Okay so today is the day of the trial. I am so nervous that I brought up and old habit of mine- pacing back and fourth while biting my nails. I think Drew can sense it because he puts his hand on my cheek and reassures me that everything is going to be okay.
"Trust me everything with go just fine"
"How do you know that?"
"Babe, the guy almost killed me, and he hit you and threatened you. They have all the evidence they need, so they can send him back to whatever he'll hole he came from" I laugh at that
"Thanks but I can't help it. A guy that I have been afraid of for 2 years finally will be rightfully charged for jail- I hope"mutter to myself
"Don't worry Claire bear. We will all be there with you including your dad" Kayla says - wait my dad?!
"My dads coming?" I say excited because this will be the first time I have seen him since the funeral
"Yes, he said he won't get to miss tags bastard be put behind bars" Kayla said
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"Daddy!" I see my dad and go running up to him. He pulls me into a hug that could last forever until someone cleared their throat
"Excuse me, it's time" my lawyer aka aunt Mary said
"You ready?" Drew said
"As ready as I'll ever be" I say nervously
We sit down in our seats and a few minutes later the judge walks in so everyone stands up.
"You may be seated. Today's case is: Claire Summers against Chase Mitchell for assault and battery. Okay let's get started.
"The jury calls Brandon Scott to the stand"
"Mr Scott, can you tell me what happened the night of April 15?" Mary says
"Yes m'am. Okay so we were all hanging out at the abandoned park because that was our hangout place waiting for chase because Claire said that she just wanted to talk and then all of a sudden Chase comes up and starts yelling at Claire because she had her boyfriend with her"
"What were his exact words?"
"I'm not jealous, I can have any girl I want when I want"
"And then what happened?"
"Why don't we let the video explain Mrs. Holt"
She presses play on the video:
"I didn't think you would bring him with you" chase says anger clearly in his voice
"Oh what's the matter jealous?"
"Haha yeah right, I can have any girl I want but I want to have you"
"You will never have me after what you did!" I shout.
"Don't you dare yell at me after what I did for you!"
"What you did for me?! YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND PROBABLY THINKING IT WAS ME! Your a monster and that's all you'll ever be. And I pity the woman who ever wants to-
He slaps her flat across the face. Then Andrew goes lunging at him. They are in a. Full blown fight.
"Andrew"
Nothing he just keeps punching and so does Chase.
"Please Drew Stop!"
"What happened after that mr. Scott?"
"Kayla called 911 and we saw Andrew go down because Chase stabbed him"
"Okay thank you mr. Scott" Mary says
"The jury calls Kayla Holt to the stand"
"Mrs holt, would you mind telling me what happened after you called 911?" Mary says
"Yes, Brandon stepped in because we saw Drew go down. Chase was holding a knife but Brandon ripped it out of his hands and grabbed him by the waist. By the looks of it I didn't think Drew was going to survive and neither did Claire, but luckily he pulled through and I am glad for that" Kayla says
"Okay that's all mrs holt, you may be seated"
"The defense calls Claire Summers to the stand" Chases lawyer says
"Mrs Summers, can you tell us about your past with my client?"
"Yes sir, well when I lived in California me and Chase were in love. Or so I thought-
"So you had a relationship with my client at said time?"
"At the time of the murder yes but I was going to leave him until that one night where he killed Aria!" I yelled in anger
"So if you were so mad at my client, could it be true that you were the one trying to get revenge for his coming back?"
"No. Absolutely not. Of course I dreaded it that he was back because whenever he is around I fear for my life because when we were together he beat me. But that day he came into the park and you know the rest from the video"
"Okay. That's all your honor" Chases lawyer said
"You may be seated" the judge said to me.
Drew decided that he wasn't going to testify because he might just have a blow out right then and there and punch the judge
"The prosecution calls Chase Mitchell to the stand" aunt Mary said
"Mr. Mitchell, what where you doing there the night of April 15th?"
"I was meeting Claire as you already know"
"And we're you so angry that you hit her?"
"Well yes but-
"Well then tell me about the night of Aria Hunters murder"
"Well yes I did kill her but-
"So you admit it"
"Yes but-
"And why would you kill mrs Hunter?may she rest in peace "
He slammed his hand on the podium " I didn't mean to kill Aria! IT WAS MEANT TO BE YOU!" He says pointing to me.
I hear gasps from the jury and the audience.
"Order in the court" the judge says slamming the gavel down and everybody became silent
"That will be all your honor" Aunt Mary said. Boy is she a good lawyer, I can see why everyone wants her.
We were let out for and hour recess and it is a few minutes till they call us back in and I am so nervous.
What if they don't find him guilty?
What if this was all for nothing?
If he isn't found guilty he will kill us all
Oh god. Oh god please. I can't even think straight right now
I am pacing again when I am stopped by Brandon. "Claire stop it. This isn't worth getting yourself work up over. We got him. I just know it. He won't be able to hurt you. And Aria can be at peace"
"But what if they don't find him guilty"
"They have to after Mary's speech. He admitted to it. We got him" Brandon assures me
"Okay" I say taking a deep breath
"The jury has reached a verdict. Ready Claire?" Aunt Mary asks
"Yes" I respond half confident
We walk back into the courtroom and everybody sits in there seat.
"May the defense rise" the judge says and chase and his lawyer stands
"Your honor, in the charge of manslaughter, we the jury find the defendant guilty.
In the charge of attempted murder, we the jury find the defendant guilty.
In the charge of assault and battery we find the defendant guilty"
"All rise" the judge said. "I sentence you to 40 years in the men's correction facility and when you get out, you are to have no contact at all with mrs Summers or the list that follows: the Hunter family, the Summers family, the Masons family, the Holt family, and the Scott family. If I hear that you got contact with any of them, you will be escorted back to the facility. This court is adjured" the judge said and I feel relief.
I hug aunt Mary first "thank you so much. I love you" I say to her.
Then I go to hug Drew and he spins me around "we did it!" He shouts happily. Then I hug Brandon and Kayla. Then my dad. "Claire, now that he's gone you can come back and live with me in California. Will you?"
I look at dad then I look at Mary, Brandon, Drew and Kayla. " I'm sorry dad. As much as I'd love to come back home, I just can't. What am I saying? This is my home and I am right where I should be"
"I knew it. It's okay sweetheart, don't feel bad I compleatly understand that there is too much pain there for you" dad says
"Thanks for understanding, how long are you here for?"
"Just today sweetie I'm sorry, my flights at five and it's now 3:45 I have to get to the airport"
"It's okay dad, I love you and always will" I give him a big hug and he returns it.
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"Okay I love you goodbye" dad says. We are now at the airport watching my dad go on the plane.
"Bye"
"Okay let's celebrate!" Kayla and Brandon say in unison
"Yeah let's do it!" I say
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2 months later : June 14
Today was the day that me and Brandon fly back to California. It's the day that made it very hard for me. Today is Arias birthday. She would have been seventeen today.
We are standing at her gravestone. Brandon says " let me give you an minute" and he leaves
"Happy Birthday best friend! I love you. I wish you could be here but because of that bastard you couldn't be. We finally got him! He's going to be in jail for a very long time, but let's stop talking about that devil. You meant and still mean the world to me and I love you so much. I don't even know where to start. You taught me how to live. How to see the bigger picture in life. Hey remember when you guys got me drink at Marks party and I called Brandon Brandie and you Alexander? That was the best night of my life and I will never forget it. I love you more than words can say and you made my life worth living throughout all the drama, fights and all that crap you were always there. I wish you could be here to celebrate. I can just imagine you and me going on a shopping spree and then going home to surprise you with a party. That would have been great. Now Brandon is going to talk so goodbye I love you and don't you forget it. Aria Hunter, you will always be a part of my life, even if we can't grow old together and have kids" I say tears welling in my eyes
"Okay Brandon now I will leave you for a few minutes" I say walking away.
Brandon's POV
"Happy birthday babe! I don't know what to say. You mean the world to me even though your not here, I will always love you. Even though we had fights and our ups and downs I love you so much. And I will love you forever and always. I wish that we could have gotten married and had kids and grown old together but you were unfairly taken from us. You will be forever in our memories as a loved girlfriend and best friend. I remember when I asked you out and Claire was jumping up and down and yelling "FINALLY!" And you just stood there and kissed me in the rain, not caring if anything gets wet. That's how I felt everyday with you. The butterflies, the joy, the happiness. I know I will have that someday with someone else but I want you to know that nothing will top what we had. I want to thank you for the love you gave me. All those Christmases and shitty holidays, you made it worth it. I love you Aria Grace Hunter and don't you dare forget it. Now that that bastard is behind bars you an rest in peace. Goodbye babe, I love you" I say placing a white rose-her favorite, on her gravestone.
"You okay?" Claire said
"Honestly, I will never be okay. I will always have that emptiness in my heart but I will live on. I am a trooper and I know that we will all love her till the day we die. She has left a legacy that we will never forget. She will always be with us in our hearts and we always have the memories and good times" I say
"Same here" she says grabbing my hand and we walk home.
She will always be in our hearts and I will always love her no matter what.
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So guys what did you think? Sad part towards the end. I cried writing it. I chose the song because Claire and Brandon talk about old memories they had with Aria.
I decided that I'm gonna do 19 chapters and and epilogue.
Comment, vote. Thank you!
-Jen