battle of the bands (and babes) ~ camila/you

chapter twenty four

Courthouses are strange for me. Last time in my court house, my mom gained full custody of me. It hurt to say goodbye to my dad. But, thankfully, goodbyes don't last forever, as I have learned. That could be a blessing and a curse.

I arrived after a breakfast at the diner with Ken- I mean, Dad. It's weird having him back in my life, but I saw how much effort he put in to rekindle his relationship with his family. It's a good weird.

Speaking of a good kind of weird, Camila was waiting in front of the courthouse. Sofi was staying at my house because Camila didn't want her in a courtroom. Sofi would get bored, and she wouldn't feel comfortable in a court room discussing how everyone thought her sister's ex boyfriend was dead.

"I didn't think you'd show up this early." Camila remarked as I parked my car.

"Then why were you waiting outside? Babe, it's freezing out here." I slammed the car door, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"I didn't want to go in without you." Camila confessed. "Come on, let's go."

We walked into the court room, sitting right behind Camila's parents. Nate, Ally, and Lauren sat in the next row. Sebastian Mendes, sporting a deceiving smile, was talking on the other side of the court.

"Seems now he's against his own brother." Lauren muttered.

"Was it really that hard to find a blazer?" Nate chuckled at me.

"Shut up, this is serious." Ally smacked his forearm. "Be quiet."

"Now, a while back, we thought this case was as good as done." The judge began. "But, Alejandro and Sinu Cabello have brought up some surprising evidence. Care to explain?"

Alejandro got up, adjusting his tie and taking a deep breath.

"Your honor, we have evidence and proof that Shawn Mendes is alive in Miami. The papers we have suggest that Sebastian Mendes, my client's brother, sent him on a plane instead of reporting his reappearance to the authorities. We think it's possible that his brother- somehow, got Shawn to escape out of jail."

"Humans make their own decisions, Mr. Cabello."

"I am aware. But, Shawn had very drastic injuries to his temporal lobes." Mrs. Cabello stood up. "It's quite evident by the way he fell."

"We would like to call up Y/N Allen and ask a few questions."

"Proceed."

I made my way up to the stand, feeling Camila's eyes on the back of my head.

"Ms. Allen, you encountered Shawn on the rock at Camp Jellystone, correct?"

"That's correct, sir."

"What was different about him?"

"It was as if he kept trying to be something he wasn't, like he was putting on a show." I explained. "He even got sentimental at one point with me- before- sorry, before he fell."

"Do you believe he learned this behavior from the friends he made at school?"

"Objection!" The plaintiff's attorney shouted.

"Let Ms. Allen answer."

"I mean- kids from my school don't really get along with the kids from Ridgeview." I looked at Camila. "They've done some pretty awful things to the people I'm close to. But, sometimes, you can tell when someone's their own kind of mean. Most kids learn how to be mean- or, a better word is stuck up, I guess- at Garrison. Some of them, at least."