I'd never been so nervous in my life.

Even as I walked into the courtroom, the back of Wyatt's head visible I began to panic. The man sitting no more than a few meters from me, had killed Tony, had tried to kill me. Our contact had been minimal, yet he had impacted my life so largely that it felt almost unrealistic that he had caused so much chaos to me so personally.

Moving into the right hand row second from the front, I sat down between Isaia and Dawson. Bryce stood in front of us, behind his desk neatly aligned with paperwork, ready for the fight.

With the clock nearing 8am, handfuls if people hastily entered the courtroom, taking their place in the rows either on my side, or the defence.

I wedged my hands between my thighs, squeezing them tightly to avoid fidgeting. My eyes wandered and as I peered left, my glance was met with a short and bulky woman taking seat directly behind Wyatt and his attorney. She narrowed her glare on me, holding me down, her deep blue eyes stern and hateful. I could see that instantly she knew who I was, and it hadn't taken me long to realise who the woman was in return. Her features were similar to that of her sons, the aggressiveness of merely the expression on her face sending shoots of fear throughout my body.

"Jasmine" My name was firmly whispered, an unfocused body moving forward to interrupt the stare contest I was having with Wyatt's mother.

I quickly recovered and looked to Dawson who had intentionally shifted to block my view. He shook his head "Forward" he instructed before leaning back again. I did as he had said, returning my gaze forward, despite the burning I could feel against my cheek.

I aimed my attention to the familiar lawyer in front of me, Bryce, watching his fingers fidget with folders and papers. Aiming to relax my breathing, mentally talking myself into calming down, I naturally jumped when I felt a hand reach out and rest against my shoulder. Lightly gasping, I turned my head, sighing with relief when I saw Loretta sitting directly behind me "Sorry" She whispered with a small smile "We're here for Tony, and we're here for you" She gave me a gentle pat

I returned her a small smile, thankful she had found courage to attend the trial. Her presence meant more to me than she knew, it gave me the little extra push I needed to move forward.

When the moment came, the moment the clock reached 8am, my heart hammered. The trial against Wyatt for Tony's murder and the crimes against me had begun. A tall, elderly man took his place at the top of the courtroom, introducing himself as Judge Garison before beginning proceedings.

As Bryce had warned, there had been a lot of law talk, big words that I didn't understand, fast paced arguments and objections with many different meanings. I tried to keep up with what was said as much as I could, but it was difficult. Thankfully at the rate I was having to concentrate, I realised it had taken my mind off of the nervousness, it had helped me with the anxiety that had been brewing beneath the surface.

It hadn't taken long to understand that the defence, Lawrence and Wyatt, were attempting to do, sway the jury by saying that the entire was a setup. Which was complete absurdity.

The first witness to be called was Trey, Wyatt's half brother. Due to rising tensions, Trey would be questioned via video call. A medium sized laptop had been placed on a table in the centre of the room. On the full sized screen, Trey.

I shifted where I sat, his full face coming to view, the grainy image of him in a forest green prison jumpsuit, his hands shackled giving me some small part of relief.

Prosecution began. It was pretty well rehearsed, Bryce already having been over the story with Trey so long as he wanted his plea deal.

"What was the intention when you and your half brother, the defendant, Wyatt Johnson went into that grocery store Trey?" Bryce asked casually as he sat at his table

The laptop had been plugged into a set of speakers, his voice loud, deep when he responded. All eyes were narrow on the screen, every juror watching his behaviour with scrutiny, deciding whether or not the petty criminal would be reliable.

"To rob it, Wyatt wanted to get some extra cash, he said he hadn't made enough that week to cover his mothers rent"

"So it was Wyatt's idea to rob the store?" Bruce questioned

"Yeah" Trey nodded "He said it would be easy, that the Spanish dude was old and wouldn't be able to fight back, he said he'd probably just hand the cash over"

"But that's not what happened was it Trey? He did fight back, what happened when yourself and Wyatt realised that?"

Trey rubbed his chin, his chains jangling, stubble grown since the robbery across his youthful face.

"The guy pushed the alarm under the counter, Wyatt saw him do it so he got mad, he pushed his pistol against his head and started yelling at him, that's when the dude picked the pole up, he hit Wyatt over the head with it"

"Then what happened?" Bryce urged him to continue

"They started wrestling with each other, the gun went off into the ceiling, then when Wyatt gained control, he pointed it at Tony's head and he shot him" Trey spoke as though he was telling a casual story over beers, he was cold, unfeeling, even as Loretta could be heard sobbing

When Bruce had finished questioning Trey over the details, defence stood. I instantly became nervous, curious of how Lawrence was going to make Trey look to the jury

"Have you even been in trouble with the law before Trey?" Lawrence began

Over the 24 years of his short life, Trey had spent most of his teen years in and out of juvenile detention. He revealed the crimes he'd been sentenced for, including battery, domestic violence against his girlfriend, distribution of an illegal substance, the list went on. Lawrence attempted to make Trey look as crooked as he genuinely was, which didn't work to our favour.

"Your on again off again girlfriend, Mr. Johnson, she and her brothers, they are a part of the Newbury Newboys gang are they not?"

"Sherri isn't, but her brothers are"

"Her brothers are, and how often did you hang out with Sherri and her brothers Trey?" Lawrence was fishing, strategically

He shrugged "Every few days"

"So, you've under oath testified to the fact that you and your half brother, my client, are part of the Renegade gang, yet every few days as you say, you hang out with members of your most rival gang? That doesn't sound right to me.. now is it true that the brothers, nicknamed 'cut and dreads' had asked you to be a part of their little group?"

Trey was fidgeting, he was looking bad already, his eyes moving from his hands to the camera "I mean, did they want me to switch, yeah, but I wasn't gonna, Wyatt is my bro..-"

"Oh he's your bro? So you just naturally accepted a plea deal in return for your testimony against your 'bro'?" Lawrence's voice had turned vicious, he was intimidating me without me even being in front of him

"Objection" Bryce interjected hastily

"Withdrawn" Lawrence smiled, shaking his head "Mr. Johnson, is it fair to say that the only reason you're testifying today is because you accepted an offer that means you'll be out of prison in time to see your daughter graduate high school?"

It was hard to imagine that such a monster capable of murder had brought an innocent life into the world. I felt bad for his daughter, that the choices he had made meant she would grow up without him, I knew how that felt, no matter the circumstance, it was a loss.

Trey seemed to think about it for a moment, and then he leaned forward, looking straight into the camera

"I never had a dad growing up, all I ever had was my brother, he taught me everything I know, and look at where that's gotten me, I ain't gonna miss another minute of my kids life because of the bad decisions I let him make for me, this is it, that's why I took the deal man" He shook his head, leaning back again "I'm sorry to the mans family that I did this to, I'm sorry, I wished it never have happened and that I hadn't done it"

Suddenly I felt something for Trey that I could have never imagined to feel before, forgiveness. Seeing Trey as a person with a family, with regret and remorse, apologising, I couldn't help but feel myself breathe a breath of relief. He was exactly where he needed to be, this was his punishment, and once it was over, I genuinely hoped, that for his daughters sake, he would change.

"Nothing further" Lawrence had taken the blow, knowing that Trey was not going to break, that he had been strong enough to maintain his truth, the real truth.

Two and a half hours into the trial, a short recess was called. During this recess, we had stepped outside of the court room, taking the time to go over with Bryce what had already happened and what still due to happen.

I stood against a concrete pillar with Isaia and Dawson on either side of me, remaining vigilant, especially once Wyatt's family had also exited the courtroom to the wide open hall.

"That went good right?" I asked the moment Bryce was in front of us

He nodded "Thankfully Trey did exactly what I asked him to do, let's just hope the jury buys his remorse, I wouldn't be surprised if you're called next.. I know Lawrence is eager to throw your testimony out.."

"I still can't understand Lawrence taking on this case, he can't seriously think he's going to win with the defence he's playing for" Isaia folded his arms over his chest

Bryce quirked an eyebrow "He has tricks, don't be fooled, it isn't over yet" He then moved towards Loretta and her support, eager to provide her with the progression

I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing my temples

"You'll be fine" Dawson unthinkingly placed a hand on the back of my neck, tracing small circles with his thumb

Instantly Isaia was looking between us with an unreadable expression. I shrugged and Dawson's hand fell, realising what he had unknowingly revealed.

The small intimate gesture had opened us up to the pending secret. We were more than likely bound to be outed during court anyway, so in a sense, this was probably a better way for Isaia to have discovered the truth.

Silently, Isaia lifted a finger, pointing it between us both before placing his finger together with his index finger suggestively.

I became embarrassed, shifting my weight. Dawson on the other hand was forcing back a smirk, nodding

To my complete and utter surprise, a grin rose from Isaias full lips "I ain't mad about it, but the captain is gonna be.." He released a short chuckle

I was looking at him with clear confusion, taken aback by his somewhat approving attitude

He shrugged, patting my shoulder "Jasmine, it's fine, you wanna know where I met my wife?"

Slowly, my face relaxed, did I really want to know? Was it rhetorical?

Leaning forward slightly, he whispered towards me "I went to a bucks night for a friend of mine at a strip club.. she was serving our drinks.."

He pulled back, proud, his white gorgeous teeth glistening, brightening his face "It is what it is"

Relaxing, I let out a small giggle, feeling I needed to suppress it in such a serious setting.