Shattered But Not Broken

Chapter 13

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As the days went by, I kept getting nervous about going to court because I didn't want to see Richie get fined or go to jail for stabbing that man. But I had to keep telling myself that we were only going to get questioned and hopefully that would be all.

When the day finally came to go to court, Richie was required to bring any evidence that could be used as part of the case. So he brought the syringe with him.

*****

When we all walked into the courtroom, we sat down at one of the two tables closes to the judge.

The Adler's lawyer didn't have to join us since this was only a questioning.

When the questioning started, the judge asked Richie and me to stand up and she asked us a few questions.

"Please state your full name and age," the judge asked with a stern face.

"My name is Richard Charles Adler. I'm fifteen years old," Richie stated.

I followed after. "And my name is Jessica Rae Johnson. And I am also fifteen years old."

I saw the judge jot down some notes and looked back at us. "Where and when did this take place."

I thought for a moment. "Last Tuesday and it was at a lake by our house."

"Is there a name of the lake?"

"No, not that I know of," I replied.

"What were you doing before the man arrived?"

"We were... just hanging out by the lake," Richie chimed in.

I'm glad he just said 'hanging out' because it would just be the most awkward thing if he said, 'we were making out' if you know what I mean.

"Is that it Jessica?" I heard the judge say.

"Yes," I quickly answered.

"You can sit down now Jessica while I ask Richard a couple of questions."

I sat back down and looked up at Richie who was repositioning his glasses.

He gave me a weary look and looked back at the judge.

"Did you know the man you stabbed Richard?"

"No."

"Why did you stab the man?"

"It was for self-defense and I didn't know what to do when he drugged Jessica," he gulped.

The judge finished writing down the notes in her small notepad and asked Richie to take a seat. She looked over at Miss. Adler and Cheryl.

"Did any of you see or hear anything or were at the lake when this happened?"

I saw Cheryl stand up and yell, "I did."

"Oh, crap." I heard Richie say under his breath.

I remembered that night again and already predicted what she was going to say. I reclined myself in the chair and crossed my arms together.

"Okay. State your full name and age," the judge said.

"My name is Cheryl Marie Adler and I am eight years old," Cheryl said with a big smile on her face.

The judge wrote her name and age down in her notepad. "And what did you witness Cheryl?"

"Well... I went to the lake that night and I saw Richie and Jessica kissing, and it was gross. That's what I saw that night so they weren't just-," she put her fingers in a quote on quote motion, "-hanging out."

I turned back around and saw the judge giggle for a second. I looked at Richie and had a straight, annoyed look on my face. "I know what you mean now about her being an annoying little sister."

He just rolled his eyes and shrugged. I could tell he was embarrassed.

"Umm... okay Cheryl, thank you, but that's not really the kind of stuff we need to hear for this case," the judge smiled.

"Okay," Cheryl said joyfully and shrugged. She sat back down in her chair and gave Richie a smirk.

Richie stuck his tongue out at her in annoyance.

When the court session was over, we all went out for lunch and went back home.

That night Miss. Adler had to go to a book club meeting that started at nine. So she put Cheryl to bed and reminded Richie that he was grounded so he couldn't go anywhere if his friends called.

Richie and I had planned to watch a movie or so, so I decided to make some popcorn. When I found the bag, I popped it into the microwave and set the timer to three minutes.

The phone rang and Richie walked over to it and picked it up off the wall.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver. "Yeah... I'm actually grounded so I can't go... uh-huh... umm, I'll ask her." He turned to me. "Ham, Jeremy, and Alice wanted to know if you wanted to go see a movie with them tonight at the theatre?"

"No, I'm good. I wanted to stay here with you and watch a movie. But tell them I said thanks for inviting me," I replied.

His lips curled into a smile. "Okay." He put the phone back up to his ear and took his hand away from the receiver. "She said that's okay but she said thanks for inviting her... yeah... okay, you too... bye." He put the phone back on the wall and it hung up.

By that time, the popcorn was ready so I took it out of the microwave and smelled the aroma of the buttered popcorn. I looked for a bowl in the cupboard.

Richie walked over to me and placed a kiss on my cheek. "You're the best."

"Thanks, I try," I said being a little sarcastic.

He walked over to the couch and sat down as I finished pouring the popcorn into a bowl. I turned off the kitchen light and walked into the living room which also had the lights off.

"So, what did you want to watch?" Richie asked me.

I mean, there wasn't really a lot to choose from but like three movies since it was the middle of the week and there were only ten channels.

He glanced at me while making his way to the television. "I was thinking, Look Back To Yesterday, if you haven't already seen it."

I smiled. "I saw it last year when it came out but it was really good. I don't mind watching it again. Just be prepared to cry if you have an emotional attachment to Matthew's character, Albert," I said.

"Don't spoil it Jessica," he said laughing a little.

I sighed. "Fine."

Richie turned the know on the television to the correct channel and luckily, it was still on the opening credits. I already knew I was going to cry but I held it in until it was necessary.

The popcorn went by pretty quickly, before even forty minutes of the movie passed. I pulled the blanket up towards my arms because it was getting a little chilly.

I snuggled close to Richie and when the scene where Michele and Albert are on the porch telling each other how they feel and they kissed I could Richie pressed his lips to the top of my head. I felt warm again for a second.

The rest of the movie was good and when it got to the end, where Albert was climbing the mountain I felt my eyes begin to water.

Richie looked down at me and wiped away a tear that was falling down my face with his thumb. "It's okay," he said gently.

I smiled. A few minutes later, I found myself starting to get sleepy. My eyes felt heavy and I rested my head on Richie's shoulder and closed my eyes.