Love at Booker T.

Chapter 20

Thursday.
I wake up to Janet's soft voice, and realize it's Thursday.
The day we have court.
The day me & Sophia have to face my mom & Shawn.

I get out of my bed, heading to the bathroom.
"Janet, I'm going to take a shower," I say.
She nods, rubbing her face.

••••

I look at my hair in the mirror.. what to do with my braids today?
I'd pull them back into a ponytail & smooth my baby hairs out.. that would look ok.

After getting done with my hair, I look at my outfit.. black dress pants, a white collar shirt, a black cardigan, and my black flats.
Then, Janet comes into the bathroom, both of us admiring ourselves in the mirror.

"We're going to walk away from the courthouse chuckling." Janet says, rubbing my back.
I nod. "Right."

We both chuckle.
"Janet, Simone, and Sophia! Let's go," Auntie Keisha yells.

Me & Janet both grab our purses and turn the lights off in our room. We run out the door, and I can see Sophia's shadow.

Trinity had went to my dad's mom's house, since she really had no say today in court.

We pile into the car. Janet sits in the front, me & Sophia in the back.. the one seat left is for Jamal.

Auntie Keisha went up the street to get Jamal. She reaches his house and blows the horn.

When I see Jamal, my eyes grew wide. He was in a suit, and he looked like a professor. I was chuckling inside, but he was still a cute boyfriend.

He gets into the back with me & Soph, and smirks..
It's funny how a boy so cute could be doing this for a girl like me.. out the projects. Every boy that had liked me where like Shawn- ugly.

"Good morning Jamal," Me & Auntie Keisha say in unison.
Sophia & Janet wave.
"Good morning," He replies.
"You ready?" She asks him.
"Yes Ma'm," He says.
"Good.. remember to be truthful."
Jamal nods. "Yes, I will."

I told Jamal to have manners around Auntie Keisha. He wasn't disrespectful, it's just how adults get really mad when a teenager says 'Yeah.'

Janet told me Quan had said 'Yeah' once to Auntie Keisha and she wouldn't talk to him until he apologized. So, I didn't want the same happening to Jamal.

We arrive at the courthouse.
"Ok. I'm going to let everyone sit here for a minute to get all their thoughts together, and then we'll go in," Auntie Keisha says.

I think for the whole minute. I should remain calm, cool, and collected.. hold my head up, and show mom & Shawn that me or Soph wasn't worrying.

I breathe in and out. Deep breaths.
"Time to go in." Auntie Keisha says.

Every one of us get out of the car, and we start walking towards the door.

We walk in, and have to go through a security scan, to make sure we don't have any weapons on us.

Auntie Keisha goes up to bailiffs, us following behind her.
"Excuse me, where is Family Court?" She asks.

The man points to the right.
"Right down this hall," He takes the paper Auntie Keisha is holding in her hand.
"And, you will be in the third courtroom on the right, in the Family Court section."

"Thank you." Auntie Keisha says.
We follow her down the hall, and I see the sign in big, bold letters:
FAMILY COURT

Auntie Keisha finally spots the third courtroom on the right, and we enter.
It's kind of cold in there, but I had to do whatever to not go back with my mom and Shawn.

And then, that's when I see Mom & Shawn smirking at us, sitting in the benches.
I cringe..