Maddie's POV
"Wait, Hailey," I say, tugging on her arm as we walk to the car where Ian's waiting in the passenger seat. Him and Hailey are going to court with me, so we decided to carpool.
"What is it?" Hailey asks softly, pulling her jacket around her a little tighter because it's fairly cold.
The sky is gray and the clouds hang low, confirming the weather forecast's report that it will most likely rain later today.
"I'm sorry for being so distant lately," I mumble.
Her not being allowed to hug or touch me must have had some kind of impact on her and even though I know she would never bring it up, I know it must bother her.
Hailey frowns. "What do you mean? We've hung out almost daily these past two weeks to get ready for finals," she says.
I shake my head and glance past her for a second to see Ian on his phone in the car. "No, that's not what I mean. I- I know you like hugging people and stuff and I've kind of been avoiding you doing it to me and I...I don't know how to explain it, but it just makes me uncomfortable, and I just want you to know it has nothing to do with you, and I am so grateful for everything you're doing for me, and-"
Hailey laughs lightly, placing a hand on my shoulder before pulling it back quickly. "Jeez, Mads. Take a breath."
I do what I'm told before looking up to find Hailey sympathetically smiling at me.
"I know I can't ever possibly understand how you're feeling because you've been through so much, but I understand that you need your space and I am totally okay with not touching or hugging you if that makes you more comfortable. Okay? I'm just glad you're not shutting me out."
"Okay..." I say. "Can I give you a hug?"
Hailey snorts, opening her arms. "Of course, dummy."
I hug her for a moment and even though it's a fairly short embrace, it makes me feel a little better.
"Alright, come on now. We have to go unless you want to be late. We still have to pick up Elias, right?" Hailey says as she starts walking toward the car again.
"Yeah."
We both get into the car and start driving while Ian makes some small talk with me.
"So, Ash and your parents are coming, too?" he asks as he turns in his seat to look at me.
"Yes," I mumble, a heavy feeling sinking into my chest.
I'm glad my parents will be there, but I'm not sure how I feel about Ash coming along as well. He hasn't always been answering my calls the way he said he would and the times he did answer them our conversations were very short and shallow.
"Do I take a right here?" Hailey asks when we come to a stop at a red light, preventing Ian from asking another question.
"Uhm- no. Go left and then take a right," I say. Then I pull out my phone to text Elias that we're almost there.
When we pull into Elias' driveway a few minutes later, we see him already standing outside, the collar of his long jacket propped up agains the wind.
"Damn, this is where he lives?" Hailey asks, her eyes widening at the sight of the beach house.
"Yes. It used to be his grandmother's and when she passed away they renovated it- Oh, hey!" I say when Elias opens the back door. He slides into the seat next to me and buckles up.
He smiles and says, "Hey to you too," before thanking Hailey and Ian for picking him up.
Then we pull back onto the road and head to the courthouse. The closer we get, the more nervous I become, so I start bouncing my leg up and down.
Elias, who's talking to Ian about some fitness regime they've both coincidentally been trying out sees this and subtly places a hand on my thigh.
I glance at him as he keeps talking to Ian before placing my hand on top of his.
A few minutes later we pull into the parking lot of the courthouse. It takes a few more moments for Hailey to find a parking space, but once she does and the car is turned off, we all get out, bracing ourselves against the chilly wind.
The though of Jonas being in the building in front of me is enough for me to feel like crying again, so as we start walking, I take Elias' hand,
He looks down at me, concerned, and squeezes my hand reassuringly.
This goes unnoticed by Hailey and Ian until we enter the foyer of the courthouse where we wait for my parents, Ash and Bri.
"Maddie have you-" Hailey starts, but then she abruptly stops, her eyes trained on my hand that's holding onto Elias'. "Wait- Are you two- Since when- I didn't - I don't-"
Ian chuckles and puts a hand on Hailey's shoulder. "I think your brain just shorted out."
Hailey shakes her head, "No, I just didn't know these two were- I don't- Since when, Mads?"
I squeeze Elias' hand, feeling my cheeks turning bright red. "Uhm- Do you remember the night I told you I wanted to go home and you found that really weird?"
Hailey nods with furrowed eyebrows, but then her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "That night- You went to go see him! Didn't you?"
I hum affirmatively which makes Hailey's eyes go even wider and elicits a laugh from Ian and Elias.
"I can't believe it!" Hailey says which irritates me.
When Ian laughs though, holding out his hand, I'm surprised to see Hailey pulling out a ten dollar bill and hading it to him.
"Wait- You two made a bet?" I say incredulously.
Ian smiles smugly and nods. "I said you two would start dating before Thanksgiving, and, as it turns out, I was right."
I roll my eyes and look up to see Elias blushing crimson red.
"Madeleine!"
Still embarrassed, I turn to see my parents and Ash walking through the oak doors of the courthouse.
They come closer, probably expecting a hug, but I stay right next to Elias, forcing a smile onto my face when Ash grins at me.
They're dressed up the same way Hailey, Ian, Elias and I are and look awfully tense.
My mom eyes Elias with a ghost of a smile, seeing how he's holding my hand while my dad frowns.
"You must be Elias Sanders," he says, shaking Elias' free hand.
Elias nods confidently before introducing himself to my mom.
The grin on Ash's face upon entering the foyer has long vanished and he's standing off to the side, looking glum, probably only now realizing why we're all here today.
What's his problem? It's not like he has to face his abuser in front of dozens of people...
I don't get a chance to think about my resentment any longer because all of a sudden, Bri's standing next to me.
"Alright there, Maddie?" she asks, almost making me jump out of my skin.
"I-I'm fine," I stutter.
"Okay, good. We should get going then," she says.
I nod and follow her into the court room, still holding onto Elias' hand.
Before I can get to the table Bri takes a seat at though, Elias pulls me back.
"I have to stay here," he says, gesturing at the gallery.
I gulp. "Right."
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm right here and Bri's got your back," he says.
I nod, not feeling all too convinced.
Elias bends down and pecks me on the lips before letting go of my hand and sliding into the seat next to Ian.
I glance at my parents who sit next to Hailey. They give me a thumbs up and smile encouragingly while Ash sits next to them, looking around the room.
Taking a deep breath, I walk up to the front of the room and take a seat next to Bri.
She shuffles through some papers and tells me something about what evidence she'll be presenting to the jury and judge.
It's not much, mostly the security camera footage from the parking lot and Elias' testimony, which makes my heart sink.
We don't have enough evidence...
***
"Objection, Your Honor! My client's relationship with Mr. Sanders has nothing to do with the charges she's pressing against Mr. Cooper!" Bri says, standing up, almost throwing her chair over in the process.
She's angry. Very angry. The vein in her temple is popping and her hands are trembling while
I sink lower in my seat. Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, so I blink several times in an attempt to get rid of them.
This has been going on for almost three and a half hours now.
Jonas' attorney keeps throwing ridiculous accusations my way, saying I'm only pressing charges because Elias and I are trying to get rid of Jonas because, allegedly, we've been dating since before I even broke up with Jonas.
It's absolutely pathetic, given the fact that up until the night in the parking lot I didn't even know Elias, but the fact that I lied to Officer Barnes about what happened the first time she asked me about what happened in the parking lot makes my testimony now look questionable.
Also, the court decided the security camera footage couldn't be used as evidence for domestic violence because it didn't back up any claims I made about Jonas abusing me behind closed doors.
"Denied, Mrs. Williams! Now, I suppose the jury's heard enough. So, the court is dismissed until the jury has decided on a verdict," the judge says, beating his gavel on a small piece of wood.
Bri huffs, but tugs on my arm to drag me out if the court room and into the foyer.
Jonas sends me a nasty glare from beside his attorney which I try my best to ignore just like two hours ago when I told the court everything he did to me.
"Shit, Maddie. I'm going to be honest. It's not looking good," Bri admits once we're out of earshot.
I nod, biting my lip as tears start to build up in my eyes.
"But hey, he's going to prison anyway. You know that, right?" she says as she runs her hand through her short hair.
Again, I nod, and then, just as Bri's telling me it could take quite some time for the jury to reach their verdict, my family, Hailey, Ian and Elias file out of the courtroom alongside some other people who were watching the trial.
They all look glum, their eyes trained on the floor as they all know how this is most likely going to end.
"Madeleine, sweetheart," my mom says, hurrying to hug me. "I can't believe that monster did all those things to you. And to think we welcomed him into our family..."
I tense in her embrace, but I don't tell her to back off because I know she needs this hug more than I do.
When she lets go, I take a step back. The tears in my eyes finally spilling down my face now.
"Honey, if the jury doesn't find that bastard guilty they'll have to take it up with me," my dad says, giving me a brief hug himself.
I know he's trying to cheer me up, but it's not working. Quite honestly, it does exactly the opposite because it reminds me how this is most likely going to end.
"Maddie," Hailey says, pulling me aside a bit. "I'm so sorry. I never knew. The bruises- I should have known."
I shake my head and choke out, "It's not your fault."
"But I should have known, my God, I'm so sorry..."
Hailey goes on speaking but I don't hear her because an irritating ringing sound in my ears is becoming louder and louder with each heartbeat.
My hands tremble as I reach up to my ears to see what's wrong when suddenly my throat closes, making it hard for me to breathe.
I gasp, still crying, but before things get worse I feel an arm around my waist, pulling me outside into the cold.
I shiver, closing my eyes and even though the cold air helps me catch my breath again, the ringing in my ears still doesn't stop.
"Maddie, look at me. You're okay. Breathe. It's going to be fine."
Two warm hands cup my cheeks and the sound of a familiar voice makes me open my eyes again.
Elias is standing in front of me, telling me to take deep breaths and while my body does what I'm told, my mind is still going a hundred miles an hour.
"There you go, that's better, now listen to the waves in the distance. Can you hear them?"
I sniffle and concentrate on the sound I know all too well from growing up near the ocean.
Steadily the ringing in my ears fades away until it's completely gone.
My breathing has also turned back to normal and after another moment the tears stop streaming down my cheeks.
"Elias," I whisper, wrapping my arms around his middle.
He holds me close and shields me from the cold breeze, not saying anything.
"They're not going to believe me," I whisper against his suit jacket, shivering.
"I know," he says. "But you did everything you could."
He pulls back just enough to see my face and brushes back a few stray hairs that escaped my ponytail.
"I hate this..." I admit. "I hate what he did to me. And- I just can't keep thinking about why I didn't end things with him sooner."
Elias frowns. "What are you talking about? You were scared. You said it yourself. That's why you didn't end things. Remember?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No. You were scared and you had every right to be, so don't beat yourself up about it, okay?" he interrupts, squeezing me in his arms.
I nod and then, after drying my tears, we head back inside where everyone else looks very worried.
I reassure them that I'm fine before taking a seat on a wooden bench next to Elias, waiting for the jury to agree on a verdict.
It's almost two hours until we get called back into the courtroom and when we do, we all hear what we were hoping not to.
"The jury finds Mr. Cooper not guilty."
Bri balls her hands into fists but doesn't say anything.
The judge announces the court is dismissed and before I know it, I'm standing outside of the courtroom again while Jonas is lead past me in handcuffs.
"You got what you wanted anyway, bitch!" he spits in my direction.
One of his guards tells him to shut up and then he's gone for good.
"Let's go home," Hailey says.
We all agree and after getting our jackets we leave the court house. Hopefully for the last time.
As we walk, Elias takes my hand into his.
"Can you stay over tonight?" I ask quietly so neither my parents nor Ash hear me.
He still hasn't said a single thing which is very unlike him.
Elias nods. "Yes, but I have to go to that photoshoot my dad organized first. Speaking of which-" he says with a sigh.
I turn my head to see what he's looking at.
Right at the bottom of the stairs is a black SUV. In it; the rest of the Sanders family.
"Okay, I'll see you tonight then," I say when we reach the car.
"Yes. See you then. And call me if you need anything," he says.
I nod and watch him get into the back seat next to April who waves at me.
I wave back, genuinely smiling, before heading over to where Ian and Hailey already got into Hailey's car.
My parents and Ash will be coming to Hailey's house for dinner, so I don't bother saying goodbye to them just yet.
Hailey starts driving and for a few minutes, none of us say anything. Then Ian says, "He's a really good guy, Mads."
Distracted by watching the Sanders' car in front of us I say, "Hmm?"
"Elias..." Ian says. "He's a good guy."
"Yes he is," Hailey agrees.
Then we all go back to being quiet.
We follow the Sanders' car until we get to an intersection. There, the traffic light just turned yellow, but instead of stopping as one usually does, the black SUV runs the now red light.
"What are they-" Ian starts but then he's cut off as we all watch in horror as another car rams into the side of the Sanders' car with such force, it spins out and comes to a halt in the middle of the intersection, smoking.
I'm frozen in my seat for a second, hundreds of scenarios of what might have just happened rushing through my head, but then I unbuckle my seatbelt and jump out of the car, shouting, "Call 911!" at Hailey and Ian who get out of the car behind me.