Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
today was rakeem's final court date, his true sentencing. simoné was beyond anxious, she was too eager but so terrified of what was bound to happen. she brushed her lashes and retouched her gloss before grabbing her purse. she headed out the door and made her way to the court house. two previous nights before she'd dropped laveah off with her honey. she stopped for a quick gas stop and headed back on the road after a while, her head was clear but in a daze. all she could think about was her kids sake, not hers nor rakeem's. she'd be broken if he ended up getting time.
all she wanted was the perfect life for her babies although she'd have no comfort from her man when she needed him but she just wanted all she had for her little ones, she knew if he was in jail they'd never get that. and it was her biggest fear. so she tried to keep her mind focused so she'd make it there carefully. once finally arrived, she gulped. dreaded the worse or best moment of her life, she pressed the door open to the security room. they carefully checked and observed her before finally allowing her to enter the courthouse.
a tear shed from her eye as she sat down in the third row, placing her phone on do not disturb before putting it back into her purse. after twenty minutes, rakeem was brought out. he looked worse than last time, as if he were a common stranger. she'd never seen him like this before even though she'd seen him in almost every condition possible. he looked as if he'd been restless for days, his cheeks were hallowed and he looked sickly. they made eye contact and he frowned, it made her break down. she instantly smothered her eyes in hands, trying her best to stay tamed emotionally.
the thought of him having to spend what would feel like forever in those isolated walls just didn't sit right with her soul, her man trapped, no way to constantly have him around with his joy. his scent, and his touch. her father was constantly like a toe dip into a hot bathtub with being present during her childhood. one week he was with his other family, then another he was with her and her siblings. then after a while he'd go on a hiatus from either family. with all of the long term stress and damage it caused her growing up, she'd never bring this upon her babies.
her breath trembled as she looked up, in soft shock. his head was down, he was emotionless. all they both wanted was to be back into the happy comfort of their little growing family, all together. the judge gracefully walked into the courtroom, a tight slicked back bun and glasses as expensive looking as they'd come along with her brown pale presenting skin made her immediately stick out to simoné, it gave her great fear to say the least. she sat down and quickly pounded her gavel against the small sound block, "all rise!" she said, making everyone stand from their seatings.
simoné stood straight, trying her best to put on a hopeful face. she kept her eyes on rakeem, watching his every move as her fists became tensioned. "today we're speaking on the behalf of rakeem ellis." judge mara said as everyone nodded. after an hour of explanations from different lawyers and multiple other court figures were heard. it was time for rakeem and noelle's finals statement, simoné dreaded this moment more than anything. her stomach sunk as the judge called noelle up, her heels clicked against the hard carpeted court floors.
her heels and over glossed lips heavily moving together as she placed herself into the court booth seat. she fixed her posture before clearing her throat, waiting at action as the examiner cleared his voice. "so noelle, can you give a us a brief summary of what happened the night rakeem allegedly bursted into your single loft?" said the examiner as he licked his thumb, moving to a different sheet of paper he was reading through.
"well as testified previously in my statement, i and my little sister; mahlia. were both sleeping in my bedroom at around maybe twelve in the morning? we heard a few loud bangs against my doors and a few windows but we just assumed it was a tree or wind. until, he bursted into my home. snatching both me and my sister from under covers." noelle said, forcing a tear after constantly moving her sight from the court center to the upper right.
the examiner nodded, giving her permission to go on. "he first snatched me, then he slapped me. speaking an his most deranged tone he told me he'd kill me if i didn't leave him and his family alone." noelle said while she wiped her little tears away. "he then began to choke me.. all i remember was my sister crying in the corner of my bed as she watched me near black out.. and once i gained full consciousness i woke up to him choking my sister as he felt on her breasts and shoved himself into her-" she looked in rakeem's eyes, giving the slightest smirk. then before she could finish, the examiner quickly noticed her facial expressions towards him.
"so can you please explain the reasoning for why you just clearly smirked across judge mara's court as you spoke?" he said as his face shifted to a very stern and irritated expression.
"or miss. hayes, you're framing this man due to the fact he ended his relationship with you. this is very common and you purposely doing this will end in long term prison time for you instead of mr. ellis." the examiner said, staring into her eyes with a nod after his sentence. "you understand this right?" he finished. you could tell noelle was becoming very nervous, her fists rested on the chair guardings as she cleared her throat. "yes sir i do, and i swear i wouldn't lie around legal figures as yourself and judge mara." noelle said.
"so, how did you really come up with this story? was it out of spite and anger? because i have full recordings of a full conversation you had with mr. ellis miss?" rakeem's lawyer said as he stood. "OBJECTION." noelle's lawyer said. "objection rejected." judge mara said. "my client is obviously a man who has zero interest in either noelle or her sister. may i play our clip?" rakeem's lawyer said as noelle's lawyer sighed while sitting down in disappointment.
"yes you may mr. manning's." judge mara said as she hit her gravel, shouting "silence and play it." afterwards. his lawyer played the clip of noelle trying to convince rakeem into using her daughter and her explanation of this plan. mr manning's hit play and sat back down, folding his hands as the recording played over the court speakers. halfway through, a light of gasps spread through the courtroom along with mumbles. "judge this is fak-" noelle tried to speak, judge mara lightly tapped her sound block with her gravel. "silence!" she said to silence all but the video.
after the video finished, a twenty minute recess was called, once back it was the final decision. "i here say, in the final case call of rakeem ellis on account of false statutory rape and domestic violence accusations not guilty." judge mara said, taking her glasses of and laying them beside her sound block. "and what do you file as?" she said looking at rakeem. "not guilty." he said with a nod.
"this case has now been closed, final release will be filled on june thirtieth year of twenty, twenty one. court has now been dismissed." judge mara said with a sigh before her final words.
"as for miss noelle hayes, we call due to see you again here in this court july tenth, eleven twenty seven. if you skip this date you will be charged with an extra few years on penalty of false rape and abuse, as well as a three thousand dollar fine." judge mara ordered. "court arise, thank you jury, for your services today. court is now adjourned." judge mara finally finished with a weak smile towards rakeem as she stood up after hitting her gravel loudly one last time.
rakeem looked up, sighing loudly in happiness. a thousand pounds were lifted off him and simone's shoulders. after a few days, he'd be home. on house arrest, but at home. this was all they needed to hear to get them over the roof tops. a month held back, and a forever to go. jumping over the roof tops was the only way to describe how they felt, beyond happiness.
