I Am Not My Skin [ UNDER EDITING ]

Chapter 17:

The drive was rather quiet, I did not know how to approach Johnny with the situation at hand. It was too sensitive and I'd much rather he found out later and I was scared that they might find out that he had been with us.

He would lose his job or they would harm him, sometimes I wonder what really goes on in that particular prison. He stopped as Maya instructed him on where he needed to park, and of course his car was parked away from Cassidy's driveway and house. We both waited as Maya was taking out her phone and exchanging text messages with Cassidy back and forth. And, every time it seemed like she was being hesitant, her bedroom lights were off. "So what are we doing here in this neighborhood, and why are we parked way out here?" Johnny questioned, there was only so much I could hide from him.

He would eventually know once he hears her name or once she started speaking to us. I mean he was a cop after all.

I sighed as I glanced over at Maya, she was still busy and the lights of Cassidy was still off. She promised that she would give us a secret code by flicking her lights on twice if she would come out, and now I think she was just playing with our emotions. The case was nearing in and she was our only hope. It's weird to think that I had to depend on my younger sister for this, but we both know that this is much bigger than the both of us.

This was for Jamal.

"So you're not gonna tell me, all right. But, I promise I won't tell that you two came to the house of Cassidy Coleman who happens to be the one accusing your friend, Jamal Brown." Those words alone shocked me, I swallowed.

I guess my suspicions were right, he did know what we were doing there. Oh, now we are in for it and all this waiting added more to the stress. It appears as though Carter was right that I shouldn't have come here, this was just hopeless.

To sit and wait for basically nothing was frustrating. I didn't even know whether to leave or not, why was she telling Maya that she would be thinking about it and yet it's amusing to her to let us sit out in the cold, and just wait.

It was the silence at this point that drove me insane, to sit in the car and waiting for all her replies to Maya's texts. Every second, of every minute, of every hour that went by I just couldn't take. I almost jumped out of the car and walk up to her front door. But then I thought, that wouldn't help Jamal's case. So, as of now it was just a waiting game.

"Uh──how did, but you must know that this is not for me. This is all for Jamal, and this Cassidy girl is the only one who can truly help us." I truly felt like losing every bit of strength and hope that I had left. I sat and wondered if ever one day all of this will go away, will we be living our lives out as free and happy as we always envisioned for ourself? Does this happiness only last for a while or maybe this was all just a dream, am I the one to be cuffed next and be thrown into the dark pits of their prisons?

Will I be the one imprisoned for speaking my truth no matter how they see it? Does the world ever get to hear how I have fought these battles alone while the system turned it's back on me because I was just too dark for their society? My poor Jamal. One day this will all be over and you will soon see that life is more than what they make you believe for it to be.

"I understand, and don't worry I won't ever tell a soul. I overheard something at the station earlier when that hot shot lawyer and that bastard Connor were talking. They mentioned something about you and this Cassidy girl which is why I wanted to come over and warn you. I don't think your lawyer friend actually wants to help you, he and Connor are way too close." My heart sank right then and there, Carter giving me away to Sergeant Connor? What could he possibly be gaining with all of this? No wonder why my parents still thinks he's a bad apple, I suppose some things just never really changes.

"I──well then, if we succeed tonight then we won't have to worry about him. Just goes to show that one can't trust people so easily." Maya's texting stopped, Cassidy had not been replying since and what happened next was what I thought would never.

"Look!" Maya yelled, the bedroom lights of Cassidy went on once and then again for the second time before she turned it back off again, finally! This nightmare will be over soon. Jamal will be coming home…home to where he belong.

We waited patiently in the car, the only thing one could do was wait. The silence drove one insane, not that I hated the silence, but only because this time I had so many things dwelling on my head. So many things I would much rather have avoided.

I was shattered, I trusted Carter with such a big secret and the first thing he does is give me away to my enemies. This took me back to our college days, this was nothing new but it brought back a feeling I never wanted to feel ever again, betrayal.

The radio had nothing good on so I switched it off, Cassidy sure took her time. I startled when I hear a knock against the window by the passenger seat. It was Cassidy, as mad as I was I had to hear her side. I will get to hear the truth from her mouth and why she did what she did to Jamal. How can one do such a thing to such a gentle soul? And she herself looked like a nice young girl, and the only thing I could think of was how can she accuse someone as innocent as Jamal?

What on earth would she be gaining out of all of this?