Take a shot every time someone nods.

Couldn't he have done just this one thing right?
*****

Jason looked concernedly ahead of him as the Jacksons' lawyer offered Percy his seat at the front of the courtroom. His friend slumped into the chair, obviously troubled by how things had just gone. Sally rubbed his shoulder comfortingly, but Percy didn't seem affected. The green-eyed boy stared down blankly at the notepad and pictures laid out over the table.

As Leo left the room to go find Piper, who had left the trial earlier to collect her bearings, Jason made his way towards Percy. He wasn't sure where he was allowed to go, so he stayed behind the table and merely reached out to place a hand on Percy's shoulder. The boy tensed before glancing over his shoulder and realizing it was Jason. He gave the blonde a faint smile that quickly faded as he looked at their lawyer.

"Okay," the man began, acknowledging Jason's presence with a hard glance but deciding not to comment about it, "so things didn't exactly go as planned."

Percy seemed to shrink away at the comment, but the lawyer's expression was calm and determined as he looked at the teenager. "You did fine, kid. I don't know what he thinks he's getting at by spreading the blame across multiple people, but you didn't screw anything up that we can't easily fix."

Jason could tell that the statement wasn't exactly reassuring for Percy, but the latter nodded regardless.

The older man continued, "You showed that you're loyal to your mother instead of your stepfather, so that's gotta count for something. The recess will be over in a few minutes, but it seems you that two," he gestured to Sally and Percy, "may have some things to discuss. I'll be back soon."

With that, their lawyer left Sally, Percy, and Jason sitting alone. Sally gave her son a half-hearted glare, but she looked more worried than anything. Jason could understand why: Percy looked absolutely defeated and was avoiding eye contact with the woman at all costs.

"Percy, honey," she spoke softly, as if she were afraid to scare her son, "why didn't you just tell me about school?"

Percy shook his head, and only then did Jason notice the tears welling in his eyes. The blonde felt like he was intruding upon something by being so close, but nobody had told him to leave yet. Then, deciding he didn't care about the rules, Jason went through the gate at the front of the room before heading to Percy's side, kneeling next to the boy.

Jason was surprised to feel Percy shakily intertwine their fingers at the green-eyed boy's side as Sally continued speaking, "We could've done something, Percy. I could've helped you."

Percy subtly looked to Jason for any kind of assistance, which the blonde unfortunately had none of. I'm sorry, Percy mouthed miserably after turning back to his mother.

Sally sighed heavily, clearly stressed by other things besides Percy. "Don't be, honey. I just...I love you, okay? And if there's something I can do to make your life easier after getting us into this mess, then I'm always ready. Who is it?"

Percy gestured to the page in front of him and, after Sally nodded, let go of Jason's hand and began writing down the names of Chris Rodriguez and Ethan Nakamura. Halfway through Chris's name, though, their lawyer returned and placed a firm hand on Jason's shoulder. The blonde quickly returned to his feet, nodding a greeting at the man.

"Come with me," he told Jason, leading him out to the hall.

Jason would've preferred to be back in the courtroom, supporting Percy like he came to do, but he figured this guy needed him for something. The lawyer asked, "You're his best friend, correct?"

The blue-eyed boy nodded. "Can you really fix whatever he did?"

"Probably," the man shrugged, fairly nonchalant considering he was in the middle of an abuse hearing. "What's been the worst case and the most recent case of this bullying they discussed?"

"The worst was a little while ago, and Percy ended up in the hospital. This guy beat him up behind the school. My friend found him and called an ambulance," Jason explained. He was going to continue, but the lawyer cut him off.

"And is that friend one of the other two here already?"

When Jason shook his head, the lawyer gave a small smile and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful. Would they like to come testify?"

"Wait, now?" Jason furrowed his eyebrows together. "Isn't it a little late for that?"

The man shrugged again. "Never too late. If I'd known Percy was being hurt somewhere besides home, I would've already been searching for someone to come witness today."

"I can do it," Jason offered, but the lawyer just shook his head.

"I saw your one-sided staredown with Ugliano earlier," he explained, "it won't be hard for the judge to tell who you want to win. Now, can you get your friend here or not?"

"I'll call," Jason replied, taking his phone out and tapping Reyna's contact. On the second ring, she picked up and greeted him. "Hey, are you busy?"

He heard shuffling from Reyna's end of the call. "Not really, why?"

"Great, do you want to come give a testimony in court?"

Reyna seemed to have been drinking water or something, as Jason heard her nearly choke on it from the other side. "What?"

"Percy's family is in court," Jason elaborated, "and their lawyer thinks you'll be able to help clear up some things about Chris and Ethan."

Reyna paused. "Why are they there?"

Jason had forgotten that the rest of his friends didn't know about Gabe. "Domestic abuse trial."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Reyna said, then ended the call.

Jason pulled the phone from his ear and tucked it away in his back pocket. "She's coming."

The lawyer offered a smile. "Amazing, thank you. This will help Percy, I promise."

The blonde nodded, trusting the man's word for some reason. He then left, claiming that the trial would be resuming soon. He suggested that Jason find his other two friends as come back as soon as possible.

Jason followed his instructions, finding Leo consoling Piper down the hall and motioning for them to come back. After a moment of deliberation, Piper decided she'd be able to return, and the three ventured back into the courtroom.

When they entered, the Jacksons' lawyer was talking to Sally and Percy at the front of the room. With a final statement in Percy's directions, the man gestured at the three that'd just entered and sent Percy on his way, reclaiming his seat next to Sally.

As soon as Percy approached them, Piper stepped forward and brought Percy into a tight hug. The boy shot a confused look at Jason and Leo, both of which just shrugged. With a sigh, Percy relaxed his tense muscles and wrapped his arms around Piper's smaller frame.

The hug was brief, with Piper apologizing as she pulled away. Percy reassured her with a shake of his head and a small smile. He didn't seem to mind hugs too much anymore.

The four teens took their seats, and the trial commenced again. Percy's neighbor was testifying, although there wasn't a lot for her to say. She described hearing banging on the wall, loud yelling coming from their apartment, glass shattering next door to her, and so on. Jason hardly paid attention, as his gaze was subtly set on Percy.

The green-eyed boy was stressed about how his testimony had gone, no doubt about it. Jason could tell he was barely holding it together, but he wasn't sure what he could do except keep an eye on the boy in case he needed to leave.

Gabe's lawyer attempted to pin these noises and occurrences on other things, but from what little Jason heard, the arguments didn't sound convincing. As the neighbor's time on the stand was coming to an end, the door at the back of the room opened. Jason glanced towards the other end of the room, and standing there was Jason's new favorite person who had arrived in fifteen minutes, just as she'd promised.

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano.

Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Have a great week!