Brandon's POV
I had never understood why people said courtrooms were intimidating.
Until I sat in one.
The room wasn't loud.
It wasn't chaotic.
It wasn't anything like the crime shows on television where lawyers shouted objections every five seconds and judges slammed gavels dramatically.
This room was quiet.
Painfully quiet.
The kind of quiet that made every cough, every shuffle of paper, every breath feel important.
I sat beside Seth in the second row.
Dad was on my other side.
None of us were speaking.
None of us had spoken much since morning.
Seth looked different.
His shoulders were hunched.
His hands were clasped tightly together.
His knee bounced constantly against the floor.
I had never seen him nervous.
Not before a major campaign.
Not before runway shows.
Not before interviews.
But today he looked like a little boy trying very hard not to fall apart.
The courtroom doors opened.
Everyone stood.
The judge entered.
The proceedings began.
