*watch the trailer on the side pleeeasse <3*
Chapter 23 – Harry’s P.O.V.
“Mr. Stevens, would you like to call up your first witness?” the judge asked as he tossed it over to Will.
Mikayla had already done her witnesses—consisting of Elizabeth, Mike, and Elizabeth’s friend Karen—but it was all completely biased. Elizabeth had been over dramatic like I assumed, Mike lied his ass off, and Karen is like Elizabeth’s sister. It’d basically be violating the “girl code” if she told the truth, even though each of them swore on the bible. That’s okay. Let all three of them go to hell and see if I give two-shits at all.
“I would, Your Honor.” Will stood, walking to the center of the room. His eyes moved to Chloe. “I’d like to call Miss Chloe Williams to the stand.”
Immediately—almost instinctively—Mikayla shot up from her seat. “Your Honor, I object. He can’t call a mental patient to the witness stand.”
“Why?” Will rose an eyebrow at her. “Because she’ll speak the truth?”
Mikayla pursed her lips and if looks could kill, Will would be slaughtered into bits and pieces on the floor. But the judge waved her away and told Will to proceed. “Chloe is an individual human herself, Ms. Poland. I find it highly offensive that you’d treat her any differently,” he said.
That time, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. The judge had sense, thank God, and it seemed like a lot of the jurors did as well. They all knew this was a total waste of time, but they all went with the flow as they were ordered to do. They complied without fault, and I can’t blame them for doing their agonizing boring job.
Chloe was staring down at her fumbling hands, almost as if she’d never heard anything that’s been happening the past thirty minutes or so. Will tried to be gentle as he kindly said, “Miss Chloe?”
She slowly looked up at him, picking nervously at her fingernails.
He smiled. “Would you please come take a seat up here for me?”
Chloe chewed her bottom lip, but slowly nodded. All eyes in the courtroom were on her, but she kept her eyes to the floor as the guards brought her to her feet and led her to the stand. She swore on the bible with a fragile, curt nod, then perched herself in the large chair. It pissed me off that she was still handcuffed.
Will was genuine, though, as he professionally paced the floor. “Miss Chloe, has my client ever laid a violent hand on you?”
Chloe shook her head without hesitation. Minimum shocked sounds flooded the room as Mikayla sank back into her chair, clearly defeated already.
“Has he ever forcefully placed you into a sexual situation you wanted no part in being in?”
Chloe shook her head again.
Mikayla shot up from her chair again, right when everything thought she was done. “Your Honor, this is ridiculous. You can’t trust an insane person’s judgment!”
“Sit down, Ms. Poland,” the judge said sternly, evidently fed up with her denial in possibly losing this case.
When all eyes returned to Chloe, she was staring down at her lap, but her cuffed hands were clamped over her ears. I could tell she was breathing quickly by the way she gently rocked herself back and forth in the chair. She did that often when she was on the verge of a breakdown. Her lips were moving silently, as if speaking to herself or them, as she called it.
“Miss Williams?” Will asked softly, but Chloe’s eyes screwed shut tight.
“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no.”
The single word repeatedly fled her lips in a hushed tone as her rocking picked up pace. Her hands were twitching over her ears, then they began to violently heave in and out of her hair. She was shaking her head now, so fast I was worried she may break her neck. Everyone was intently watching her, even the judge seeming concerned. The guards looked like they were about to pounce, but my anger grew each time they moved closer to her.
But then Chloe’s whispering turned into screams. “No!” she hollered over and over, tears leaking from her squeezed eyelids.
The judge scooted farther away from her as she moved her hands to her forehead, her nails digging down into her skin. Worry tumbled through my as I stood from the chair, about to make my way over to soothe her as Will took a couple steps back, giving her space.
But then the guards were moving quickly—too quickly—to roughly grab her. I couldn’t stop myself from yelling, “Don’t touch her!”
Even with the officer in the room guarding the door, I didn’t care about this stupid fucking trial anymore. I ran from the chair, pushing past the two bulk guards to get to the witness stand. Chloe was dragging her nails down over her eyes, the faint marks from the previous time now a vibrant red once more. Immediately, I caught her wrists in my hands, the entire room watching in utter astonishment. Even the officer that was trying to get to me (since I’m supposedly a criminal) had froze in his tracks.
“Hey, hey. It’s me, it’s me.” I repeated both the statements to her in a soft voice as I held onto her wrists, her body trembling in my touch. She was petrified.
“Chloe. Chloe, look at me,” I whispered, tugging her hands slightly to grab her attention.
She peeled her eyes open, and as if she hadn’t known it was me before and was just now finding it out, she snatched her hands from my grasp and threw her arms around my neck. People gasped, and even I was a little taken off guard by her forwardness so publicly. But I only hesitated for a second before my arms wrapped around her waist, my head nuzzling in her hair.
I could feel her wet tears absorbing in the fabric of my t-shirt, but I didn’t even care. It’s been six days since I’ve felt this warmth radiating from her body to mine. Six days since I’ve had her this close, and I wasn’t ready to let go. But the guards moving in tore us apart.
“Harry,” she whispered, “don’t let them take me.”
Before I could respond, Mikayla’s pitchy voice yelled, “You morons are letting a sex offender hug a mental patient!”
As if she were some goddess they worshipped, the two rehab guards gripped Chloe’s arms and pried her from my grasp. “No,” Chloe said loudly as she shook her head. She kicked her legs as they drug her from the stand. “Harry, don’t let them take me back there!”
My heart broke in two as I stood there on the stand, my anger boiling, but no words leaving my lips. A police officer had gripped my arms behind my back, dragging me down. Chloe was still kicking and struggling, but the guards’ grip tightened, her arms paling with their strong hold. That’s when I practically exploded.
“Don’t fucking hurt her!” I screamed.
But they had already drug her through the exit, the officer pinning me shoving me back down in my seat and handcuffing me to the table.
Even with my foggy mind with all my anger, I could make out a few things of what Will said to the crowd, “If that scene didn’t prove my client’s innocence, I don’t know what will.”
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A/N: Omg you guys, I made a trailer! watch it on the side, please!! <3 Also, sorry this chapter was a little short, but the next will reveal Harry's innocence/guilt. Thank you guys so much for reading this story, though, and please don't be a ghost reader! I love reading your comments, so please leave one! Don't worry, I don't bite ;P Love you all xx
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Schizophrenic // Harry Styles
Fanfiction❝Monsters don't sleep under your bed; they scream inside of your head.❞
