Fighting to Survive (Guarded Hearts Book 3) (13 page)

*  *  *

It’s been almost two full days since everything happened and we are on our way to the courthouse for Shawn’s arraignment. He told us on the phone we didn’t need to be there, but there’s no way I’m staying home when I’m the one who put him there in the first place.

Nicole and Jason agreed to come with me to support him, and I think they know I need some support as well. Holly is getting released from the hospital today, thank God. Carter and Madison are probably picking her up now. Mads has been doing so much better, although she didn’t even talk to anyone but Carter until this morning. She gave me a hug and told me she would say a prayer everything goes well. Shawn is going to claim self-defense and we are hoping the district attorney will drop the charges.

We walk into the courtroom just as the hearing is about to start. The bailiff leads Shawn into the courtroom and my heart breaks at seeing how defeated he looks. When he looks up and sees us he just shakes his head.

Jason squeezes my hand. “Hey, he probably just didn’t want us to see him like this.”

“All rise. This court is now in session, the honorable Judge Peters presiding.”

The judge sits down and begins by advising Shawn of his
right to trial, the right to counsel, and the right against self-incrimination. Shawn had Jason get money from his room to hire his attorney for the hearing. The judge goes over the charges against him and then asks how he’s going to plead.

Shawn looks up at the judge and says, “Not guilty by reason of self-defense.”

The judge then turns to the prosecution and asks them to present any evidence they have against him. Their evidence is solid, because of course he did it, but they now need to prove if he did it because he had to. “Your honor, Scott Jameson died due to brain swelling caused by blunt trauma to the head. Mr. Matthews has been involved in underground fighting and is well-versed in how to harm someone in a physical altercation.” The three of us collectively gasp.
How do they know about that?
“Due to this, we are claiming that he had the knowledge that the punches he was inflicting on Mr. Jameson were beyond the force needed to simply make him leave the premises.”

The judge asks Shawn’s lawyer if he has anything else to add, and since he was unprepared for that bombshell, he says no.

“Based on the circumstances of the crime, I am denying bail for Mr. Matthews and setting the trial date for three weeks from now.”

I sink down onto the bench and tears start streaming down my face. Who would have told them about the fighting? Shawn has no enemies, no one hates him enough to ruin his life. Just then a haunting realization comes over me and I pull out my phone.

Me: Please tell me that you weren’t the one who told the prosecution about the fighting.

It took less than a minute for him to answer me.

Dad: I told you I would keep you away from him. You should have just listened to me.

This really is all my fault, and now Shawn’s life is ruined because of me.

When the prosecutors brought up the fighting, my heart stopped. All I could think was
I’m screwed
. The judge even added multiple accounts of illegal fighting and other miscellaneous charges. Apparently, Christen’s dad had found out about it and had me followed to the tournament, so they had pictures of me fighting three different people. Throughout the entire trial they painted me as some rage filled psychopath. Thankfully, Scott had cut me with the knife that night, which was a big plus for my defense. I think it’s the one thing which saved me.

Christen testified on my behalf and told them the events of that night, and to my surprise, the dean of the pre-med department at school testified as a character witness. The trial lasted about two and a half weeks, and today is the day I hear the verdict. I shuffle into the courtroom, trying not to bust my face since my ankles are cuffed together.

I look up and see Christen and everyone else sitting in the front row. She has been here every single day, which kills me because she should be in class. Jason told me she filed a paper with the dean’s office to take a leave for this semester without academic penalty due to the circumstances, and it was granted. I hate she's putting her life on hold for me. My family is sitting next to Carter on the bench. The look on my mom’s face when I told her everything still haunts me. She was so disappointed and she won’t even look me in the eye right now. I think she was more upset I had been fighting and lying for so long, than about what happened with Scott. Christen had gone to my house after the arraignment to tell my parents about everything that happened that night, but left the explanation of the fighting to me.

The jury enters the courtroom, followed by the judge. The judge turns to the jury and I feel like I might throw up at any moment. “
Has the jury come to a verdict regarding the defendant?”

“We have, Your Honor.”

“How does the jury find the defendant on multiple accounts of assault and battery?”

“We find the defendant guilty, Your Honor.”
Fuck.

“How does the jury find the defendant in murder of the second degree?”

“We find the defendant not guilty.”

“Yes!” I scream out before I can catch myself.

“Mr. Matthews, you will control yourself in my courtroom.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

My heart is beating so fast it feels like it’s about to come out of my chest. I look behind me and smile at Christen. The judge bangs his gavel in an attempt to restore order. “Mr. Matthews, you will be fined five thousand dollars for each battery offense, and will be placed under house arrest for the duration of six months. If you are ever caught fighting again, it will be noted that it will result in jail time of no less than one year. This case is adjourned, all parties may be dismissed.”

I thank my lawyer for all of his hard work, and am led out of the room to finally be set free from this hell.

***

I’ve been out for a week and have received permission to go to campus with this damn ankle bracelet on. I’m on my way to the tuition office so that I can officially drop out of the classes I have registered for the Fall Semester. After paying my lawyer and all of the fines, almost all the money I earned is gone, and there is no way I can pay for classes. Every time I want to leave the house I need permission and they give me a curfew. This is going to be a long six months.

“Shawn Matthews.” I walk into my advisor’s office, hating what I’m about to do. “How can I help you today?”

“I need to drop out of the program.”

He looks absolutely shocked. “Why is that? We rescheduled your classes for fall so that you could pick up where you left off.”

“I know that, and I appreciate all the help, but unfortunately, I just can’t afford to continue in the program right now.”

“Have you applied for scholarships and grants?”

“Yeah, and I’ve taken on loans, too. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.” It sucks to know that you can’t achieve the one thing you want because you can’t afford it.

“Let me take a look at your account.” He types away at his computer and I almost want to stop him. It’s great that he wants to help, but there is nothing that he can do for me. “Mr. Matthews, it seems that there has been an account linked to yours that is set up to pay for your education from this point until graduation.”

“
WHAT?
!”

“Yes, I’m looking at it right now. It seems it was set up a few days ago, and will cover what your financial aid won’t until graduation.”

“How is that possible? Does it say where it came from?” My family definitely doesn’t have it, and unless I have a rich relative hiding somewhere, none of this makes sense.

“No, it says it was anonymous. I’m assuming you don’t want to drop your classes then?”

“No, I guess not.” I walk out of his office more confused than I have ever been.
Who would have that kind of money?
When I leave the building, Christen is waiting outside.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I, um…my tuition was mysteriously paid for.”

“Oh my God! That’s great! How?”

“I don’t know.”

My mom used to always tell us when we were kids that the angels were guarding us. I guess my angel decided to step in and help.

We are on our way home and Shawn is still racking his brain, trying to figure out who set up that account. What he doesn’t know is, he’s sitting right next to the person. My parents had set up a trust for me, which has been mine since I turned eighteen. I never wanted to touch it, though, because I didn’t need it. I went to the tuition office a few days ago and met with one of the counselors to set up direct withdrawals from my account for his tuition. I made her promise it would be anonymous because I knew Shawn would not accept it if he knew it was coming from me.

When we get back to the apartment, everyone is hanging out. We’ve all gotten so much closer and have really leaned on each other throughout everything that has happened.

Carter and Madison have actually started planning their wedding. They want to do it next summer after Carter graduates. She’s been like a whole new person now that the smoke has cleared. Carter made her start seeing a doctor so she could talk to someone about everything that has happened. At first she was pissed at him about it, but after she embraced the idea, it did wonders for her.

Jason and Nicole are still as crazy in love as they have ever been. Unfortunately, when Nicole told her father she wouldn’t come home while Jason’s mom was there, he told her that was too bad and he would miss her. He refused to see how hard the situation was for her and she hasn’t talked to him since. Jason’s dad is still as miserable and nasty as he was the first time she met him, so neither of them plan on visiting home anytime soon.

Shawn and I have only grown closer with everything that’s happened. He can’t go home for the summer because of the house arrest, and I haven’t spoken to my parents since I found out what my dad did. His parole officer gave him the green light to apply for jobs, and Carter is trying to get him on at the club. I took a waitressing job so I can support myself and be more independent. It seems like everything has finally fallen into place for all of us. The demons are gone and everyone is finally at peace, except J and Nic, but fighting is a staple in their relationship and they love making up way too much to get along.

The only one I’m still worried about is Holly. On the surface it seems like she’s almost back to her old self. She is insistent we all stop worrying about her, but I know she’s still struggling with what happened. I can hear her walking around at night because she either can’t sleep or has had a nightmare. I’ve tried to talk to her but she isn’t ready to accept help. Hopefully, she will soon because if she doesn’t, I know she is eventually going to drive herself crazy.

Alexis Noelle
lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her husband, two kids, and two dogs. On top of starting a writing career, she is a full-time student and a full-time mom. She loves to spend her free time with her kids, although she has to hide the computer from them when she is writing!

She loves to read romance books! The books she likes to read and write are the ones which make you feel for the characters. She believes you should have an opinion on every character in a book whether you love them, hate them, or think they are up to something.

She has always thought the most important critic is the reader, so she would love to hear from you. If you read the book and loved it or hated it, let her know. As long as it is in a constructive way, she will always answer and interact with you. She wants fans to feel free to tell her what they want for the characters in the story, and what they want to see happen.

Please visit my facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/AlexisNoelleAuthor

You can also email me your thoughts or questions at:

[email protected]

You can also follow me on twitter at: 

_alexisnoelle_

I would like to thank all of my family and friends who have believed in me and supported me. Especially my husband who has been constantly encouraging me throughout this whole process. I couldn’t have done it without your love and support.

I would also like to say thank you to my friends who endured me constantly talking about this book and its characters as if they were real. You gave me advice and listened when I was frustrated and just needed to vent.

I would also like to thank the bloggers who read and gave me advice on the book. I really needed to hear what you said, even if I didn’t like it at times. I am not naïve and I know that I would not be able to do this without the support of all of the lovely ladies who do this every day.