the bitter receptionist and what sounded like rustling. I tipped my head back on the headrest, my eyes closed, trying to tell myself Vivienne does this because she’s trying to get closer, and Calen and I are the ones to suffer for it.
The eye roll I was trying to suppress was huge.
I rubbed the space on my forehead directly over my eyes, taking a deep calming breath.
“Alright. Good job standing up for another student who was getting picked on. I’d rather you do the right thing than look away, but don’t swing any fists. At least not first. Don’t start fights. Finish them.”
“I know, I know,” he sighed heavily, “I told a teacher when it first happened, and when they didn’t do anything about it because Rod’s captain of the football team and untouchable,” the sarcasm was dripping off his voice, “I told another one, who also didn’t do anything. I told Rod to leave her alone, and then he took her lunch tray and dumped it on her. I hit the guy before I knew what I was doing. Cash, he wouldn’t let up and the grown-ups weren’t doingshit.”
“Language.” I reprimanded him lightly.
“Sorry,” he grumbled.
“Listen bud, I’ll be over tomorrow. We’ll talk more then, okay? I’ve gotta run. I have a family emergency right now but try to stay out of trouble. I’m proud of you for doing the right thing, standing up for someone else, but you’re worrying your mom. Stay outta trouble til then, yeah?” The car pulled up to the curb and I tossed another fifty at the guy as I opened the door, already sprinting toward the door. I was there in fifteen minutes. I think he may have broken a few speeding laws getting me there as fast as he did.
“Yeah. Okay. See you then, Cash.”
I hung up and went inside. A security officer pointed me to the correct courtroom. The doors were still open, meaning I could get in and get a seat before they closed and I interrupted something. I wasn’t trying to sneak in after the fact.
As I walked past the first courtroom, heading to the second, where she was going to be, I looked down a hallway off to the side and saw her sitting there. She was looking around, but not really seeing anything, or taking in any of the little details. She looked like she was miles away. You know how you could just look at someone and could tell? That was her right now. The unfocused look in her eyes, the way her face was drawn in worry.
I didn’t like seeing her like that. She deserved calm, peace, a place that she could rest without worry. I hurried inside the courtroom, looking for a decent seat where she’d be able to see me if she needed support. I spotted somewhere close to the aisle and I quickly sat down. My thought process was that it seemed to offer a quick exit route, in case she needed me as soon as she was done.
I didn’t want to have to fight to get past people. I wanted to be able to reach her, wrap her in my arms as soon as possible. Only if she needed me. I knew the woman was strong. She took care of kids, on their worst days. If that’s not what strength looked like, then I needed someone to give me a good picture of it.
Was I overthinking this? Probably. Would she be fine after this? Again, probably. But I wanted to be prepared for however she may need me. Just in case.
It wasn’t long before the doors closed and the lawyers were giving their opening statements. Her ex had been forced to sue his mistress with his own funding and private lawyer. All this guy could get from this lawsuit, was full custody of his kid that his mistress was still pregnant with. He didn’t have any proof she’d drugged him, that she’d had sex with him withouthim knowing who she was, but he did not remember any of that night. It was his word against hers, a ‘He said, she said’ situation.
And that’s where Devin came into play. She was his wife. She was there that night when he got home. She could attest to if he was acting normal or not.
This was going to be a fucking shit show. I could feel it.
His lawyer talked about how she’d purposely targeted him, how they would prove that he had no knowledge of his sleeping with her, that there was evidence his ex-wife had submitted for their divorce to show infidelity. As well as having her and her lawyer here today, to testify for them. So she could help him prove it.
The other woman, nah.
The mistress’s lawyer defended that she was innocent, and the accusations were unfounded. Her lawyer continued, calling the mistress to the stand. The woman could cry on command, as she sat up there answering questions, saying she thought he was simply acting out some fantasy or trying to pretend it was his wife so he didn’t feel like he was cheating.
“He’d mentioned it in the office prior to that happening,” her voice trembled at the right time, the right amount of quiver to make it sound…sad. I felt my head tilt while I squinted at the woman sitting on the stand.
She was…acting. It was good, but nowhere near where she needed to be to fool me. I crossed my arms, listening to the rest of her testimony, watching the performance as she rested her hands gently on her belly. I sat back in my seat, shaking my head gently, mainly to myself.
Thank fuck she wasn’t in here for this drivel,was all I could think as it made my ears start bleeding. Other body parts were signing up, volunteering to be next on the list. I was getting a migraine listening to her. Finally, after I became old enough to be that woman from the movie about the ship that sunk back in the 1900s. It felt like eighty plus years had gone by.
“You may call your witness,” the judge said to her ex’s lawyer. I watched as he stood with all the confidence of a man who’d already won the case.
“We would like to call Devin Murphy to the stand.” The arrogance, and the glint in his eye told me everything I needed to know about the man. Right off the rip.
Fucking. Prick.
It was quiet for a while, some light murmuring, before the doors opened. I turned as I heard two sets of heels clicking down the aisle between the two sides. I sucked in a breath as I watched her walk in looking like absolute Royalty. She had her head held high, shoulders back, looking straight ahead, unwavering. She didn’t spare a glance at anyone aside from Amber, who sat on the bench right behind her ex-husband’s lawyer.
