Everything We Always Were

Seventeen: Teachings

I had never been to a courtroom before, but I didn't have the energy or time to look at my surroundings. I had to drive 3 hours to get here yesterday, and now again today for the end of the hearing and verdict.

Hours sitting in chairs without cushions, listening to teenage girls tell their stories about what Kyler did to them.

It was sickening, and if I didn't have self-control, I would have gutted him for the entire courtroom to see and hung him up on the flagpole outside.

I wasn't surprised that Delia didn't come, but I was surprised when her mother showed up. She acknowledged me, standing there in a pantsuit in the back of the courtroom, she winked at me. Every other time I had looked at her, she was either staring at the girl on the stand or at Kyler.

She didn't say anything to me.

When Tory arrives, she makes an entrance. It's right after the last girl makes her statement. She bursts through the doors with a triumphant "Am I late?" and then walks her fake-tanned legs up to the judge.

She gave her testimony, and left the entire courtroom aside from me, shocked. I smile at her when she catches my eye, and she also sends me a wink. But I am sure it means something completely different than what Delia's mom's wink meant.

It was a relief when the sentence was given. Although, it is not as much as I would have wanted. I accept it either way, a wicked grin on my face as I watch him get manhandled by the Sheriff through the doors. We make eye contact for a split second before the door closes behind him. We share the same grin, and I feel my body run cold. Rage, seeping into my vision, until I'm forced to inhale sharply, a hand on my shoulder.

"James?"

"Mrs. Hunts," I know it's her by the immediate waft of expensive perfume as I turn to address her. "Is Delia with you?"

I knew the answer before she said it, but there was still an ounce of hope. "No, and she doesn't know that I'm here, so don't tell her," She points at me, and even though she is barely the same height as Delia, she does scare me.

Being scared of the mother of the girl you love is normal.

"How's your mother?" Her tone is clipped, and her eyes dart around like she is nervous. But that would be absurd because Mrs. Hunts never gets nervous.

"She's well," I nod, trying to follow her eyes to my left, but only finding empty chairs. "As well as she can be in the last year of her life,"

She looked taken aback, like I had offended her. "Is she in pain?"
"She is on a lot of medications," I shrug, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets. "They help, sometimes."

"That's..." Her eyes take one final look around the room before she angles her body away from me like she is about to dart out the door. "That's good. I have to get back to work now, James. Drive safe,"

As she turns, she blows me a kiss, which isn't uncommon, and then disappears out the courtroom doors. I'm not too far behind her, but I hadn't planned on going home.

The last court day was on a Friday, and I had taken off of school like everyone else involved did, and then I rented a motel room for the weekend. It's only a two-hour drive, but I had something else I planned on doing while I was here.

When I woke up this morning, my back was stiff and my neck desperately needed to be cracked. It pushes me to sit up and crack it, before taking a semi-cold shower in the tiny, dingy bathroom, and getting dressed.

Maria originally told me that I shouldn't do this. She didn't take that back, but she did encourage me to be safe when I left and also told me to tell her the results of the case. I forgot to last night so I sent her a quick message with the verdict.