Page 91 of Falling With a Spin

Shaking my head, Hunter lets out a small sigh. None of this has been easy for him either, watching me and listening to Chad build up a story to make him look like a nice guy, making me out to be the one with the problems. Guilt wraps its arms around my heart. He should go home and sleep, rest up, and go to classes. Be a college student.

“You know you don’t have to stay, right?” It comes out a little harsher than intended.

“I know that. But let me be here for you; don’t push me when it’s hard. Pull me in close, and let me help you.” He lifts my chin so I’m looking into those baby blues.“You’re strong, brave, and resilient. Also very stubborn. But you don’t need to face this alone. You have already faced so much by yourself; don't add this to the list.” He places a soft kiss on my lips.

“I’m not really hungry. You can choose where we go to eat.”

“Okay.” He turns us towards his mom, the defeat in his voice still lingering.

Once Hunter and his mom are done eating, we make our way back to the courtroom. Each step feels weighed down by a cement block. It becomes harder and harder to keep moving. I don’t want to move forward anymore, just stay here because nothing good will come out of this. I know it won't. But pausing time and staying here isn’t reality; it's delusional and hiding from what I fear the most.

When we reach the doors, Taylor is sitting on a bench with Caleb next to her, and a small smile appears on my face when she looks up.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t here earlier.” She pulls me into a hug, and her warmth is comforting.

“Don’t apologize, it's fine,” I reassure her with a smile.

“Okay, but I’m here now. Caleb was just telling me that the judge will be telling you the verdict?” She looks from me and then to Caleb.

“Yup, we were just on our way back from grabbing a bite to eat,” Hunter says.

“Hey Em, can I talk with you?” Caleb’s voice is almost foreign to me with how much I haven’t heard it.

He stands up from the bench with his hands in his pockets, and he almost looks like a little kid again. The one who I played with during school and it almost breaks my heart that where we are at now in life. Yes, we talked and apologized to each other, but him showing up here without me telling him about it almost puts everything back together again.

“I wanted to let you know that no matter what happens in there, I’m here for you, and I won’t be going anywhere this time. You’re my best friend and the fact that I was blind through this all kills me.” His voice starts to break, causing everything in me to shatter.

We have known each other for our whole life, and I’ve seen him cry only a few times.

“Caleb, this isn’t your fault, nor is it mine, and learning that has been hard. It’s his fault no matter what the judge will say when we walk back inside.” Indeed, he couldn’t stop what Chad was doing to me; he couldn’t stop me from making the decisions that I did.

“It’s still hard, but I talked with the coach about it.” Everything in me goes still; a ringing in my ears starts as I stare at him. Why would he do that? “I didn’t mention anything about you. I told him that Chad wouldn't be at practice because he’d be in court. Supposedly he told our coach that he has a family emergency that needs to be taken care of.” He rolls his eyes, but a small smile appears on his face. “He is kicking him off the team and talking to the Dean when he’s back from his so-called ‘family emergency.’”

My eyes go wide, and I’m not really sure what to think. No matter what happens, Chad will be gone. He won't have basketball anymore and that was his whole life. But I might be gone as well. I haven’t heard back from Juilliard just yet but I have a feeling that's where my new path will begin.

“Emma, we need you in here now.” Kiley’s head peaks out behind the door, and I notice then that it’s just us in the hallway.

“Y-yeah, I’m coming.” giving her a small smile, I turn back to Caleb. “We can finish the conversation off later.”

There’s an eerie silence as we walk back in. A shudder rolls through me, and an urge to turn the other way and run from everything before me is palpable. But with Caleb behind me that's something I can’t do. Taking a deep breath in, I walk towards where Kiley is sitting and take a seat next to her. The guard comes in and tells us to rise while the Judge walks over to his chair.

“You may sit,” His rough voice sends chills down my body. “Ms. deKanter and Mr. Prescott, you both have said some very compelling words. Both have been through so much.” He looks between Chad and me. It takes all my self-restraint not to ask what the hell Chad has been through, but that will prove everything he’s said about me to be true. “I’ve taken quite a bit of time to decide the best outcome for this. Looking over all the notes, the pictures that were provided, and statements from the both of you.” He leans back in his chair as his gaze drifts to Chad.

“I find Chad Prescott…..not guilty for sexual assault, verbal assault, and physical assault against Emma deKanter.” His voice rings through my head as I hear Chad cheer and Anthony claps his hand.

A sobbing starts up, and I can’t tell who it’s coming from. Me? Kiley? Taylor? My body can’t move at the sudden loss.

This is what happens when you have hope. You hold onto that when there is nothing left, but once that's gone, you have nothing. Now I will be a statistic on a website of lost rape cases because the judicial system is fucking shit.

Hunter walks me out once we are dismissed and to be honest, I don’t remember anything after hearing not guilty. Everything is in slow motion, and there’s too much noise in my head that I can’t make out what he is saying to me so I nod my head as I sit down on a bench and watch as he walks off.

I feel something wet hit my hand, unsure when the tears started but they don’t stop when I desperately want them to. From my side view, I see someone approach me. Standing up from the bench, I notice it’s Chad. My hands ball up in a fist, but I don’t have the energy to react to him. He has taken everything from me and he still won. Chad will continue to take and take until something is taken from him.

“You did great up there.” He smirks down at me, one that's full of venom. He leans in close to whisper in my ear. “You were so brave while you fought this time. But just like the rest, you still lost, and I still came out on top.” He pulls away and gives me a wink before walking away.

My whole body begins to shake, and a sob racks through me. Turning around, I run out of the courthouse and down the steps. A scream tears itself from my body as I try to catch my breath, but there’s so much pain, and it won’t ease up. Arms wrap around me, and turning my head, I see Hunter with the same tears streaming down his face.

“I-I can’t do this.” I cry into his arms. “Everything hurts. H-how did this happen?” His hold on me tightens as he rubs circles on my back. “I thought we had a chance.” Sob continues to rack through me and I bury myself into Hunter, attempting to ease the ache in my heart.

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