CHAPTER 17.

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I know I should be getting ready, not for school but to court and watch Xavier be convicted for a crime he did commit.

I get ready so as my mom, and we both go to the courthouse. When we enter the room, both my friends and their parents  are already there, including Xavier's mom and Daniel's aunt. I don't see Denver anywhere, but why would he be here? He has no business with Xavier, even if his daughter does. The judge comes in, and the Bailiff asks everyone to rise, and we all do. I look at Xavier who is seated on the dock, still in the same clothes from the last time I saw him. I know he's going to plead guilty but I just hope that his sentence will be lessened. The judge calls out the witnesses, which I suppose I am, but even the judge doesn't know that. Daniel comes out and says things in defense of Xavier, after swearing an oath to say nothing but the truth, also with me, Lucian, veronica, Tracy, and Rebecca. We didn't lie we just withhold the truth. Well, one of them once did.

The judge sentences him to twenty years imprisonment And stands up to leave —and the bailiff asks everyone to rise, and they do except for me and veronica. Nor of the nice things we said helped, not as we hoped.

After the judge left, people starts to leave. My mom places her hand on my shoulder but I shrug it away. Tracy and Lucian come to me, I stand up and my mom leaves.

"We tried our best," Tracy says.

"Well our best wasn't good enough," I say sadly.

Morgan joins us, and Daniel just angrily walks pass us. I fold my arms as the word twenty years echoes in my ears, over and over again. This is so wrong, Walter was wrong. Xavier does not deserve any of this.

"Sam, are you okay?" Morgan asks and brings me back to reality —which I was still trying to accept.

"I just see now that I can never really be okay," I say with a frail voice and walk out.

I see veronica crying on a bench outside the courtroom, I feel sorry for her. I feel like this is all my fault, I should have cut him some slack. I pushed him to this.

As I stand outside the building trying to calm myself, Morgan comes to me.
"Sam everything is going to be fine," he says.

"Morgan just shut up, I'm trying to bite the bullet here," I snap.

"I know you are sad right now but just let me help you."

"Help me? Like I'm sick or something? Help me to do what exactly?! Take me to that old crap cottage or a pic...picnic? You can't help me do nothing. Try helping your life to be better cause mine is so much better than yours!" I say abruptly, and I can see how beaten he is by my words.

I walk away and get into my mom's car. I glare at my mom as she applies make-up —looking up at the rare-view mirror, and this just provokes my sadness. She's flinty as steel.

"Honey, how —"

"I don't want to talk about anything, just drive," I shun her.

We get home and I walk straight to my room. I drop my bag as I sit on my bed —I give an exasperated sigh.

A few minutes later, my mom joins me, she sits beside me.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"For what?" I ask my gaze at the window.

"That I'm not able to make you happy, that I keep letting my baby be sad."

"Yeah, you should be sorry," I say.

"Xavier isn't my child, you are. And you are my first priority," she says.

I scoff and stand up. I face her.
"No, I'm not, you are your first priority. You love nobody but yourself. How can you be this heartless mom?" I say and she stands up.

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