I Did(n't Do) It

Chapter 27: Mothers Care (1/2)

"Oh, we're going to be late!" Margaret said, taking a deep breath in the middle of the living room.

"Hurry!" Alex yelled as she was opening the door, Margaret jumped at the sudden outburst, "Hello Mrs. McNeal!" She said, "We thought you might need some support."

"We?" She asked, her question being met with Joe and Jason trailing after Alex.

"Mrs. McNeal" Jason said, shaking her hand and smiling

"Hi Margaret" Joe smiled at her, shutting the door behind them, "Care if we join you?"

Margaret smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she took a deep breath, "I would want nothing more." She pulled Alex into a side hug, the others joining in a moment after. Margaret pet Alex's head lovingly, looking around at everyone, "Violet is lucky to have such good people like you guys in her life." She nodded, smiling before opening the front door. "You guys get in the car and follow us, I'll get her Dad and we will be out shortly after you."

"Do you think she is going to be alright?" Joe asked, sitting in the driver's seat of her car, speaking to Jason in the passenger seat, and Alex who was sitting in the back seat.

"Of course." Alex said, sighing and clenching her jaw, "She's Violet, remember? She has handled a lot worse than this."

"I know." Joe said, nodding and flicking on her blinker, "She's tough but this... This is definitely something else. For all of us, you know, not just her."

"Have some faith, Babe." Jason said, grabbing her hand and locking their fingers. "She can do this."

"Who's that girl that was with her, anyway?" Alex asked, scooting forward on the seat and planting herself in between the two up front, "That green girl."

"Hah!" Jason grinned, "I get it... because her name is Jade..." He chuckled, shaking his head," That was good..."

"I have no idea." Joe said, her grip tightening on the steering wheel, "Some chick she met downtown. I have such a bad feeling about her." Joe said, "Something is off."

"Yeah, literally everything about her is off; her face, her attitude, her clothes..."

"Jason!" Joe swatted his arm, "We need to be serious."

"I mean, I could see it." Alex said, "Prostitute is not too much of a stretch."

Jason sighed, "We need to think about what's going to happen? What if she is found guilty?"

"She won't be." Joe said

"What if" Jason emphasized

"What if she's found innocent?"

Silence took over the car as Joe turned right, following Violet's parents, "I can't even imagine how they feel..."

"Don't think about it." Alex said, placing her hand on Joe's shoulder and squeezing it, "Just don't think about it..."

As they fell on the last short stretch of street, a sea of bodies and cameras came storming towards the car, crowding around the vehicles as they parked. The flashes from the cameras were competing against the sun's bright rays on who could blind them the quickest, the questions and clicks from the cameras invading the sound waves of what was supposed to be a quiet, sunny, intense day.

"What is all this?" Margaret asked, blinking against all the glare, Jason grabbed her arm, Margaret gripping onto Jason's hand.

"McNeal family! I'm sorry about all the commotion!" A thinner framed man rushed up to them, pushing his glasses up his sweaty nose, "I'm Jerry Wilbur." He put his damp palm in each of their hands, shaking vigorously while leading them through the reporters.

"Mr. Wilbur, Mr. Wilbur! Care to comment on trial?"

"No" Mr. Wilbur said sternly, pulling them into the courthouse.

Their footsteps carried up the walls, with everyone outside it was very quiet. Mr. Wilbur's shoes squeaked with every brisk stride he took, his forehead glistened with sweat.

"Now, we don't have much time so I'm going to fill you in while we are walking there. You are all witnesses, they will call you up and we will ask you some questions, they will ask you some questions, and so on and so forth -- so you better have your stories straight."

"Oh goodness..." Margaret muttered as they all tried to match Jerry's pace.

"I'm not going to lie, the verdict doesn't look good."

"What?!"

"But we have to keep an open mind." He said, opening the doors and hurrying them into the courtroom.