Skyline // Gawsten [Book 1]

Day 17 - December 19

Geoff didn't want to wake up the next morning. He lay awake after turning his alarm off, staring blankly at the ceiling. The boy he was in love with was about to go on trial for a murder that never happened. The boy he was in love with was about to go on trial for a situation he created. The boy he was in love with.

He could feel his eyes burning and patterns began to form on the ceiling above him, and he blocked everything else out. He was so stuck in his thoughts he didn't notice Grace enter the room and lay down next to him until she spoke,

"The ceiling isn't going to do anything you know?" His head snapped to look at her, but her eyes remained on the ceiling, "It's not going to stop and it's definitely not going to fix your problems."

She moved her head so her eyes connected with his and she could see the tears which masked his vision.

"I know that," He whispered, "I'm just trying to stall the inevitable."

-

Geoff and Grace drove in a separate car to Jawn and Mrs Knight. They thought Mrs Knight would prefer to be with Jawn since he had known her a lot longer than either of the other two did, and given the other two's situation with Awsten, they decided against it. There was no music playing through the speakers so the only sound was the engine and the tires against the concrete. Grace was staring out of the window while Geoff was driving.

He couldn't help but feel nervous while driving. He was nervous about the trial, but after the accident he was extra cautious. He didn't know what this man would do, and it wasn't just him this time; he had his two best friends and Awsten's mother with them. He was so nervous that something would happen again, but this time it would be worse and he wouldn't be the only person who got hurt this time. 

His hand gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white but he soon felt a hand encase his and he saw Grace's hand placed on top of his own. He looked over at her smiling, and intertwined their hands and resting them on her leg. He smiled, knowing they needed to support each other, and they weren't alone.

They arrived at the court all too soon. The nerves in his stomach were building and it made him want to run away. He wasn't ready to accept what may be Awsten's fate. He and Grace left the car and intertwined their hands immediately when they reached each other again, not wanting to physically feel alone. They walked in and found Jawn and Mrs Knight waiting inside for them. He pulled out his driving license as his friends did the same and handed them over the desk along with the letter they received the day before. The person behind the desk said nothing, just pushed a button to let them through the doors. 

It was a long corridor with many doors and smaller hallways branching off it. The ceiling was incredibly high and each door looked grand and old. It must've been a historical building at some point. 

None of them knew where they were suppose to be, so they perched themselves on a bench in the middle of the hallway. Grace was scrolling on her phone but Geoff let his eyes wander around the building and let his mind ponder, until Grace squeezed his hand. His head shot up and he saw Awsten walking down the corridor with his head down. His hands were cuffed in front of his body and his hair looked a mess. He kept his head down and Geoff couldn't help but want to run up to the boy and just hold him. His heart pounded with sympathy for Awsten, yet all he did was sit there and watch him get dragged into the room. The doors to the room remained open and he assumed that was the room where the trial was going to take place. 

Jawn and Mrs Knight went in first, but Geoff couldn't bring himself to move.

"Geoff, come on, we need to go in," Grace tugged Geoff's arms a bit, but stopped when she noticed the tears in Geoff's eyes.