She's Broken

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

 

The room smelt of sweat. Sweat and panic.

                Jenna’s dad was saying something to me, his mouth moving quickly but I couldn’t hear him. All I could hear was my racing heart and pounding pulse, making me feel as though I was about to pass out.

                “Kat, love,” my mum managed to snap me out of my daze and I sighed, running a shaky hand through my fringe, glancing around the small room.

                “Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” I muttered, letting out an uneven breath. Eli was standing in the corner, silently watching and my dad had gone to see find out about Finn. I’d of been irritated if I wasn’t so nervous. Jenna’s dad, Paul, who was also my lawyer, gave me a small smile.

                “Steven is very likely to plead guilty next week so don’t worry about him. He likes to think he’s harder than he is, he isn’t a prison lad,” Paul explained and I nodded, gracious that I didn’t have to worry about him too much. “Finn, on the other hand,” he trailed off, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I don’t think him, or his lawyer for that matter, will be going down without a fight. I met with Sylvia earlier to discuss today’s case and she was too confident for my liking,” Paul finished.

                I managed a nod and sat down on one of the seats, unable to keep my legs still. Deciding against a skirt, for obvious reasons, I opted for some black trousers and a white blouse with tied back hair. Playing it safe was the best thing that I could do for presentation.

                “How long?” I asked, tense. Mum looked down at her watch and tried to smile without grimacing.

                “Twenty minutes,” she replied. I nodded, attempting to look confident. I glanced over at Eli and he smiled, dropping onto the seat next to me. Wordlessly, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it, not letting me go. Paul excused himself, leaving just Eli and Mum in the room with me.

                Mum looked at Eli and gave a subtle nod, saying something about a coffee as she left the room, the door shutting behind her with a gentle bang. Eli spun on the chair to face me, his eyes fixed on mine.

                “I’m scared,” I admitted for the first time out loud. I’d been thinking it all morning but not once had the words passed my lips. Eli nodded, pursing his lips.

                “I know.” He let go of my hand for one moment to reach into his back pocket.

                Eventually, his hand returned, accompanied by a small ring, one that would be way too small for my fingers.

                “Mum said to give this to you, for good luck and everything,” he said, his cheeks a little flushed. I accepted it with a smile, taking in the intricate engravings. There were two patterns, both that met in the middle with a jewel, which I guessed was a sapphire from the colour, strongly contrasted with the silver of the metal.