Ryan Clifford is 23 years old and she has never had a boyfriend. Her parents think she will end up alone if they don't find someone to marry her, so that's exactly what they do. They find the perfect man for their little girl: Luke Robert Hemmings.
...
This morning, I woke up around eight in the morning because I couldn't sleep. Usually when I don't go to work I sleep in until ten, but this morning I just couldn't keep pretending to sleep. I saw Calum was already up and I decided to get ready before going to find him. I brushed my teeth and my hair, not bothering to put on jewelry or makeup. I then walked over to my closet and picked out my outfit for the day.
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I didn't have much motivation to look good but I had to wear something that was appropriate for the courtroom. I ended up just picking out black skinny jeans, a light grey t-shirt and my leather jacket. I paired it with my black and white vans and pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail.
I quickly threw on my clothes and walked down the stairs. I was immediately greeted with my mum and Calum making eggs and bacon, my dad and Michael sitting on the couch watching TV, and Luke, Ashton and Amelia sitting at the kitchen table talking.
"Morning, Ry." Calum said, walking over to me and giving me a hug.
"Good morning!" Ashton and Amelia chirped up. I walked over to them to sit beside them but was stopped when Luke engulfed me in a hug and kissed the top of my head.
"Morning." I said to Luke when he pulled away, blushing a little bit. He gave me a soft smile and shifted over a seat so I could sit between him and Amelia. We spent fifteen minutes just talking, then ate breakfast when it was ready. Everything seemed normal, despite the circumstances.
"So, since the courthouse is about a two hour drive away, we will leave at 1p.m. Ashton is going to drive Ryan, Luke and Amelia in his truck and Daryl, Michael, Calum and I will go in our car and meet you guys there." My mum told us the plan for later that day and we all nodded our heads in agreement. "Okay, sounds like a plan."
☆
Ashton pulled into the parking lot behind my parents and we all piled out of the car. Luke immediately grabbed my hand and Calum came up to grab my other one. We walked into the building, my hands becoming clammy from my nerves. Luke, Calum, Ashton, Michael and my parents went into the courtroom to grab seats, while Amelia and I waited in the hall.
"Ryan, I'm so sorry. You are my best friend and I wasn't there for you." She said, giving me a hug.
"It's okay, you're here now." I gave her a comforting smile and we walked into the courtroom together.
☆
I was sitting in the first row of benches, on the right side of the court room. Calum sat on my right side, Michael beside Calum and my parents beside Michael. Luke sat on my left with Ashton and Amelia beside him. I was going to sit beside my parents but they insisted that I was surrounded by my friends.
We were sitting behind the prosecution, where there were two lawyers discussing in low voices and looking over papers. Before the trial, they had talked to me and told me that I would be a witness. They also said that the trial would last about two days in court and then up to two days waiting for a verdict from the jury. The first day would be opening statements and hard evidence, and the second day would be witnesses and closing statements.
