SIXTEEN

She sat in the cafe across the road from the courts, she would be heading over there soon with her brother, they were just waiting for Simon and his mother to get here.

Cleo drank the rest of her coffee just as Simon walked into the cafe. Cleo offered him a wide smile and stood up, she straightened out her black shirt and trousers before giving her boyfriend tight hug.

"You're going to win," Cleo whispers against his ear before she pulls away.

"Thank you Cleo," Simon says and he presses a kiss against her cheek before turning to Harry and greeting him.

Simon then leads the two of them outside, "Mum, this is Cleo Lewis,"

"Hi Mrs Minter, I'm so so sorry for what has happened, I'm here to support you, and Simon in the courtroom today," Cleo says, shaking the woman's offered hand.

"Thank you, my dear," She says, she says hello to Harry too before leading the way to the courts. They head inside and Cleo takes Simon's hand in hers and pulls him aside.

"Remember, Simon Minter, that no matter what happens in that courtroom, I love you," Cleo says and Simon gives her a soft smile.

"I love you more," He whispers before pressing a harsh kiss against her lips before rushing after his mother inside. Harry and Cleo head upstairs and sit above the courtrooms to watch the trial take place.

A weeks worth of courtroom appearances and the jury had finally come to a conclusion. They walked into the room in single file lines and sat down, the lead speaker stands up and the judge knocks his hammer against the wooden pedal.

"The jury has come to a collective conclusion," Says the lead speaker, Cleo edges forwards on her seat, her heart thumping in her chest as her eyes meet with Simon's.

She gives him a nod before her eyes flicker back to the jury.

"We've come to the conclusion that the man in question," The man pauses as he looks up at the judge, "Is guilty,"

Cleo's lips part and a sigh of relief escapes, her watering eyes finally let the tears escape and she turns to her brother and hugs him tightly.

"The jury have come to a decision, and so have I," The judge speaks, he picks up his wooden hammer, "I name the defendant...Guilty!"

The hammer slams down onto the wood and the case is closed. Mr Minter would be behind bars. Cleo Lewis stands up and glares down on the abuser that stood with his lawyer. She catches the eyes of the man who dared call himself a 'father'.

"May he rot in the cell they put him in," Cleo says, she could see that Simon, his mother and his so called father could all see her lips clear as day.

She looks at Harry and nods at him, following him out of the galleries and towards the waiting lobby. They seem to be there ages, just waiting for Simon Minter and his mother.

When the doors finally open and Cleo sees the tall blonde she drops her coat and bag on the floor beside Harry and runs towards him, she jumps up into his arms and he squeezes her tightly, breathing became a struggle for both and eventually Simon placed her back on the ground before pressing a kiss against her lips.

"Thank you," He whispers, his hand running along Cleo's neck.

"I'm so proud of you, Simon, you're so brave, both of you are," Cleo says, looking from Simon to his mother.

"If it wasn't for your encouragement, Cleo, we would never have made it here," His mum says and Cleo smiles at her.

"I'm so, so happy for you both," Cleo says softly and they all head outside.

Simon's mum offers to drive Cleo and Harry home, and once they get back to their house Cleo gives Simon one more kiss before climbing out of the car with her brother.

The twins head inside and find their parents in the living room watching TV.

"You're back, how was the talent show?" Their mother asks and Cleo and Harry share a glance.

"Great, fantastic," Harry lies and Cleo nods quickly.

"Yeah, a kid named Gary won," Cleo says before following Harry towards the stairs.

"Cleo!" It was her father.

"Good luck," Harry whispers to his sister before rushing off upstairs.

She closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh before walking back into the living room, "Yes dad?"

"We need to talk to you about this boy you've been seeing," George says and Kathy nods, tapping the armchair beside the sofa. Cleo sits where she's told and looks eagerly at her parents.

"We'd like you to...break it off," George says and Cleo frowns, her eyebrows furrow.

"Excuse me?" Cleo asks, slightly confused.

"We'd like you and your boyfriend to, you know, break up," George says, his voice more smooth and soft.

"Why?" Cleo asks and George looks at his wife for support in his argument.

"Because we're worried about your safety, just a few weeks ago a boy from the dodgy area was found carrying a gun! And a knife!" Kathy says, clutching at her chest dramatically.

"Simon isn't like that," Cleo says sharply, she knew Simon would never do something so...lethal.

"Cleo...Just please, we're asking you to do this for your own safety, its just not-"

"Not what? Not safe? I'm not a kid anymore, dad! I'm nearly 18 for fuck sake, I'm not some little china doll, I'm stronger than I seem, and braver than I believe," Cleo says, "Simon would never, ever put me in danger, and if I somehow ended up in danger...He'd protect me,"

Kathy and George frown at their daughter, they wanted her to be perfect, to be pure and innocent- but Cleo was too far gone to be any of those things.

"You're better than Simon Minter," George says and Cleo blinks at him, how did he know she was dating Simon Minter? She never even mentioned a last name.

"How do you-"

"Because I saw you, on the news. Outside a god damn courthouse, you and Harry," George snaps and Cleo lets out a shaky breath.

"Simon Minter was abused by his father," Cleo says, she stands up and shifts to stand in front of them better, "His mother was beaten too- a belt was the most commonly used weapon, lashes and bruises lay all over them, Simon's had multiple black eyes and was subjected to heavy emotional, mental and physical abuse- but he protects those he loves. He protected his mother, his brothers, his friends...me. You want me to be pure, you want me to be innocent, but I'm not. I'm none of those things...If anything,

I'm just as lethal as Simon Minter,"

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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed guys

yo lads, i think this was one of my personal favourite chapters on this book js

much love to the most Savage fam on Wattpad!

~lachys-loch
❤️