The Coffee Shop (Hamilton Lams Modern AU) **IN EDITING**

Chapter 24

John's POV

3 Hours Later

I checked my phone for what felt like the millionth time. Still two hours until my break? The bell above the door jingled as another customer walked in. They stumbled over to the counter, and I noticed that they had bruises all over them. "Hi there, are you okay?" I asked. Normally I would've asked for pronouns, but they looked distressed. "N-no.. my boyfriend j-just attacked me b-because I was out of the apartment f-for too long..." she explained. I was stunned. "Okay, what's your name and what's his name? I'm calling the cops," I told her. "Maria Lewis. H-his name is James Reynolds," she replied shakily. I hastily dialed 911 and explained the situation. Nothing like this had ever happened. I hung up and put my phone down. "They'll be here in five minutes. Eliza! Can you come here for a sec?" I called. Eliza came running over. "What's the m- oh my gosh are you okay?" she asked Maria. She took her into the back (probably to fix her up a little). I heard my phone ring, and quickly answered it when I saw that Alex was calling me. "Hi Alex. Look, this isn't the best time-" he cut me off. "I know you're probably busy, but when can you be here? My professor who's helping me out with your case wants to meet you," he explained. "I can be there around 2 or so. I'll have to call you back, we have a bit of a situation here, okay? Love you." I quickly hung up as the sound of sirens got closer. I saw flashing lights right outside and knew that the police had arrived. "Eliza! Bring Maria out, the cops are here!" I yelled. The Schuylers and Maria came running outside. We were all talking over each other, trying to explain the situation. Maria told them what had happened and gave them her boyfriend's name and address. "Thank you. And thank you for contacting us," one of the cops said to me. "Oh, it was nothing. It was just my first impulse." And the fact that I've been through something similar, and know how it feels to beg for help and have nobody believe you. When the cop car pulled off, I let out a sigh of relief. "Where am I going to stay? I have nowhere to go.." Maria mumbled. "You can stay with us," Peggy piped up. "That's a great idea, Pegs. She can stay with us until she gets back on her feet," Angie commented. We went back inside, Maria going with Peggy into the back, and Angie, Eliza and I getting back to work.

2 Hours Later

Finally. I'm on my lunch break, I thought. Wait, didn't Alex ask me to go over to his college for something? I asked myself, taking a second to remember. Yeah, he definitely did. So, I asked him for the address (which I got within a minute), and caught a taxi there. Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the taxi, paying the driver (plus a tip, the best drivers are the ones who don't speak and he didn't ask me anything at all). I called Alex, extremely nervous about going inside. "Hey, Alex, where are you? I'm outside and I don't wanna go in without you," I told him. "I'll be right there, just don't move." And he hung up. Less than a minute later, I felt him grab my wrist and pull me inside. He pulled me into a huge classroom and started talking to someone. I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could for comfort, as I'd never been to a college before. "John, this is my professor, Mr. Washington. Mr. Washington, this is John, my boyfriend and main reason why I want to do this case." There was so much confidence in his voice, and he sounded so sure of every word he said. I gave a small "hello" and looked down at my Harry Potter-themed Vans. "So, John, what was it like growing up in such a household?" Alex's professor asked. "I-... to be honest, it was awful. My dad had been raised as an only child with rich, loving parents who spoiled him rotten. I guess he grew up thinking, 'my parents have money and status, so I can treat anyone and everyone exactly how I wanna'. I think that's why he's such a bad person," I told them. "You might be right about that. And I know you're thinking about custody of your siblings. How do you think that's going to work?" I swallowed hard. "I-I don't really know yet, but I have a basic idea. We have an extra room in our apartment, so two of them can stay there. My sister Martha is a year younger than me, so she could take one of our siblings while I kept the other two. Or, if that doesn't work, my roommates could move out and two of them could stay there, and the other gets the extra room," I explained, still slightly more tense than normal. "Those are good ideas, but you have a few months to have everything set in stone. We're not planning on having your dad prosecuted any time in the next month," Alex's professor told me. "That's good. I have more time to work on what I'm gonna say and do," Alex replied. "Also John, are you comfortable with having you and your siblings as witnesses?" Alex asked. I nodded. "Well, I'm okay with it. We'll have to reach out to my siblings and see what they have to say," I mumbled. "Alright. Sounds like you two can work out a plan from there. Just remember you guys can come to me if you need any help." Alex and I nodded. "I won't let you down, sir. And I won't let you down, Jackie."