Author's Note:

Hey sorry for the wait! Please check out my friend ThatKid0410 and his story The Lorien Force. I'm also working on a new story called The Force of Eight. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it! Please R/R.

JOHN'S POV:

"498, 499, 500." I grunt getting up from my push up position.

"Oh, I'm so impressed, cowboy" One calls from her cell across from mine.

"I bet you are." I call back. Today's the day of my trial. I've been doing whatever exercise I can in this cell. Sit ups, hand stand pushups, regular pushups, anything that will burn energy. What I really want to do is run. But I can really do that I this cell. One has been talking with me through my whole work out, trying to keep my mine off of the trial.

"Are you nervous?" she asks.

"Nervous about being sent to prison for a crime I didn't commit? Never." I say sarcastically.

"I knew you'd be cool with it." She replies.

"So, you have a boyfriend, Adam right?

"That's right Bubba; I can't be your little cheerleader."

"Bubba?"

"Yup."

"I kind of like that."

"Good, it's your new name."

"What happened to cowboy?"

"It will alter. Cowboy." I smile to myself. I've been enjoying our time together. She's not like anyone I've ever met. She doesn't sweat the small stuff. She's just being her, if you don't like it, that's your problem not hers.

I look at the mirror in front of me as I tie my tie.

"Why did you ever fall for her? You knew it wouldn't end well. Are you really that stupid?" I ask my reflection.

"I guess so." I say after getting no responds from the man in the mirror. I'm getting ready for the big trial and I'm thinking about how I got in this situation, before Bryce, before the drugs, when I was just some freshman with a crush on his next door neighbor and lifelong friend. I was too scared of rejection to ask her out then. Flash forward three years, I would do anything to go back in time and ask her out then. Even if she said no and didn't want to talk to me again, I'd get over it. At the time it was just some crush, the same kind I had on movie stars. Now, I love her. Look at me; it's like my life is a Nichols Sparks movie. A foolish boy falls for a girl with a crazy boyfriend, gets beat up by said boyfriend, and is framed for drugs. Only in movies, the boy wouldn't get sent to prison and end up with the girl. In real life, the chances of a happy ending are slim to none.

"You look hot." One calls to me. I look over to her.

"I don't want to look hot, I want to look innocent."

"Guys like you are rarely innocent. But I think you are. "

"Can I really be innocent if I brought this upon myself by no listening to people and kissing the wrong girl?"

"This isn't your fault John. And, by the way you talk about her, she wasn't the wrong girl, it was just the wrong time."

"Maybe you're right."

"Maybe? Bubba, I'm always right."

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot."

"I forgive you." Well, at least I have One here to keep things interesting.

MARINA'S POV:

I am in love with Cole. For the past few weeks I have been trying to convince myself that I wasn't, but I am. He's just so easy going and kind. I'm sitting on the coach with him and all I can think about is how amazing he is. We are talking about swimming (which I've been doing since I was five) and he's getting really into it. Today of all days I didn't think I could laugh so hard but Cole just has a way of making me forget everything. I glance down at my watch and I'm pulled back into the real world.

"Is everyone ready to go? I would hate to be late." I ask. I really hate to show up late to places. I try to always be a least fifteen minutes early to everything, a fact that drives Leia crazy.

"Yeah, I would hate to miss my best friend's first trial." Stanley says dryly. I know how hard this must be on him. Cole has done a good job of covering up how worried he is, but I can see through his walls. I sweet how much they all care about one another. We walk out the door and get into the car.

"Where are Stanley and Leia?" Ella asks. I look around. I didn't even realize that they hung back.

"I'll go get them, would hate to be late" Cole says, winking at me. He gets out of the car and starts walking back the house.

STANLEY'S POV:

I look into the mirror as I try to tie my tie. We all decided to get ready for the trial at Marina's house. I see her and Cole flirting on the couch, Ella watching them from her spot on the floor.

"Need some help?" Leia asks from behind me. Things are still a little tense with us, but you can't expect everything to change overnight.

"Yeah, if you don't mind, I've never really been good at tying ties." I tell her turning around.

"What about your school tie?" she says working on my tie.

"That's what grandmothers are for." I say and she laughs.

"Is everyone ready to go? I would hate to be late." Marina says.

"Yeah, I would hate to miss my best friend's first trial." I say dryly.

We all head towards the door and Leia grabs my arm holding me back. Oh great, I think, what did I do wrong this time? When the rooms clear she hugs me. Wow, I wasn't expecting that. She pulls back and blushes.

"Sorry, about that." She says tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"No, it's okay." I tell her.

"It's just, you looked so sad."

I sigh, "I'm not sad, I'm worried. Worried that John won't win the case, worried that Bryce will walk free with no one ever knowing about what a crappy person he really is." I look at the floor. It feels strange telling her all this, I'm not really an emotional person.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay alright. John's going to be fine." She says, bringing my head up and looking in my eyes. I never realized how beautiful she is. Her eyes, the way her hair falls down her back, how she lights up the room when she smiles. I step forward so there's no space in between us. I brush her hair back and put my hand on her cheek. She smiles and puts her hand on my waist. We lean into each other and our lips meet.