BAD BOY SAVED (female pov)

Be brave for Liam.

I used to believe that a layer of ice lay behind his eyes, that they had the power to freeze hell over and the degrees of his soul remained constantly lower than those of the arctic. He was always so distant and cold. But then he opened his heart to me, he let me in and it reminded me of one thing, the hottest fires always burnt blue.

Liam loved fiercely, despite never being shown how. He fought with so many things and came out stronger after every battle. But there's still one more left for him to face.

The trial.

"Five minutes!" Jordan shouted from my hallway. "We gotta leave no later than five minutes." I ignored his voice and continued lightly dusting my cheeks with contour powder. My hands trembled, I was a nervous wreck.

"So, I'm not gonna go." My head spun round to Lola who stood in my doorway wearing her full court attire. She kept picking at the nail polish she wore.

"What do you mean you're not going to go? Liam really needs our support right now." I threw the brush down into my makeup bag without even looking.

"Tell Liam I'm not feeling well but I wish him the best of luck. I just don't feel up to going right now Liv." I stood up, feeling anger lay on the already made pit of worry that gathered in my stomach.

"Lola he's your friend, how can you just decide you're not going?" I wanted to lash out at her verbally, release some of the negative feelings clogging up inside of me. I felt sick with nerves, we were all feeling unwell but Lola should be there. We all should.

"Please don't make this awkward Liv, I'm not going. Just tell Liam I wish I could be there for him." She took herself out of my bedroom and back downstairs.

"Three minutes." Jordan shouted. It was like I was in an escape room and my timer was ticking down faster than what I was ready for.

Be brave. Be brave for Liam.

I repeated those words on a loop in my head. A part of me felt selfish for feeling this frightened because it wasn't me that needed to face him. I worried how it would affect Liam afterwards, I worried incase he lost it and started fighting in the courtroom, I worried about so much.

"Knock, knock. You ready?" Jordan stood in my doorway suited and booted. His curls, however still as uncontrollable as ever. I shook my head, my eyes glossing over with unshed tears. "Me neither." He admitted "but we gotta go." His eyes landed on the photo display behind my desk and he smiled to himself, no doubt because of the newest additions.
He slung his arm over my shoulders and walked me to the door, had he not done that I think my feet wouldn't have allowed me move.

The journey to the courthouse was short, too short. I shared a car with Jordan, Tia and Reece. Zak and Ben travelled in the other car. Everything inside of me felt tense and melancholy, like I had just received some really bad news.

But I held my head up with confidence and hid my fear behind the mask of my foundation.

Be brave. Be brave for Liam.

As soon as I walked in the door I could feel Liams presence, his whole aura was tense enough to fill the entire hallway. He was standing, then sitting, then walking, then drinking. He didn't know what to so with himself. Then he spotted me.

"I'm freaking out." He admitted, his voice as shaky as his body.

Hey, come here" I made him sit on a wooden bench just outside of the courtroom, he was far too fidgety standing up. "It's good to be nervous. Use that as a stepping stone to find your bravery and move forward." I gave him the advice I had been using myself all morning.