friends //cody bellinger

forty two

  "Mr. Bellinger, would you please stand and face the jury."

I squeeze Jen's hand, and I watch timidly while Cody rises to his feet. This is it. This is where we found out what the rest of Cody's life is going to entail. A continuation of the amazing baseball careers he's started or having to register as a sex offender for the next decade of his life.

He scans and finds me in the crowd. His eyes lock with mine, and the fear on his face is so blatant to see.

I nod slowly at him, feeling my eyes start to water when I do so. I hold my free hand to my heart, shuttering in heart-quenching pain when he does the same.

I want him to be okay. I want me to be okay. Neither of us is capable of that if this sentencing goes south.

I'm so mentally exhausted with all of this. Too much. Too much is one of the only phrases I can use to describe what this has been to me.

Not just me, actually. All of us. Cole, Chris, Jen, Clay, even Ashli who's all the way in a different continent right now. Easily though, it's been the worst for Cody.

He's so worn out. His scruff is on the verge of becoming a full-grown beard; his hair has lashed out and not sitting flat on his head like it usually does; instead in several different directions as if even his strands of dark brown hair don't even know what's going on either. His smile lines are starting to turn more into creases caused by the countless hours of worry he's endured by himself. He looks scrawny, and it's obvious that he hasn't been eating much. I knew I'd be right when I told Chris that his picky eating tendencies would stay with him.

He's hurting, and I need to be there to help fix it, but I can't do that unless the judge gives Cody the freedom he deserves.

Chris leans over, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and in an attempt to calm me down, gently kisses the top of my forehead. I can sense the stress radiating off of him, but now's really not the time to question it.

"He's going to be okay, Em, and so are you. I promise," Chris whispers, before sitting himself straight up again.

I look to my left. Cole's leaning forward with his head in his hands like he can't bear to watch, and Chris has his hand that's not draped across my shoulder squeezed around the bar of the chair he's sitting in. He's holding on so tight that his knuckles are bone white.

To my right, Jen is using one of her hands to hold mine, and her other to hold her husbands. Clay visually looked the calmest, but we all know him well enough to see right past that fixated stare and focus on the tornado that he has spinning in his head right now.

I turn my head away from the people surrounding me and turn my attention back towards Cody. Finally, after what seems like a million years, the judge starts speaking again.

"The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, in the matter of Cody James Bellinger against underaged fiance Emberly Justine Chatswell- case number C16075511."

I squeeze my eyes shut tight.

It's these words; these words may change my life forever.

I need him to be okay.

"We the jury of the above-entitled action find the defendant, Cody James Bellinger, not guilty of the crimes of sexual assault, sexual assault upon a minor, and statuary rape felonies upon minor Emberly Justine Chatswell."

Crying is my first reaction, but I'm so relieved when the tears rolling down my cheeks are those of pure joy and not of sadness.

We all stand at the same time. I throw my arms around Chris, and before we know it, Cole's wrapped up with us too.

The guard uncuffs Cody, and I sprint in his direction. I jump into his arms, and he holds me tight. I drop my head onto his shoulder, sobbing while I feel his own tears hit the back of my neck.

This, this is the moment I've been waiting for. No one else in the room mattered right now. Not Roberto or Chase or Victoria. The only thing I cared about was Cody.

I lift my head and press my lips to Cody's. He kisses back, before pulling away and kissing my forehead.

"Are you okay?" He asks, before kissing me once more.

Typical. He's been locked away for so long now, and his attention is still on me and my well being.

I squeeze my arms tighter around him, "You're here now. There's nothing that can hurt me now."