Page 3 of Driftwood Daffodil

A statement?

“So,” I leaned forward to rest my arms on the banister between us. “Can I say anything in this statement?”

Like how Atlas Mancini and his asshole friends raped my sister and left her for dead.

“Yes,” Harry rolled his eyes my way. “But the point is too appeal to the court for leniency.”

Oh I’d appeal to the court.

“Don’t piss the judge off.” Harry warned as if he could hear my thoughts.

“I won’t.” Why would anyone get upset about the truth, especially a judge?

I could feel that reporter’s eyes boring into the back of my skull. Why wouldn’t he be trying to listen in? This was the story of the year after all. Not that anyone actually told the full story.

Veda’s name wasn’t in any of the papers. There was no grand expose on the horrors that almost took her life, because she didn’t have the last name Mancini. The Ford siblings were nobody to them. Hell we were nobody compared to the nobody’s.

The Mancini’s however, that was a family everyone talked about. I shouldn’t be surprised. The rich always won the media race. Though according to the rumors floating around, one could argue that the Mancini’s were the cause of most news.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky that Kato was arrested at the scene of the crime. Otherwise he might’ve just disappeared. Wouldn’t be the first time someone mysteriously vanished in this town.

My best friend Memphis called Soiree the town of cement shoes. Everyone had a pair, the question was whether or not you got to try them on.

“Nova,” Kato tipped his gaze over his shoulder and hissed, “Just go home.”

“No.”

“It’s your birthday.” He argued.

“And I want to spend it with my brother.”

“Jesus Christ,” he grumbled. “Can you just listen to me for once in your life.”

“I do listen to you. Family sticks together, remember that?”

Every time Veda or I would feel alone or abandoned by our parents, he would say it was fine because we still had each other. And no matter what, family stuck together.

“Yeah well, I fucked that up, didn’t I.”

“You were protecting Veda.”

This wasn’t his fault. It was Atlas Mancini’s. Our sister was fighting for her life, when Kato overheard Atlas bragging. Beating him with a tire iron in a bar full of people was a light reaction as far as I was concerned. And exactly what Atlas deserved.

Unfortunately, the court wouldn’t allow that to be used as evidence. Technically he was never convicted of rape, therefore legally, it never happened. Atlas wasn’t even accused. Veda didn’t regain consciousness until a week after our brother was arrested.

The Justice system sucked.

Kato shook his head, “What am I going to do with you?”

He knew it was useless arguing. Just like I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to comfort him. That didn’t stop me from reaching out to give his shoulder a reaffirming squeeze.

“It’s okay. Whatever happens we’ll get through it. Together.”

Those were the exact same words he told me when mom died. For two years it was us against the world. That wasn’t going to change.

Not now. Not ever.

“Fifteen to twenty years isn’t something you get through, Nova.”

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