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In a perfect world
‘I stand before the court today to pass judgement on Mark Inness of Tulsa, Oklahoma on the grounds of statutory rape and sexual assault in the first degree. Taken into account the accused age, I hereby charge Mark Inness to four years in the Tulsa County Correctional Center with a minimum three years without bail. Court dismissed.’
Ike let out a sigh of relief.
Across the courtroom, Lacey and Chrystal hugged briefly, their relationship still strained.
Lacey’s lawyer congratulated her clients with warm handshakes and smiles.
Lacey managed a small smile.
‘Lace! Lace! I need to talk to you!’
Ike turned at the outcry.
Mark was calling out to Lacey.
Ike had never looked upon someone with more hatred, his loyalty to his former best friend completely rotted through.
He walked up until he was within a few steps of Mark who was held by two burly policemen.
‘Don’t you dare.’ he whispered savagely. ‘Don’t you dare.’
‘But I have to tell her how sorry I am!’ Mark wailed.
Ike was furious.
‘And what? That’s gonna make it all better I suppose? You’re not only sick, you’re naïve too you little fag! You’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m gonna let you come within ten miles of Lacey ever again. As far as I’m concerned, I never want to see you again, and I wouldn’t even spit on our friendship.’ Ike turned and stormed over to where Lacey and her mother were sitting, his heart full of rage.
Lacey stared out the window of her mother’s car on the way home from the hearing, barely managing enough concentration to do even that.
Her mind was reeling on the hearing, Mark, that night and of course, Ike.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
A part of her was missing, and no matter how much anyone tried, herself included, she would never get it back.
Ike sat on the floor in room and tried to pen the words to the song that had been milling around in his head for the past few days.
“Your face is dark with shadows, your eyes have lost their shine, you’re at war with your emotions and it’s not for the first time. I don’t like to see you unhappy but there seems nothing I can do sometimes you open up to me other times I just can't get through.”
He stopped and almost screwed it up.
This was the hardest song he had ever tried to write.
No amount of words could possibly explain what he was feeling right now, or what he felt for Lacey.
“I know you don’t like to talk and find it hard to trust anyone but you need to free yourself, it’s your turn in the sun……. You don’t have to feel like this no one can force you to be this way you have every right to shine every moment of the day……..”
Lacey could barely stop the tears that cascaded down her cheeks.
‘Oh Ike! Why are you so nice to me?’ she cried.
She stopped the tape to cry herself to sleep.
The Hanson family had to leave the next day to perform on the Jay Leno show in New York and Ike didn’t get a chance to say good-bye to Lacey.
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