Identical (COMPLETED)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

CALI'S POV

I had spent the rest of my Christmas alone until Dana came knocking at my door around midnight, apologizing like crazy that she got too drunk and told Trent where I was. She held me as I cried for a few hours. Trent had given me a necklace from his mother and I knew, I just knew it meant more to him then he let on, which was a stab in the chest. With the trial in a few days, Dr. Hawkins waiting for my okay to pull the plug, and Trent feeling so betrayed by me that he decided he needs space from me... I feel so completely drained. After he left me in the hospital, I felt like I was slowly hitting rock bottom. I was losing everything one by one and if we lost this trial then I'd truly know what rock bottom is.

The trial is in a few hours and I haven't spoken to Trent, I was respecting his need for space by not contacting him and avoiding him in the hotel. I need him and it scares me that I'm not actually sure if he'll be there for me. I mean I know he'll go, but I don't know if he'll be by my side.

Dana has been a huge crutch; even Jasmine, Sam, Genie, and Sarah have been helping me. We all share a common goal: putting him in jail. And it's brought us closer in the days leading up to this trial, so we've all spent a lot of time together. They all know something happened between Trent and I, but not what exactly so they've all been trying to distract me, which hasn't exactly worked but I appreciated the effort.

"You ready?" Dana asks in a small voice as I finish putting my hair up in a ponytail.

I stare at myself in the mirror and surprise myself with how different I look from just a few weeks ago. Since I met Trent, the nightmares have become much less frequent, allowing me to get a proper amount of sleep so the bags beneath my eyes are almost nonexistent. My face has more color in it then I've seen in months, my eyes are bright and wide, and I stand much taller than I have in years. I feel lighter, more confident than I have in a long time and as much help Trent was I realize I did this. I started healing and growing from what happened to me and I am more than ready.

I turn from the mirror and look Dana in the eye as she stares at me warily. "Let's send that asshole to jail."

Dana's lips slowly curl into a smirk and her eyes sparkle with a look of admiration. "I'm so proud of you Cali," she tells me as she hooks arms with me and we head out.

Before we even walk into the lobby I can hear the crowd of people outside the hotel, but when we actually enter I'm sent into shock at the scene before me. There were camera flashes going off, people yelling, media storming into the lobby while police try and detain them, Mr. Townes was in the middle of it all trying to make his way out the door with security pushing through. I see Sam, Genie, Sarah, and Jasmine making there way over to us with flustered looks on their faces. This was incredibly overwhelming.

"This is insane," Jasmine hisses as she stands beside me. I nod, not being able to take my eyes off the scene in front of me.

"We have to get going or we'll be late. Do we have to go out this way?" Genie asks in a nervous voice.

"Unfortunately," Dana answers.

Some of the security from our hotel starts approaching us asking if we were ready to head out and we all reluctantly nod. We follow closely together as the security pushes a path for us. I was trailing behind Sarah while Genie took the spot in front of her.

Just as we can see the car waiting for us I feel myself tripping and falling to my knees. I try to scramble to stand up, but the crowd is closing in on me and I can't see Sarah anymore. Someone steps on my hand and I cry out, trying desperately to get off the ground.