Five Words

Chapter 24

~Ace

Two years earlier...

They tell me I paid for drugs. They tell me I bought liquor. They tell me I sold drugs to my friends. They tell me I was on drugs. They tell me I was tested for drugs and it came out positive. They tell me I did different kinds of drugs. They tell me I was high on cocaine and ecstasy. They tell me there were cameras. They tell me they were set up by my dad. They tell me they captured everything. They tell me it filmed me holding her down and having my way with her. They tell me I'm lying. They tell me it is all my fault. They tell me I have put her life on the line. They tell me I put everyone's lives on the line. They tell me some of my friends overdosed. They tell me some of them had gone through nausea seizures and disorientation. They tell me they were driven to the hospital along with Sarah. They tell me what I did.

They show me the video and damn they were good. I'm not the one in the video. I know that. Because that is not my body. But the man in the video looks exactly like me. His face doesn't show. But his back does. We have the same body frame. The same hairstyle. The same posture. But he's not me. I tell him I can't watch it anymore when he starts pulling her inside. I can see her screaming. Yelling. Calling for help. But no one is there to help her.

They're not listening to me. I keep telling them I didn't do it. I know I didn't do it. I keep telling them someone must've slipped something in my drink. I tell them I don't remember anything from that night. I tell them I didn't buy the drugs. I tell them I don't know who the dealer is. I tell them I didn't do drugs. I tell them I never did drugs. I tell them I didn't rape the girl I love. I tell them all I did was arrange a surprise birthday party for her. I tell them Eric helped me. I tell them I have been framed. But they're not listening to me. They're not trying to listen to me. They don't believe me. No one believes me.

I am on trial. My lawyer has told me that I have nothing to worry about. He has told me that everything will be okay as long as Sarah says that I didn't do it.

My mother has been hopeful. Because she knows how much I love Sarah, and she knows that I would never hurt her. She believes me, and I love her for that.

My father hasn't been so sure. He has said that if I wasn't guilty, I wouldn't have been locked up. He has said that he would wait until Sarah speaks the truth.

Every day, I was less and less sure of my words. I couldn't remember anything, but somehow, I was sure that I wouldn't have ever forced Sarah to do something she didn't want. I would never hurt her, especially not physically. I have had hope.

I am seated beside my lawyer. My father and mother behind me with Eric beside them. Everyone at the party who has testified either against me or with me is here. There are whispers here and there. I can hear them clearly, but I am focusing on what will happen next. I am so ready for this nightmare to be over. I am so ready to reunite with Sarah. I am so ready to hold her between my arms and comfort her. I am so ready to be free again.

The room falls silent, the moment the double doors open. Sarah walks in. She's not my Sarah. I can't recognize her. It has been almost a month from the last time I saw her and she has changed, so much. I can see it in her eyes, the pain, the suffering. She is broken. Her steps aren't confident. Her steps are small and cautious like she is afraid. Of course, she is afraid and I don't blame her. Tears are crystallized in her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks. I can see that she is trying to be strong, to get this over with.

She is wearing black. I hate that. Sarah rarely wore black. And seeing her in it, in such a situation, breaks my heart. But this will end. We will get past this together. I know that we will.

She walks past me without glancing my way. She doesn't seek comfort from me like she always did whenever she was nervous. She doesn't glance my way. It is driving me insane. Why didn't she look at me?

Her lawyer asks her to speak and tell her story. My mind does not wonder why she hasn't looked at me. But it starts wondering why she said that I raped her.

"Ace had a surprise party planned for me that night. Eric, his best friend, helped him organize it and everything. All of my friends were there, including Daniel my ex-boyfriend and my best friend. I didn't know that Daniel's father, Thompson, and Ace's father were rivals. I didn't know that they had troubles between them. Ace never mentioned it to me and neither did Daniel."

She wipes a tear that escapes her eye, "Daniel and I were talking that night. I don't really remember what it was about but it was a friendly talk. Ace got so mad at me for talking to him and he yanked me into the kitchen to talk about it. He started yelling at me for speaking with Daniel. He told me to stop talking to him and tell him to leave or else... he didn't say anything afterward so I begged him to let it go since it was my birthday and we'll talk about it in the morning when he was calm a bit."

"He didn't mention it for the rest of the night, and it went smoothly till everyone started to leave. I told him that I wanted to go home, but he told me that he warned me about not talking to Daniel and that I defied him so he dragged me into the living room and threw me on the floor. He locked the door and...umm..." she is trying her hardest not to break down right there, "He started pulling at my dress, and he...umm...he was yelling at me and I was screaming—"

"YOU'RE A FUCKING LIAR, SARAH. HOW DARE YOU LIE AFTER ALL THAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU?" It is Eric's voice, "I SAW YOU THAT NIGHT. YOU DIDNT EVEN TALK TO THAT DANIEL GUY, YOU FUCKING BITCH."

The judge slams his mallet twice on the table, "Order."

Eric doesn't let it up and continues, "IF YOU DIDNT SAY THE TRUTH, I WILL END YOU."

Two of the men beside the judge take ahold of Eric's arms and they drag him outside, while he is still yelling at her, threatening her to say the truth.

I hear my mom cry, while my father is cursing at me for being a disgrace. My whole world crumbles in a matter of seconds and just when I think it can't get any worse, Sarah says the magic words. Her lawyer asks her if it's true if I raped her.

"Ace Meyers raped me." She is crying now without holding back.

Ace Meyers raped me.

I raped Sarah Keyes is what she said.

I see them. I see people moving, people talking. I can see the judge speaking to me. I can feel my lawyer calling my name, tugging at my sleeveBut I am focused on her. On Sarah. The girl who wrapped her fingers around my heart and crushed it between her hands, yanking it out of my chest. She is the girl who I thought was in love with me. She looks right back at me, eyes full of tears, fear, and pain. I want to ask her why did she lie to the judge? Why is she throwing me under the bus?

Her tears won't stop, no matter how much she tries to wipe them, they keep coming back. That's when I see it, the ring. Her promise ring. I look down at my hand and find mine. Then I look back up at her. I have promised to always love her and protect her. And she drove a stake right through my heart. I slip the ring off my finger and throw it at her.

This is agony. This is the shit they talk about in books and movies. This, this is heartbreak. I've thought I knew what people meant when they said that they're broken, but I was wrong. This is unadulterated pain.

I can feel my heart thrumming against my chest so harshly, I feel that it will burst out of my chest. I can hear my heartbeat echoing so loudly that it is the only sound I hear. Blood is rushing to my brain too quickly, and I feel dizzy. My breaths come out in short spurts, and I feel like I am drowning. My eyes start to lose their focus, and everything around me blurs. My hands feel numb, and I try to rub my hands together but I don't feel anything. I'm suffocating. I'm literally suffocating. My chest is burning up, and I feel hot all over. The pain in my chest is increasing by the second, and I can't differentiate between physical pain and the pain I am feeling because of Sarah.

I don't understand what is happening to me. I try to calm myself down. But I can't. Tears fill my eyes because the air isn't filling my lungs. My lungs are in desperate need of air but they aren't getting any. I grab my lawyers arm to find his other arm already holding me.

"I can't breathe," I whisper to him, hoping that he'll hear me.

His lips are moving, but all I can hear is my heart before my eyes flutter closed. I pray for the pain to end, because I don't know how I'll survive if it continues.