Days Of The Sims

Episode 7 - The Hearing & Calm Music

It had been almost three weeks since the incident with Travis and Bradley, and it was now the day of the hearing for Brad's sentencing.

It was a cold, damp mid afternoon and the BFF's were getting ready for the hearing. The twenty minute ride in Trav's car was mostly quiet and uncomfortable.

"Can I put on Kelly Clarkson ?" Summer asked, breaking the quiet.

"Kind of a weird mood for it." Liberty responded.

"Why ? I'm really into her new album and it might lighten the mood."

"I think something calm might be nice." Travis said, looking out the window. "Like maybe jazz."

"You and jazz." Summer rolled her eyes, only half joking.

"How about Micheal Buble ?" Liberty suggested.
Trav picked up a basket of CDs on the floor in front of the backseats and picked out Micheal Buble's debut album.

Once in the court house, the three waited in the hallway to be called in. The girls were sitting on a bench, and Travis was pacing back and forth in front of them.

"Are you alright ?" Liberty asked.

"Y-yeah, why ?" Trav answered.

"You have to ask ?" Summer said.

"I'm just... really nervous about seeing Bradley again."

"I'm sure." Libby said, nodding.

It was quiet for a few seconds.

"Is it hot in here ?" Travis asked, tugging at his shirt collar. He was red in the face.

"No..." Summer said.

"Trav, come and sit down." Liberty said in a voice of more so telling him than asking.

He sat beside Libby on the end of the bench, now shaking.

"Take a deep breath, okay ? Just remember that after today, you never need to see him again."

"You're right..." Travis replied, deeply exhaling.

The three were called in about 10 minutes later. Travis sat beside his lawyer and the girls sat in the first row of the rows in the back of the room as witnesses until they were called up. Bradley was lead into the courtroom just a few minutes later by his lawyer and a guard. He walked in calmly but made eye contact with Travis and gave him a look with his eyes that said "You're so dead". Trav just whipped his head in the other direction, feeling a flood of bad memories wash over him.

Throughout the trial, everyone gave their statements and pictures were shown of bruises and various wounds that Travis had gotten over time from the abuse. Between all the witnesses, and the nurses from the hospital when he was beaten, there was no way Brad could've denied that he did anything. On top of this, two other men came forward to police recently about how they were treated during their past relationships Bradley. These men said that Brad had called them degrading slurs, punched and kicked them. Although by the time he started dating Travis, he became worse because he was getting away with it. Trav had been shoved into walls, pushed down stairs, had hard objects thrown at him, and had even been strangled several times. At the end of the hearing, the judge sentenced Bradley Hendricks to 1 year in prison.

The three drove back home with Summer driving. It was now dark out and the Buble CD was on the second to last song. As they were about one block away from the house, they saw a red haired woman sitting on a chair on their porch. When they got a little closer, she turned her head towards the sound of the car and they all instantly recognized the tan face as Katrina. Summer felt her heart drop to her stomach, knowing why she must've been there.

"Oh no..." Travis said, who sitting beside her.

Summer pulled into her usual spot on the side of the road, already seeing Katrina's angry, red face through the car window. She stepped out and Kat didn't yell but said in an angry, firm voice,
"You slut..."

Summer didn't say anything but had a look on her face like she was mad but scared at the same time.

"I've treated you like a daughter since you've been talking to Dina and this is how you repay us ?!" She walked down the three porch steps and started approaching Summer. Liberty and Travis got closer to their friend, fearing this was gonna escalate.

"Umm..." Summer just mumbled awkwardly. What was she even supposed to say in this situation ?

"You know Dina hates you now !"

"Katrina, I-" Summer slowly started but got cut off.

"I don't need to hear it ! Just stay the fuck away from me and my girls !" Kat yelled. "I don't ever wanna see your face again !" She got right in Sum's face before storming off to her car parked near the house.

Tears ran down Summer's cheeks as she ran in the house, the other two following. Libby tossed her purse onto the coffee table in the living room and let out a sigh.

"I'll check on her in a second." She said to Travis, grabbing a cup from a kitchen cabinet to fill with water.

"How are you holding up ?" She asked Trav, who was sitting at the island.
He ran his hands down his face and replied, "I don't know. I just can't take much more stress today."

"You look exhausted, honestly." She said before taking a sip of water.
"I'll be back in a bit."