The Darkest Hour: Little Bitch

Shoupe rests his hand on my arm, guiding me into the court house, my body tenses when we push through the doors where half the dang town is waiting. My gaze roams the room until I lock eyes with JJ. He frowns, tears brimming his eyes while watching me limp my way to the chair next to my court appointed attorney, a bright orange jump suit as my lovely attire for the day.

"Ms. Routledge, I'm Greg Lemmon." My attorney quietly greets me. 

He's a tall man with glasses and dark black hair, he shakes my small hand and gestures for me to sit next to him. We had to stand back up when the judge came into the room, then we sat back down and started the arraignment. I mostly zoned out until it was time to announce the charges.

Charges that aren't supposed to be mine to bare.

The room is dead silent, the judge takes her time reading over something in her hands, the air feeling rather heavy around my sore body. I want to crawl in bed and sleep the day away, but I no longer have the liberty to decide how my days go.

I no longer have any freedom.

"Willow Brooke Routledge, pursuant to the North Carolina statute section, you are charged with murder in the first degree with aggravated circumstances." The judge pauses as gasps sound behind me, "If convicted, the maximum sentence would be the death penalty."

The judges gravel smacks the wood surface in front of her, smashing my world into tiny fragmented pieces, shattering my mind and soul.

I can hear the happy voices of the locals who think justice is being served, and the conflicted comments from people who don't believe I did it.

"Your honor!" JJ yells, "She's sixteen."

"Quiet in the court room!" The judge calls out, "Quiet--"

"Are you kidding me? SHE'S ONLY SIXTEEN." JJ loses his shit, "You're charging her as an adult but she's only sixteen!"

I stand up and turn around to see the pogues devastated faces.

"Hey no, don't cause a scene man." Pope places his hands on JJs chest, pushing him backwards towards the doors, "Come on, lets just go."

"Yeah, calm down, JJ. It'll only make it worse for her." John B tries to drag him away at the same time Heyward rushes over to help. 

"Princess, we'll figure it out." JJ points to me, pain across his face, "I promise baby, I've got you."

"Brookie," Sarah sobs while rushing towards me, leaning over the short wall between us, "Brookie, I'm sorry."

I stay frozen in my spot, watching my best friend get dragged away by Officer Thomas while she continues to blubber my name.

Kie runs up behind Sarah and glares at Thomas, "Stop! Don't touch her." She pulls her from his arms, "Let's get out of here."

"Princess!"

My eyes shift across the room and land on Rafe, seeing him silently crying next to Ward, who looks conflicted while he stares back at me. Anger floods my system, so I grab one of my attorneys books and throw it straight at them, not caring which one of them I hit.

"I HATE YOU." I scream, "YOU KNOW I DIDN'T DO IT." I break down when Officers grab me, "I HATE YOU RAFE, I HATE YOU SO FUCKING MUCH. YOU WONT TOUCH ME AGAIN."

All of this is too much. My body hurts, my friends and family are hurting, everything hurts.

"NO, let me go." I sob while yanking my arms from the Officers arms, flinging myself over the short wooden barrier between Rafe and I before anyone can stop me, then I'm slamming my fists into his face as hard as I can, "FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLE."

I ignore the screams around us and Ward trying to pry me off of him, "Willow, that's enough."

"You did this to me." My body shifts to sit on his lap when I grab his hair and tug his head back, looking straight into his sad eyes, "You.. you.. touched me when I said no."

"I'm sorry." 

"I trusted you but now I hate you." My lip quivers, "You hurt me." 

I really do hate him. Everything is his fault.

Hands grab me, pulling me away from him while he clutches his face, blood coating us both. My body slumps when I'm carried out by all four limbs, like I'm a crazy person, my eyes flicker over to see the horrified faces of my loved ones.

I fucked up, there's no way I'm getting out of this now. I just made it look like I'm unhinged. Like I could murder someone.

~~~~~

JJs POV

I can't wrap my head around what just happened inside this stupid court room, my girl just got charged with murder. And they have the audacity to charge her as a goddamn adult, when she didn't even fucking do anything.

I mean she did just attack Rafe, but he deserved it.

I ball the brim of my hat while I stand at the top of the steps leading out of the court house, my anger boiling my blood listening to people saying justice is served and that Willow had it coming, all of this is wrong.

Kie walks up next to me, "Is this a joke? Like, are we in hell or--"

"We should have never come home." Sarah mutters behind me.

She isn't wrong.

John B sighs, "Willow was right and of course we didn't listen to her."

He isn't wrong either.

"They're gonna kill her, guys. I know it." I stop in the middle of the courtyard to look at my friends, "She's going to die for no reason."

"I am so sorry for what you and your family have gone through." A lawyer looking guy tells Ward as they walk past, "Thank God the system works."

My blood runs cold.

"Can you please shut up?" Kie steps forward, causing Ward and his posse to stop and turn to us, she raises her voice as she uses her hands to gesture towards them, "Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect you and people like you."

"She'll have her day in court." The lawyer states, "A jury will decide."

"She shouldn't even be in court!" Kie yells when Ward and Rose go to walk away, "You should, 'cause you're a murderer." He turns to her with an annoyed look, "You have a lot of nerve showing up to court."

I move to stand closer to Kie when I see Shoupe and his deputies rushing towards us.

"I know you're upset." Ward walks towards us, Rose clinging to his arm, "I understand you're upset, okay?"

I scoff, "Upset? We're fucking angry, man, you know Willow didn't do anything."

"I know she's got you fooled." Ward talks over me, "She's got you all fooled, but she did it."

"No, I'm not just upset!" Kie charges at him, Plumb and Thomas grab her arms before she hits Ward in the face.

Pope, John B and I jump in, grabbing Kie from their arms, pulling her away from the chaos of Officers swarming us.

"Show some respect!" Ward screams.

I block Sarah when he looks her way, stepping towards Shoupe, "Why don't you take the Kooks down for a change?"

Shoupe raises his eyebrows at me, "You wanna get arrested? Get out! You need to go."

"This is bullshit." Kie whispers.

Sarah holds onto her shoulders, guiding her away, "Come on. Look, it's not worth it."

"Sorry, you shouldn't be going through this." Plumb tells Ward and Rose.

God I want to punch him in his stupid face.

Shoupe blocks my view of Ward, "Get out of here, JJ, think of Willow and your little girl."

I nod and turn away; time to go sit at home and miss the love of my life while she sits in a dirty ass cell.

"It's not a coincidence that your daughter's sitting with us." Kie calls out to Ward after he rushes away.

That's how you know you fucked up in life, when your own kid doesn't want anything to do with you, you have to know you did something wrong. Your kids should be your number one fan, they know you the most, so to be hated by one, that shows how bad of a person you are.

I won't ever put my child in that position, she won't have to hate me for making poor choices in life, because I won't do that to her. I couldn't do that to her or Willow, they deserve stability and to be happy. I want to give that to them, I want to show Willow I can be calm and safe around our baby, and not be reckless anymore.

My daughter will be proud of us. She will have a full life, but to do that I have to get Willow out of this situation. She can't go to prison for something she didn't do, especially since I landed her in there. If I had just fucking listened to her, she'd be in my arms right now. We could be on our way to Mexico, planning which surf towns to go to, hitting all the places on her travel bucket list.

Fuck, this is my fault.

~~~~~

Willow's POV

"Did you have to do that?" Shoupe asks, I lean against the concrete wall of my jail cell, "You've made things ten times harder on me to clear your damn name, Willow."

"I know, I already said I'm sorry." I keep my eyes glued to my swollen knuckles, "But he had the audacity to sit there and cry, you know? As if he hadn't just fucking rape me a few nights before, as if he wasn't the one that should be getting the death sentence."

"He wants to press charges." He sighs, "You know how that will go."

I scoff, "Of course he does, he's a little bitch that can't take a couple hits that he deserved and move on."

"Willow, you're going down a dark path, don't let yourself get lost in all of this."

I narrow my eyes, "No, you know what I did was justified."

Shoupe nods, "Doesn't mean you should have done it."

"I don't regret it."

"You'll probably be in here for at least a couple weeks for assaulting him, Willow. I'm sorry, I tried to help you but Toppers grandfather is the judge on those types of cases, and he happens to be a friend to the Cameron's, you can see how it's tough for me to work this side of the system after you attacked Rafe in front of the judge and half the damn town."

"As long as I'm out before my babies born, I'm good." I lay down on my bed and turn away from him, "Thanks for trying."

"We'll figure it out, just try to stay out of trouble in here. You're in an adult facility, this isn't juvie, you're smaller and you have a baby to protect."

"I know."

I think this is the most alone I have ever felt. The small space I have to live in is suffocating, the smell of my linens makes me want to vomit, the dingy lights give the place a depressing vibe and the sounds of the other inmates reminds me of how unsafe I am in here.

I already know I'm not going to fit in, which means I'll be picked on. Wonderful.

"Just keep your head down, Willow."

I'll try.

"This place isn't safe."

Obviously.

~~~~~

JJs POV

I don't ever want to get out of bed again, all I want to do is lay here and stay wrapped up in the sheets that smell like Willow. I know her smell will eventually fade, so I have to breathe it in for as long as I can. I don't ever want to forget what she felt like, or smelt like. I'm craving everything about her, but I might not ever have her in my arms again.

I'll have to see her during scheduled visitation inside a jail where guards watch us, with rules like no touching and shit like that. She has to rot away in her cell while life goes on without her. Mine isn't, I feel frozen in time, my body withering away in our room.

Its been weeks since I've seen her.

She won't let anyone visit her, I assume she's mad that I got her into this position, I mean I would be too. It kills me that she is alone, that she won't let me be there for her, or at least let Sarah or John B see her so she knows she has support. Shoupe even tried to get her to see us, but he told us that she flipped shit on him when he brought it up for the third time. I guess she's losing it in there, probably isolating herself and struggling.

I am too.

Life sucks without her. I hate it. I'd give anything to right my wrongs, go back in time and do things differently. But I can't do that, so instead I lay here and blame myself for letting my beautiful Princess be in pain again.

She doesn't deserve this.

~~~~~

Willow's POV

Today marks two months in here, which means I'm 8 months pregnant now, give or take a few days.

I'm angry at Rafe for pressing charges on me. Daddies money meant he won in court.

I'm angry at JJ for getting me arrested. I could have stayed 'dead' if he hadn't of been careless.

I'm frustrated with myself for letting my life get to this point. I could have taken more control over things.

My ways to cope with everything is unhealthy, basically I've been ignoring everyone. I don't see visitors when they come, not even my brother. Okay, I lied, I let Heyward and Momma see me but that's it. My reasoning for this is so everyone gets used to not seeing me before I get the death penalty. Though that's probably the wrong choice, I guess it doesn't matter since the crew stopped coming by. Only Sarah and JJ show up now, they come every few days but I refuse every single time.

I feel like shit about it. Maybe I should let them see me; to say goodbye.

My court date for the murder charge has been taking forever, it keeps getting pushed back, so I'm stuck in limbo, not knowing if I'll be sentenced to death or let free. I'm pretty sure that goes against some laws, I could probably be released because of how long it's taking, but Ward has his hand tightly gripped around the islands judicial system, so I get to rot in jail because of it.

I've been reading a lot, so I have something to busy my mind during the long hours of the day. I also talk to the voice in my head a lot more, guess we're like friends now. Which sounds creepy, but it's chill, keeps me sane since I try to stay in my cell as much as I can. I'm the youngest in here, the others seem to like to pick on me, even with me being huge pregnant, so it's been horrible.

I hate it here.

I'm tired of being hurt.

I'm tired of the pain.

~~~~~

JJs POV

"I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there." Sarah breaks the silence as we sit on the porch at the Chateau, we'd all been sitting here for hours while watching the rain. We don't do much these days, nothing feels right without Willow here with us. "I just need to get ahold of my sister."

"Sister?" I ask in disbelief.

"Kie, do you have your phone?" She takes the phone and turns back to me, "Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day."

"Wheezie?"

What kind of name is that anyways?

"I don't know what else to do, JJ, I got us into this mess," She angrily exclaims, "I'm gonna do my best to get us out."

I want to say that technically I got Willow arrested, I was the reason people knew she was here, and I'm the reason she wasn't protected from Rafe the night he.. I can't even think about what he did to her while I sat in a tree. I reframe from saying all of this, because it doesn't help to bring it up, I just have to find a way to get her out, that's all that matters, even if she wants nothing to do with me now.

It makes sense if she doesn't want me anymore or if she still blames me. The night Rafe and Barry showed up, we heard the muffled sounds coming from the house, my heart raced the entire time because deep down I knew what was happening to her, though none of us moved, we were too scared of what could happen since Barry stood on the porch with a gun in his hand. 

And I knew Rafe had his gun too, I was terrified she'd get hurt if I tried to do anything. If I had just gone inside instead of going into the tree, or if I had been in the room cuddling with her like she had originally wanted, then I could have protected her. Instead of doing that, I listened to Kie, I let her get in my head and think I needed to party instead of being there for my girl, who was clearly upset and struggling.

Honestly, I feel sick thinking about that night.

And now she's sitting in prison and doesn't want visitors. No one's seen her since she attacked Rafe in the court house. I was so fucking proud of her for going after him though, I was worried the baby would get hurt, but she held her own and fucked his face up pretty badly. I've wanted to fight Rafe and fuck him up, but he's basically gone into hiding or something. No one sees him, I mean I'm sure his family and friends do, but no one has spotted him around the island lately. I don't know if he's scared we will catch up to him or if he's paranoid of getting arrested once we clear Willow's name, but its weird either way. He usually isn't the type to back down or hide away.

Nonetheless, my badass Princess got him back pretty good, the only downfall of her attacking him was the added jail time since he pressed charges, which was a bitch move on his part. He knew he deserved every hit she sent his way, yet he still made sure she was charged for it. I think that's what's kept me from hunting him down, I know if I actually go after him, he would definitely press charges on me and then I wouldn't be able to work on clearing Willows name.

"Sarah's right about one thing, we gotta do something." I break the silence between John B, Pope and Kie while Sarah sits inside on the phone, "My girl is held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution. Are we just gonna sit here another couple of weeks and watch it happen?"

"What's the plan? We kidnap Shoupe?" Kie raises her voice to match mine.

I shrug, "Maybe, like that's not the worst idea actually."

"Oh it's not?"

"That's actually the worst idea I have ever heard." Pope says in a condescending tone.

"It's pretty bad." Sarah calls out from the living room.

"You know what, Barbie? Please, just stay out of this, okay?" I turn away from her, "Okay, Pope, look, we've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"

"Okay, okay, so what's your plan?" He stands up to get in my face, "You gonna storm a jail, guns a-blazing?""Look, Pope, all I'm trying to get you to understand is they got my girl. Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get her and my baby out of there. We're gonna do something about it!"He shakes his head, "JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening.""No, fine, man. Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing. I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen," I look between my friends, putting my hat back on my head after I realize no one is as willing as I am to get Willow out, "even if I have to do it by myself.""Okay." Kie gives me one of those looks she has when she thinks someone's being dumb.

I'll do whatever I have to do to get my girl and my baby back in my arms, with or without the pogues by my side.

I push my way through the screened door and walk through the rain, tearing off on my dirt bike so I can go make a plan. I think I know what I need to do, but I have to get Willow on board first.

I just hope she lets me see her this time.

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