Glass House

TWENTY-SIX

I erupted into tears when the judge said the words not guilty. I could feel Tabitha hugging me, I could feel Charlie rubbing my shoulders, I could feel how wet my face was becoming, but what mattered most was what I felt on the inside: peace. An overwhelming sensation of peace swept away every last bit of anxiety in my body.

School didn't matter. Nas and Santana's possible baby didn't matter. Charlie didn't matter. My job didn't matter. The one thing that could've truly inhibited my life was no longer an obstacle, and I took my not guilty verdict as a new opportunity to treat every decision I would make next with care.

The cherry on top was that I could never been tried again for this crime, so I wouldn't been seeing a courthouse again for the rest of my life.

I started to feel bad for Fallon. Something deep in me wanted to run over there and give her a hug. She didn't tell me what familial battles she was facing but her willingness to share information played a huge hand in my freedom. Did I owe her? She wasn't even from Arizona, so where would she go? Back to Minnesota? These were questions that had nothing to do with me, but I found myself caring anyway. She would walk out of this court room alone, and I felt empathetic. I guess she had my number and if she needed something, she knew how to reach me.

The shock of being an officially free woman settled in, as the judge kicked us all out. There was no time to revel or celebrate, because there was a case immediately after mine in the same courtroom.

Tabitha and I stood before I pulled her into a long hug, slightly rocking her back-and-forth.

"You deserve this," she whispered into my ear. I responded with loud, uneven sniffles in her ear, which made her laugh.

"So what you about to do?" Charlie asked me with an unsure smile as I pulled away from her mom.

"Go home and take a nap," I laughed through my tears.

She nodded her head, nervously hitting her fists together.

"I'll see you later, Char," I said as I gave her hand a squeeze.

She just nodded again, not wanting to read too deeply into our interaction.

I hugged Tabitha another time before grabbing my bag and walking down the center aisle by myself.

I could see Nas on the other side of the open double doors waiting but I didn't feel any particular emotion as I walked up to him. I don't think anything could dull my moment right now.

I let him kiss me on my forehead, and for a moment, everything was perfect.

I wrapped my arms around his stomach and buried my face into his chest. I missed him. He instinctively did the same, resting his chin on top of my head. As my tears soaked his shirt, he rubbed my back and squeezed me tighter. This is exactly where I wanted to be, but I still couldn't bring myself to fall back just because my emotions were high.

"Can I take you somewhere, Indica?" he asked, grabbing both of my hands.

"I really just wanna go home. I'm exhausted."

His face told me that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he kissed my forehead again and released me from his arms.

"You wanna come?" I asked, not letting him go.

"You sure??"

"You want me to change my mind?"

"Uh, nah! N-no," he stuttered.