Her Brother's Best Friend - Aching Hearts Series #2

Chapter 29 - Unfortunate Circumstances

CHAPTER 29 - UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES

Sometimes things can take a weird turn. All that is needed is a mix of circumstances that shouldn't mingle with each other. For instance, an aggression and the eye of a law enforcement. For instance, two witnesses and the victim's good lawyer.

That's the ensemble of circumstances that turned Jason's life upside down.

He'd been busy beating the snot out Chad, not even caring to listen as Vanessa tried to stop him from the car, when he was surprised to find himself cuffed. You see, fate wanted that a police officer was just nearby grabbing a hot dog, and she had the guts to do what Chad's friends didn't, namely, grab a hold of the assaulter and put a stop to that gruesome scenario.

The result was a night in jail and a summon for a trial, whose date was surprisingly close, and, as much surprisingly, it was conducted so quickly that it resembled the unbelievable. Maybe it was because the judge particularly abhorred violence. Maybe it was because there was no reason to linger, the culprit was known, the act had witnesses, not to mention proofs that could fade away quickly.

Proofs such as the injuries the assault provoked on the victim, which included four broken ribs, bruises all over the face and body, a broken arm, a sprained neck. Without considering, of course, the emotional wound. Because, being attacked when one is so peacefully and innocently hanging out with his friends, that causes a huge trauma.

Or maybe the trial was quick because the judge had been bribed. Not even the well-known lawyer Renée Evans could do much. For Chad Meyers, having friends on the dark side was a huge bonus to being drug dealers' lackey.

Six months was far way too little if compared to the injuries the poor victim had been submitted to, the attorney had stated, but, the victim, for how traumatized, was willing to be magnanimous.

Vanessa, from her part, would have wanted to cut in, tell Renée about what Chad did to her, so that the judge or anybody could value every single detail, but Jason didn't want to. Said he didn't want her to get exposed, especially because it was obvious that there would never be a sentence in his favor.

Hence, in the end, Jason's record was inevitably stained. Six months of jail. He'd lose a crucial semester of his residency and, almost certainly, he'd have to start over. Things were messy, to say the least, but one thing was sure for Jason: he didn't regret it. Not even in the slightest. His only worry now was not being able to protect Vanessa from Chad during those months, and anything could happen.

That's why he insisted that she left the town. She didn't agree. She was stubborn, and full of hatred now that her Jay had been incarcerated for her fault, she couldn't care less if and when Chad came after her. She would fight back.

Six months were long, and the first week was even worse, because she wasn't allowed to visit, despite the penitentiary being just outside town, but the good thing was, at least things between them were settled: they were officially a couple.

Maybe it was because he was incarcerated for assaulting her now ex boyfriend. Or maybe it was the deep, longing kiss they shared at the end of the trial, right before he was once more cuffed and detained, in front of everybody.

To be fair, Jason had talked to Gwen right after the preliminary hearing, he'd confessed the truth: that he'd loved her, truly, but ... he couldn't fight it anymore, he was awfully sorry for how much he hurt her, but, as of this moment, his heart resided with Vanessa Hastings, and, there was a very concrete chance that it would remain that way for a long, long time.

Gwen was outraged, hurt, furious. But in the end she understood. They separated on accord, and while her wish for him to have a good life didn't sound that much truthful, maybe it was even sarcastic, the breakup wasn't as much heavy as they thought it would be.