Blue Eyes, White Lies

Law Majors, Amirite?

"So, they wanted me to journal... Here I go."

Every town has a legend. Even the small piece of shit I called my hometown. Seriously. Never move there. It's half old people, half literal children, all shitty drivers. Wouldn't recommend my nemesis.

Hell, I don't even have a nemesis. Maybe my science teacher. I hate her. I'm studying law. Why would I need science for that?

Whatever. You probably want background info, don't you? Fine. I'll give you some. Not enough to spoil anything, but enough, considering this is supposed to be a book.

Hi. I'm Keiji. Don't ask about the name. I'm half Japanese and don't look it for shit, besides the name. I'm nearly twenty-two, and I've yet to have my first kiss, let alone a girlfriend. Call me a loner all you want, everyone just hates me, I guess. Then again, I'm a Harvard student. Nobody likes each other. Especially when we debate. It gets heated.

Maybe it's the hair. I dye mine. Fuck being a natural blonde. I want dark hair!

The blonde, as I assume you're questioning about, is from the norweigian side of my family.

It's weird, I get it. 

Nevermind that, I'm a third-year college student, who (luckily, fuck student debt), managed to get a half ride, and have a decent college fund.

Unluckily, college is still expensive. Which is why I'm writing this. Profit. Profit is nice. And the fact I've been told that writing is a good coping mechanism. 

Don't mind me being self aware either. I can't write an average book for shit, even if I tried. I'd much prefer to debate. Hence being a law student. Debates are amazing, even if half the ones I'm in turn to complete shit.

Haven't argued a case before either, and if I do, it's a scenario, and usually a lawsuit.

I prefer murder trials. Or something that doesn't end in a fine. Something with a sentencing maybe? We had to memorize some of how that works...

So. Back to the story at hand.

Our town was a religious one. Anything remotely "blasphemous" and you were fucked.

Full on shunned. 

It's what happened in the legends.

They say a young boy, no older than myself at the time, committed a murder. They never say who died. They never say how. They never say anything else besides he was a murderer.

Believe me, I tried to learn more. It's a taboo here. Everyone's lips are sealed, nobody says a word. I'm not even sure anyone knows about what happened.

They don't even say his name. They just say he was a troubled teen who was pushed to his edge.

The Edge of what?  

Nobody ever gave answers here. Not even about their devotion. I never got answers.

Maybe my pushiness helped me debate. Maybe the lack of answers I'd gotten before gave me more now.

The boy committed the ultimate sin. Murder.

So with fire and vengeance in hand, they drove him out. Cold, tired, alone, with the scars from angry citizens littered over him. 

What shocks me is that they never heard his side. They assumed he killed in cold blood. They assume he wanted to hurt someone.

I don't know of any child who'd think like that. I don't know an adult that'd behave like that. They didn't give him a fair trial. They didn't hear a word he said. They just ran him out, never to come back again.