DAY 26
Ally's POV
Words can't describe the happiness I feel sitting on Austin's lap at this moment, with the knowledge of him testifying at his trial. Yet, I also can't deny the intense anxiety I feel from it possibly going south. I'm going to put it behind me or at least try to because Austin only needs optimism from now on.
"What is it?" Austin asked casually looking up from his phone as I just smile shaking my head which causes him to return a smile intrigued, putting his phone down.
"What is it, babe?" He questioned again pinching my lower back a little which tickled.
"I'm just so proud of you." I reply as I've been telling him for the past two weeks, but each time still managed to make him blush.
"Stop." He said as his head went down and I giggled kissing his cheek.
"I'm serious...you've come such a long way, Moon. You're inspiring." I add causing him to smirk.
"Moon, huh?"
"Thought I'd give a try."
"It's sexy. Say it again." He reassures me as I chuckle.
"Okay...Mr. Moon." I say as he moans dramatically making me laugh before kissing me as I sweetly kiss him back.
When we pull away, I get off his lap and take his hand leading him to the bed to cuddle with me.
"So, any idea of what you wanna do for when you get out of here?" I ask as I feel his body stiffen a little under me.
"I don't know...I know it's suppose to be positive thoughts but is that such a good idea to think about?" He asked me unsure.
"I think it's the only way to stay sane in a situation like this. You have to think like a winner, if you want to win." I tell him and he gives a small smile that satisfies me.
"I'll be fine as long as you're there every step of the way, Dawson." He told me as I placed one of my hands on his cheek.
"Good thing that's nothing you'll ever have to worry about." I reply kissing him once more. He kisses back with more intensity but pulls away once his phone alarm goes off.
Austin looks at it before getting up quickly and seeming frustrated with himself.
"Sorry, babe. I gotta go. I have another meeting with my prep lawyer and I'm late as shit! My grandmother is gonna kill me if I screw this up." He told me as I stood up as well.
"No, it's fine. Go, go!" I say motioning for him to leave as he silently thanks me with a kiss on the cheek before running out of my room and leaving me with a smile on my face.
Austin's POV
Leaving Ally's room to head to my prep lawyer feels a bit odd after the vibe I got from her last night. I could've sworn she was coming onto me but maybe I was just hearing things much differently than what she actually meant. I know I can be a little egotistical at times. Okay, a lot of the fucking time! Point is, it's possible I took it the wrong way.
All I know is that I don't want to be fucking weird about it because I really need this preparation for the trial. It's already making me a nervous wreck and I need to learn all the techniques I can, so I don't fall apart on the stand and give them the full power to destroy me.
I knock on the door of the office room we met before as Ruby Cox opens the door with the same natural red hair, only it's extremely curled this time. She's flashing a wide smile that showcases all of her super white teeth, complimented with bright red lipstick.
"Uh, hey." I said feeling a little awkward.
"Hi, Austin! Come on in." She instructed as I did, walking over to a chair to sit down in.
"It's so nice to see you again." She tells me as I smile respectively.
"Thanks, you too."
"So, let's get started, shall we?" She said as I sighed in relief a bit.
"Yeah, definitely." I nod as she smiles taking a seat directly across from me but not before turning her chair my way. She lifts her right leg across the other and extends it out, which causes me to get a great look.
All I can think and hope is that this isn't a-rouse to get my attention or her trying to seduce me or something...because if so, we're going to have a big fucking problem and I can't afford anything jeopardizing this trial and my future with Dawson.
"So...during our sessions, we're going to be covering all the ways of how to handle tricky questions, the pressure of being in front of an entire jury and judge, being interrogated on the stand, and so on." She explained as I nod my head making sure I took in every word.
"Okay, first things first...you need to remember that you're going to be sworn in to tell the whole truth. It is important that you, as a witness to your own crime, be certain of your answers. Never volunteer information and don't speculate on a matter in which you have no information on." She tells me sternly.
"Basically, don't give any extra information than necessary if they haven't asked you about it." I said for confirmation as she nodded.
"Exactly. Stay in your lane." She said with a hand motion before continuing.
"In view of the fact that you will be in front of a jury, it is also important that there be as little hostility and emotion displayed as possible." She stated giving me a look.
"What?"
"I've been told and warned about your previous history with anger issues, Mr. Moon." She told me with an eyebrow raise as I sighed.
"Did Reyes tell you that." I responded with a roll of my eyes.
"Mark is just looking out for you. He needed to inform me about everything he's learned since taking your case. Including your behavior analysis, so that I'm able to give you the best trial prep I can. It's for your best interest." She assures me before looking through some of my files in front of her.
"And if this is accurate, this tells me, you have been in at least 18 fights since you joined this rehabilitation center five years ago." She reads out loud as I sighed, now annoyed.
"Okay, yes, yes! I've been in a lot of fights alright? And I had a bit of a rage problem but I'm not like that anymore. I handle my emotions much better than I did before."
"I believe you." Roxy replied folding the files and looking at me again.
"But how well you're doing now isn't going to mean anything if you're not prepared to hold yourself back on the stand. Your stepfather's sister Diana has a lawyer that graduated at the top of his class."
"Mr. Reyes is better."
"Yes. Mark is a fantastic lawyer, as am I, but I guarantee that still won't matter if you flunk your testimony." She tells me with seriousness as I begin to fully absorb her words.
"Alright, alright..." I utter under my breath.
"I'm listening." I say in a way to let her know to continue.
"Kevin Knight is Diana's lawyer. He's extremely intelligent, very insightful and annoyingly charming." She says with a roll of the eyes.
"Mr. Knight is going to try to break the hell out of you. He's going to pick at your worst insecurities, he's gonna manipulative your words, along with your actions and taunt you in the form of questions to get you to spill reasons unintentionally of why you killed your stepfather." She shared as I took a deep breath in, already feeling like beating the shit out of the man I never met before.
"Sounds like an asshole." I scoffed irritated at the thought of this dude trying to come at me.
"He is one...and he's great at his job. I always figured his downfall would be his arrogance, but he hasn't seemed to fail yet." She admitted as my eyes go a little wide.
"He's never lost a case?" I ask sitting up more on high alert.
"Don't let that scare you." She voiced calmly.
"Why wouldn't it scare me?!" I shout back anxious as she stands up and quickly picks up her chair, moving it next to mine before she sat down.
Roxy places her hand on top of mine, just like she did last night. My body tenses up at the familiar action as I look into her eyes to detect any foul play but I don't see anything. For some reason, I couldn't see the same lust in her eyes like I did the night before. Maybe I really did imagine it, and she just happens to be a super affectionate and comforting person.
"You're going to be fine because you're going to listen to everything I say and I'm going to prep you right. I'm going to give you every tip you'll ever need to survive the stand and how to prepare your demeanor in that courtroom. It's going to take the two of us though, Austin. You have to put your all in this too. I'm going to be one talking most of the time but you have to be the one to make sure you're hearing everything I'm saying, if you truly want your freedom. No. Slacking. Ever." She vocalized by saying each word individually, to get the point of across as I nodded my head exceedingly.
Just hearing the word freedom constantly reminded me of what I was fighting for.
"Going back to your anger issues...the jury will be judging your demeanor to determine your credibility and trustworthiness." She continued on as I slowly removed my hand from under hers because it was there a little too long.
"In the event that you were to testify at trial in any way that was different from your testimony during your deposition, opposing counsel would be able to use the deposition to contradict and embarrass you by showing the prior inconsistent statements."
"Opposing counsel, meaning Mr. Knight right?" I ask as she gives me an impressed smirk.
"Catching on Mr. Moon. I like it." She answered with two celebratory claps.
"I bet that's just common sense but I'll pat myself on the back since I'm not 'superb' at this stuff." I commented causing her to shake her and laugh a little.
"Anyway, that is what lawyers call impeachment. It is very effective in front of a jury as they are generally inclined not to believe a witness that changes his or her story. Got it?" She asked as I nodded.
"Yeah, you don't have to worry about it. My story has been the same since the day it happened even if I didn't want to share it with people." I tell her as she makes a facial expression that I'm not able to read.
"What?"
"It's very easy to think you know exactly what you're going to say on the stand, even if you remember an entire situation front to back but it's another thing to actually do it. You have no idea the pressure the stand can put on a person and the amount of times, the anxiety alone has screwed people over."
"Are you trying to make me stressed?" I asked in disbelief at her discouraging words.
"Of course not. I'm trying to make you prepared. I want you to walk in that courtroom with confidence but not a naive confidence. This is why you need to know this stuff. Your confusion is okay, for now. We'll go over more of that tomorrow." She told me.
"In the end, just try to remember that it is understandable that you will be nervous and the judge and jury will understand it too. Testifying in court in front of all those people is not something you do every day. As long as you're truthful and consistent like I already said, you'll be fine." She finishes with a smile as she stands up walking over to her huge brown bag that kind of resembled a suitcase.
"So, that's it for today?" I ask standing up as well.
"Yep. Meet me here again tomorrow at noon for another session." She replies with a chipper tone as I smile a bit.
"What?" She asked curiously as she collects her things and heads to the door, as do I.
"It's just...you're actually amazing at this."
"I'll try not to be insulted by that." She replied chuckling.
"I don't mean it as an insult. I just meant that I've been working with Mr. Reyes for so long that I didn't expect to be that impressed by someone else this much." I explained honestly.
"Well, I change my mind. I most definitely take that as a compliment." She said with a wide smile while placing a hand on my arm as she slowly slides it up and down and there it was again.
That lustful look in her eyes that I witnessed last night and I see that I'm not crazy at all. It was now the most obvious thing in the world that Roxy Cox, my prep lawyer was interested in me. Yeah, I'm screwed.
***Line Break***
I'm walking down the hallway as I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that my prep lawyer is attracted to me and desperately coming onto me, when I run into my grandmother who looks pretty happy to see me.
"Ah, Austin. There you are. I've been searching for you everywhere until your girlfriend reminded me that you had one of your meetings with Miss Cox today." She said as I nodded, confirming her statement.
"Yeah, I got done about five minutes ago. What's up?"
"I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be visiting your grandfather again in a couple of days, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming along?" She asked with a sound of hopefulness in her voice as I took a bated breath.
"I don't think that's a good idea." I tell her as she shakes her head not wanting to hear the answer before placing both hands on each of my shoulders.
"Sweetheart, please. You never know when it could be the last time...and I really don't want you to have any regrets. Not anymore at least." She told me with a concerned look in her eyes which told me she really did want me to do this for my benefit.
"Okay...fine. Whatever." I accept casually as she makes a gasp of shock before smiling widely and hugging me quickly.
"Oh, honey bear. That is so great! We'll leave at noon in two days to go see your grandfather. Thank you." She says planting a quick kiss on my cheek before anyone could see then proceeded to walk away.
Before I can even begin to walk again, Dallas's face comes into view as he walks next to his blonde haired client Clara Hudson, who's in her late 20s.
An awkwardness quickly feels the air around me as I look at my best friend (or should I say ex best friend), come my way. His head finally turns towards my direction after talking to Clara when he notices me.
As soon as I'm prepared for him to walk past me like I don't exist, as I was prepared to do the same, he stops right in front of me.
"Clara, I'll catch up with you. Give me a couple of minutes." Dallas told her as she just gave a nod and smile before going on her way.
"Hey. It's great to see you." He said with a smile confusing the hell out of me.
"Hey..." I reply not knowing what the hell is going on.
"I'm sorry, didn't you make it clear you wanted nothing to do with me?" I say more straightforward because he obviously seemed to be suffering from some kind of amnesia.
"Oh, stop being dramatic, dude. I never said I was done with you, Austin. I said I was done talking about the trial stuff since you decided to give up on yourself. Also, why the hell didn't you tell me you changed your mind about testifying?!" He blurted out, as my eyes widen in shock from him knowing.
"Who told you?" I demanded.
"Ally. Why didn't YOU tell me?" He asked once bewildered and probably really fucking hurt causing me to sigh.
"I don't know, man... I guess because I felt like I put you and everyone else through so much these past couple of months and I wasn't sure after all this time if you'd even believe me or might think I'd eventually change my mind at the last minute." I confess my fears to my best friend who I haven't seen in two days which felt like a century.
"Well, I can't act like those fears weren't possible for me to have but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have celebrated with you and congratulated you on choosing a life for yourself, dude. This is all I ever wanted for you. This is all any one of us wanted for you. I just don't know how you could keep it to yourself.
"It wasn't a secret...my mother and grandmother know. I just felt ashamed to talk to you because of our last conversation." I said as he nods with discomfort at the tense memory.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so pissed at me, dude." I say honestly thinking back on the tense encounter.
"I was only pissed because I care." He challenged.
"Yeah, I know."
"Yeah, you know...but that didn't exactly make a difference in changing your mind."
"Because I'm stubborn. I'm the most stubborn son of a bitch I'll ever know."
"I know that's right." Dallas agreed as we both laughed before he got super serious and sentimental.
"You're not just my best friend, Austin. You're my brother." He tells me as I feel my chest get heavy.
"I just wanted you to have a good life because you deserve one, whether you believe or not. I hated that you just gave up on yourself and I felt like I failed as a friend because I couldn't help you." He confessed as I shook my head almost immediately.
"You couldn't help me because it had nothing do with you. They were my own issues that I had to deal with and for a long time, I wasn't allowing anyone to break down those walls. Don't ever take it personal."
"Too late. I was selfish to make it about me." He replies under his breath while looking down at the floor.
"Nah, that's normal. You tried to help me again and again and again... yet, nothing worked and that had to be frustrating as fuck. I'd be the same way if it was the other way around, man." I say truthfully while easing his guilt at the same time.
"The truth is..." I add as he lifts his head back up to look at me.
"The idea of losing my family, my friends and Dawson...it eventually took a toll on me. Your words were one of the reasons I knew I had to do this. I have to share my story even if it doesn't work out in the end and sends me to the depths of hell. My body can't carry this anymore. I can't." I speak breathier.
Dallas looks at me with something I haven't seen in a long time. It happens to be content. As if, he's finally at peace knowing that I'm doing the right thing and not just for the people who love and care about me, but for myself.
"I'm so proud of you, man." He vocalized with a hand on my shoulder and tears in his eyes.
We smile at each other for a few seconds before embracing in a tight, brotherly hug that we haven't had in years. After a while, we separate and try to shake off the emotional vibes but it wasn't exactly working.
"I should go. I have a session with Dawson right about now." I tell him as he nods exceedingly.
"Yeah, yeah. You should go. I got to meet Clara anyway. I'll see you later?" He said as I nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, man." I said as we went our separate ways before I heard him shout my name from down the hallway, causing me to turn my head towards him.
"WHOO!" He cheers loudly with his hands in the air because of me testifying as I laugh before continuing to walk towards the library where my girl and I's session will take place today.
I got my best friend back.
Ally's POV
I headed to the library about five minutes ago where today's session is taking place. My eyes watch the other volunteers and their patients get ready as Austin makes his way inside, right on time.
A smile forms naturally at the sight of his handsome face but instantly falls flat once I see the puffiness of his eyes which indicates he's been crying. My legs rush over to him as my hands quickly land on his face to examine it.
"Are you okay? What's wrong, baby?" I ask lowly as he smiles grabbing both my hands to remove them off his face before leaning down and tightly hugging my small figure compared to his tall stature.
I hug him back straight away even though I'm completely unaware of what brought on this sudden action.
"Dallas knows about me testifying." He finally speaks as I realize.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped..." I respond under my breath with guilt as I continue to lean on his chest.
"It's ok. I thought I lost my best friend for a second there. You're the reason I didn't." He told me as we eventually pulled away with certain eyes on us because of the long and intimate hug we shared.
I rub the back or my neck awkwardly and try to forget them as I face Austin who hasn't even noticed them or simply couldn't care less.
"Austin, you'll never lose him. Just like you'll never lose me." I tell him truthfully as he smiles appreciative and I can tell by the way he glanced down at my lips that he wanted to kiss me, but he just couldn't because of all the people around.
My hand just motioned for him to come sit down with me at the table as I got my notebook out for the session.
"Today's session is about future changes." I started as I opened my book to a fresh page before folding one of my legs over the other.
"I felt like we've done this topic before."
"We have in a way, but we're revisiting to see if anything has changed." I explain.
"I know you've said before that you hope to attend college again. Is that still true?" I question.
"Yeah, if there's one willing to take me."
"Are you still open to pursuing a music career?"
"I don't know. I'd try but it depends on how many people in the world find out about my secret. I don't want fame if it comes with that cost."
"Are you sure you're ready to continue a serious relationship outside this place?"
"This seems more like a personal question." Austin says with a tilt of the head and a charming smile.
"Maybe it is. Entertain me." I reply with a shrug.
"Hell yeah. I've never been more sure about anything else in my life. I'm going to take my girl everywhere if I ever get the chance to have my full freedom again. We're going to spend our entire lives traveling the world." He shares as I blush and smile knowing that I get to be that girl experiencing it all with him.
"Before we go on, Austin..." I say closing my book for a second and leaning in closer towards his face for whisper purposes.
"I know I've told you a million times but... you mean the world to me. So, please be careful with my heart." I tell him as he gets concerned and secretly places a hand on my knee under the table so others can't see.
"What's wrong? Where's this coming from?" He asked puzzled.
"It's not coming from anywhere, other than me being head over heels in love with you." I say as he looks at me in awe with a blush.
"Please try your best not to hurt me, Austin. I love you so much." I vocalize as he sighs.
"I want to kiss you so bad right now." He admits gazing at me before scanning the library.
"I can't promise that we both won't hurt each other, Dawson because we're human with flaws and shit happens, you know? But I can promise I'll never cheat on you, use you, manipulate you or make you feel less than your worth. You mean everything to me too, baby. I promise." Austin reassures me making my heart skip a beat.
"Follow me." I tell him as he gets a little confused as I walk into one of the aisles where there are no eyes able to see where we are or doing.
"Why are we over he-" I cut my boyfriend off when I jump his bones by pressing my lips to him and starting a make out session which he immediately responds to.
Austin and I moan in between kisses as he pushes me up against the library shelf but making sure not to hurt or bruise me as our tongues enter one another's mouths, enjoying the wet entanglement.
How could I ever get enough of this? It never stops being amazing. It's the best feeling in the world and the love between us is like no other. That's why I don't think I could take another heartbreak from this relationship. It just might drain all of me.
"Okay, okay. As much as I'm enjoying this, we have to get back. I just needed to kiss you after that." I tell Austin breathy as he smiles kissing me one last time.
"Yes, ma'am." He says putting out his hand, basically saying 'after you' making me giggle as we walked back to the library table while everyone was focused on their own sessions and talking their mouths off.
Austin and I should really get paid for how well we keep this secret. Well, maybe not...considering Hahn, Dallas, Cassidy and my two best friends know...
Yeah, on second thought, no.
Austin's POV
After the session is over, Ally and I leave the library but we don't get very far when she gently pulls me to the side.
"Hey, I know we usually go to your room after our sessions to hangout but can we go to mine instead?" She asked hopeful as I chuckle at her eagerness for something so simple.
"Sure. Any specific reason why?" I question as she just shakes her head with a simple smile.
When we finally get to her room, she displays her key as she opens her door. Ally enters as I look around to make sure no one is watching as usual before I enter myself.
I close the door quickly when I realize what's in front of me. It's a black and burgundy blanket placed perfectly on the light, gray carpet with a large, open, decorated picnic basket sitting on top of it. It was accompanied by four turkey and ham sandwiches and blue and red Gatorade's on the side of it.
"Okay, maybe I told a little tale when I said it wasn't for a specific reason..." She started off making her way to me.
"But in my defense, I needed to get you here without giving this away. I know it's not much. It's just a basic picnic, but I just felt like doing something nice for you! You know... cause I love you and such." She expressed charmingly as I looked down at her with a grin from ear to ear in disbelief at how thoughtful she is.
"Dawson...you are gonna be the death of me." I say as I place each hand of mine on her rose filled cheeks before leaning down and colliding our lips.
I feel her smile into the kiss as I continue to hold her face in my hands. It doesn't give her room to place her arms around my neck so she tenderly positions them around my waist.
Our mouths collide flawlessly together while I can't imagine my luck. This woman came into my life so unexpectedly and has changed it forever.
I breathe in her soft lips while they crash into mine with a purpose that simply tells me what I already know. We are meant to be.
"Thank you, Dawson." I say breathlessly against her lips as we eventually separate as she just smiles widely leaning her forehead against mine.
"I just wanted to do something nice for you. I'm sorry I don't do it more." She said as I scoffed.
"Don't ever apologize for that. We're basically stuck in this damn place besides the few times we're let out because of my passes. We don't have the luxury to do extravagant things all the time but the little times we do, we make it count." I said as she looked super impressed.
"When did you get so wise, mister?" She asked with lifted eyebrows.
"Yeah yeah." I flag off with a playful roll of the eyes.
"You think I forgot when you managed to convince my grandmother to let you throw me a birthday party outside this building? Might I also mention, you had only known me for three days."
"That was nothing." She responded shyly with a shake of the head causing me to shh her.
"That was everything. You are." I praise her as she smiles happily before leading me to the picnic blanket as we both sit down on it.
"So, when did you have time to do all this?" I asked Dawson as I still looked around at the setting in awe.
"You were in your meeting for quite a long time." She said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I was...I'm sorry." I reply sincerely as she kissed me, then pulled away.
"Don't ever apologize for that. Your life is more important than just hanging out with your girlfriend." She told me sternly.
"What if you're my life?" I challenge as she opens her mouth to say something but soon becomes speechless when she realizes what I said.
"I'm serious, Austin." She finally spoke in a shy tone as blush filled her cheeks.
"So am I."
"I just want you to put this first. It's the most important thing right now. It's literally your life on the line."
"I know, Dawson. You don't have to worry about me forgetting that."
"So, I noticed you haven't shared anything about your sessions besides the fact that they went well." She mentioned as I take the first bite out of my sandwich which is delicious by the way.
"I know it's technically none of my business but are you holding back because it really isn't going well?" She asked with an inquisitiveness while taking a sip of her blue Gatorade.
"No, no. It's...fine." I tell her with a small smile that disappears quickly as I take another bite into the sandwich from the awkwardness of not wanting to talk about this.
I hate keeping this from her but I truly think it's for the best. If I tell Ally about Ruby Cox's small passes at me, she'll freak and want to tell my grandmother. Not that it isn't the right thing, but it's not what's right for right now. I don't have time to complain about this situation. I need to know my stuff, so I'm prepared on that bench.
Dawson did just say these sessions should be the most important priority to me right now. Yeah, I'm just going to take her advice.
"Austin, you don't sound so sure." She said beginning to get bothered.
"It's great, trust me." I told her quickly before she jumped to any other conclusions.
"Roxy is smart. Smarter than I thought she'd be. She really does know the ropes of it all. I guess it can just get a little overwhelming and intimidating sometimes. It makes it all the more real." I told her, giving an excuse which made me feel horrible.
Though, my situation is overwhelming with a lot of pressures, it definitely wasn't the true reason I feel uncomfortable in the meetings.
"Oh...then I'm ecstatic that she lived up to her name and hype from Mr. Reyes." Ally replied gratefully.
"Yeah, me too. I really need to ace the testimony. There's no time for errors."
"You will. I know it." She said placing a comforting hand on mine.
"How's your friends?" I asked her as she finally took a bite into her own sandwich.
"They're great. We chat almost every day."
"Doesn't one of them have a crush on the other?" I ask as she smiles a bit.
"Yeah, Marissa has the hots for Steve. She has for a very long time now."
"He was in a relationship right?" I question trying to remember the information she shared in previous conversations.
"Was being the keyword. Stacy broke up with him almost a month ago so the wounds are still super fresh."
"You think they have a chance?" I asked noisily since she was their closest friend.
"Um, I don't know. I hope so for Marissa's sake because I don't want her to get hurt but I'm not sure if Steve ever looked at her in a romantic way before. He's always been extremely hard to read." She admits as I nod listening.
"Well, even if he didn't... people can open their minds to something they never considered before. People can change their mind anytime. That's the beauty of the brain." I say with a shrug as she smiles.
"That's cute that you're becoming more open-minded babe. Another thing to be proud of. I wonder what's next?" She asks kissing my lips as I smirk against her face.
"Maybe if you finish those pickles faster, you can find out." I respond making her laugh as we go back to eating.
***Line Break***
Ally and I talked for the past hour just enjoying each other's company. We talked about hobbies, things we enjoyed in our childhood and it surprised me how easy it was to discuss the past with her. Granted, it's the good parts, so I guess that helps. It's nice hearing about Ally's college days and makes me wonder what I'd be doing if I was still in my old college right now. Ally's laughing her head off at some corny joke she said and I laugh because I find it hilarious that she finds it hilarious. Damn, I love this girl.
"This was really nice, babe. You're too good to me." I told her as she smiled moving over to me and getting onto my lap and simultaneously wrapping her arms around my neck.
"I can be real good to you later tonight." She spoke seductively in my ear, causing me to blush slightly which she got amusement out of.
"You know, I don't think I'm going to turn that down." I say causally making her laugh.
"No, I don't think you will." She agrees with a shake of the head before she leans in, softly pressing her lips to mine as I instantly deepen the kiss as my hands find the lower part of her back.
As we sit there making out, I just think about how lucky I am to be with the most beautiful girl in the world who only wants the best for me. After all I've been through, I really don't know what I could have possibly done to deserve this. It doesn't seem real at times.
"Hey, we should pause for a bit." Ally said a bit out of breath when she pulled away.
"Why?" I ask while planting kisses her neck that causes low moans to escape her mouth.
"Because if we're still planning on going on that walk, we should go now. I don't want to wait until it's dark out." She tells me as I groan against her neck remembering the walk I suggested we go on in the middle of one of our conversations.
"It was your idea, mister!" She responds as I sigh, quickly pecking her lips before standing up and lending out my hand.
"Well, I have to keep my promise so..." I veered off as she smiled and took it, standing up as we left the room.
Ally's POV
When Austin and I leave my room, we look at each other as our grins can't seem to leave either of our faces from how happy we make one another. God, I'm so in love. I know he's the one and I just want an entire life with him. I hope the universe is on our side. I'm probably the only one who thinks this deeply about it.
Okay, maybe I only think that because I'm the more affectionate one. Though, I'm telling you, Austin is just as smitten with me as I am with him. He's just better at being more causal about it.
Well, at least I think he is. Cassidy seems to think he's the most whipped guy she's ever seen in her life and I'm definitely not going to complain about it!
"Before we head out, I really have to go to the bathroom, babe." I tell him.
"Oh yeah. Decide you have to go to the bathroom after you leave the room with a bathroom." Austin sarcastically says as I playfully hit his chest.
"I'm kidding, babe." He adds with a chuckle.
"As a matter of fact... I need to go somewhere too, just for a couple of minutes." Austin confesses with a hard-to-read expression before I place a comforting hand on one of his arms.
"Are you okay?" I ask concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine. After I'm done, I'll meet you back at my room, and then we can head on our walk." He clarifies nonchalantly.
Austin can tell that I'm not entirely convinced that he's alright, so he smiles, leaning in and laying a tender kiss on my lips.
"Thank you again for the date. I love you." He said sweetly making me smile.
"You're very welcome, baby." I respond super flirtatious as he chuckles, kissing my cheek before we go our separate ways for a short while.
***Line Break***
After I come out of the bathroom, I bump into a pretty red-headed older woman who made sure to grab onto my arms for balance, so she wouldn't fall.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." I tell her apologetic for the incident as she just shook her head with a smile.
"No, it's alright. I've always been a klutz. Plus, I should be the one apologizing for using you as a life vest." She responded in a kind voice causing a chuckle out of me.
"Nah, it's okay." I assure her before she starts to walk away, but not before I stop her.
"Hey, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you a friend of Hahn's?" I asked curious as she turned her head, then walking back up to me.
"No, not really. Though, that is who I just got finished speaking to. I'm actually here for a client. I'm a lawyer but sometimes when I have a small amount of cases to work on out of the year, I volunteer as a prep lawyer for people on trial when their actual lawyer is busy with trial preparations and court obligations." She explained to me as I nodded listening before putting the pieces together.
"Wait. Oh my gosh, you're Roxy Cox?!" I ask with an excited smile as she looked fascinated that I knew her name.
"Yes, nice to meet you." She said holding out her hand to shake as I gladly took it.
"How did you know?" She asked with an intrigued look on her face.
"Well, funny enough, your client is also my client. Austin Moon. I'm his volunteer." I told her with a warning smile as her eyes open in surprise.
"Oh, Miss Dawson." She said now leaving me as the surprised one.
"Austin mentioned me?" I asked with a smile as she just shook her head.
"No, I had a talk with Mrs. Hahn right after my session with him. She wanted to know how the meetings were going and my thoughts on his chances of winning the trial. Your name came up as the infamous girl who managed to get Austin Moon to become his best self again." She informed me as my heart warmed.
"Awe, that's so sweet! Hahn is so much kinder than she likes to lead on." I whisper to her with a giggle as she laughs too while slowly looking me up and down.
"It's so nice to put a face to the name. You're so...pretty." She said with a tilt of the head as if she was scanning me which made me a little uncomfortable. Is she okay?
"Are you two close? Mr. Reyes warned me to be very patient with him and that sometimes he can be difficult." She asked snapping out of her trance with an interested expression on her face and a fold of the arms.
"Um, yeah. He did put me through the ringer a bit." I replied with a chuckle.
"But he's really grown so much. He's a better communicator and there's a certain maturity within him now. I don't think you have anything to worry about." I told her honestly as she nodded.
"Unless...there is already something to worry about? Did anything happen?" I asked now a little worried.
"Oh, no no no. Austin has been great so far. I guess I was just curious if I had to wait for the penny to drop." She told me with a shrug.
"Oh, well that's good to hear. I'm really happy you're helping him out. He's such a good guy. I just want the best for him."
"It's good to know he has such good people on his side. I mean, I can't be surprised. He's so easy to talk to. He's... quite amazing." She said with a smile looking into the air as I returned it a little awkwardly.
"Yeah, yeah...he is. Anyway, it was nice meeting you!" I said while slightly turning my body to hint that I had to go.
"You too. I look forward to seeing you around more." She said giving another glance, up and down my body.
"Austin and I will be spending much more time together and all." She said with a wide smile and a flip of the hair as my hand unwieldy waves to her as she leaves out the front door.
Well, that was a nice and somewhat...strange encounter? She seems kind but something felt a tad off.
Plus...what was she still doing here? I know Miss Cox said she had been talking to Hahn but her and Austin's session ended almost six hours ago. Was their conversation really that long? She did say I was brought up in discussion, so maybe Hahn said something embarrassing about me...
Oh, god. I hope I didn't do anything to offend her. I just can't do anything to mess this up for Austin, I'll never forgive myself. Maybe it's just all a misunderstanding and I caught her on a bad day?
Oh, Ally. Chill the fuck out!
Miss Cox was super nice to you and you're overthinking things. It was a normal conversation between two adults.
I head to Austin's room to go see if he's back from wherever he had gone but when I see his door, I freeze in front of it.
At this moment, those fears come flooding back like they never went away. The dread of worrying about Austin's trial and the possibility of losing him. It's been so hard keeping it in. I'm so terrified for him but I can't share that with anyone, especially Austin. I need to be the proud and uplifting girlfriend I've always been for him.
All this time, I've begged and urged him to just believe in himself. So, I can't confess my worries and doubts about the trial not going the way we want when he's finally in a good place and mindset over this entire situation. I won't be selfish. I can't do that to him.
Before I can go in, I decide I need to get some fresh air. That's why my legs take me up all the stairs that leads me to the roof. As I open the door, I see my blonde haired boyfriend sitting on the edge of the building causing a smile to grow on my face. The world can never keep us apart for too long, huh.
Austin's POV
I was just sitting on the roof of the building with a heavy mind while my legs dangled off the edge. I desperately needed some room to think about all the things to come. It's been a good five minutes up here but it's time to head back to my girlfriend.
The door to the roof opens and my head quickly turns as I turn around to see Dawson who smiles at me in surprise.
"I didn't expect to see you up here." She admits.
"Oh, so you didn't come looking for me after you realized I wasn't back at the room yet?" I asked with a smirk.
"Nope. I just wanted some air." She says as my smirk turns into a smile looking at her.
"Great minds think alike." I say as she makes her way over to sit next to me, letting her legs hang over the side of the building as well.
We sit in a very comfortable silence as I think about having to sit in front of a jury filled with random people to share a story so personal, with the hope that they believe me and show mercy. It's going to be one of the most intense and stressful moments of my life and talking about the situation out loud is going to be one of the hardest things I'll ever have to do but this is my one shot to save my own life.
"I'm ready to tell you, Dawson." I finally say as she just twirls her head to me as her eyes look at me flabbergasted, knowing immediately what I'm talking about. She probably never thought this day would come after all the back and forth I put her through.
Instead of saying anything, Ally just places her left hand onto my right, letting me know that she was there for me and that she was ready whenever I was.
I looked out into the night, letting myself feel the cool breeze against my face before taking the deepest breath of my life.
"My mother met David Wilkinson when I was ten and my brother was fourteen. About five months after my father was killed in a car accident. I remember Aiden and I both acting out a lot because we couldn't believe how she could move on so fast from our dad. She was so heartbroken over his death, yet not even a year later... she found a new boyfriend? It just didn't sit right with us. We didn't like him because we missed our dad, but we also saw right through him. He was a phony asshole. He spent two years showering us with shit we never asked for to try and win us over. My mom thought he was a God send at the time and that we were being ungrateful for not appreciating the 'blessing' we were given after losing our father." I shared shaking my head thinking back to my mother's naiveness and ignorance towards the situation.
"Eventually, he stopped trying to win us over after she accepted his proposal after two years of dating. Surely, because he felt that he had my mother right where he wanted." I say as Ally listens carefully.
"After the wedding, things were normal for a couple of months but little by little, his true self would slip through the cracks. He started to lose his temper more, blame me and Aiden for everything that went wrong and became super possessive and controlling over my mom. Again, this happened little by little over the years. I remember the first time he hit her or at least, the first time we heard him hit her."
FLASHBACK (8 Years Ago)
I'm sitting in my room listening to my headphones when I see Aiden enter, causing me agitation.
"Aiden, I told you about knocking. I'm not a kid anymore. Respect my own space." I told him frustrated at his failure to listen to me.
"You're 13. Shut up." He said ignoring my wishes before I heard a thump.
"What was that?" I uttered now standing up.
"That's what I came about. I think they're fighting." He said as I looked at him strange.
"So? That's been happening more and more lately. Nothing new."
"Except this time feels more intense. This is the loudest and angriest I've ever heard them sound. Their voices carried through my bedroom wall. "
"Should we go to them then?"
"Well, we have no idea what it's about. Mom's always telling us to stay out of 'grown folks business' so I don't know what we could do Aust-" Just then, we heard a loud slap and our mom's horrific whimper.
Our eyes widen before we hear our stepdad David grunt in frustration.
"You see what you made me do?! You just don't fucking listen huh! You question me again, woman... and we're going to have a bigger problem." We both hear him say, threatening our mother through the wall.
Aiden, who was 17 at the time, looked at me with nothing but pure anger.
"I'm gonna to kill him! Stay here."
"But-"
"STAY." He said in a loud and intimidating tone that I was never familiar with from my brother, and so I did.
I hear Aiden's footsteps stomping toward their bedroom before I hear a repetitive booming which I could only assume is him banging on the door.
After a while, I hear the faint creak of the door opening.
"What did he do to you? He hit you?!" My brother shouted which gave away that my mother was the one who answered the door.
I don't hear her response and it's quiet for a while, then I hear a thump against the wall.
"Get the hell out, boy! I'm not going to say it again!" I heard as a deafening door slam followed.
After that, I heard banging which I could only assume was Aiden knocking on the door.
Soon, he came back in the room looking pretty heated from the exchange as I sit standing waiting for him to say something but he doesn't and instead, paces around the room.
"So... did he hit mom?" I asked worried about her.
"Well, she said no but from the small bruising on her cheek, I'm going to guess that was a lie." He answered sarcastically as I took in that our stepfather really put his hand on our mother.
"I'm sorry, Austin. I'm pissed and I'm taking it out on you. I knew he was a dick and I didn't buy any of his bullshit but I didn't think he was an abuser." He said taking a seat on my bed, alongside me.
"Mom answered and I asked about her face, and she said it was nothing. When I didn't believe her, he came to the door and banged on the wall as an attempt to scare me but it had no effect on me and just wanted mom to come with me and that's when the dick wad kicked me out." Aiden explained as I pay attention to every word.
"We have to do something." He added under his breath.
"Yeah, we do." I agree.
"I should kick his ass." Aiden stated.
"No offense, bro... but he's 6 foot 3 and over 250 lbs. I don't think you working out once a week is going to be a big help here." I replied causing him to roll his eyes at me.
"Being physically bigger isn't everything, Austin. You'll learn that as you get older." He told me.
"We should just call the cops the next time it happens. Let them handle this." I told my older brother who looked at me and slowly nodded at the idea.
END OF FLASHBACK
"But you never called the police ever?" Ally asked me.
"Oh, we did. Three different times." I admit as she gets confused.
"Then why didn't they do anything? Did they not believe you guys?"
"Oh, they believed us. Each police officer dispatched to our house saw the bruises on my mother every time, but she always denied that David did it to her. And by law, you can't arrest somebody for a crime if there's no proof that they did it. There wasn't a video of her getting abused by him and bruises could mean she got it from anyone or anything and if the person is continuously saying otherwise, than there's only so much they can do. That person has to take the step and courage to come forward." I explain to her as she nods listening intently.
"It was just so disappointing watching her lie to the police every time." I sighed.
"I just don't understand. Police could've helped. That was her safety net." Ally said in shock by the revelation.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound jugful about your mom..." Ally apologized as I shook my head.
"Don't. Those are the exact thoughts Aiden and I had." I assured her.
"There was so much anger and confusion radiating off of us because of how we didn't understand why she would let him get away with what he was doing. The first time she lied to the police, we chalked it up to her just being terrified, so that's why we called them the second time after he did it again. When she lied that time too, that's when we got pissed off, but we tried one more time just in case and of course, we got the same results." Ally looked down feeling bad for my brother and I's failed attempts at helping our mother.
"That's when Aiden's personal anger against our mother started. He began to resent her as not just his mom, but as a person. That's when he decided she was on her own. As it kept going on and getting worse, I tried to come up with new plans to help her or do something to take David's ass down but Aiden dismissed it and kept telling me that you couldn't help someone who didn't want to help themselves. I knew it was true, but she's my mom. I had to try." I tell her as Ally looks at me with sympathetic eyes.
"As the year went on, the beatings and bruises got worse and I felt weak and helpless for not having the bravery to fight him. But back then, I was a skinny teenaged boy, and he was a grown man who had height and weight on me. What the hell could I do?"
"Once Aiden turned eighteen the next year, he went to college gladly. He was done with the family. Well, done with everyone except me, of course. As you know, him being done with our mother and no longer trying to help her was what initially strained our relationship as brothers." I said as she nodded remembering.
FLASHBACK (7 YEARS AGO)
"So, you're just going to leave knowing how things are here?" My fourteen year old self said to my now eighteen year old brother walking to the front door with his two suitcases.
"Dude, you've known about this for months. I'm not passing up my college experience for this bullshit." He told me and even though I knew he was making the right decision for him, I couldn't help but feel resentment.
"So, what the hell am I suppose to do about Mom and the asshole?"
"Nothing. That's her mess, now."
"If that's how you truly feel... then I want nothing to do with you." I said as he looked at me before sighing.
"I have tried. We both have. She doesn't want our help and I can't keep living my life worrying about her if she doesn't even worry about herself. I'm going to college... so are you in four more years. Don't act like it'll be any different from this, little bro."
"Except my college isn't 80 miles away and I'll be living from home. Just admit it. You're attending a far away college to get as far from this family as you can." I said with spite.
"Damn right!" He confirmed with a raised voice.
"Austin, when are you going to realize that you can't save her? You have to let go."
"Don't start that. Just because you're a dick of a son doesn't mean I have to be."
"Dude, you can come visit me whenever. You are my brother. This won't change things between us."
"Too late. Take your bags and go." I quickly said turning around as he walked in front of me to stop me.
I watch as Aiden puts his arms around his own neck, taking off his dog tag causing me confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"I want you to have it." He said putting it in my hand.
"I know I'm not your favorite person right now and you feel like I'm abandoning you but I'd never do that. Not to you. You're my little brother and I'm always going to be in your life, whether you like it or not." He spoke surely as I don't say anything and just look at the dog tag.
"I'll see you in a few months, bro." He said patting me on the shoulder before walking out the door.
END OF FLASHBACK
"Wait, are you talking about the same dog tag you're wearing now and have been wearing since your brother visited?" Ally questioned connecting the dots.
"Yeah. He gave it back to me when he first visited."
"How could he give it back to you if you already had it?"
"I had it for a couple of years but threw it back to him the last time he came to the house. We got into a bad argument over our mother again but it was the worst one in a long time." I told her.
"Doesn't shock me. You are a little dramatic." She said making me laugh, even at a time like this.
"Look who's talking." I say as she playfully rolls her eyes.
"Anyway, Aiden still wanted to be in my life back then and told me to call or visit him anytime. I was too mad at him to do any of those things so he ended up being the one to visit me through the years every time he knew our mother or David wouldn't be there. I was 14 when he first went off to college, so I was being raised as the only child during my high school and college years with my mother and my step dad. David got worse but I was just use to it at that point. So used to it, that my nightly routine was to put headphones in so just in case it was a hitting night, I didn't have to hear it." I said looking down and thinking back on those horrible memories.
"In high school, I started to work out a lot and that's when I started to get more muscle and strength. Not to mention, my growth spurt with height. I begin hanging around a bad crowd who introduced me to drinking at 15 which at the time seemed like a blessing, because the more I drank, the more it made me forget what I had to go home to and live with. I became a drunk which caused me to be sent to rehab for the first time at 16 years old by my mother. Man, she was so disappointed in me. She had her suspicions when she would smell it on my clothes and my breath but when she found 5 different bottles under my bed, she was done. I remember saying to her as she dropped me off, 'Oh, you can send me away but not your abusive dick of a husband.' And she gave me this look...not of anger, but just complete sadness. She didn't respond to my comment and just told me she loved me and to behave before driving off. Since 16 years old, I've been in and out rehab and none of them helped and I made sure they didn't by not cooperating because I needed alcohol. I needed it to take away the pain and trauma from living with that evil fucker and living with the thoughts of hating myself for not being man enough to protect her." I admitted in shame.
"By the time I turned eighteen, I had been working in an auto repair shop to save up for college and had this fling going on with my boss's daughter. I think her name was Farrah. Yeah, Farrah."
"And... what exactly does this fling with a girl from your past have to do with anything?" Ally asked letting go of my hand and folding her arms with an amused smirk as I snicker.
"It matters because of what I'm going to tell you next."
"Uh huh. It better." She says as I laugh kissing her cheek.
FLASHBACK (3 YEARS AGO)
My new girl of the month and I are making out against the brand new car I got for myself outside my house. It's around midnight and I wanted a little action before I called it a night and the blonde beauty Farrah was definitely not objecting to that.
As we're making out, I hear a door open before my name being shouted. I open my eyes and stop kissing Farrah to turn and see my stepfather standing on the porch looking pissed.
"What the hell do you want?" I responded annoyed at the interruption.
"I could've sworn your mother told you to be home for dinner at 7." He said as I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, I had other plans. I let her know that. Even texted her." I told him facing Farrah again and kissing her neck but her body language showed she was uncomfortable carrying on with my angry stepdad still around.
"Austin, maybe I should go." She whispered pulling me off her.
"No, no. We can get out of here." I tell her as David stomps a few feet towards us.
"You aren't going anywhere." He said with bass in his voice causing me to chuckle dryly.
"I'm eighteen. You don't dictate where the hell I'm going." I say as he's about to say something else but Farrah interrupts.
"I'm just going to go. I'll walk." She said heading out.
"Farrah, it's midnight. It's not safe for you to do that alone."
"It's fine, I only live a couple blocks away. I had a great time, Austin. Bye." She said awkwardly and continuing to walk down the street.
I sighed before facing my stepfather again who just looked satisfied that he ruined the evening for me because he's just a dick like that.
"What the hell is your problem?! Next time, mind your own damn business!" I shout in his face which I have never done before since the first time I met him.
My stepfather gets a look on his face from pure shock and rage. As if, I had the nerve to be pissed about him coming outside to start shit that had nothing to do with him.
"Say that again, boy." He challenged me.
"Stay the FUCK out of my life." I repeated, emphasizing fuck before walking away.
As I reach the porch and I'm about to open the door, my head is being pushed against the wall with one of his hands as he grabs my right hand with his free one, stretching it back further than any arm should be.
"Ow! What the hell are you doing?! Get the fuck off of me!" I said moaning in discomfort, not being able to get out of his grip as he has me pinned against the wall.
"Never in your life talk to me like that again. I'm so sick of you damn kids. You and that idiot brother of yours were always ungrateful fuckers." He said with spite in his tone as I feel myself get angry at him insulting my brother.
"Screw. You." I manage to grunt out while my head is being pressed heavily against the wall causing complete irritation and pain for my skin.
"You boys have always been disrespectful little shits. If you were mine, I'd whip you every day until you bled. You wouldn't even dare to raise a tone with me!" He yelled enraged while twisting my arm as I groan from discomfort and strain.
"You oughta get some manners' boy... or next time, I'll actually break it." He said twisting it further causing me to yelp in pain and then finally letting it go, just before it could actually break.
Whimpers leave my mouth from the pain my right arm was feeling as I lean against the wall of my porch out of breath, holding my weak arm.
My stepdad just looks at me like I'm not even a human being. Just another person he can abuse and take his anger out on.
"Next time, don't be late." He said real cold like, then proceeded to open the front door, go inside and slamming it close as I think about what just happened.
END OF FLASHBACK
"I never told my mother about that incident. As far as she knows, he never laid a hand on us. I mean technically he didn't hit us or anything and that only happened once to me but-"
"It still happened, Austin and it was cruel. He could've seriously broke your arm."
"Yeah, I don't think he cared about that babe. I think he was just trying to prove a point."
"What point?" She asked confused.
"That he was still the man of the house who had full control. My brother had gone off to college almost 100 miles away and it was just me left. I wasn't a kid or a skimpy teen anymore. I had gotten older, visibly stronger and bigger than I used to be. I was becoming a man. He knew that even though I was going to college, it was going to be close by and I was going to be living from home. He probably didn't want me to get any ideas as I got older and wanted to show who's still 'boss'. He was insane like that."
"Geez, what an asshole." Ally said shaking her head.
"Yeah, he was." I say as she squeezes my hand causing me to look at her.
"Austin...it's okay." Is all she said as I knew exactly what she was talking about and how I was kind of stalling.
"Now... the night of the murder." I say with a shakiness in my voice as Ally quickly takes my hand in hers as she smoothly rubs the top of it to soothe me.
"You got this, baby." She tells me as I nod preparing myself to share the story.
FLASHBACK (Almost 7 months ago)
My eyes watch my feet and the sidewalk as I boringly walk home from college, that's only a few blocks away from home. I'm disappointed because the song I had prepared for music class didn't go as planned. It wasn't finished so it sounded like a bunch of random shit when I had to perform it. That's what happens when you're a musician who also happens to be an alcoholic... the cause of why you're suddenly forgetting dates for things that you find important.
I wasn't drunk right now but after that sad performance of mine, I definitely wanted to be. Maybe, my mom has some wine left over in the fridge from her date nights with Dick Wilkinson. I chuckle at myself for the inside joke before hearing commotion from inside the house.
Of course, I couldn't help rolling my eyes because this is so typical for my family. Who am I kidding? This shit isn't a family.
I walk in to hear an argument between my mother and dick wad. Well, can you call it an argument if only one half is screaming their head off while the other is just trying calm them down?
As I travel through the living room, trying to make it to the kitchen, I listen keenly to what they're arguing about.
"I saw you, Mimi. Don't you act fucking naive."
"I'm not. I promise." I hear my mother reply timidly.
"He was flirting with you and you were flirting right back!"
"He was ringing up our groceries, darling. It's just his job." She said in defense as I roll my eyes realizing this is another one of his jealous and possessive temper tantrums.
"I don't give a damn if it's his job. His job doesn't require full conversations about how your day has been and how nice you look. You acted like such a whore in there! What will people think of me, having a whore as a wife?!" He shouted as I made it into the kitchen.
"What did you call my mother?" I said looking at him infuriated.
"Oh, look who's back from college. You want to tell your son what a busy woman you've been today?" He said smartly as she looked down at his words.
"The next time you go grocery shopping, don't you dare think about going to any male cashiers. Understood?" He instructed speaking to her like she was a child.
"What if there are no women working at the market a certain day of the week?" She asked.
"You trying to be a smart ass?" He growled lowly walking closer to her as she shook her head repeatedly.
"Okay, chill." I said walking in between them.
Out of all the years he's been abusing my mother... Aiden and I were never in the room or seen it happen. It was always something that happened through a wall to us. The shouting and beatings. It felt different when it was starting right in front of me.
"Get out the way, boy. This is grown folks business."
"Last time I checked, I'm a grown ass, twenty year old and I said chill out and get out of her face." I said more sternly than the first time as he looked at me as if he was challenging me.
"Sweetheart, please stay out of this. I don't want you involved." My mother softly voiced, gently pushing my body a couple steps back from them.
Soon, her arm was being yanked and getting pulled back causing her to whimper as she was face to face with the prick once again.
"I'm not gonna tell you again. You don't go near any man that isn't me or your loser ass sons, do you hear me?!" He roared in my mother's face making her jump from fear but she didn't respond.
"I- I-" She stutters not being able to give him an answer.
"Spit it out, woman!"
"He's my friend David... he's been a good friend of mine for years, even when I was married to Mike. He's always been kind to us and I'm just supposed to ignore him?" She spoke with emotion in her voice but also fright.
"Yes, if that's what I'm fucking telling you!" He told her as she finally gave in nodding which caused him to let go of her arm.
"Don't know why you would want to talk to that fucking loser anyway. He's in his 30s and still works at a grocery store. Pathetic excuse of a man."
"More of a man than you'll ever be." My mother responded unexpectedly, shocking not only me and my stepdad... but herself.
Anyone could see in her eyes that she immediately regretted it, as soon as she said it. This fit of fury washed over David's face as he looked at my mother who put her hands up to apologize while trying to convince him that she didn't mean it but it was too late.
***PAUSE***
As I go on with the story, I feel my nerves start to settle in more. Ally notices and rubs her hand along my arm while I decide to close my eyes and do something that has really started to help me during this past week with panic attacks I have.
I take 3 long, deep breaths.
"It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay to not be okay."
I take 3 more long, deep breaths.
My eyes open to see Ally smiling at me proudly that I did her mantra that she taught me early on in the program and that it actually worked for me.
"Alright, I'm ready to continue."
***CONTINUATION***
"YOU BITCH!" He yelled with nothing but spite and venom in his voice as he punched her square in the jaw causing a yelp to leave her mouth as she tumbled onto the ground.
That was the moment that I felt nothing but rage inside of me. A turning in my stomach that was overwhelming. My eyes felt blurred with red.
I sped walked over to David before giving him the heaviest right hook he's probably ever felt in his life. It knocked the wind out of him, causing him to fall onto the floor. I sit over top of him, punching him three more times in the face as I hear my mother getting up making panic noises in reaction to us fighting.
"Boy, I'll kill you!" He managed to shout before spitting in my face and then headbutting me causing me to fall beside him.
I wipe his disgusting spit off my face as I groan holding my forehead knowing it was gonna be bruised badly by tomorrow.
David uses the opportunity to get up and continuously kick me on the side of my stomach as my mother yells at him to stop while crying and grabbing at his clothes.
When he doesn't, I see her go away and not even a second later, I heard two loud bangs. My stepdad groans in pain holding the back of his head as my mother is holding up a large, steel skillet in her hand.
"You touch my son, again... I will kill you." I hear my mother say in an almost dangerous tone as he turns around to face her in a bit of shock at her fighting back for once. It quickly turns into anger that she had the 'nerve' to attack him.
"What... did you just say to me?" He said in a slow and menacing voice as I moan lightly in pain holding my side as it aches with every simple movement I make.
"I said don't touch my son again...or I'll kill you." She repeated still holding up the skillet and with sweat on her face. Even when I could tell she was terrified, she was still protecting me and I couldn't help but look at her in awe.
My stepfather looked at her for a couple of seconds before dry chuckling. Which then turned into screams as he ran towards her causing my mother to hit him again with the skillet but this time in the face. He gets winded but doesn't fall and instead, holds his hands on his knees to keep his balance.
My mother looks at him waiting for him to make another move but he doesn't. She unfortunately let's her guard down, by lowering the skillet thinking he was done. Of course, he wasn't. David lifted his head and gave her the hardest backhand slap there ever was.
"MOM!" I called out while also wincing in pain and watching her drop the skillet and fall back on the floor hitting her head.
"You did it now, whore! No coming back from this." He said walking towards her before getting on top of her and putting his hands around her neck.
I watch as David begins choking my mother while she tries to get his hands from around her neck, but he's too strong for her and she's gasping for air. Tears are falling down my face as I breathe with anger because my body is failing me.
My mother claws at his face, scratching him deeply leaving marks which causes him to let go of her neck for a second while she takes the opportunity to breathe.
David slaps her hard before choking her again.
"You did this." He told her.
As I watched my mother fighting for her life, I got all the strength in the world. While holding onto my heavily injured side, my legs found their way up and took me over to where the dishes laid. My right hand grabbed what I personally like to call, the Michael Myers knife.
I speed walk as fast I can before plunging it deep into David's back before taking the knife back out.
David yelps out in pain as his hands naturally let go of my mother's neck causing her to take a big gasp of air.
We watch as he falls on his back, groaning loudly in agony. Blood starts slowly coming out of his mouth as he coughs, and then he looks at me wrathful.
"You motherfucker!" He shouted at me as I
just looked at him with no empathy.
"Hey, are you okay?" I whispered to my mother who's still trying to breathe properly after being almost choked to death. She slowly nods as I put one of my arms around her, helping her as we both limp away from the kitchen.
"We're gonna get help." I tell her before I feel the knife in my free hand be swiftly taken out of it, causing me to turn around quickly facing my stepdad who still isn't dead.
He looks at me almost psychopathically, with blood on the outside of his lips and a wicked smile that tells me it isn't over.
"Come here." He says pulling my arm and easily throwing me on the kitchen floor as my mother screams.
"Guess what, Mimi? You get to watch me kill your boy." He tells her as she starts crying going after him but he slaps her onto the ground before coming over to me with the knife I had stabbed him with.
"Next time kid... you might wanna make sure the person is actually dead. Now, let me show you how it's done." He told me before lifting the knife and bringing it down as I move out of the way. He lifts it up and I take the opportunity to kick him in the balls and taking the knife back as his hand loosens up on it. With all the strength I have left, I use it to push him on the ground before stabbing him into the stomach while hearing him yell in agony... and I don't stop.
I feel myself stab him over and over and over again as I scream in anger remembering everything he has done to my family. How he tore it apart. How he destroyed my mother and my brother's relationship. How he destroyed my brother and I's relationship. Every time he called her out of her name. Every time he laid his hands on her. Even now, trying to kill her over some guy she talked to at a grocery store.
"Austin! Austin!" I hear faintly as I stab away at his now limp body and his eyes are closed but still, I couldn't stop.
"Austin, stop! He's dead! He's dead." My mother tells me as she physically stops my hands from moving.
She places both her hands on my cheeks and makes me face her as I look at her teary glossed eyes with blood splatter on her face.
"It's okay, sweetie. He's gone. You saved me." She told me as I felt wetness on my face besides the blood and realized it was tears.
"You saved us." She added as I sighed before she hugged me, crying into my neck while I held onto her. The pain from my side started to set in again, now that my adrenaline was slowing down.
My mother turned to her husband's body and placed her hand on his bloody chest to check if he still had a heartbeat, just in case. Then, she checked his neck for a pulse and looked at me and shook her head to confirm even more that he was gone.
"Okay, okay..." My mom began starting to stand up.
"We need to call the police." She commented before we heard sirens coming from a block away. We looked at each other in shock and panic.
"Neighbors must have heard all the commotion." She guessed as I nodded in agreement.
"This is gonna look more shady since we didn't get to call them ourselves." She told me as I got a bit nervous.
"What should we do." I asked looking up to her for guidance while still in a somewhat trance.
"Be honest." She said before we heard the policemen outside our
"POLICE! OPEN UP!" We heard shouted from outside the door before they broke it open with their kicks, walking through the living room and they make their way into the kitchen seeing the bloody mess.
I'm on the ground with the dead body and as smart as it would be to get up, I can't move anymore.
The police looks at the scene in horror and then at us before pointing their guns.
"Hands up. NOW!" They said as my mother and I do what they say.
Officer Keller quickly gets on his police radio, letting them know they have a homicidal situation and to dispatch an ambulance to the house right away.
"Anything you want to say, sir?" Officer Smith sternly asked me assuming (rightfully so) that I was the killer, considering I was sitting next to the body and my hands were the bloodiest compared to my mom's.
I just look at him and not being able to find any words to explain everything. I see my mother in the corner of my eye looking in between me and the policemen with slight panic before walking in front of me, the body and the police.
"IT WAS ME!" My mother shouted keeping her two hands raised above her head that were covered in blood just like mine, as the four police officers looked at her slightly surprised.
"What the hell are you doing, mom?" I whispered behind her as she only looked back at me for a second before facing the authorities again.
"It was me! I killed him. He attacked me and tried to kill me, so I did what I had to do and defended myself." She told them as her voice shook in fear and horror of the whole thing.
What is she doing?! What happened to tell the truth?!
Officer Keller slowly stepped forward while also taking glances at his fellow officers not knowing what to make of the situation.
Meanwhile, I'm in shock and in awe that my mother was taking the blame for me after I killed her husband.
Granted, a shitty husband.
"Well, since we don't have any evidence of that at the moment, ma'am... we're going to have to arrest you based on your confession. We'll talk more about this down at the station and go through everything." He explained as my mom slowly nodded looking a bit out of it as she turned around getting her hands ready.
"You'll be taken to the hospital first to get you checked out but you are under arrest for the murder of your husband, ma'am." Officer Keller told my mom as he put the handcuffs on her one by one and that sight alone made me feel ill and stand up.
My mother watches me about to open my mouth to say the truth, and she gives this intense stare in her eyes letting me know that she'll kill me if I do. I sigh and back down.
"Is there something you want to say?" Another policemen named Officer Johnson asked me stepping forward, which probably means he noticed my wary behavior.
"I um... just want to let my mom know that I'll come down to the station to stay with her after I get cleaned up." I tell him as he looks between the both of us suspiciously and I can tell he doesn't buy my explanation.
"No, it's best if you don't clean up. Could be evidence on you. You're coming down to the station, just as you are." He ordered eyeing me with curiosity behind his eyes as I nervously nod.
"Everything is going to be okay, baby. Everything is going to be fine." My mother whispered and reassured me one last time before Officer Keller started speaking to her again.
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand-" The infamous words of the miranda rights he read to her became more faint as he led her out of the house.
The fourth police officer who was a woman named Officer Monroe came up to me to snap me out of the trance I kept falling in and out of.
"Kid, it's best if you come with me so I can take you to the ambulance so you can get sent to the hospital. It looks like you have multiple torso injuries. You don't need to be here for this." She told me as I looked a little confused.
"Here for what?"
"The body. They need to take the body." She said as two paramedics came in the house, as if right on time.
I watch as they go over to David as I finally take in his completely lifeless body that was laying on the floor of the kitchen.
"Come on." Officer Monroe said taking me by the arm walking me out the house as Officer Johnson doesn't lose eye contact with me. It's like he saw right through me.
Officer Smith talks to the paramedics about the situation which causes me to take one more look at David's body as they close the body bag up as it hits me what I've done. Holy shit.
I just killed someone.
END OF FLASHBACK
After finished sharing the story with Dawson... the chain of events that happened, ending in the murder of my stepfather, I took a deep breath.
"Oh, Austin." I hear Ally say before wiping tears from my face that I didn't even know were there.
"I had no idea your mother tried to cover for you." She commented surprised.
"Yeah... she panicked and didn't want her son going to prison, so she took the bait and also figured they might go easier on her because she was a woman. Of course, they eventually found out the truth through the DNA on the murder weapon which matched mine and the rest is history. I went from Austin Moon, college student, guitar player, day and nighttime alcoholic to town murderer within 24 hours. I couldn't go back to college because I was on house arrest until trial, but it's not like I wanted to anyway. The only exception they made for me leaving the house was coming here because it was beneficial to me sobering up and becoming a 'better' person." I explained as Ally took it all in.
"The whole thing was just embarrassing at first but then it just pissed me off. More than I usually were. It made me angry that people turned on me so quickly. Friends I made, even the girls I had flings with either called me a killer or just made fun of the whole thing. Guess they weren't real friends to begin with."
"No, they weren't." She assured me.
"I only had Aiden, Dallas, Brooke, my mother and my grandmother during that time. The rest of the town had turned their backs on me. They gave up on me. So, I gave up on myself." I finally admit out loud as Ally gets tears in her eyes.
"Why are you crying?" I ask her softly.
"Because I love you and I hate that you went through that, Austin." She voiced emotionally before leaning in and lightly kissing my lips as I kiss back for a couple seconds, then we pull away.
Ally and I look each other into the eyes before putting our foreheads together as we sigh with calmness and relief before we separate.
"I couldn't imagine having to go through that. I don't mean just that night... but all those years. That horrible man had been in your life for over a decade and even though, his abuse toward your mother didn't start right away, it's still very traumatizing." She spoke while softly caressing my cheek.
"Your mother, your brother and you didn't deserve to go through that...but I want you to know that I'm so grateful and appreciative that you opened up and trusted me with something so vulnerable in your life. It means so much to me. You're not a killer, Austin. You're a survivor." She tells me with certainty in her voice as I smile a little, still obviously emotional.
"I love you, Dawson." I say wrapping my arm around her as she lays her head on me.
"I love you." She replies holding onto me tightly as I let myself enjoy the breeze once again and feeling free for the first time in a long time.
END OF CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS!
1.) Did you enjoy this return chapter?
2.) Thoughts on Roxy?
3.) What was your reaction to the flashbacks that finally revealed how the deadly incident unfolded?