[New York, Manhattan:Westward High School 3rd POV]
In a classroom full of people, a teacher was holding tests to distribute to the students before a door opened and everyone in the room turned to see who was entering the classroom.
They saw Scott enter the room with an adhesive bandage on his face. Scott looked around and saw that the teacher was handing out the tests.
"Sorry I'm late. Lost track of time," he said before going to his seat and sitting down. The teacher wanted to ask questions but reluctantly stopped and told Scott to see her after the test.
She finished distributing the tests and waited until 9 o'clock before instructing everyone to begin.
Every student was busy writing their test or exam. The teacher kept checking on Scott more often to see if he was okay, but he seemed fine. She thought Scott had changed, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Time passed. Scott finished the test first, and the class was surprised by that. The teacher instructed him to remain seated for a few minutes before leaving the room.
Scott then left and headed to the cafeteria. More students arrived after they finished their tests. Scott saw Mary enter the cafeteria and get her food.
Scott stood up and walked over to where she was.
"Hey, can I take a seat?" Scott asked Mary, and she nodded while continuing to eat.
Scott was trying to think of a way to start a conversation or say something, but he was caught off guard when Mary asked why he hadn't answered her calls. Scott was surprised but reluctantly told her a half-truth, that he had been in the hospital and had lost his phone.
Mary was suspicious but chose to believe him and didn't ask what he was doing in the hospital. Scott apologized for the things he said to her before he left. He didn't blame it on his anger — he blamed himself. Mary tried not to dwell on it, but when she looked into Scott's eyes, she realized he was probably more affected than she was, so she accepted his sincere apology.
Without realizing how much time had passed, they had been talking nonstop while the cafeteria filled up with students. Scott looked around and noticed a certain group of people. Mary followed Scott's gaze. When she saw what he was looking at, she wanted to tell him to let it go, but she stopped herself.
Scott got up and walked over to them.
They were busy getting their food and were about to look for where to sit. The moment they turned around, they saw Scott standing there, looking at them.
"Hey guys," Scott greeted them with a smile on his face, and they greeted him back.
"Oh Ben, should I wait for you to finish your food, or shall I do it now?" Scott said to Ben. The others were confused about what he was talking about. Ben, however, realized what he meant by that question, so he placed his tray of food on a nearby table and nodded.
Scott punched Ben. He fell to the ground, and Scott didn't realize that he had knocked him out cold. He just went back to where he was sitting. Mary asked if it was really necessary to punch him like that.
Scott replied, "I didn't punch him that hard. It was just a weak punch."
Mary was surprised when he said that, but she simply continued eating her food.
They managed to wake Ben up, and he was slightly confused when he woke up.
[New York, Courthouse 3rd POV]
The courtroom was full of people, not entirely full, but most seats were occupied. Everyone was seated while court officials carried out their duties. All were waiting for the judge.
After a couple of minutes, the judge arrived. The court officer announced, "All rise. Court is now in session, the Honorable Judge Preston Dabble presiding."
Everyone in the courtroom stood as the judge entered. Once the judge was seated, the court officer said,
"You may be seated."
Judge Preston opened a file to review its contents. He then signaled to the clerk and said,
"The defendant shall stand."
The defendant stood and looked at the judge. The judge met his gaze and said,
"Colton Benjamin Orson, known as 'The Mad Dog,' you are charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of an unauthorized weapon, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and unlawful entry into a restricted area."
He continued,
"How do you plead: guilty or not guilty?"
The room was quiet as everyone turned to look at Colton, who remained motionless, staring at the judge.
"Can you rephrase the question?" Colton said to the judge with a straight face.
The judge, taken aback, replied, "Do you plead guilty or not guilty to the charges before you?"
Everyone continued to watch Colton. He didn't flinch.
He said, "Not guilty… for being guilty."
Everybody in court erupted, murmurs were heard and the judge was trying to put everything in order. Colton continue to say.
"Let me break it down for you. You want a plea? You want me to beg, break, cry for forgiveness in front of a system that's built on rot?"
Everybody was surprised on what he was saying.
"Fine. Let's talk.
Murder? Yeah. I ended a life. One that ended hundreds before I got to him. Nobody wept for his victims... but suddenly you care?"
Murmurs erupted aloud on court and the judge put everything on order while continuing to say
"Attempted murder? That's cute. I don't attempt. I finish. That one lived because I let him."
Little whispers was heard in the court.
"Unauthorized weapon? I carried what your world forced into my hands. You don't give weapons to people like me, you give us targets.
Human trafficking? I burned their operation to the ground. Smugglers. Dealers. Flesh merchants. And yeah, I used their tunnels to get innocent kids out before your red tape swallowed them whole."
Everybody was shocked when he said that but he wasn't done
"Drug trafficking? I hijacked their supply lines. Sold their poison back to the wolves they worked for. Used the cash to fund shelters, food, medicine... things your laws let rot.
Unlawful entry into a restricted area? Damn right. I kicked down doors where the privileged hide their secrets. I wasn't invited. I walked in anyway.
You want to charge me with something? Charge me with not waiting around for permission.
I'm not a hero. I'm not a villain. I'm the result of what happens when justice gets outsourced to cowards in suits.
So here it is, on record..
NOT GUILTY... FOR BEING GUILTY!!!
And you can forget about the case... Put me in jail and decide your verdict on how long I stay in jail.
CASE CLOSED!!!!"
A commotion erupted in the courtroom, with loud noises and disturbance. A certain woman was seated in the back row, watching as everything descended into chaos.
She stood up and left the courthouse. Outside, someone was waiting for her, along with the person she had arrived with. She looked displeased when she saw him and ignored him completely. She didn't wait for him to say anything; she simply got into the car and told the driver to go.
She didn't even say "hello," the person thought as he watched the car drive away.
[New York, Manhattan 3rd POV]
Back in Westward, before the lunch break ended, Scott went to talk to his teacher and told her half-truths. He said he couldn't come to school because he had been shot and ended up in the hospital — which, technically, wasn't a lie. He even showed his teacher the bandaged area on his torso, and eventually, she believed him.
They continued with the rest of the day, and eventually, school was dismissed.
Before Scott could head home, he realized that the groceries were almost gone, so he thought about buying food instead. He considered getting burgers, but then remembered he wasn't alone in the penthouse anymore. He asked Mary what kind of food a kid might like.
Mary was confused by the question but said, "Pizza," which wasn't the answer Scott wanted. She suggested a few other options, but Scott figured he'd just pick something when he got there.
Scott walked to the restaurant, and when he arrived, he spotted someone eating lasagna. That helped him make up his mind. He walked up to the counter and placed his order.
"Excuse me, can I get one lasagna and four burgers with French fries to go, please?" he said, since it wasn't a full-service restaurant.
"Oh, and can I get a bottle of soft drink? You pick the flavor," he added.
As he was about to find a seat to wait for his order, he was met by a woman in a red dress standing in front of him, silently shedding tears.
Scott realized who the woman was and was about to say something, but stopped himself. Instead, he said,
"It looks like you're about to cry… or are you?" while looking at her.
She responded,
"Nah, it's just the breeze."
[TO-BE-CONTINUE]
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[A/N: Question & Answers
What's the point of this story?
There's none. The MC hasn't found his goal or has any objectives he need to complete. He's just living his life like a normal person. I don't even know what I'm doing with him
When is the action starting?
The action can start anytime. It's just the MC is a logical and realistic person until that person makes him illogical. I ain't making sense but you'll understand what I'm taking about
Can't you just make to wording & sentence shorter?
If I do that, the story would start being fast paced and I'll be forced to make action that is boring and predictable.
Why does other POV show some random stuff, like Frown Mask, London, The Baron, David Blake, Fast & Blur?
Because those random stuff might, definitely will, affect the story or influence the choices of the MC. If it doesn't affect the story, it's affecting the entire world. My name is JECU, stands for Just Entertaining Certain Universe.
Is this my first time writing a book?
Yes, it's my first time writing a book. The first one I wrote with the help of an AI which I'm not satisfied with. Scarlett was the book I wrote with an AI but that was a mistake and I ain't removing the book. I realise I started with the wrong book first...
It's supposed to be Dyad, Exalt, Mark Lunar, Acausaliater then Scarlett...
Why am I doing this if I'm not good at writing?
Because I had all the entire stories in my mind, so might as well write to improve my vocabulary and help my ADHD.
An irrelevant questions that is not ask?
Every chapter corresponds with each number FYI. For example, 15 Chapter 14= 1514 signifies Reunion & Important shifts, 1 chapter 0= 10 signifies New Beginning