season two ; episode five { The Darkest Hour }
chapter fifty-eight
BROOKLYN HAD ANGER ISSUES, SHE HAD ANGER ISSUES FROM A YOUNG AGE but as she matured and got older, she managed to maintain her anger and stop herself from getting angry. When she did get infuriated or enraged, she would turn into another person, a person nobody wants to be involved with.
She could see this court hearing going two different ways. One way would be that the cops had actually done their job and had found out that it was actually Rafe Cameron who killed Peterkin and it was Ward Cameron who killed her father and who has been helping his son get away with this. Another way she could see this going was that John B would be sent away for life and Brooklyn would be screaming, panicking and wishing everyone dead. She could see herself calling out Ward and Rafe right there on the spot, she could see herself going in for a punch and not caring that she could end up in a jail cell.
For the court hearing, she was sat at the furthest end so if all went wrong she could get out quickly. She was sat besides JJ, his hand resting on her thigh while he leg bounced up and down due to the anxiety she was feeling today.
The judge struck the gavel and began to speak, "John Booker Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section fourteen, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances. If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."
Death penalty... Did she just say death penalty?
Brooklyn was probably the first to her feet, she stepped away from her friends and was trying to make her way down to the front. "Your Honour, he's seventeen years old. He didn't do anything! He's seventeen! Are you kidding me?"
Pope was pulling Brooklyn back by her arm and telling her, "Stop. You're good. Come on."
John B looked back at his sister who was trying her hardest not to cause a scene but it was sort of difficult when he might get killed for a crime he didn't even commit. "Hey, JB, we're gonna figure this out."
"John B! John B." John B turned sadly to his girlfriend who was close to tears.
The cop was pushing Sarah back. "Don't touch her." Kiara wrapped her arm around Sarah's and she pulled her away. There wasn't much anyone could do now other than to leave and figure out a way to clear his name.
She freed her arm from Pope's once she was brought outside. Her head hung low and her nails started to dig so far into her palms that she could feel the blood seeping out. She didn't want to panic, she was counting in her head to calm herself down but nothing seemed to be working. Brooklyn could see that everyone was angry, that everyone wasn't feeling great after that and of course, Brooklyn wasn't happen but she knew it. She knew it was going to go the one way she hated. The one way everyone hated.
"Is this a joke? Like, are we in hell or...?"
"I should have never come home."
"They're gonna kill him, guys. I know it." Brooklyn winced upon hearing JJ's words.
They couldn't kill him. Brooklyn couldn't lose him too. She was going to figure this out.
And she was going to start now. She heard Ward Cameron's lawyer or whatever he was say, "Thank God the system works."
Brooklyn didn't want to draw more attention to herself, she didn't want to be the attention seeking little sister who was about to lose her brother.
"Can you please shut up?" Everyone stopped walking to turn their heads to Brooklyn who had her eyes peeled to Ward. She hasn't been this close to him in a while so the anger that had been bubbling inside her for weeks was finally unleashing. "Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you." She pointed a finger to Ward and his friends.
"He'll have his day in court. A jury will decide."
"That's my seventeen year old brother!" The anger was still bubbling, in fact it was overflowing and unless someone stopped her, she would keep going. "He shouldn't even be in court. You should, 'cause you're a murderer." She pointed a finger over to Ward who was trying to walk away with Rose. "You have a lot of nerve showing up to court."
"I know you're upset. I understand you're upset, okay?"
"Upset?"
"I know he's got you fooled. He's got you all fooled."
The closer Ward got, the more irritated Brooklyn was getting. "No, I'm not just upset!" The girl bounced forward in all attempt to hurt him but her arms were being pulled back. "You killed my father! You will not get my brother killed too!"
Ward began to step away but he yelled one more thing to the girl while she was being forced away, "Show some respect!"
"Fuck you!"
"Get off her!" Sarah tried to grab her arm while she fought against their grip.
"Muzzle your goddamned dog!" JJ looked over at the Kooks who were still watching. "Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change."
"You wanna get arrested? Get out! You need to go."
"Arrest me then, Shoupe." She stepped up to him once the cops had finally freed her. "Arrest me."
"Get out of here, Brooklyn."
"Come on. Look, it's not worth it." Sarah was holding onto her arm and pulling her back to join them.
One of the cops was apologising to Ward for Brooklyn's attitude, "Sorry, you shouldn't be going through this. Have a good night."
Brooklyn made sure to get one more point across before she left by saying, "It's not a coincidence that your daughter's sitting with us."
"Keep going. Nothing to see."
"Party's over."
—
Brooklyn was obviously hoping that all of these was a nightmare. She didn't want to believe that her brother was actually going to be killed for a crime he didn't commit. She didn't want to believe that he would be killed in a awful way. She wasn't going to let Ward Cameron get away with this, she was going to let Rafe Cameron get away with this. She wasn't going to let them take her father and her brother. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.
The group chose to head to the Château to discuss some sort of plan to get John B out of this. It had started to rain once they arrived which only brought Brooklyn's mood down.
Sarah was first to speak, "I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there. I just need to get a hold of my sister."
"Sister?"
"Kie, do you have your phone?" Kiara handed Sarah her phone. "Wheezie is the only other person who knows Rafe wasn't home that day."
"Wheezie?"
"I don't know what else to do. I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out." Sarah stepped away from the group and headed into the Château to try and get ahold of Wheezie.
JJ scoffed. "Wheezie? Yeah, that will work. Well, she's right. We have to do something." He paused to look around the group before saying. "Our boy is a PO-dub right now, okay? He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here?"
Kiara rose to her feet to say, "What's your plan? We kidnap Shoupe?"
"Maybe, like, that's not the worst idea actually."
"Oh, it's not?"
"No! Look, I really don't need any judgement from you, Kiara." Brooklyn's eyes widened as she looked between Kiara and JJ.
She really didn't need them two arguing right now.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Before JJ could argue, Pope spoke up to say, "That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard."
"It's pretty bad." Sarah said from inside the house.
"You know what? Please, just stay out of this." He turned his head back to Pope. "Okay, Pope, look, we've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"
"Okay, okay, so what's your plan? You gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing." Pope was on his feet and stepping over to JJ.
"Look, Pope, all I'm trying to get you to understand is they got our boy." He looked over at Brooklyn who hadn't said a word since they arrived. "Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"
"JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening."
Brooklyn finally spoke up, "That's my brother in there. My brother." She looked in between Pope and Kiara. "So what do I have to lose if I get arrested? I have nothing to lose anymore so..." She looked over at JJ and said the words she didn't expect herself to say, "I'll help you. Help him escape."
"Oh, you two are the spitting image of each other." Kiara mumbled loud enough for the group to hear.
"Excuse me?" Brooklyn stepped over to Kiara. "I don't think you get that I have nothing to lose. I have absolutely nothing to lose and that is my brother. My family comes first."
"What about us? Aren't we meant to be your family."
She looked between JJ and Kiara and then she said, "You guys are my family, I just—"
Kiara cut her off to say, "Then you don't lie to us, right? None of us... especially your boyfriend."
"Kiara, can we just..."
"Talk? No, Brooklyn, we can't." Brooklyn could see where this was going and she didn't like the sounds of it. "Did you ever—."
"Tell me that you liked her," JJ answered before Kiara could. "She told me. Probably doesn't remember telling me because she was high. She told me that you wanted to be with her even if she's with me. So, Kiara, if you really wanna fight for the only person I've ever loved, then game on but you will lose."
Brooklyn looked over at Pope who looked disheartened, of course he was, it had now just been proven to him that Kiara had used him to spite Brooklyn. Brooklyn couldn't help but feel guilty, she never wanted Pope to get hurt along the way, him of all people didn't deserve that.
"She may love you but I'm still going to try because there's a past with me and Brooklyn, a past that not even you know about..." Kiara could've said more but Brooklyn really hoped she wouldn't.
Brooklyn stepped in front of the two who were face to face from ripping each other to shreds. "We are not doing this right now."
"Are we going?" JJ asked, holding out his hand for Brooklyn.
She took it quickly. "Yeah. We'll see you guys."