I was beyond vexed, I was fuming with rage. I stopped in front of the mournful beauty with a scowl on my face.
"Why the fuck didn't you wake me up?" I yelled at her as she just stared at me, emotionless. I grabbed both of her thin shoulders and shook her.
"Why didn't you ease my guilt?" I yelled more as Evangeline's eyes intensified with grief.
"I watched my dad get pushed down there." She whispered as her eyes glumly looked into mine. If anyone else was in my place, they would shiver from the amount of pain her eyes radiated.
"You didn't have to do this alone," I muttered coldly. She shrugged and looked down at the ground. With my hands, I lifted her face to meet mine again. God damn it, I could never stay angry at her.
"He told me to play the piano in my dream." She whispered again as her lip trembled. My heart broke even more at her crestfallen sight. I held her to my chest as I stroked her hair.
"I'll always be here, I will still be here even if I die," I promised as her heartbeat was loud against mine and the wind blew harder.
"Stop saying that word." She ordered. My eyes focused on the stormy skies of Michigan, apologizing internally to her father because I couldn't make it to his funeral even if I didn't get the chance to know him. A part of me had envy that people respected her father while mine was trashy and nobody stood in front of his funeral beside Evangeline's dad's tombstone. Not even me. I dismissed it quickly as a silly thought, I was happy she never got a father like mine.
We headed back to her house since mine was under construction to fix the damage that damned man-made. I hated both of them with a passion, they made our life miserable. Life was one funny motherfucker like Kendrick Lamar said.
She froze at the sight in front of her and so did I. Dalton stood as he looked around like he was waiting for a long time until his eyes found me.
Shit, I forgot about the court.
"Ryson, we have to go." Just with these words, Evangeline flipped at Dalton.
"No, please don't take him." She said as she shook her head frantically. That was the last thing I needed so I gently held her in my arms.
"Baby, it's just court, I'll get back to you." I murmured in her ear to calm her down, that didn't work.
"Who do you think I am? Some kid who is dumb enough to believe this lie?" She pushed me away as she snapped hotly. I stared at the way her eyes were aflame, the way her hair swayed quickly as she shook her head, the way her hands twitched and the way her face paled. She punched my chest, she screamed and she thrashed when I held her again but I was in a trance. Nobody cared that much about letting me go. She did what my father failed to do.
So I kissed her with every fiber of my existence, I kissed her to the point where Dalton stood speechless at the sight.
She kissed back and I pulled away to Dalton's hold on me, pulling me further away from her.
"No!" She shrieked as Dalton turned me around, she ran to me as she tried to grasp my hand but the other officer held her back.
"I'll be back, Evange." I knew she heard me yell because she stopped and believed me for a moment.
My head was lowered as I entered Dalton's car with fear in my bones. If it was just another careless Rys day, I would have willingly did something to go to juvie. But Evangeline was in the picture, I couldn't go to prison anymore.
The mental picture vividly portrayed her coming back from shopping pregnant with a huge grin on her face as she sat on my lap and giggled while she kissed me back, both happy in our modest home.
I smiled at that mere impossible thought. The struggle God had put us through was clung to us. But I believed that God put two together for a blessed life ahead, so he could save me from this bad situation, right? I'd like to think so.
"Rys, I'm sorry for what I did, but you wouldn't hear me," Dalton said in defense. I just nodded.
We approached the court with fancy looking men that sat at the back like they were forced to be here on their vacation. The judge was a kind woman, I knew her from the many times I was sent to court.
"Rys," she disappointingly started, "it's you again, don't you ever get tired of being sent here?"
"No, ma'am, still looking good as ever," I complimented as she rolled her eyes at me, "I don't regret what I did," I stated briefly as the audience settled down and there was silence signaling the start of the court session.
After I explained what happened, I was faced with questions like:
"What made you do it?"
"Why did you have a gun?"
"Since when was your dad this unstable?"
"What time was the attack?"
These were all irrelevant. I was bored out of my mind as I answered each one of their shallow questions. Dalton looked at me like he actually believed in my story. I was surprised that this time he defended me.
"Your honor, his dad hired a man to kill him and it was a miracle he survived, and then he succeeded in killing the girl's dad," he reasoned with a stern look on his face, "I know it was wrong to act all irrational, he neglected his therapy sessions, but I promise you that I will force him to get help and community service." He spoke out sincerely.
The judge took an hour as his assistants typed in the needed information, and the lab reports came to prove dad's crimes through his handprints. The disdain that dripped down the various lawyers told me that they wanted me in a cell.
I was Ryson Adams. I got away with everything.
I playfully glared at him because community service was way out of line. I had a job and a flight to go to when I earn the money thanks to my gramps. He gave me a hard look and I shut up, knowing he was trying his best to convince judge Donnes.
The audience grew quiet when the time has finally come up with the last decision.
"The court of Michigan has stated that Ryson Adams is innocent for self defence against his father, lab reports of the handprints on the gun indicated that our investigators were right, but he will serve for the community for four years."