TO THE STARS

CHAPTER 4

July 14th

     Three weeks ago, I would have never imagined that I would be getting all prepped up to go to court; especially about something that concerned me this much. It was scary, yet I knew I had to do it to at least get the pieces of my life back together. During the whole process, I drew my courage from a saying I once heard. It was made by the famous Marilyn Monroe.

     "Fear is stupid. So are regrets."

     Mrs. Hayden was what you would call a typical redhead; pale skin, red vibrant hair and deep green eyes. She was a smart woman who fought for something she strongly believed in. She was strong headed, yet extremely kind. She was determined to make sure I fully understood what it took to be called to court. She ran me through the whole process and made sure I understood as much terminologies as possible; it was akin to being in a classroom again. We spent the last few days laboriously working to ensure my case was strong enough for trial.

       What could have ran smoothly, I believed, was quite the opposite. I still wasn't able to form any coherent words, rendering the whole preparation process challenging. It was even more difficult to retell the tragic event. Thankful, there was such a thing as pen and paper; not that it was any better. Mrs. Hayden was very supportive and set on giving me the justice and peace of mind I so longed for.

5:00am
July 1st

     "Honey...honey." A familiar voice resounded around me. I groaned, turning my body away from the source. "Honey, it's time to get up," the soft voice continued. I ignored the voice once again and proceed in wrapping the blanket more tightly around my body. "Wake up honey. We have an early appointment at the hospital," the voice still persisted.

      My brain was still all mush up with sleep, totally unaware of all the problems I had to face once I opened my eyes. For a moment, my thoughts habitually wandered off to Bryan. I wondered if he was still asleep or if he made it safely to his uncle's house last night and then it clicked.

     Bryan, screaming, Andrew, siren, the police, tears; it all came crashing down.

     I jerked up from the bed, placing my hand to my angrily beating heart. I finally got conscious of my surrounding, noticing my mother by the foot of the bed. She rushed over before I could say Jack Robinson.

     "Hey," she smiled.

...

      Every building looked the same and every flowering tree seemed colourless; lifeless, like how I felt inside. Not even Beethoven playing softly through the car radio seemed to make it any better. My mother had been driving on the highway for about ten minutes now, but we haven't gotten to the hospital yet. The detective in charge of the case; Detective Riley Reynolds—I believe—strongly advised that we visited a hospital a little further away from town, to avoid unnecessary gossip.

       "You okay back there honey?" My mother's calming voice brought me back to reality. I chose to sit at the backseat because it was more spacious. I sat with my knees drawn to my chest and of course I was wearing my seatbelt. To answer my mother's question, I wasn't okay, far from it. I wasn't allowed to take a shower or even brush my teeth. I felt dirty; inside and out, but I wasn't about to tell her that. I knew it would only get her more to worry about.

      I nodded. She smiled, seeming slightly at ease with my respond before focusing back on the road.

        My father insisted that it would make me uncomfortable if he and Andrew were to tag along, hence why it was just my mother and I in the middle lane of the highroad, partaking in some kind of unknown street race.