Neutral Zone (Jordan Baker) COMPLETED

Chapter Sixteen: Court

      I was walking into the Baker's house going to get Jordan about an hour earlier so I could make sure we can get to the courthouse on time. We argued for fifteen minutes yesterday about him coming to court. Me saying no and him saying yes but eventually he won.
       "Why can't I go?"
      "Cause it's not gonna be a big thing,"
      "I don't care if it's a big thing or a small thing, I'm going to support you since you are not only my girlfriend but one of my best friends,"
     "Jordan, you have your own family issues to deal with. I don't want you to have to deal with mine as well,"
      "I'll deal with whatever I want to deal with. You're my girlfriend, so therefore whatever problems you have is my problems. I'm going,"
      "J-"
     He cut me off. "What time?"
    "Yo-"
    "What time?"
      I sighed as I finally gave in. Jordan is just as much stubborn as I was if not more. "Ten,"
     He leaned up to kiss me."I'll be ready,"
     "You better,"
     He wrapped an arm around my back and pulling me closer."Or what?"
     "Oh, now you're not gonna let me go?"
     "No, I know you. You would say 'no more kisses' and that's not okay with me,"
     "Then you don't know me as well as you think cause I wouldn't be able not to kiss you,"
      I saw Jordan sitting at the edge of the pool talking to Olivia and it looked like it was a deep conversation so I sat on at the table in the kitchen while Coach walked in. "Don't be nervous,"
       "How can I not be Coach? He literally has so many friends in high places,"
      "And you are friends with Laura Baker,"
      "Whose not on my case cause I'm dating Jordan,"
      "Maybe you should've waited to start dating him till after your court date,"
      "I don't think that would've been possible," Laura said walking in. "Jordan and her were already in a relationship before they even knew it,"
      I rolled my eyes and chuckled. I turned my gaze to where Jordan and Olivia was and Jordan looked like he was about to kill someone as he got up from the spot but a teary-eyed Olivia pulled him back saying something as she laid her head on his shoulder. I got off the seat and walked to the back door and leaned on the frame. Jordan looked at me, said something to Olivia and she started to say something but Jordan interrupted her and looked like he was pleading with her over something. I could tell clearly she said fine as they got up and walked over to me.
       "Can we talk while Jordan gets dressed?"
       "Are you sure that you want to talk about this? I mean it was clear Jordan talked you into this,"
        Jordan started to protest but Olivia beat him to it. "He may have but I need someone else to talk too about this. Aka a girl that is it was one of my best friends,"
       "Okay, let's talk then,"
       He kissed the top of my head and walked up the stairs. "I'm going to go get dressed. I'll be down in a few minutes,"
       "I'm sorry that I let you think that you were the reason you pushed me away, and I let everyone else think it, even myself, but I'm the one who pulled away,"
      "Why did you pull away from us?"
     "Cause of what I did. I was so terrified of losing the people I love over a mistake I can barely even remember,"
      "What mistake?"
      She looked utterly destroyed talking about this and all I could do was place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Last year, I got wasted, and I did something I seriously regret. I-I slept with Asher,"
       My jaw dropped and I just stared at her. "Asher took advantage of you?"
      "What? No. Asher was pretty messed up too. Just, it was my fault, okay? You can't just blame him,"
      "Olivia, yes, I can,"
      "You and Jordan are just alike. Asher didn't take advantage of me. I shouldn't have gone to the party. I shouldn't have gone along with Asher,"
       When I thought I have seen the worst in Asher, I kept getting proven wrong. "I could say the same thing about Asher,"
     "Please promise me that you won't say anything. Layla doesn't know, and if she ever found out Please promise me,"
     "Okay, I promise. I won't say anything but I can't say I'll look at him the same way,"
      I know this was a year ago, about the same time everything happened with Asher but Asher still shouldn't have done what he did and the same goes for Liv. Jordan walked down in a light gray suit, he definitely made the suit look good. Liv laughed slightly. "Your drooling,"
     I turned to look at her and she smirked at me.  "How can I not? I mean look at him. He's definitely a stud,"
    "Good luck Chrissy,"
----
     "So why did you tell anyone about the abuse you sustained in the care of Mr. Williams?"
     I was in court for about an hour listening to testimony about how Ericka saying that he was a good father and I was the disobedient one and always causing problems. Mom wasn't here per usual. Dad was saying that I wasn't disobedient like Ericka was said. I was always the one who got good grades, never misbehave. Never drank. I was a good daughter, student, and person. "Because my father and stepmother weren't coming home for a month due to honeymoon,"
    "So they left you for a month?"
    "They only left for a honeymoon. They thought I would be perfectly safe with my mom and stepfather,"
     "That sounds like terrible parenting," His lawyer said.
    My lawyer stood up. "Objection. That clearly is an opinion that shouldn't have been made,"
     The lawyer nodded. "I agree, keep your opinions out of it,"
      Grant's lawyer raised his hands in defense. "I apologize. Let me rephrase. That sounds like your father didn't care for you,"
      I felt my body started to warm up as I was getting aggravated but I kept my breathing and anger under control. I was about to answer what he said when the door opened and it revealed Laura. "Miss. Hendricks,"
     "If you think my parents are terrible parents for leaving a month. Four weeks. Less than thirty days as they returned home early out of all the years of me being alive, then you might want to go investigate ninety percent of Beverly Hills parents. My father and even Brittany when she met me they came to every game, every performance, everything I was involved with they were there," I snapped. "Why are you talking about my parents? My parents aren't the one who hit or neglected me,"
     "Okay, then explain your relationship with your stepfather,"
     "At the beginning, it wasn't bad nor was it good,"
     "Was that because you viewed  him as the reason your parent's marriage didn't work out?"
     "No,"
     "Then who'd you blame?"
     "Why does this matter? You think I'm lying about Grant abusing me? For what reason?"
      "To make your father look like a saint,"
     "Let me tell you something about my father. My father sat me down and told me they were getting a divorce. Do you want to know what he told me? He painted himself as the victim. He didn't blame her. He blamed himself. I knew that was a lie, I heard them fighting constantly about her cheating. Now, will you stop asking about my father and ask me what he did,"
      "Alright, go on,"
      "Like I was saying the relationship wasn't good or bad cause we didn't interact with each other even at breakfast or dinner. At the time my parents shared custody over me,"
     "Can you explain what that was?"
     "It was fifty-fifty. Since we were living in the same area, I spent six months with my father and six months with my mother. One year I'll spend Christmas with my mother and the next with my father and the same with every holiday,"
     "Okay. When did the beatings start?"
     "Two years ago, when he lost his job,"
     "I'll repeat my first question, why didn't you tell anyone?"
    "Because I was terrified. Why would anyone believe a fifteen-year-old is saying a respected community man abused his stepdaughter? He has told me every time he hit me that he has friends in high places and if I told anyone, he would make sure they knew I was lying,"
     "And what did he mean by that?"
     "No idea. But it terrified me,"
     "Why did he start to hit you?"
     "It started after he lost his job so I guess stress relief? I don't know,"
      "So what happened on the worst day?"
     "I got home from being at a football game before curfew and he reeked of alcohol. Way worse than he had before. He smelled like he poured ten bottles all of himself,"
     "So you're saying he only hit you when he was drunk?"
     "No,"
     "Continue,"
*
     "On the count of child abuse in the second degree?" The judge asked.
     "Guilty,"
    I finally let go out the breath I was holding since I got here, I felt a bunch of pats on my shoulder and back but the only thing I could focus on was the guilty verdict. I didn't snap out of it until I felt a hand on my face. I looked and saw that it was Jordan. I quickly took a look at my surroundings, on my right I saw everyone talking with each other, handshakes and smiles, laughing. On my left, frowns, death glares thrown at me and Grant being taken into custody. "You did well. I could see the anger building up in you and you pushed it back down and kept calm. I'm proud of you babe,"
     "I just told the truth and hoped they saw it,"