Chapter 21
Melody sat across from Mr. Ellis in his office while he explained the latest developments in her case. A yellow legal pad sat on his desk covered in notes, and every so often he glanced down at it before continuing.
"The good news is the trial has been pushed back a few more months," he disclosed.
"How is that good news?" Melody frowned.
"Because it gives us more time to prepare. The last thing either of us wants is to walk into court before we've explored every option available to us."
Although she understood what he was saying, she still hated hearing that the case was being dragged out even longer. Every time she started to put it out of her mind, another court date, meeting, or phone call reminded her that the situation wasn't going away.
"I know this process is frustrating, but from my perspective, the delay helps us more than it hurts us."
"What are my chances?" Melody asked.
"I think we have a solid defense."
"That ain't what I asked."
"I know, but nobody can honestly answer that question. Judges are unpredictable. What I can tell you is that I'm doing everything possible to keep you out of jail."
Hearing those words helped a little, but not enough to erase the knot sitting in her stomach.
The whole thing still felt unreal sometimes.
When she pistol-whipped Patty, she wasn't thinking about attorneys, courtrooms, judges, or prison sentences.
She was angry, acted on it, and now she was paying for that decision months later.
"What happens if we lose?" Melody asked.
"If that happens, we'll deal with it then. Right now, I'm focused on putting you in the best position possible."
For the next several minutes, Melody fired off every question she could think of, and Mr. Ellis answered each one.
They discussed the prosecution's case, possible outcomes, court procedures, and what the next few months could look like. By the time the meeting wrapped up, she felt a little better than she had when she first walked in. She still didn’t like the situation, but at least she had a clearer understanding of what she was up against.
Melody grabbed her purse and stood to her feet. She was halfway to the door when Mr. Ellis spoke out to her.
"Stay out of trouble," he pointed.
"You know that's easier said than done," Melody laughed.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"Melody….”
"Aight, aight. I'm gon’ behave."
Halfway home, Melody’s phone buzzed with an email notification. Normally, she would've ignored it until she got where she was going, but the sender immediately caught her attention.
Dear Melody Young,
Congratulations!
We are pleased to offer you admission to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program at Rush University College of Nursing for the Fall semester.
In recognition of your outstanding academic achievement, you have also been selected to receive the Rush Future Nurse Scholarship, which covers full tuition and mandatory academic fees for the duration of the program.
By the time she finished reading, Melody could barely see through the tears.
She had been accepted into her first choice, and on top of that, they were offering her a full scholarship.
A huge smile spread across her face as she slapped the steering wheel and let out a scream.
All the studying, sleepless nights, and stress suddenly felt worth it.
"Man, what?" she yelled.
The first person she wanted to tell was Major.
So, without hesitation, she grabbed her phone and called him.
The phone rang until the voicemail picked up.
Thinking he might have been busy, she immediately called again, but the result was the same.
By the third unanswered call, some of the excitement had started to turn into irritation.
"Answer the phone nigga.” She muttered.
Melody tossed her own phone onto the passenger seat and pulled away from the light. No matter how frustrated she had been with Major, that was the type of news she wanted to share with somebody she cared about, and she couldn't think for the life of her why he wasn’t picking up.
She thought about calling him back one more time, but decided against it. Instead, she changed directions and headed toward his house.
Five minutes later, she turned onto his block and immediately spotted his car parked out front.
"Okay, so if you home, why you not answering the phone?" she questioned aloud.
Melody called him again while slowly driving down the street, but just like the last three times, the call went unanswered. The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. If he was home, why wasn't he picking up?
But as she searched for somewhere to park, another vehicle caught her attention. Melody rubbed her eyes, thinking maybe she was seeing things wrong, but no, it was, in fact, Patty's car.
"I know you fucking lying,” she cursed.
Without hesitation, Melody pulled over and threw the car in park.
She popped open the glove compartment, grabbed her gun, and reached for the door handle when her phone started ringing.
Thinking it was finally Major calling her back, Melody quickly picked it up and glanced at the screen.
Her expression immediately changed when she saw it was Cameron instead.
She reached to decline the call, but her finger slipped, and she accidentally answered it.
"Hey."
"Hey, what’s wrong? You good?” Cameron asked.
“No… Can I come through?”
"You ain't never got to ask that. The door gon’ be open."
After ending the call, Melody put her phone down and pulled away.
The entire drive to Cameron's house, her mind was all over the place. One minute, she was thinking about Major and Patty. The next, she was replaying everything Ma Ma had said. And by the time she reached Cameron's neighborhood, she didn't know if she wanted to cry, scream, or shoot some shit up.
After parking, Melody climbed out and headed toward the front door.
When she tried the knob, it turned just like Cameron said it would.
She stepped inside, locked the door behind her, kicked off her shoes, and headed further into the house, following the sound of movement from somewhere in the back.
When she reached the doorway, she found Cameron sitting in front of the TV with a headset on and a controller in his hand.
The second he heard her, he looked up. Without saying a word, he pulled off the headset, set the controller down, and stood to his feet.
"Aww, what's wrong? You need a hug?" Cameron teased, with his arms open wide.
Without hesitation, Melody walked straight into them and let out a deep sigh.
"Nah…… I actually need more than a hug." She slipped her hand into his shorts and replied.