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Chapter: Twenty-Four

Scarlett

"Ashley are you dressed? We have to be at the court in twenty minutes!" I shout from the other side of her door. I look down at my outfit and straighten my black pencil skirt before fixing the collar on my white blouse. I catch sight of my face in the mirror at the end of the hall and take in what Chloe did to my long brown locks. She pinned almost all of it back into a loose low bun but left the front of my hair down in short curls. She actually made me decent looking for the trial.

Ashley's door swings open and there she's stood looking like a wild mess. Her hair is sticking out in every way possible, her shirt isn't buttoned up properly, and her eyes are wide open looking me up and down franticly. "Ash! We're gonna be late!" I screech before rushing into her room, pulling her along with me. I sit her down in front of her bathroom mirror before grabbing her hair spray. I take a brush and run it through her somewhat straight hair before pulling it back into a tight low ponytail. I grab her straightener and quickly go over her ponytail to flatten the fuzziness of it all. Then I re-button her shirt and add some lipstick to her pale, chapped lips. "That's the best we'll get. Quick, grab your heals and let's go."

She hurries to her closet as I run out of her room and across the hall. I bang loudly on Chase's door and a disheveled head pokes through the crack. I glare at him. "Are you serious? You're not ready either? What is it with you guys?" I huff as I storm into his room and throw a white collared shirt at him and his black slacks. He quickly strips and shoves his legs into his pants and his arms into his shirt. Once he's finished changing, I run my already gelled hand through his hair to spike it a tad to get rid of the dishevelled mess that is his hair. I grab the tie sitting on his desk before wrapping it around his neck. I pull him with me out of the room just as Ashley and Chloe are making their way down the stairs.

"Are you guys ready? We're already late!" Lynn calls out from her position by the front door. We rush into the living room in a hurry. Her eyes widen at the sight of us but shakes her head nevertheless. "You guys are going with Chase. We'll take your mom, okay?" She says and we all nod. "Okay, good. Now let's go." She says and we all rush out the door.

The car ride to the court house is tense and quiet. The atmosphere in the car is thickened with anticipation and fear. We know that we're most likely to win the case but there's always those times when the offender weasels their way out of trouble. Knowing that Bruce will most likely go to jail is comforting but there's that annoying voice at the back of my head, whispering my insecurities.

When we reach the court house, we jump out of the car and race up the steps to meet our lawyer who is waiting in the hallway outside of the court room. She gives us a quick briefing of the events to happen before leading us into the room. Lynn, John, Chloe and Chase take their seats in the spectators' area while my mom, Ashley and I are led to the plaintiff's table. We take a seat at the table and soon my mom and our attorney engage into a conversation about possible charges while my eyes scan the room. The door on the back wall suddenly swings open and Noah, Alex, Cara and their parents walk into the room. I jump out of my seat and meet them in the aisle. I throw myself at Alex's chest and wrap my arms around him, enveloping his familiar scent.

"You okay?" He asks when I pull away and I take a deep breath before nodding. He smiles down at me and leans in to brush his lips against mine. "Good, now go get that son of bitch sent away." He growls against my lips. Heat blooms through me and I nod my head swiftly. He smiles and pecks me on the lips once more before he leans away to join his family sitting behind Chloe's family.

I trudge back to my seat and sink into the plush leather before I hear a loud bang and I swivel my head to see a bailiff escorting Bruce into the room. He shoves him into the defendant's chair at the table over from ours before Bruce's defense attorney sits beside him. Bruce's eyes are steely as they track me down. His gaze pins me in place and I feel as though all the air in my lungs has been sucked out. I can't breathe for a moment as his heated glare seems to go right through me. Finally, when he looks away, I feel as if I can breathe again, although his gaze lingers on Ashley for a second.