Perfect Imperfections

Nineteen

"And is it true that, on your trip to the supermarket, you met your caretaker Jake Kyle?" The lawyer asked and I glanced at Jake then nodded, forcing a smile.

"I-I had actually met him the day before, but it was only briefly. My schoolbag had ripped and he helped me pick up my things. At the supermarket, he helped me reach an item I couldn't grab then he-he gave me a lift home so I wasn't walking for thirty minutes." I said and she nodded.

"At what point did Mr. Kyle give you his phone number?" She asked and I looked at my family, who were glaring at me from the other table.

"Miss Costanza?" The woman, Luisa Marshal, called me and I looked at her.

"Your honor, I must ask that Jake Kyle comes and sits next to Miss Costanza. I have reason to believe Miss Costanza is experiencing PTSD due to the proximity of her family." Miss Marshal said and I looked at the judge, who nodded. Not even a second later, Jake was coming over and kneeling next to me.

"I'm right here, Smarty." He whispered, holding my hand and smiling up at me.

"Breathe, sweetheart, you're safe." He smiled and I nodded, closing my eyes.

"Please answer the question, Miss Costanza." The judge said and I nodded.

"I-I had left a notebook in Jake's truck, it-it was sort of like my diary. Jake returned it the day after giving me a lift home, he'd left his number and address inside with a note to me." I said and Miss Marshal nodded.

"So, Jake Kyle recognized that your family was... what is the word he used in his note to you?" She asked and I licked my lips.

"He-he said my family was overbearing, but he wasn't aware of the entire situation yet." I said and Luisa nodded.

"It was at this point he recognized the surface of your situation?" I nodded and Luisa sighed, looking at the jury.

"A man who barely met the Costanza family, who barely even knew Adalyn Jade, could see what the family had gotten good at hiding." She kept going, talking to the jury, but I clenched my eyes when I felt my hands shaking.

"Smarty, look at me." I looked at Jake then saw concern in his brown eyes.

"Hey, focus on me. You're okay, just breathe-"

"Is there a problem, Mr. Kyle?" The judge cut off the ADA, but Jake ignored her as he stood and put himself between my family and me, so I couldn't see them.

"Smarty, focus right here. You're safe, I promise!" Jake whispered and I nodded, gripping his jacket as I tried to take deep breaths.

"Mr. Kyle-"

"Can't you see it's an anxiety attack?!" He growled at the judge as I leaned forward, laying my head on his stomach and closing my eyes.

"Why is she having an anxiety attack?" The judge asked, but I snapped at her.

"Because my abusive fucking family that nearly killed me is sitting right there with smirks on their faces as I suffer!" I snarled and she looked surprised.

"Miss Costanza-"

"If you tell me to watch my motherfucking language, I swear to God himself, I will show you foul language!" I growled and looked at Jake as he held my cheeks.

"Breathe, AJ, just breathe! They won't touch you!" He soothed and I nodded.

"Miss Costanza, I'm all done." Luisa said and Jake moved to kneel next to me as my family's lawyer came towards me.

"Miss Costanza, is it true that you self harmed when you were fifteen?" He asked, pushing his hands into his pockets. I felt Jake's eyes on me, most likely swimming with surprise, but I refused to look at him.

"I did." I admitted and the lawyer nodded.

"And is it true that Michael Costanza, your father, and Marissa Costanza, your mother, put you into therapy?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yes." I said and the lawyer grabbed a folder with paper in it, looking at the paper.

"According to your therapist, a Dr. Elanor Hills, 'Adalyn Jade exhibits an overactive imagination and violent tendencies that could be a danger to herself and others around her.' That is what your therapist wrote about you, Miss Costanza. Do you deny this?" He asked and I took a deep breath.

"I don't deny that I used to read, imagine myself in different worlds where my family couldn't touch me, where I could live a different life, even if it was in my head-"

"Did you wish for a white knight to swoop in and save you?" The lawyer asked and I knew what he was getting at instantly.

"Jake Kyle isn't my fantasy white knight!" I growled and the lawyer nodded.

"But you never denied wishing for-"

"Any abuse child would wish for a white knight to swoop in and save them! My 'violent tendencies' that Dr. Hill wrote about are from when I punched my fucking brother! I did that because he was trying to shove me off of an eight foot wall into a canal with a big ass snake beneath me! I am not violent-"

"Yet, you just admitted to being violent-"

"Objection! Twisting Miss Costanza's words!" Luisa yelled and the judge nodded.

"Watch your words." She warned the family lawyer and he nodded.

"Miss Costanza, I apologize. Let's restart, shall we?" He said and smiled.

"When you moved to Bear Valley, Colorado, did you know anyone?" He asked, but I shook my head.

"No, I just knew my family." I said and he nodded.

"And yet, not even six months later, you're living with a grown man and he's now listed as your care taker. How do you explain your new found relationship with this man?" He asked, but Jake answered before I could.

"Because I know what it's like to get your ass beaten every day with nowhere to go! I wanted to give AJ somewhere to go if she needed a safe space!" He spit, which pissed off the judge.

"Mr. Kyle, you are up here for Miss Costanza!" She said and he clenched his jaw, looking at me.

"It's alright, dungeon boy." I whispered and he nodded, kneeling back down and sighing.

"Sorry."

"Jake is right, in that I needed a safe space. It doesn't take a genius to recognize the basic signs of abuse, Mr. Nash. Jake saw the classic signs of abuse in me, not with bruises, but with how I acted. He's told me time and time again that I'm more open, trying less and less to please with gifts and chores, that I'm more relaxed around him and my new friends." I said and the lawyer nodded.

"And these 'gifts' that you would use to please your family. How come we have no record of you doing anything for your family, hmm? You have a written statement of how you'd cook, clean, do laundry, your classic Cinderella story. That's pure she says, he says." He said and shrugged.

"Do you have proof that you did all the chores?" He asked and I tilted my head, ready to destroy his entire argument.