"How are you feeling?" Mr Reinfield asks as I sit down next to him in the court room. I mumble out a fine as the guard removes the too tight cuffs. "Well this is a year in the planning so I just hope it goes according to plan."

"The evidence speaks for itself, right?"

He nods his head slowly, "Though they are always more leanient on correction officers, don't worry though Judge Parsons is clean and a family friend so we have a leg up."

I nod my head, "I'm testifying first right?"

"Yes," He tells me, "I gave the opening speech and I can tell the jury are mostly on our side, hearing and seeing you today can only help our case."

We sat in silence for a while and then the judge came in and started the proceedings. When I was finally called to the stand, I was lead by the court room guard and told to recite some things with my hand on a bible.

"Miss WestWood, how old are you?" Mr Reinfield asks

"Seventeen." I answer courtly

"And why are you currently incarcerated?" he continues

"Murder."

"Whose murder?"

"My then boyfriend, Finn." I reply, looking at the jury who are all staring at me with unreadable faces.

"You're currently having your years dropped to 3 from 8. Why was it so high?"

"Finn was the head of a large crime organization who had many influential people involved including the judge who tried my case. When they found out what he did in his spare time along with the multiple eye witnesses, they dropped the years down."

"Why not put you in a juvenile detention center?"

"There are still many people who hate me for what I've done and claim I deserve to continue in rainview." I answer and Mr Reinfield nods his head.

"When is the first time you were attacked by Rachel Inez?"

"My first night in jail."

"Can you describe what had taken place?"

I nod my head and cast my head back, "I was 15 and scared for my life, the guards were not friendly at all and pushed me around the whole time. I was the put inside a place I thought would be my cell but Rachel Inez and some other people were there and beat me so bad I couldn't see from my right eye. She said welcome to hell and said that she would continue until I kill myself and meet Finn in hell."

"Your honor, relevance?" The lawyer for the defense asks

"It will become evident soon." Mr Reinfield says to the judge who tells him to proceed, "When you told the guard about what happened, what happened?"

"I told Officer Spene because he was the one who left me in the room in the first place, I thought it was a mistake but then he said that I'm lucky she didn't do more." I answer

"Later on, did you find out the reason for this response?"

I nod my head, "Rachel was sleeping with Officer Spene who she had met in Finn's, excuse my language, whorehouse." I explain

"So he had let this go unpunished?" I nod my head at his words, "Did this get any better?"

I shake my head, "No sir. Inez and her friends started a partnership of sorts, many girls sleeping with guards who would then overlook the treatment they gave others in the jail."

"I would like to show exhibit G." Mr Reinfield put up the picture of the large gash that I had on my back that has now formed a scar that will never go away. "Can you explain how this happened?"

"After we started forming the case against them, they started to catch wind of this and ambushed me and my bunkmate. Officer Hallon held me as Rachel stabbed me and watched as she stepped on my cut. Afterwards I wasn't allowed treatment for it until my lawyer threatened to call the commissioner. I had to use tissue paper and water to cover it."

"I'm sure that did nothing considering the depth of the cut."

"No it had gotten infected and the guards took away the antiseptic I was supposed to use hourly to clean it." I answer honestly

Mr Reinfield nodded his head, "Thank you. No further questions, your honor."

*

After Lila left there was a sort of silence on the table. No one talked and we started to leave slowly at the bell.

"Can we talk?" Kayla asks when everyone had left and I raise my eyebrow but stay in my position. "As you know my family can't handle the finances of a cease and disest."

"Then maybe you should keep your mouth shut." I retort and I see her jaw click in annoyance

"You don't make it very easy to just be quiet Regina." she hisses, "You continually antagonise me and use Caleb against me-"

"Even before I had Caleb, you had a problem with me."

"Yes but that was only because I could tell he was interested by you and he never looked at me the way he looked at you." she admits, "Destroying you was supposed to be easy, I've done it before."

I dont doubt that for a second, "Well I've had meaner girls than you. If I was someone weak it probably would have worked." I credit and she licks her lips before looking at me directly in the eye.

"I suppose what I'm saying is that I apologise for continually talking about it after you explained why you did what you did," she states, "Lila has a point, I went too far."

"You went too far when you put red paint in my locker," I tell her and she gives me a dead look

"Sorry but I saw murder and everyone needed to know." She defends

"So you're not sorry?"

"Well I didn't know what I know now so I would have done the same thing." she explains before dropping her hands that were previously crossed, "Why didn't you just say why you did it? I would have stopped then."

I raise my eyebrow, "Really?"

She pauses for a second, "Well I would have found another way to ruin you."

My lips fall into a straight line, "What do you want, Kayla?"

She clears her throat and quiets down a little, "Can you drop the charges?"

I look at her blankly, she can't be serious. She's already said everything there is to say, there is nothing to cease anymore. "You must be mad." I pick up my things and start to walk to the exit and she follows me

"I'm begging you." She says, "My dad would literally kill me if he knew I pushed it and -"

"What does this have to do with me?" I ask confused

"Come on, be nice for once-"

"Be nice?" I ask exasperated, "Be nice when you've been nothing but horrible to me the moment I sat down on that seat? Be nice when you've literally done every horrible thing someone could do to someone? Yeah, I'll be nice to you when hell freezes over."

With that I barged past her to the exit and made my way to class. I stop when I see Caleb walking into the building. I smile and stop in my tracks.

"You didn't need to come all the way here." I say and he comes in front of me and pulls me into a hug

"I protect what's mine remember?" He whispers into my hair and my grin enlargens

"Yes I recall you calling me your girlfriend even though I dont recall you asking." I say and he pulls away from me and I look up at him

"Well I just assume-"

"I'm not complaining." I tell him and he dips down to kiss me on my lips which I welcome happily. Once he moved away I bite my lip, "So are we talking again?"

"Yes." He says firmly, "I understand why you were conflicted in telling me, you're closer to her and she's told you that we don't care about her but we do. I do. I just couldn't because of the implications and-"

"I understand. I promise and I apologise for not telling you sooner." I say once more before I could continue my phone rings and pull it out from my pocket to see the unknown number, "This would be her."

He runs a hand through his hair and nods for me to answer the phone which I do.

"Gigi, you won't guess what happened." She starts the call

"Bamb-"

"They said they're taking two years off my sentence because of good behaviour! I knew it was going to happen when Inez got moved upstate." she exclaims, "That means ill be out so soon."

"That's great, bambi!" I smile, "Hey, erm I have something to tell you."

"Oh no." she whispers after pausing for a beat, "You don't sound so happy that I'm coming out soon. Are your parents not going to let me stay with you like planned? Because I have some money, I'll stay in a hotel or some-"

"No actually we would love to have you but I'm sure Caleb would love to have his sister back." I tell her looking up at an expectant Caleb

"Caleb Josiah?" She asks, "As in my Josiah?"

"Yeah he goes to my school. The boy I told you about, I went to his house to see Mr and Mrs Mensa and your picture was everywhere." I explain, "I actually have Caleb with me right now and he wants to talk to you."

"Regina, this isn't funny if this is a joke." she whispers

I smile lightly and put the phone on speaker. I mouth speak to Caleb and he clears his throat. "Tay Tay?"

"Siah?" She sobs