Torn

Accident

"So something...um...bad...happened today."

Scott looks at Courtney attentively, seeming to pick up every word. Courtney loved the way he would always focus his full attention on her when she spoke. He'd pick up on even the smallest and least important of details just because she said them.

"What do you mean by that?"

Courtney lets out a sigh.

"I mean Duncan tried to kiss me."

Courtney almost closes her eyes and crosses her fingers. Please don't see right through me.

"He tried to WHAT?! I swear I'll kill him."

Oh Thank God! Courtney had never been more grateful for his blind protectiveness up until this moment. Some of Scott's proudest boyfriend moments were when he'd do the heavy lifting. "Careful," he'd say. "You don't wanna hurt yourself." He also stands up for her whenever any criticisms of her would surface. "Hey, Courtney is amazing," he'd say. "You need to back off, or I'll make you back off." Courtney's eyes almost begin to water. She shakes her head to stop herself from crying and to respond to Scott.

"There's no need for that, Scott. Listen, I just need you to testify that Duncan and I aren't a thing anymore. That we're not together."

Scott stares at her blankly.

"Why...?"

"Okay so the prison might be suing me for personal vandalism...Duncan being their 'property' and all, I can't just touch him."

"You touched Duncan?"

Courtney bites her lip before answering. "Yes."

Scott frowns.

"Anyways, I told them he was my ex-boyfriend but then freaked out and told them he was my boyfriend." She laughs nervously. "But he's not, obviously! That's you! So...yeah. I need you to say that he's not with me. In court. To prove that I wasn't lying about him being my ex-boyfriend. Please?"

Scott leans in and kisses Courtney softly.

"Of course."

She smiles.

"You're the best."

"I know, babe."

She rolls her eyes before laughing. "Shut up."

"You know it's true," he says, leaning in to kiss her again. Courtney lets him kiss her and wraps her arms around his neck.

Suddenly, there's a ringing sound that echoes throughout the room.

Courtney breaks the kiss. "Hold on." She moves one of her arms so she can grab her PDA from her pocket. She looks down and sees it's a call from Bernard.

"I have to take this!" She steps away from Scott.

Scott sighs. "Fine, Courtney. Talk to you later." He kisses her cheek and leaves promptly.

"Bernard?" Courtney says once she picks up.

"Yes, this is Bernard. Is this Ms. Cortez?"

"The one and only," she jokes, laughing slightly. Bernard doesn't sound amused as he continues to speak.

"I'd like you to come back to the prison tomorrow. There you can get acquainted with some of Biscon County Prison's officials and legal team. You'll need to know who they are before we take you to court."

Courtney nods and then realizes he can't see her. "Of course," she replies. "Although you should know that I currently don't have a lawyer but will use my personal experience to keep the facts of the case together."

"Excellent." There's silence between the two for a moment. "So...regarding your...sexual misconduct...we'll be taking this to court in about a month. The charges will be a fine and possibly some counseling between you and our inmate."

Courtney scoffed. "Counseling? For what?"

"You clearly have an unstable relationship that needs to recover from this misconduct. Do you object to these charges? Would you prefer something else?"

"Uh, yes?"

"How does 300 hours of community service sound?"

"You know what? Counseling sounds great."

"Wonderful. I'll see you tomorrow."

The next day, she arrives at the prison, lawyerless and absolutely ashamed of her actions. Now everyone would know she fucked some knock-off Hot Topic wearing bad boy in prison.

Before Courtney knows it, she's shaking the officials' hands and getting ready to go home. That is, until Duncan and a few guards enter the room.

"Courtney!" He says and walks up to her. He leans in to kiss her but she turns her head so that his lips meet her cheek.

"Huh." He huffs but shakes it off with a smile. "So, you excited?"

"Excited for what, exactly?" She counters.

"Going to court and everything. Counseling is gonna be hilarious! And when it comes to court...let's just say I can't wait to see you in your natural environment. You're going to absolutely slaughter my lawyers."

"Actually, I'm not representing myself on this case."

Duncan looks at her, clearly puzzled. "You're not?"

"I'd like to keep things professional. Not that you'd understand. Listen, I need to leave-"

"Right. Bye Court."

Courtney stares at him for a moment, annoyed that he cut her off. She rolls her eyes before speaking.

"Goodbye Duncan."

Once Courtney reaches her car, she sits down inside it and and takes some time to collect herself. The details from the meeting whirl through her head like a tornado. Property vandalism. Sexual misconduct. Violating the rules. Deceiving public officials. A fine of at least $300. Counseling for around a month.

She tries to reassure herself that there's still hope for this case yet. And maybe this court experience wouldn't go so horribly after all. I mean, all she had to do was get Scott to testify without him finding out the truth. But counseling with Duncan? Now that would be something.

Once Courtney arrives at her apartment, she calls a few law firms until she finds a satisfactory contender to take her case. Once Courtney finishes setting up a meeting with another lawyer, she moseys around her apartment before messaging a special someone on her PDA.

Hey Scott, the message reads. Come over.

Half an hour later, Courtney and Scott are full-on making out. Scott has his arms wrapped around Courtney's waist while Courtney runs her fingers through his hair. Scott leans down and begins kissing Courtney's neck. Courtney closes her eyes and moans something Scott would never expect:
"Duncan."