Chapter 44 The Sentence
Forty-Four
The Sentence
If the judge decided to give my dad jail time, the worst part would be the bailiffs taking him away again. Through the door and straight down to the jail, but this time permanently. The thought of it made it hard for me to breathe.
Court was filling up. I sat next to my mom and Eric, behind Dad and Gray at the defense table. It was strange to see the jury’s chairs empty.
Eric turned and peered behind us. “I was wondering if he would come.”
I glanced back. “Who?”
“Dallas.”
There he was, sitting with a court employee, holding a piece of paper, his arms fidgety. I turned right back around.
“What is he doing here?” I whispered to Eric.
“Didn’t he tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“That he’s making a victim-impact statement.”
“A what?” I asked.
“Since he was a victim of the conspiracy, he gets to make a statement to the judge expressing the impact of the crime on him and how severe he thinks the punishment should be.”
I took in a small breath, turned back around, and shielded my eyes with my hand. “And he told you this when?”
“He called me yesterday. And guess what? He’s in talks with the NCAA.”
My eyebrows squeezed together. “But Plunkett never said anything about having submitted the reinstatement.”
“Apparently, he did. Early this week.”
“Did you know?”
“No. He must have taken us out of the equation.”
I ground my teeth. Did he ever.
The judge entered. We all stood and sat back down again. There was talking, but I didn’t pay attention. I was trying to organize the thoughts in my brain.
“Mr. Reynolds.” The judge spoke loudly. “You may approach now.”
Dallas walked up the aisle to the podium facing the bench and rested his piece of paper on it. I clenched my jaw, wanting to hear what he had to say, but at the same time wishing I couldn’t.
When he started to speak, his voice was cool, calm, confident. “Your Honor, when Coach Bianchini first spoke with me about playing hockey for him, I could never have imagined that I would be in front of you like this today.”
He stopped and took a gulp of air.
“When I found out about the windfall that would come my way if I signed with Coach Bianchini, it seemed like a miracle, an answer to my family’s financial prayers.
Without a second thought, I took it. Deep down, I knew that it was wrong, but I did it anyway.
It’s unfortunate that I lost my NCAA eligibility because of one poor, reckless decision.
I believe we must all accept responsibility for our actions, so I accepted my punishment.
And it was a big one. Hockey is the thing I know how to do best. So I am happy to say that after almost a year of not playing and because I am no longer in violation, I’ve been given a second chance, and a request for my reinstatement has been made with the NCAA and is pending acceptance. ”
Eric nudged me, and I shifted away from him.
“My point is that Coach Bianchini needs to accept responsibility for his actions and serve out his punishment too. But that punishment need not be so severe as to be unreasonably harmful. We are human. We all make mistakes.”
The tightness in my chest released, and I exhaled the air I’d been holding in my lungs. I should have known that Dallas would be reasonable and thoughtful.
I paused.
Because he was, wasn’t he? Thoughtful. Rational. Logical.
“Through all of this, there is one regret I do have,” he continued.
He turned his head and looked at me.
My stomach tightened.
“I wish I had been honest with the people I care about. For hurting them, I am truly sorry.” Dallas looked back at his sheet of paper.
It fluttered in his hands. “Going through this has shown me that if you’re doing something you feel the need to keep secret, or that someone asks you to keep secret, you shouldn’t be doing it.
Keeping my secrets hurt not only myself, but also the people who are special to me.
And while I wish my experience with Coach Bianchini hadn’t turned out the way it did, I’m also thankful to have learned something important from it.
That doing what you love and loving someone you’re with includes being truthful about it.
Rather than being locked away, I hope that Coach Bianchini will have the opportunity to atone for his actions in other ways and do better in the future.
I know I will. Thank you. That’s all I have. ”
He stepped away from the podium.
“Thank you, Mr. Reynolds, for your well-chosen words.” The judge nodded.
Dallas turned, and his gaze sought mine. Connected. Fused. Like that day at the polar plunge, when our gazes had locked for the first time.
My heart throbbed.
Truthfulness. That was what this was about. For my dad. For me. For Dallas.
“Mr. Bianchini, please stand,” the judge said.
Dad stood, buttoned up his jacket, and faced her.
Here it was. This was it.
“Mr. Bianchini, your case has been a long and arduous journey.” The judge continued, looking at my dad with eagle eyes.
“I have spent a great deal of time thinking about your sentencing, and I tend to agree with Mr. Reynolds. You made mistakes. Actions you took that I believe you regret. Mr. Bianchini, you are sentenced to two months in jail, to be served in a low-security federal corrections institution, one hundred thousand dollars in restitution, and one hundred hours of community service. You’ll have a month to get your things in order, and then you can begin your sentence. ”
That was it. The judge was done. Finished. And they weren’t going to escort my dad directly to jail. Thank God.
And…and I needed to talk to Dallas. Right now.
Dad bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Honor.”
The gavel clacked, and just like that, none of us would ever have to step foot in this room again. I leaned over the guardrail and gave my dad a hug.
I looked for Dallas, but he was gone. I couldn’t let him get away. I wouldn’t. He needed to know what was in my heart.
So, I hustled to catch up to him. But just like in the movies, as I entered the hallway, the doors of the elevator closed.
I dashed to the stairs. Down and down I sped to the lobby. I burst through the door only to catch sight of Dallas walking out the front doors onto the plaza in front of the building. I chased after him.
Outside, his fleece beanie was pulled low, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.
“Dallas,” I called as I dodged iced-over puddles to catch up to him.
In the very center of the plaza, he stopped and turned around. Within seconds, we were face-to-face, the only thing between us the clouds of condensed air we exhaled.
“I need to tell you something.”
He nodded.
“Back in January, I had this not-so-brilliant idea inspired by the internet where I believed having sex would cure the issues I was having with insomnia.” I paused to swallow and take a breath.
He nodded again. “I know.”
“Then on…on the day of the polar plunge, I heard about your reputation and…and…wait. What did you say?”
“I know, Ade. About the sex cures insomnia. About me being the one to cure it. About how it didn’t work.”
“You do?” I asked.
“Jay told me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “When?”
“A couple weeks ago. After that test we took in chemistry. When you wouldn’t talk to me.”
I shook my head. “And you’re not mad.”
“No.” He shrugged. “You picked me. It was a compliment.”
“But I used you.”
He cocked his head and looked to the sky. “Well, when you say it that way…”
“I’m so sorry.” My chest tightened. “I should have told you.”
He flashed a toothy grin at me. “Nope…nothing for you to feel sorry about. I like being used.”
I laughed. He laughed, and I loved the way it sounded. He was everything, and I missed him.
I inhaled a deep breath. My voice came out weak, weaker than I wanted it to be. “I don’t want us to end. I want us to start over.”
“Me too.” His eyes were wide, and at the same time, red with pure fatigue.
“Because you’re right.” I moistened my lips. “I wasn’t being truthful about who I was either, and it was not only hurting myself but also hurting everyone around me. Including you.”
He encircled my waist and pulled me toward him. Our lips hovered close to each other, the coldness inside me slowly thawing from the heat of his breath. Our lips touched and melted my entire core.
We took the train back to school. It was rush hour, so there was only enough room for us to be mashed up against each together tight. But that was okay. I didn’t mind.
Elation, like a sun dog, refracted in my heart.
Dallas cupped the back of my head with his hand. “Thanks for getting that bank statement from my dad and giving it to Plunkett.”
“You know about that too?”
“Yeah, when I called my dad to give him the good news, he told me about how you showed up at the car dealership.”
I put my hand over his. “So when the NCAA reinstates your eligibility, does that mean you’ll give up ice cross and I’ll officially be dating a university hockey player?”
He smiled. “Hopefully.”
“Emma’s going to freak out about this for sure.”
He laughed and then kissed my cheek.
I put my hands on his chest and felt the hammering of his heart. I laid my head against him. “I have a feeling I’m going to sleep really well tonight.”
He whispered in my ear, “I do too.”