Good Guys Finish Lasting

9

Your POV

"Due to the given evidence, the suspect, Mr. Ren, will not be released and must serve ten years in jail."

The judge gave his final decision. For mostly people it would be a regular decision, but for me and my mother, it was as if someone was ringing the death toll for us.

"Wait! What do you mean?!" Ren stood up from his seat. "Aren't you going to show them the CCTV footage?!" He looked at his lawyer.

"That's right!" I ran to the barricade. "The footage clearly shows that Ren arrived at the scene when the guy was already down!" I yelled.

"That’s correct! Please reconsider!" Mom joined in, and the judge looked at Ren's lawyer, who just kept looking down guiltily.

"The thing is . . . there is no footage."

"What?!" the three of us yelled.
The guards came in to take Ren away, and the judge stood up to leave.

"Wait! What are you doing?! Say something!" Ren begged the lawyer, but the man just looked down. The guards began dragging the untrue criminal out.

"Ren!" Mom began crying.

"Mom!" He resisted the guards. "Mom, it wasn't me! Mom!" His eyes began tearing up. "It wasn't me . . . " As they used an unnecessarily harsh amount of force to take him out, I saw him cry for the first time. Then I heard a thud.

"Mom!" I yelled as I saw her fall to the ground, and I rushed to her side.

"Wait! Let me see my mother!" Ren yelled but his pleas were unheard. "Sis!"

I looked at him and saw a plea so vividly written in his eyes that I couldn't help but cry, too. Even at a time like this, he was telling me to look after Mom and asking me if I trust him.

* * *

As an ambulance came for Mom, I saw Ren's lawyer leave. Seeing him made me furious, and I ran toward him, grabbing his wrist. "The fuck did you do?! You were his lawyer! You were supposed to prove his innocence!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, so loud it hurt.

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "You were up against really powerful people," he whispered.

"What?"

"The footage was stolen and deleted. The entire proof was gone in a matter of minutes, and I still don't know how."

". . . How can that be . . . ?" My eyes began getting blurry as tears began building up in my eyes. "It's like you're saying we'll never prove his innocence!"

Hot tears rolled down my eyes as he put a hand on my shoulder. "Learn to accept it. This is just how this world is."

He left after saying those cruel words to me as I fell to the ground in despair. The little hope I had was completely gone.

* * *

"Mom." I placed the apple slice in front of her mouth. "You have to eat. Please!" I begged her. It had been five months since that day, and she was constantly hospitalized, fired from her job, and with each passing day, her health was deteriorating.

"I'm not hungry." She pushed away my hand as she looked out the window.

"Mom, why are being like this? I know Ren is gone for now, but I'm still here!" She didn't move a muscle. "Mom, look at me." She slightly turned her head my way.

"Aren't you late for college?"

I nodded, putting the slice back in the tray. "I'll go, but please eat, Mom. I still need you here." She didn't answer me.