friday knights

52 ... tr!al by f!re

friday
knights
52

☊ | track forty-two—nonviolent communication

"MISS DECKER BEFORE WE GET STARTED, can you please tell the jury how you first met Mr. Parker," Tasha turned to face Amira, her hands folded at her front. Amira sighed shakily and cleared her throat. This is really happening. "Um, it was one Saturday morning at a dance studio. It was probably sometime around August, I think.
He was dropping off his little brother that day."

"And what was your first interaction like?"

"Normal. He looked, sounded, and seemed like a normal nice regular guy. We caught eyes, he walked over and I found him attractive so I didn't mind. We introduced ourselves and exchanged light flirty banter. Which was normal also."

"When did it go further from there?"

"The Friday Night game just a few weeks later. After his team lost that night, we went out on a date I guess you could say. And yes, it went well. We had fun. We talked, flirted, got to know a little about each other. It was...fun. Normal."

"Sounded like the start of something nice."

"For a while it did. I liked him and I did want more at one point, but," Just not with him. Her eyes flicked to Carter and her heart skipped a beat. Looking at him made her fall in love all over again. Like it was the first time she realized it.

Looking back at Tasha, she answered.

"Not everything or everyone is meant to be."

Tasha smiled sadly, just barely enough. "I get that."

"So how long have you and Mr. Parker dated?"

"You know before everything fell apart?"

"We never put a label on it. We weren't...anything.
Just two people who enjoyed each other's time."

"Friends with benefits you were?"

"Yes."

"When did you start to notice Mr. Parker's abusive behavior?" She shuttered as the memory replayed in her mind. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kaz squirm in his seat. "Um," She gulped down the burning sensation in her throat. "N-Never until the day that it happened." Tasha nodded and stepped toward the plaintiff's stand.

"And what happened that day?"

"We were hanging out in his room..."

"I um, I asked him about what he was like in high school and he got defensive about it and a certain subject. then..."

Amira felt the corners of her eyes sting and she cleared her throat, squirming in her seat. Her mom's advice echoed in the back of her mind so when she finally looked Kaz in the eye, the expectation was far better than the reality. Like an edit transition in a movie, in her mind, his face flickered from her ex and then back to him. And for a second before she forced her to look away completely, she swore he faintly smirked. "Then..." Tasha sat her hand on top of hers.

"It's okay, take your time sweetie."

"I'm sorry," She shook her thoughts, placing her hand over her chest. She felt the pendent, almost forgetting about it, and clenched it. "He got on top of me and...and..."