23

Spencer Cypress

There was something in the air, something festive. My optimism often switched, going from hopeful to dread.

Fergus' lawyers sent over his receipts. There were strange charges on them, which my lawyer is certain were used for bribery via payout of a shell company.

But my lawyer told me that would be for a different lawsuit. Which will also depend on the outcome of this trial.

As for Amelda's case, the trial is going to take a bit longer. We've met up and she's leaned on me for support.

The final day for the trial finally came.

Graham had kissed me multiple times before we entered the courthouse. "No matter what happens, I'll still be proud that you got the courage to do this." He told me.

"Thanks for being here with me." I said.

His face turned red as I played with his messy hair. I watched my former boss come into the court house. However, I noticed that it wasn't his wife who was rolling his wheelchair. Instead, it was his friend, Gunner Cycads.

"Something happened between him and his wife?" My lawyer asked me.

"Probably." I mentioned. "Look at his face. He's probably told his wife the truth."

Everyone took their seats and the judge came in. He went over the case and the jury all filed in.

"This is the matter between Spencer Cypress, the plaintiff who has raised a suit against his former boss, accusing him of spreading misinformation and attempting to destroy his career. Fergus Manchineel, the defendant, who claims that the plaintiff has made false claims about their affair, which has affected his work and relationships." The judge explained.

My lawyer gave me a reassuring nod.

"Has the jury come to a decision?" The judge asked.

Jury #1 stood up. "Yes, your honor, we have." He said.

The judge then asked each jury member individually if they agreed with the results that were handed. Each one confirmed.

The bailiff handed the results back to the jury and the first jury member stood up.

"We, members of the jury, find the defendant, Fergus Manchineel, guilty of slander and defamation. We also find the defendant guilty of libel based on text messages sent by Fergus Manchineel."

As soon as I heard the verdict, my body gave out and I collapsed onto the table. My lawyer eagerly patted my back.

"You did good, kid." He muttered. I looked up, feeling the tears finally leaving my eyes.

I turned to the audience and saw Graham cheering with Phoebe. He smiled at me and mouthed 'You did it!' at me.

The jury finished reading the verdict. Fergus' face was crestfallen, and his friends didn't say anything.

The judge took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The jury were all excused.

"Mr. Fergus." The judge said. "Throughout this trial, it was very obvious that what you did was your own fault. And yet, you continued to push this agenda that the plaintiff was at fault. This pusillanimous farce you created only made you more guilty.

"Hence why, you will be ordered to pay for Mr. Cypress' legal fees and must pay the amount in damages as stated earlier in the trial. And I am sure that you should expect more lawsuits to come your way from the plaintiff now that the results of this case will give way for such to be filed."

The lawyer banged his gavel, and the courtroom began to exit. I leaned over the partition and gave Graham the tightest hug.

"You okay?" He asked me.

"Uh," I stuttered. I was overwhelmed and wanted to keep sitting.

"Can you go get him something?" I heard Graham ask someone. "It's okay, baby. Take your time." He muttered in my ear.

Then the tears came. I sobbed in Graham's hug as he dried my tears. I had spent so long suffering under that man. And now, my name was cleared, and I can finally rest knowing that the world now also knew of what Fergus did to me.

I eventually got enough courage to stand up and walk out of the courtroom.

"Spencer!" My lawyer called. He slicked his hair back. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Fine. It's weird. I should be celebrating. But all I wanted to do now is eat and take a long nap."

"You'll get to do that soon. Listen, I know you want all this to end. But I'm afraid it's just starting." My lawyer said. He pulled out another packet of paper. "With the verdict today, we can go after Fergus for financial compensation."

Graham placed a kiss on my cheek. "Do what you think is right, Spencer. No one is forcing you to do anything."

I nodded at him and took the papers that my lawyer was holding out to me. "Let's do it." I said with certainty. "We've made it this far. The war has been won, this will be a mere squabble."

My lawyer nodded, giving me a handshake. He left me with the promise that he would make sure all of this goes by smoother.

Phoebe returned with an energy drink and a snack bar.

"Babe, I went ahead and ordered some food. I'll have it delivered to your room." She told me. She then gave me a hug.

"Thanks, Phoebe. For being here and sticking with me." I said.

"Of course. By the way, some of our ex-friends might try to apologize for not believing you. It's up to you if you want to bring them back into your life."

"Are you going to?" I asked her.

"Nah. When someone tells you who they are the first time, you better believe them." Phoebe replied. "I have an appointment in Pasadena, so I have to head out."

Phoebe gave me a kiss on both cheeks. She also played with Graham's hair before leaving.

"I'm beat." I said.

"Let's get back to the hotel room. Freddie sent me a picture of Holly and Juniper sleeping next to each other while waiting by the window." Graham said.

"You've gotta send me that photo." I said. We began to walk to the parking lot. As we did, I noticed two figures standing near the exit.

My fucking mother and father were right there.

"Shit." I heard Graham mutter. "Let's take the other exit-"

"No." I said. "I wanna hear them out. They probably must feel stupid after what happened today." I said.

My mother and father both lit out their cigarettes and turned to me. Once again, it was hard to decipher their faces. No matter what, they always carried that scowl that I was all too familiar with.

"Spencer." My mother said. Her voice croaked a bit.

"Do you need something? I figured you got everything you needed today." I said.

My father huffed loudly. "Spencer." He ran his fingers through his graying hair. "We did some reflection in the past months. And, well-"

"You finally figured that you had royally fucked up?" I asked.

Both my parents were shocked since I had never dared curse in front of them.

"We just didn't know what to think." My mother pleaded. "W-We heard all these stories about you and thought that maybe you were going through another rebellious phase."

"So, you believed the stories from strangers over your own son? I can't even say I'm shocked! Because that's how it's always been! I've always been thrown to the sidelines since I was born! The one time I needed the two of you, yet I wasn't even given an ounce of compassion!"

I was growing irate and had to calm myself.

"You two should've just given me up when you had the chance." I said.

My mother broke into sobs as she wiped her face with a handkerchief. My father consoled her.

"Spencer, we're sorry. We truly are. And we're willing to do anything to make it up." My father said. His face had fallen. It was the first time I had ever seen him remorseful.

"If anything, these last few months have shown me that I never needed you two. I was perfectly fine without your connections or money." I spoke. I felt like I wasn't going far enough with them.

"I don't need you two, ever again." I finally said.

The need to punch something was taking over. I walked past them and stormed ahead, leaving them both.

"You two lost someone special. I hope you know that." I heard Graham say.

Graham caught up to me. He stopped me by pulling me into a hug and not letting go.

"Spencer, did you know there are mountain lions not far from here." He said.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up. Graham smiled at me.

"Well, you've shown so much strength today that I figured you could easily take one down." He replied with a chuckle.

I patted his shoulders and pushed him away lightly.

"Come on, I'm starving." I said.

Graham held my hand and began to talk about random things. I turned and saw my parents get into their car and drive off.

Today has been an exhausting day. I felt like I had been holding my breath for so long and can now finally breathe.