Motorcycle Girl: Book Two

Chapter 18: Verdict

In seconds, Gabe has me by the front of my shirt, dragging me out of the court room.

He keeps dragging me, our family rushing behind him, dragging me all the way outside, all the way across the street.

He stops out front of a fountain and turns to me, his eyes filled with rage.

"You fucking idiot!" He shouts at me. "You are so fucking stupid, Nathan! Do you realize what you've done? You ruined everything! You are going to fucking jail, you idiot! I can't dig you out of this one! You dug the fucking grave yourself and buried yourself in it!"

I'm going to jail.

I sink down against the wall of the fountain, burying myself in my hands.

I'm going to jail.

"There could be an appeal." Gabe says, talking to himself. "But it's just a trespassing case, I'm shocked it went to trail anyways. Why the fuck..." I hear him sigh harshly. "Nate, stop pouting and kiss your family goodbye. You could be spending the next fifteen years in prison."

Prison.

Prison.

Fifteen years? Fifteen fucking years?

Are you kidding me?

By the time I get out, I'll be forty one!

"Nate, we've only got two minutes left. It's just a five minute break man."

I stand up slowly, turning to face Odette.

She looks so scared, so alone.

My hands are shaking as I pull her to my chest, ad she buries herself in my neck. I hear her whimper softly and my heart shatters.

"One minute." Gabe says.

I pull away, taking her face in my hands.

"if I go to jail and it's anything longer than a year, I want you to move on."

"What? Nathan-"

"I want you to find somebody who can take care of you in a way that I couldn't. Promise me you'll move on."

"I-Nathan..."

"Please." I plead. "I need to know you're going to be okay."

Her eyes fill with tears.

"Promise me, mon amour." I whisper. "Please."

"Okay." She says. "I promise."

"And if you have children." I say. "And they see photos of us that you have stored in the basement of your white picket fence house that we were supposed to have together-" I cut off, forcing the tears back. "And they point to me...tell them my name. Tell them all about us...except for the bad parts, because they don't need to hear that, okay?"

"Nathan." She whimpers. "We can run off. We'll go to France." She says. "Let's go right now."

She starts tugging my hand.

"Mon amour." I whisper weakly.

"Nathan, no." She snaps. "This isn't happening. God, please let me wake up."

Nobody says anything. She sinks down onto the edge of the fountain, burying her head in her hands, and she just cries.

And she fucking cries, and Gabe is pulling me back to the courthouse and I can hear Adelaide telling her she has to get up.

Gabe pulls me back to the courtroom and our family follows behind.

"Don't. Say. Anything." Gabe hisses at me. "Unless they talk to you, do you understand me?"