*pls read author's note*
Breathing heavily, she emerged from the hot water. She inhaled fresh oxygen, rubbing the water droplets from her eyes. Eleanor smoothed her hair down, holding out a towel that Connor walked into. Eleanor handed her the towel, pulling the plug out of the drain to let the water run out of the tub.
"You ready to get dressed, doll?" Eleanor choked.
It was the day. It was the day that justice would or would not be served. Everyone was on the farthest edge, shaking from head to toe. Eleanor's teeth had been chattering for two hours now, Connor's hairs stood straight up, and Louis' neck had chill bumps. To say the least, they were nervous.
Connor was the least nervous. For some reason, it had triggered in her brain what day it was, and as soon as she saw the sun, her mind clouded over. She was just going through the motions, letting everything take place without contributing to life's occurrences. Which sent a sense of security over Louis and Eleanor, yet they were still afraid she would snap out of it any second.
"Here," Eleanor whispered, holding out Connor's jeans so she could step into them. It took a bit of effort on Eleanor's part, seeing as they weren't her usual sweatpants.
She slid the matching top over Connor's head, pulling her dripping hair out of the neck. She adjusted it, pulling on the sleeves and straightening the collar out. El plugged in the hair dryer and began to dry Connor's hair. She jumped a bit when Eleanor turned it on, but then zoned back out.
Eleanor went on to prepare Connor for the day until Connor looked just like the princess she was.
"El!" Louis weakly called from the living room.
The pair appeared from the bathroom, ready to face the public.
"Yes?" She said, smoothing her skirt and turning her necklace around properly.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Connor?" Eleanor spoke, turning to Connor's vacant stare. She nodded her head, and laced her arm through Eleanor's. They headed out the door with Louis by their side.
Once they got downstairs and out to the front of the apartment building, they saw the crowd here to support Connor. The protestors had not left since they gathered, but now they all held up the same sign, with one bold word printed on it. Everyone began cheering loudly when they saw her, screaming encouraging words, yet keeping safe distances.
"Oh, my God," Connor whispered, this shaking her to reality.
"No," Louis breathed, not believing the sight before him.
Eleanor was shaking her head, reading this word over and over on each poster for as far as she could see. "They really love you, Connor," she added.
Connor covered her mouth to stop the loud sobs from escaping. The word flashed through her mind over and over, bringing back memories of when Harry used to call her that.
"That's bloody smart: unCONditional," Louis repeated the word.
Connor choked on her breath, not wanting to hear anyone say that word. Not wanting to give anyone the privilege of speaking such a sacred nickname. She was overwhelmed with the kindness and dedication of all her supporters, but using something she held so dear to her heart hit her home.
"Let's go, please," Connor murmured, walking through the crowd to the car.
The trip to the courthouse was extended because of the citizens supporting her in the streets. She could hear the chanting from the backseat of the big, black car. Everybody was calling her name and waving at her, while she just calmly kept her eyes ahead, waiting for the impending arrival, which came incredibly too soon. In what seemed like the blink of an eye for Connor, but was about twenty minutes in reality, they parked in front of the large building.
"Let's get it over with," Connor whispered, after the three of them took a huge breath.
"Agreed," Louis nodded, climbing out of the car.
They took the steps together, climbing up the many stairs in front of them. Cameras were everywhere, taking pictures of their every move. They entered the building, finding the right room, and then shyly sitting in the rows toward the back.
See, last night, late at night, Connor went with Eleanor. Eleanor helped her sign the papers and press the charges, and Connor was yet again notified that she must go to the trial tomorrow, which was a heavy weight on everyone's heart.
Connor leaned her head on Eleanor's shoulder, quietly waiting for all the noise to settle and for the trial to begin. They still had about five minutes, the tension and nerves rising with every tick of the clock.
The chatter subsided and everyone sat down. Connor noticed Anne ahead of her, accompanied by Robin and Gemma. The rest of the boys were here and so were Luke, Calum, Michael, and Ashton. Connor's parents were here, sitting in the front. Lou, Lux, Josh, and Paul were all together, whispering.
Eleanor removed herself to go to the bathroom, promising that she would be right back. Connor scooted a bit closer to Louis, feeling she was vulnerable without Eleanor at her hip.
Then, silence fell upon the room before Connor could blink. She looked around seeing one thing she did not want to see. An orange jumpsuit hanging onto the body of the man with green eyes and greasy brown hair.
Her body froze, acting as a statue. Louis grabbed her hand, stroking it subtlety. Connor was out, everything becoming a blur.
All she took in was that Eleanor passed her, never coming back to sit with her, heading straight to the front. Apparently, Eleanor was pleading Connor's case. The judge entered, but Connor didn't rise. They questioned Harry first, and he was fully on this planet unlike Connor, whom he could see frozen and teary-eyed from the stand.
He swore to the truth, meaning it unlike other criminals who had sat where he was at the moment. They asked him if he was under the influence.
"Yes."
They showed his BAC level: 0.21. They asked him what he could remember about that night.
"Nothing, but I know what I did."
They showed him pictures of Connor and her bruises that made him cry. Blood everywhere, choking him. Her face, a look of peace in her sleeping state, made him want to kill himself. They asked him if he knew he raped her.
"Yes."
He was dismissed.
He watched Connor's lawyer plead her case, not really paying any attention to the words that were said. Eleanor was interrogated as a witness, refusing to even look Harry's way. She must have said important things, seeing as she got applause many times.
She stepped down and the jury announced that it had reached the verdict.
The courtroom got impossibly quieter. Connor and Harry zoned back in. No one was breathing. They were both sure he would be punished as he should, but the ignorance of this nation irked them to the very core.
Guilty.
ALRIGHT SO NO NO. WAIT. THE EPILOGUES ARE COMING. THERE WILL BE THREE. HERE IS THE "SCHEDULE" FOR THE REST OF THE BOOK. PLEASE STICK AROUND.
epilogue one
epilogue two
epilogue three
authors note/ thank you
playlist
questions/answers
deleted scene
story secrets
PLEASE STICK AROUND ITS NOT OVER LOVES xx
YOU ARE READING
shorts || h.s.
Fanfiction"next time don't wear those damn shorts." I'm trying to make this as real as I possibly can. this will involve what actually goes on in a rape environment and the circumstances of the events--leading up to and following-- so that this community can...
