The Ruling

Blinding flashlights emitted by the cameras clicking nonstop, aiming to capture every angle of Collin coming through a crowd of reporters, accompanied by two cops. His hands were in the grasp of handcuffs.

"Is it true that you killed Paul Nicholson because of a rivalry at your school?" one of the reporters threw the question at him.

His senses comprehended every question but his mind refused to respond to any of them. He quietly let the cops take him to the cop car that stood outside.

"You have the right to stay silent, but I am gonna advice that you speak up already. The guy you just killed is no ordinary brat, he is the only son of Blaire group's chairman. He is gonna do everything to take revenge from you. If you want law to protect you from him then you better confess," said the cop.

He ignored his advice and wore silence. He closed his eyes riding the cop car, resting his head backwards. Bella bashed the car's window with her fist, following it as it moved forward. "Why are you taking my son? He didn't do anything," she cried.

On the backseat, Collin witnessed everything that was happening around him. Bella begged the cops to let him go and reporters swarmed around the vehicle. He sat between cops on either side and morosely shifted his eyes to the rear view mirror, in which the entire villa was reflecting. He saw Oriel looking at the scene, standing in her balcony. She watched Collin getting arrested and didn't spare a word from her mouth and then turned around to leave.

'Don't look at me like that, Collin! I am the one who has been foolish all along. You were the only one I had, the reason my everything was lost is also you. I will never regret what I did today, this was to give a last condolence to my dad.'

She came outside of her room where the investigation team smelled every corner for evidence. Her memories combined with her view and showed her a recollection of what happened there two hours ago.

Two Hours Ago...

Collin was appalled to see the blood bathed body of Paul. He had no idea who did that to him and cops were not yet at the door. Then suddenly, Oriel opened the door to her room and showed herself covered in the bloody clothes, implying that she was the one who killed Paul.

"Oriel!" Collin wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to say anything, I know that it was a desperate step and there was no other option. Just know that it was not your fault."

She pushed him away with an expressionless face and made eye contact. "Collin, you can do anything for me, right?" her facial features were frozen in place.

Her faint breath fell on Collin's face as she spoke. "Yes, I can do anything for you, but... what do you mean by that?"

"Then let's say that you did it, not me."

She started wiping her bloody hands with his clothes. Meanwhile, his eyes didn't move from her unusually calm face. "But that way it will be a murder, what you did was self-defense, it changes the whole incident."

She started unbuttoning her shirt and took it off at once, revealing her pale body in the black laced spegady, "Didn't you say that you love me. It is your duty to protect me from every bad thing that comes my way... isn't that what you promised to my dad? who is apparently still alive in the register, even though I have been treated as an orphan my whole life."

Her voice lacked sanity. She was broken and disappointed in everyone around her. "I have just killed a person with these hands, I can't say that I didn't have another choice but still I resorted to hit him with the stone and take his life." She looked at the Paul lying motionless on the floor. "I don't think I can live with this."

Collin fastened his grip on her arms, "Get yourself together. It was not your fault. He showed up at our door with thugs, and tried to touch you against your will. All you did was to protect yourself, that's it," he tried convincing her.

An ominous chuckle developed on her lips and she laughed out of the blue. "I really didn't have anyone all along. No family, no friend. Everyone have just used me however they like, and now I find out that there's monster inside me who has just killed someone."

"Say nothing more, you can't lose yourself to your assumptions so soon. I know I was wrong to hide it from you but at that time I really didn't have any other choice."

She shut her eyes before him, gesturing send him away. She shook his hand off turned to take first step towards her room, lifelessly. She had her blood stained shirt in her hands . She entered the bathroom and placed the shirt under the running faucet. She gathered her hair looking inside mirror, a devastated girl. She tied her hair in a messy up do. Suddenly, her hand reached out for her phone inside her pants pocket. She turned it on and its light glowed on her face. She ran her fingers over as her mind spun with a dilemma.

"Hello. You have dialed the emergency number, How may I help you?" came through the phone in her trembling hands.

She couldn't reply for a few moments, going through the possible consequences several times.

"Hello... How can we help you?"

She inhaled heavily and then proceeded. "My friend has been murdered," said Oriel, over the phone. "And the culprit is standing outside my room, I beg you to hurry up and save me from him." She hung up the call saying that only and exhaled loudly.

-----

Inside the court.

"The defendant has plead fifth ever since the day of arrest, I would like to question him and expect him to reply truthfully," the prosecutor asked the judge.

Collin took the oath for speaking truth and every eye present in the court, including Oriel's were set on him, keen to hear his statement.

"On the fifth of this month, Paul Nicholson had visited his classmate Miss Oriel Baker, who lives in the same house as defendant. Am I right?" proceeded the prosecutor.

Collin slightly nodded and said, "he did."

"Can you tell the court a detailed account of that day? Including the reason you hit Paul with a heavy object multiple times to kill him,"he prosecuted.

"I had a fight with him, the conversation got heated up and resulted in a clash," stated Collin.

Bella, one among others sitting in middle of the people, abruptly rose and said, "Collin, darling! tell the truth. What are you lying for?" she asked.

"Mam, this is court. You can't just stand up and ruin the discipline like that," the judge warned.

"My son is innocent. He can never hurt anyone, far is killing someone."

Depth could be seen in Collin's eyes, reflecting the pain and dejection that came sitting on the defendant's chair.

"I request Miss Oriel, the only witness present at the time of the incident to testify," the prosecutor further said.

Oriel rose from her seat and walked to the witness's box. "I pledge to say the nothing but truth and I shall bear the responsibility of my statement." She looked confidently at the prosecutor.

"I have been living with Collin's family ever since I was orphaned. They fed me, sheltered me and raised me to be the person I am today. Although I always knew that they're not my real family, still I called Mr. Roger my dad and Mrs. Bella my mother. Collin was also like a protective brother to me." She faced Collin and proceeded, "what I didn't have an idea about was that Collin used to see me differently. He had feelings for me, as a girl."

Whispers and chatters began exchanging between everyone listening to her.

"How disgusting?"

"He doesn't look that kind of a person."

"Creepy!"

Oriel wet her dried up lips and headed forward with her statement. "I had no idea why he was jealous of Paul or any other I guy talked to. That is the reason why he used to despise Paul coming to meet me."

Bella got up from her chair and shouted at Oriel speaking from the witness desk."You wretched little thing! Is this how you're paying for the kindness we showed raising you?" she asked, raging.

Collin raised the head that he was keeping down till now, and directed towards his mother. "It's the truth mom, nothing of what she has said is lie," he said.

It only fueled up the gossips among the audience, they began criticizing him for his audacity.

"How despicable is he?"

"Tell me about it!"

"I feel bad for the girl."

Oriel didn't bat an eye on his confession, she maintained the cold countenance on her face. The judge heard the both sides and grabbed a pen, giving his ruling.

"The court finds Collin Hastings, guilty of the murder of Paul Nicholson. But keeping in mind that the convict is a juvenile, the court of hereby sentences the culprit 5 years in juvenile prison."

Chaperoned by the cops, Collin was taken back to the other side of the bars, now he was to be shifted to a juvenile disciplinary, to spend the next five years of his life.