Sixteen

AIDEN

After Avery is escorted out, I'm left with a new resounding sense of hope. The road started out looking like the same path as before, with no other options, but now she has provided a fork in the road.

If both Avery and her mother testify Dan, there is no way the jury and judge won't believe and see what kind of monster he is. I might not get off without a warning, or maybe some community service, but there's a large chance I'll at least avoid going back to juvie and getting this put on my permanent record as well.

Once the sun sets and my cell is filled with darkness, I'm surprised when my eyes gently slip shut with ease, allowing me a peaceful night sleep, before life comes crashing down again in the morning.

I'm woken up by a loud banging on the cell bars, the sun blinding me before I can even open my eyes.

"Rise and shine, Thomas. It's time for your hearing, we need to escort you down to the court house," Officer Griffin grumbles, sounding displeased that he has to drive in morning traffic downtown.

I take my sweet time stretching and getting off the lumpy bed, not liking the cracks the erupt from my back and shoulders.

Officer Griffin rolls his eyes and opens the cell door to reach in and grab me roughly, slapping on a pair of handcuffs and hauling me towards the door before I can fully open my eyes.

I'm searched at the front door once more, before walked out to an awaiting police cruiser and placed in the back. Like predicted, there is heavy morning traffic, and it takes about 45 minutes to get to the court house, giving me more than enough to time to sweat my nerves off.

Though there is still hope blooming in my chest, the anxiety of having to sit in front of a court room, being looked up by dozens of judging and hateful eyes once more, is enough for it to almost overcome the hope.

"You know the drill," Griffin said, pulling me out of the car and removes the handcuffs. "Don't try anything funny, stay seated unless asked to rise, only speak when spoken too, whatever you get it."

I fight not to roll my eyes and follow silently next to him as we enter the court house. I keep my head down the entire way, not wanting to look into the judgmental eyes of the jury, lounging around the foyer before the trial starts.

They usually take the prisoner through the back, and bring them out once the trial begins and the judge has arrived, but to my wonderful luck, they're rebuilding the back entrance and building because someone left a candle burning in the back, and almost burned the entire place down.

So, I'm being trotted through the front door, for all to see. If this was a couple hundred years ago, everyone would probably be throwing stones at me. Instead, they're tossing daggers with their eyes.

Though I can't see them, I feel their heated gazes on the back of my neck, all the way up until the court room doors. Thankfully, no one is inside yet, except for the court ordered lawyer I'm given, since I can't afford my own.

Oh, and of course, my father.

"Officer, can I please speak with my son for a moment?" he asks, making not move to grab me or even offer to speak in private.

Officer Griffin nods and moves away from me, but stays within hearing, and reaching, distance.

"Aiden, what the hell happened? They said you beat a man, again. Why?"

I let out a relieved breath, knowing they didn't tell him everything, or even who the man was it seems.

"Dad, it's a long story, one I'm sure you're going to hear all about today in a few minutes, but I just want to say now that I'm sorry I let you down. I didn't mean for this to happen, I had no control over me crossing paths with him," I stop and eye Griffin from the corner.

I have to be careful with what I say, even though I'm not on trial yet. Anything I say even now can be used against me, especially if a police officer hears it. "I'm just really sorry, and I hope you can see and understand why I did it, when everything is said and done today, no matter what happens to me."

The doors behind us open up, and a trickle of people start pouring in. Griffin takes me arm again and walks me past my father to the front of the room, seating me down at one of the long tables.

"Stay here, and remain silent. Remember what I told you, and everything will go smoothly. Regardless of what happens today, I hope I never have to see you again," he says, giving me a hefty glare.

I bat my eyes at him. "I bet you say that to all your prisoners."

He grumbles something angrily and stomps away, taking his spot at the side of the judge's desk.

I wait patiently as more people walk through the doors, not bothering to turn around and see who has come to witness my trial once more, already wondering if I will see the same faces, I saw two years ago.

Probably not, since Dan isn't as big or as loved a man as he thinks, but he is the town drunk, and there are tons of other alcoholics who love a man who gets wasted enough to throw out free drinks.

"Are you ready for this?" The man next to me asks. He isn't wearing any sort of name tag or indication of his name. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners. My name is Paul, no need for any formalities."

I nod awkwardly. "Right, anywho, you're going to get me out of this, I suppose?"

He gives me a confident grin, but I see the slight doubt in his eyes.

"I'm going to try my best, I've already met with several witnesses, a few of them being your friends and family. They have all agreed to testify on your behalf, and judging by the verbal and physical evidence I have gathered, I would say we have a pretty strong case against Dan Reynolds."

I let out a little breath, slightly relieved for the time being. I can only hope that Avery and her mother are among the people and evidence he speaks of.

Gathering some courage, I turn to look out into the crowd, hoping to spot them. I see Tammy and Scott sitting in the back, and they wave to me as soon as we make eye contact. Tammy mouths 'we believe in you' and clasps her hands together in what I can assume, is a silent prayer for me.

I flash her a grateful smile and keep scanning the small crowd. I instantly spot Avery sitting behind me, about 3 rows back, with a middle-aged woman who bears a striking resemblance to her, much more than Dan.

She gives me a large grin, her eyes lighting up with hope.

Here goes nothing.

***

AVERY

My mother and I wait on the edge of our seats as more people fill in, the last few slowly dwindling towards the back, before the doors are shut.

It's time.

Everyone is asked to stand in honor of Judge Henry, a lanky looking middle-aged man, with kind eyes but a hard-set face. Maybe it's just due to the lines of wrinkles covering his face, making him look like he is permanently scowling.

The right-side door opens, and Dan is walked through. I almost gasp at how he looks, it's the first time I've seen him since before the accident, and I can say for sure; he does not look the same, and might not after recovery.

His face is badly beaten, bruised and swollen all over his cheeks, nose and eyes, both of them black and blue, with his lower lip covered in two cuts, and a small one on his upper lip.

I hear a whimper next to me, and look to see my mother covering her mouth in shock, her eyes filled with horror. I reach over and grab her hand, trying to give it a comforting squeeze. She shuts her eyes and turns her head, not able to take it anymore, as Dan takes a seat.

"We are gathered here today, to hear the case of Dan Reynolds, against Aiden Thomas. Mr. Reynolds is charging the defendant for abuse and attempted murder, outside the home of Mr. Thomas himself, on the grounds of a home visit to speak with the defendant about prior, unrelated issues–"

"Attempted murder and unrelated issues? That's absurd!" Aiden cries out, scrambling from his seat.

"Silence, Mr. Thomas. Outbursts like that will not serve you well during this time," the judge sneers at him. "How do you plead, Mr. Thomas?"

"We plead not guilty, your honor," Aiden's lawyer says, I remember his name as Paul, I think.

"On what grounds?" the judge asks.

Paul clears his throat and picks up a stack of paper. "On the grounds that my client was merely using self-defense, and that Mr. Reynolds has every intent to inflict violence upon my client, when he appeared unannounced at Mr. Thomas' door, in a drunken rage."

"Call your first witness."

I cross my fingers in my lap, praying that my mother and I are called last, saving the best for last, as they say. I'm more hoping that if the other witnesses don't give enough, we are the cherry on the top with the vault of evidence and information we have planned.

Paul, my mother and I spent a lot of time last night, going over everything my mother and I can remember as clear as day, which is a lot more than Paul was expecting, and giving him all the documents and evidence of the previous time Dan was arrested for this.

We also have one last secret evidence weapon, as I call it, and I alone.

The first witness is Tammy, who immediately launches into stories of how kind and sweet Aiden has always been. She speaks of the first time Aiden was arrested for beating a man, and details everything she can about how Aiden was trying to save the girl, and all the crooked plans that were placed against him.

After her, it is Dan's turn to call a witness, and he brings in the bartender of the bar that he goes to after work every day, before he comes home and beats us while he drinks more.

His name is Ed, and he's an older man with greying brown hair and dull grey eyes, with more wrinkles than the judge and my great-grandmother.

"Dan always comes into my bar after a hard day at work, and all he talks about is his wife and kid. He has never started a fight in the bar, or shown any sign of anger or rage, drunk and sober. I could never believe that he would put a hand on his family, he speaks about how precious they are, and how scared he was of losing them when he was arrested the first time."

Paul quirks an eyebrow. "So, Dan has mentioned of his previous conviction in the bar before? What has he said about the situation and what he took away from it?"

I cheer a little inside at how well Paul is trying to get Ed to admit to the real things Dan says while he is there. Even I can tell he is lying through his teeth, that Dan has never said one kind thing about my mother and I, let alone said anything about us at all.

I can see the beads of sweat slowly starting to form on Ed's forehead.

"Well, he only mentioned it once, when he first started coming around, and that was a long time ago."

Paul nods his head. "But you mentioned how scared he was of losing his family, can you tell me more about that? Clearly, someone who cares about his family so much, enough to have moved them across the country to possibly start a new, in fear of falling apart due to scandal–"

"Objection, your honor. He is taunting the witness," Dan's lawyer calls out, sending a glare to Paul, who merely shrugs.

"Mr. Gild, please get to your point."

"All I'm asking, is for evidence of emotion. If Dan Reynolds cares about his family, enough to pronounce that love and care in a public bar, I want the evidence of his words, which this man has led me to believe he can provide. Can you?" Paul asks, turning back to Ed, who is now sweating buckets in his seat.

"Look, I'm an old man and I serve a lot of people, they all tell me stories. How do you expect me to remember them all?"

"So, you're saying you cannot provide evidence to back up your testimony?" Paul leans on the pedestal, looking straight at Ed, before wandering over to the jury to gauge their reaction.

Most of them seemed a little shock and persuaded, while others are merely frowning. It's not enough to know that Aiden is in the clear.

Ed steps down, and Sean is called to the stand.

"I've known Aiden since we we're kids. He's been the best of friends to me, has always been there to support me and have my back in anything I need, and has never went back on his word or betrayed me. Anything Aiden has ever done, he has always done for other people, and he really proved that when he met Avery Reynolds."

The room goes silent, and all I can hear is my racing heart. He is the first to mention my name in this entire trial. More than half the room knows who I am, and they all turn to look at me as Paul walks up to Sean.

"What is Mr. Thomas' relationship with Avery Reynolds, who I presume is Mr. Reynolds daughter?" Paul asks.

Sean nods. "When Aiden first saw Avery; she was all he talked about. He went above and beyond to get her attention, investing all his time getting to know her and trying to be a part of her life. He would do anything for her, and he has."

I feel the swell of emotions in my chest, tears pricking at my eyes. I know Aiden cares about me, but I never really saw how much.

"He was the first out of us all to know that something was wrong, even though we tried to tell him to ignore it, but he saw through Avery. He knew that she was being tormented in some way, and did everything he could to find out what. When he did, he wanted to confront Dan about it, but had decided against it because he knew that meant putting Avery's life in danger, for possibly no reason."

"Why do you say no reason? What had he planned to do?" Paul asks, even himself looking interested in the story. Had Aiden confided in Sean? If so, just how much has he told him?

"Aiden wanted to turn over what he found out to the police, but he knew there was a slim chance they would believe him, and even if they did, an even smaller chance that he could fight Dan on his own. If he was unsuccessful in sending Dan to prison, he knew that meant he would just beat Avery for telling Aiden everything, which is exactly what he did the first time he was convicted. Avery told her secret to a friend, who revealed it to the police, but Dan got off scot-free, and Avery paid an unjustified price."

My heart drops in my stomach.

He told him everything.

I feel my mother's death grip on my hand, the same thoughts racing through hers, as are mine.

If Dan doesn't go to jail at the end of this trial, we're dead.