Aleni Caras sat in the courtroom, her heart pounding in her chest. She had been here before, but it never got any easier. Her older brother, Peter, was standing before the judge, his head bowed in shame.
Aleni tried to keep her gaze fixed on Peter, but her eyes kept straying to the people sitting behind her. The judge, the prosecutor, the jury. They were all watching her brother, judging him, and by extension, judging her.
The judge spoke in a stern voice. "Peter Caras, you have been found guilty of possession of a controlled substance. You will be sentenced to six months in a rehabilitation facility, followed by six months of probation."
Peter nodded silently, and Aleni felt a surge of anger rise up inside her. It wasn't fair. Peter had made a mistake, but he wasn't a criminal. He needed help, not punishment.
But she didn't say anything. She knew better than to speak out of turn in a courtroom. She just sat there, trying to keep her emotions in check.
After the hearing was over, Aleni walked out of the courtroom with Peter. He looked pale and shaken, and Aleni put a reassuring arm around his shoulder.
"It's going to be okay," she said. "I'll be there for you every step of the way."
Peter nodded weakly, and Aleni knew that the road ahead would be long and difficult. But she was determined to help her brother, no matter what it took.
As they walked out of the courthouse and into the bright sunlight, Aleni realized that this was only the beginning. The real work was yet to come.
As Aleni and Peter walked out of the courthouse, memories flooded her mind. She thought back to the last time she had seen Peter before he got arrested, when their family had visited him to give him his luggage before he moved to another state.
In her mind, she saw the image of a much younger Peter, his face bright with excitement at the prospect of starting a new life. She remembered how he had hugged her and told her how much he loved her, promising to stay in touch and visit as often as he could.
But as time passed, those visits became less frequent. Peter stopped calling, and when he did, he was always distant and evasive. Aleni could sense that something was wrong, but she didn't know what.
Then, one day, the phone call came. Peter had been arrested for drug possession. Aleni's parents were devastated, and Aleni herself was in shock. She couldn't believe that her brother, her role model, could be involved in something like this.
Now, as Aleni walked with Peter, she could see the pain and shame etched on his face. She wanted to help him, to make things right, but she didn't know how. She was just a high school student, barely making ends meet, with no experience dealing with addiction.
But as they got into her car, Aleni made a decision. She would do whatever it took to help her brother get back on his feet. She would research rehab facilities, talk to counselors, and be there for him every step of the way.
As they drove away from the courthouse, Aleni felt a sense of determination fill her. She was going to do whatever it took to help her brother, no matter how hard it got. Because that's what family does.
