Face off

Yes Your Honour, hes a Liar Your Honour

Apparently consent was the false finale. This was the real kicker.

I looked over to Chase, seeing his mouth agape, just as mine had been. Wyatt was the same way. We looked like a weird rendition of three stooges.

" Mr Saunders are you telling me that Mr. Andrews," he gestured towards our table " is the one who actually assaulted Ms. Birkett on that night? Out of what? Jealousy?" This time it was Judge Booker who spoke. He pulled his glasses down the bridge of his nose.

"Yes your honour. I ran as soon as I was free of him, I heard Willow scream then I turned around in time to see him swing. He caught her left cheek. They both went to the ground then I- I tirned and ran. I wanted to help but I was so beat up that I was worried what would happen if I went back. It was cowardly," Will hung his head in mock shame, while Cruize have him a look of pity

That lying little prick.
I felt my face go red up to my ears, and opened my mouth.

"Your honour this was an unexpected accusation," John spoke instead, cutting off what was about to be contempt. "I saw nothing in the evidence submission to supplement the claim,"
"Mr Cruize? "

" Mr Saunders had explained in his police questioning that he was assaulted by Mr Andrews and that he had seen him assault Ms Birkett, but the officer in question neglected to put the assault on Ms Birkett into the report as he assumed it was false. It was not until another officer who was present at the time brought it to our attention that we knew of it. Which was this morning. We didn't have enough time to get it submitted."

What. The. Fuck.

" I see. So this claim is purely spoken and not proven at this time?"

"Yes your honour"

" Well then I hope you intend to gather the evidence to prove it, as this matter will now be going to trial,"

Good news, the charges weren't dropped. Bad news is it was no longer whether I was assaulted, but who did it's

"In the meantime, Chase Andrews will not be charged at this time as The defendant had chosen not to press charges at the time of filing the report. Unless anything has changed?" Cruize agreed, nothing had changed. "However. I do believe based on these photos Ms. Birkett that something did take place given the severity of the bruising. If it is proven that you have filed false charges to protect Mr. Andrews, both yourself and Mr Andrews with both be held accountable to the full extent of the law. Am I understood?"

"Yes your honour," Chase and I deadpanned.

"Now given the nature of the situation, I move to have the non contact order stay in place. Mr Saunders is not to be within one hundred meters of Ms Birkett or places Ms. Birkett is known to frequent. There is to be no phone calls, Text messages or other telecommunications of any sort from one party to another. Though J would like to include Mr. Andrews into this as well with the same conditions," he wrote notes as he spoke, then waited for a response.

"Permission to speak your honour," Henderson stated

"Permission granted,"

" Although I agree with the non contact, there are some complications with that moving forward. Both Mr Andrews and Mr Saunders okay for their college hockey team. They play each other fairly often in one of their home arenas, and if Mr Andrews is present and Birkett would most likely be there as well,".

Judge Booker thought for a moment. "Very well. I would hate to see two promising young men lose out of a future career due to this situation. I don't see the need to force one or both of you out of the games. So the one exception to this will be any home or away games involving the other team. However. There will be absolutely no verbal, non verbal, physical, or telecommunications between the parties in the event they are at the same arena. If this is violated in any way, both of you may not enter the arena for those games. Am I understood?"