Remember Me?

"Flight to San Diego, now boarding." I look at my small luggage and then at the tattooed hand on my leg.
"Let's go." I look up at my dad and he smiles, slightly. I get my case and in hand in hand, we walked to the boarding station. I held tightly to my dad's hand, he looks at me.
"I won't let your hand go." I nod and together we entered the plane.
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We were received by Alysha and Bryan with open arms and worried eyes. They knew this court determined if I stayed with my dad or not. I was scared myself.
"Let's go rest.. We have a huge day tomorrow." Bryan said and warped his arm around my shoulders, covering me with his jacket as the press was outside. This was too much of a scandal. Once we made it to the car, I quickly put my head on Bryan's lap an fell asleep.
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(Next Day)
I fixed my skirt and put in my ankle boots. I was nervous, shaking, and angry. I've cried my makeup off about twice already, so I'm not wearing makeup.
"Alia? It's time to go." Nana said. She comes inside my room and hugs my shoulders. "Everything will be alright." She takes off her rosary and puts it on me. I put it in my palm and got grip on it. I followed her outside where my dad, wearing black tux, was waiting.
"You'll be alright," Bryan said as he kisses my cheek.
"You look handsome." I whispered making him smile.
"ALI!" I turn around and see Penny running to me. "Gosh. I made it in time.." She says, catching her breath. She extends my arm and places my lucky charm bracelet. "Good Luck Sis." I gave her a quick hug and went inside the car. Making our way to the court. |
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"All stand for the judge." The security guy said and we all did. I grabbed my dad's hand and he squeezed it a little bit.
"You may sit." We do. "Today's case; custody over 18 year old, Alia Micelle. Now I session." Joel was sitting next to us, in the other table, with his lawyer. This was pointless. Our lawyer stands up.
"To start; My client, Alia, isn't 18. She's 19, making this court case kind of useless." He said. "But since I won't leave without making a clear mind here, I want to ask Joel Boston some questions." Joel stands up and goes to the chair next to the judge. He promised to tell the truth and only the truth. "Mr.Boston, since when was Alia, known as your adoptive daughter?"
"She was about 14,15 years old."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
"She was 15, and I was called into combat again. I'm in the navy." I roll my eyes. "According to our records, you were pronounced dead a month later."
"I was kidnapped for that time, since I gave no signal of life, they pronounced me deceased."
"Yes, but weren't you released a few weeks later?"
"I was."
He couldn't lie. I liked this.
"Therefore, why didn't you go back home to our family?"
"I thought they were going to have a better life without me." "THATS BULLSHIT!" I yelled.
"Order in the court." My dad touched my thigh and I calmed down. This is unbelievable. "Go on..."
"I knew that my wife and Alia already got the message. I didn't want to scare them off."
"That's gives no explanation to the now sudden wantence of Alia Micelle..."
"No, it is. Alia is my daughter."
"Mr.Fuentes and Ms.Alia went to the public court and made the process of him getting his daughter back. All this in titles that Mr.Fuentes has now the custody over Alia." He gives the judge some papers. "Alia says when she turned the age of 18. She left the Boston's household and went to live with her friend,Penelope Grey, who isn't present at the moment."
"Do you live with your friend. Ms.Alia?" The judge asks.
"Yes, your honor. I've been living with her for almost two years." I replied. He nods.
"According to our laws, my cilent is no longer the daughter of Mr.Boston, but Mrs.Boston, who is here with us today... mrs.Boston, please come to the booth." They asked her similar question and she told her story. On how she let me go and be free, and going to the court and singing the papers. My dad had this worked out, I knew he did everything in power. Joel's lawyer stands up and calls my dad to the booth. "Mr.Fuentes, explain your story." Oh boy. He looks at me and I smile weakly, I knew he hated telling the past.
"I was in a serious relationship with the mother of Alia, she got pregnant, we got engaged, got married. Our relationship wasn't the best, but was healthy. I wasn't a heavy drinker anymore, I didn't get stoned as much, Beatrice, her mother, was my cure. The day Alia was born, it was the last breath she took. Beatrice passed away three minutes after giving birth. For three years I raised my daughter, but I began to drink and smoke heavily and constantly again. I knew I wasn't going to be the best father for her. I took her to Opportunity Orphanage. I did look back, i visited at night, but I never spoke to her again. The years past and I went to rehab, and therapy. I'm in a band so that distracted me a lot. When I found out that Alia was adopted by a married couple, I was glad, yet broken. I knew she was going to good hands, the orphanage called me and gave me a background check of the Boston's. After some time, Alia and her friend went to one of our concerts and we've been reconstructing our relationship since then."
"For how long did you go to rehab?"
"About two years.. It was helping me, my parents noticed, my older brother, my band mates, my girlfriend back then, It was torture but it helped me to reconstruct the man I was before all this...."
"How about therapy?"
"Just finished about a year and a half ago. I figured I didn't need it anymore."
"Last drink you've had?"
"Starting of this tour, which was about two weeks ago, it's a tradition we have, have a little start of touring party with the other bands."
"Is Alia involved in any of the drinking and smoking activity?" "Not that I know of."
"Thank you.. Alia." I stood up and went to the booth. "Explain your story."
"I was three when my dad left me. I was 14 turning 15 when I was adopted. I went through depression and still am. . I don't blame my father or Joel. I went to the concert with Penelope and I saw Mike there. I did hate him for a while but that went away and we got more connected. I figured out that the hate was just eating me alive."
"Have you been involved in any crime?"
"No."
"Drugs?"
"I was a druggie for a while. I admit,and I drank, but that stop." "What types of drugs?"
"Cocaine, Meth, Weed, steroids, common pills, Just a girl trying to overdose on some drugs so she could die."
This was from the darkest part of me, no one knew about me. No one. Not even Penny.
"Do you blame yourself for this situation?"
"I truly do sometimes."
"Do you feel comfortable being around a man that clearly went through a drug episode and travels around the world?"
"Are you kidding me? I was a druggie myself, why wouldn't I be comfortable around him. I didn't go to rehab but he did. Mike helps me be happy,he's helping me overcome my depression in a way. And the fact that he's in a band? I love it. He took me in one tour when I was three, he tells me I enjoyed it, pictures clearly state that I did. I love traveling the nation. Meeting their fans and giving them some hope, hope that my dad gives me." Joel's lawyer looks at me shocked. Guess he wasn't expecting that.
"What age did your depression start?"
"I was diagnosed at the age of 12 or 13."
"Any suicidal thoughts or self inflicted harm?"
"I OBJECT!" My lawyer said. "Those question have no importance in this case!"
"But of course it does. It simply show that Alia went through a hard time without being with her father."
"I did.. And sometimes still do."
"When you went to live at Mr.Boston's house, did you have the sad feelings?"
"I did, I tried to commit suicide At their house once." My dad looks at me with sad, sorry eyes.
"Have you had any suicidal thoughts, now that you are with your biological father?" The judge asks.
"No. I see no reason to do so."
"Self inflicted harm?" I nod. "Cause?"
"I don't want to talk about it." I said softly.
"Is it because your father?"
"It has nothing to do with my dad. If you want to know why then I'll tell you," I snapped. "I was raped. I admit my father didn't visit me but only because he was scared on me not accepting him anymore, but he was wrong. I stayed with him two night after I go released. He stays with me now. My self harm problems have nothing to do with my father!" The witness gasps. I sat back down. "I have one thing to say." "Go on." I get out of the booth and stand in front of the pulpit that the judge was sitting on. "If Joel, really cares about me, for one: he would know my real age, secondly, he wouldn't have made this court session that is probably going to go in the rock magazines, thirdly: he would let me be." He nods.


"This court is closed, we will come back in an hour to receive the verdict. Dismissed."

Notes