Life's What You Make It

Chapter 34

It's trial day bitches

Jasmine's POV
"I got you boo." Bey said, as I looked up to her and she tightly squeezed my hand. Dad pulled the door open and we walked in.

"I'll be over there okay. You'll be fine." Dad said, pointing to the other end of the room while me and Bey sat down.

"Why are you so far?" I questioned. He shrugged, putting his hand on my shoulder, rubbing it before he went over to the other side of the room.

"You good?" Bey asked, I just nodded, keeping my eyes focused ahead of me.

"All rise." The judge said walking into the room. Shit this was really real now. We all stood up and then sat back down once the judge did. My mom, Cole and Jamal all walked up to the stand and seeing all three of them stood there, made me physically shake.

"Breathe." Bey whispered to me, putting her hand on top of mine causing me to flinch slightly, taking my hand away. She looked at me sympathetically.

"I, Kimberly Washington, solemnly, sincerely, and truly, declare and affirm that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." My mom said, followed Cole and then Jamal. Best believe all three of them find the truth a difficult thing to tell.

"Jamal Wilson, you are here on a count of sexual assault, drug dealing and drug use, to which you plea guilty." The judge said.

"Yes your honour." He replied. He was really pleading guilty? That means he knows what he did and knows he was wrong, right? Next was my mom.

"Kimberly Washington, you are here on a count of drug use, assault, child endangerment and child neglect. You are pleasing not guilty on all counts." Not guilty? Huh.

"Yes your honour." She replied. Was she serious? She's pleading not guilty for child endangerment and neglect? How else did I end up living with my teacher then?

"Cole Jackson, you are here on a count of sexual assault, sexual abuse, assault and drug use. To which you are pleading not guilt for?"

"Yes that's correct - your honour." I knew this already, but hearing him actually say it made me feel sick. The words sexual assault, sexual abuse, assault made whatever I put behind me, come back out again.

"Defence lawyer Paul Matthews to the stand please." How can they have a defence lawyer for these? Who would want to defend them? I saw a white man in a suit walk up to the middle of the room, putting his glasses on and looking down at a piece of paper.

"Mr Jamal Wilson, when did Jasmine Washington start working for you?" He asked him.

"A couple of years ago."

"Can we have an exact date."

"She was 13, so around May 2014." He replied, glancing over at me.

"Why did she come to you?"

"We'd dabbled a bit before, not in drugs. We knew the same people. Her mom lost her job and she knew she needed to help out, so I gave her a little admin job. She was just sorting out thing, counting money, all that."

"And then what happened." He asked and Jamal scratched the back of his head.

"She came to me asking for an advance. Claimed they were short on rent, I told her to go somewhere else but she kept coming back. I guess she was desperate and I'll admit, I took advantage of that." He said and I felt Bey glance over at me as I wiped a tear that fell.