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I try hard to not freeze on the spot when my father finally spots Lexi and me in the small crowd that has gathered in the courtroom.
He gestures for me to walk over to him, but I know better. I try to nonchalantly shrug it off while desperately trying to make it seem like Lexi and I are engaged in a relevant conversation.
"He's looking this way. " I whisper to her, wiping my sweaty palms on my thighs. "I can't walk over there, to him. He'll stop me from speaking. That's the last thing I want to happen."
Lexi looks from me over to my father, only to immediately look back at me again, clearly intimidated by him as well. "Try not to look at him." She frantically offers as a resolution.
"Everyone, remain quiet please, the judge will walk in any second now." A deep male voice speaks into a microphone, indicating that the court will soon begin. I let out a relieved sigh as this is my father's cue to leave me alone.
It takes a few long seconds for people to fall completely silent and my father has no choice but to sit down next to his boss, a few rows away from us.
I look around in the small crowd, wondering if there's any other person in here that believes in Ethan's innocence. I notice a woman and a little girl in the front row, holding each other's hands while eyeing the door for any sight of Ethan. I wonder if they are his mother and his little sister, the ones he has told me about in one of our first conversations.
Eventually, we all stand up as the judge and jury walk in, taking their place. I avert my gaze back to the door where Cole holds Ethan softly by the arm, walking him in. Ethan's beams the second he notices the woman and the little girl, who both come to their feet.
I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed already, realizing that this court could either mean a lot to Ethan, or make his ongoing case even worse.
He has already gotten a life sentence for a first-degree murder. However, his attorney keeps gathering evidence that prove his innocence and the clear signs of being wrongfully blamed, which is the thing that keeps lightening up the fire that is this case every few months.
"It's starting." Lexi whispers to me and shakes me out of my thoughts. I take a deep breath and look at Ethan from the back. He's sitting a few rows in front of me, next to his attorney and a few other relevant people.
I've never seen him this nervous before as I notice how he keeps fixing his posture and constantly wipes his palms on his thighs.
"Do you wish to make an opening statement?" The female judge turns to Ethan's attorney and gives him the first word. He walks to the front, facing both the crowd and the jury, his right shoulder pointing to the direction of the judge.
"Good afternoon your honor." He begins and introduces himself before he continues, "This is a case of mistaken identity. On September 26th, our client Ethan Dean Wilford, was outside during a break in the state prison he's been staying in for the past three years. Ethan is one of the few respectful inmates and has been serving his time without any trouble. He has weekly conversations with miss Adams, a psychology student that is doing her internship at the prison. Before miss Adams was stabbed, she was engaged in a conversation with Mr. Wilford."
