Our Little Secret

The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but The Truth

I look at myself in the mirror and fix my button up top. I really don't wanna walk in that court room full of people with my scar showing. But Xavier's lawyer said it would help with "sympathy points" so whatever I guess. I reapply my lip gloss and leave the bathroom.

I'm on my way to where I left Xav and his
Mom by the court room when I see Xavier down the hallway, standing at the tall window looking out over the city. I quiety walk over to him and slip my hand into his bigger one. He squeezes my hand but keeps staring ahead.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask him.

He slowly licks his lips. "What if this doesn't work?"

"It will," I reassure him.

That's when he turns to look at me. "But what if it doesn't?"

I shrug. "It has to. It just does."

He looks me in the eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm scared," I tell him honestly.

He gives me a small smile. "Me too."

"Xavier? Zakiyah?" The lawyer, Lisa comes around the corner. Xav drops my hand and turns to her. "Are you ready? It's almost time."

"Yeah. Let's get this over with." We make our way to the court room. Ms. Babanuex is sitting on the bench waiting for us. She starts to stand when she sees is coming. Xavier goes to help her.

Lisa looks at all of us. "Just like we practiced ok?" We all nod and enter the court room.

I feel Xavier tense up when a gaurd escorts Sean into the room. I want to hold his hand but I'm too busy fighting back the memory of what he did to me.

"It would be kind a nice to see him dead," someone whispers behind me. I look back to see who it is. The girl behind me smiles showing off her dimples. Cotton. "Hi."

I can't really say nothing to her HERE so I smile back and face forward feeling a little better.

The judge swears everyone in the room in and has the prosecuting side call it's witnesses. Ms. Babanuex goes first, telling the jury and the judge what she's had to deal with in the last 12 years if being with the Sean. Seems like he's been beating on her before he even started on Xavier. My heart hurts for her. No one deserves to be treated like that.

Xavier goes next. He seems put together and unfazed on the stand, but I can see the pain in his eyes. All these years of putting up with and hiding what Sean's been doing...

Sean's lawyer questions Xav and his mom and tried to twist their words around to make it seem like they provoked Sean to hurt them. How could a 7 year old provoke a grownass man into beating him? This whole thing disgusts me.

When the defence side is don't, the judge flips through his papers. "Prosecution has one more witness to bring to the stand."

Lisa stands and turns to the jury. "Prosecution would like to call Zakiyah West to the stand."

It takes me a second to register what is being said. I stand up and smooth my hands over my skirt. "You got this," Xavier whispers to me.

I walk to the stand and take a deep breath. This won't be hard. Just do what Lisa said. Just tell my story. I got this.

"Please state and spell your name for the records," the judge tells me.

"Zakiyah West," I begin nervously. "Z-a-k-i-y-a-h W-e-s-t."

"Please raise your right hand and repeat after me 'I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.'"