Thug-ish (Book 1)

31:Yaya in court

Jamiyah

I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm scared out of my mind. Sean and Carlos are both out of jail because the charges were dropped, so they stayed home with David. Maybe they know what the outcome will be already and they're preparing for it.

I just can't decide how I'm suppose to feel. If my parents did do everything that Leti said and if Calvin did blow up that building then they're responsible for my memory loss and everything that came after.

"Ms.Atkins-Martinez, do you remember leaving the hospital after your accident?" The prosecutor asks.

"No." I shake my head.

"What do you remember?"

"The last thing I remember is going to high school. It was a boring day and I came home and went right to sleep after football practice. I was the kicker."

"What do you remember happening when you woke up?"

"I woke up in strange room and it took me a while to realize that it was Leti's room at her dad's house. My legs felt like jello. Like I didn't know how to walk."

"Well, Mrs.Atkins-Martinez That happens to a lot of coma patients. Doctors don't even allow the patient to leave the hospital until they up and walking again."

"Objection!" The defense attorney shouts. "He is not a doctor, your honor. He is not an expert."

"Sustained, the jury will disregard that last statement." The judge says.

"Mrs.Atkins-Martinez, when you were with your family at Mr.Thorne's house, were you allowed to leave at any point?"

"No, my mom kept telling me that I wasn't healthy enough."

"So you were held hostage?"

"Objection! He's putting words in her mouth." The defense claims.

"The definition of being held hostage is when a person is held against their will as a bargaining chip, which is the case here." The prosecutor says.

"Overruled, I'll allow it. Answer the question."

"Yeah, I was held hostage." 

"No further questions."

The prosecutor sits down and the defense attorney gets up and approaches me with a sadden face. "I just want to tell you how sorry I am that you've lost your memory, Mrs.Atkins-Martinez."

"Thank you?" I say awkwardly.

"Mrs.Atkins-Martinez, do you love your parents?" He asks.

"Yes, of course I do."

"Do you trust your parents? Better yet, do you trust their judgement?"

"Yeah, I guess." I shrug.

"So if your parents didn't want you to be with someone, such as Mallory Sullivan you would stop seeing her?"

"Not if I loved her."

"Even though you had been shot due to being associated with Mallory Sullivan?"

"If she loved me then I'm sure it wasn't her fault."

"Did you know that 94 percent of female domestic violence victims range from age 16-19?"

"Mallory never abused me."

"How do you know that? Did she tell you that? Do you remember it?"

"It's not possible. I've seen how happy we were in pictures."

"I'm sorry, but a picture can not tell you if your girlfriend has ever abused you."

"I've never hurt her!" Malo yells.

"Sit down! There will be no outbursts like that in my courtroom!" The judge demands.

"Mrs.Atkins-Martinez, are you a parent?"

"I just recently found out I have a son."

"And if your son was ever in trouble, wouldn't you want to help him?"

"Of course I would."

"And If the person your son loved was abusing them, wouldn't you want to help him get out of the relationship?"

"Yes." I nod.

"No further questions."

*
*
*
3rd person

"In the case of Calvin Thorne, Mina Atkins-Thorne, Reina Atkins-Martinez, and Hector Martinez how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendants not guilty."

Jamiyah sits there and stares at her parents. She wasn't sure how to feel. She wasn't happy, but she also wasn't upset.

Leticia, on the hand, was furious. She forces herself up and storms out of the courtroom. West chases after Leticia while Mallory sits down next to Jamiyah.

"Are you okay?" Mallory asks.

"You'd never hit me, right?"

"I would never do anything to hurt you." Mallory demands before storming out. The fact that Jamiyah would even ask that has hurt her to the core. She's starting to think this is truly the end of their story.

Calvin smiles at his wife and kisses her. He knew they would never be locked up. Especially after having his boys pay their son a little visit. Of course without the key witness to the case, there is no case.

"I just want us all to be a family." Mina tells her husband.

"Oh, we will." Calvin assures her. "Don't worry about a thing."