𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 : 𝐀𝐓𝐋 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡.
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝟗:𝟓𝟎 𝐚.𝐦.

The date with C went well. He got you home at a decent time and even said hello to your mom since he walked you to your door. At the end of the night, since your dad and his sidekick weren't looking, you gave him a kiss on the cheek. Way more than he expected but he was happy nonetheless.

Then came the rest of the week. You got used to your hectic school schedule. In debate class, you and C made it pretty far on your research. In your other classes, you made sure to get all of your work for the week done so that you had nothing to worry about on Thursday. Your friends all tried to keep you in positive hopes and spirits by hanging with you everyday up until the court date. They had also promised to plan something for you and your brother that weekend, if all goes well.

Thursday eventually rolled around. Just like he asked, it was only going to be you and your mom at the trial. Nicky was putting off seeing your dad as much as possible. So much that he made arrangements to live in an extra room in Bryson's cousin, Onyakapon's, apartment.

The two of them were inseparable and whenever they weren't with you, JuJu, and Bryson growing up, they were with each other. Onyakapon had no problem with bringing him in and even gave him two months to get back on his feet before paying rent. It's going to be exactly how they planned when they were young, having dreams and fantasies about living the coveted life of a bachelor.

But that was if he got out.

Since the trial was about to begin, I guess now, my beloved readers, is when I tell you what happened. Now is when I tell you what exactly got your brother, Nicky, locked up. But for that I'd need to go back in time and introduce you to the way your life used to be.

𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬..

Nicky and your dad were as close as father and son could be. Nicky even showed so much interest in the life of a detective so they were always together. Wherever your mom would find your dad it was almost certain that your brother was But things tended to change as the two of you grew up. Those warnings to "not put things you find outside in your mouth" (yes he was one of those kids) turned into more persistent ones that said to "not fall into the wrong crowd."

But of course he didn't listen. To either of those warnings actually but that's not the point right now.

Before your sophomore year began, Nick, for a reason he still won't say, got involved with people who you knew wouldn't do anything but get him into trouble. They sold drugs, were shitty to women, and did all type of illegal things, other than murder or other extreme stuff but you weren't even sure of that. Onyakapon wasn't exactly fond of them but he's follow your brother to the ends of the earth. So he stuck around.

You always thought that maybe it was to be down with "cool" kids even though everyone loved him already. Nicky would tell you some things that he would go to do. Like if he was going to a party with them, he would let you know beforehand and would sometimes ask you to go. You always declined but it still showed how close you guys stayed.

Inevitably, pretty soon Nick started to act like his friends. He began selling drugs for some white guy in one of the nicer neighborhoods named Dice. Dice was pretty notorious but since you didn't surround yourself with those people, you didn't know much about them. But don't let that fool you. He was probably the most ruthless and nastiest of them all. That was something that Onyakapon couldn't get behind. So not wanting to burn any bridges, he started hanging out with you, JuJu, and Bryson more. It started to become rare that you would see them together but how could you blame him ? Onyakapon had a full-ride track scholarship to Clark Atlanta. There was no way he was going to let anything get in the way of that.

The only thing about him not being around your brother that much anymore was that there was now no one to look out for him when he was in the street. Nobody to tell him to avoid doing stupid shit. You would try your best to talk some sense into him but it was in one ear and out of the other. This happened for maybe about a year.

Your brother worked his way up the latter and was one of the best sellers. Dice had quickly took a liking to Nicky, which wasn't surprising because he was very charismatic. He never got caught not once, using working for Mr.Nelson as a scapegoat. Mr.Nelson knew though, but he never said anything. "He needs to learn for himself," he would say.

And that's what happened. It was the night of your sixteenth birthday party. You have been waiting for your Sweet Sixteen your whole life. It was supposed to be the best night of your life. Supposed to.

Everyone was talking about it and best believe everyone was going to be there. You, JuJu, and Bryson coordinated what you guys were going to wear. And while you guys were greeting guests and dancing the night away, Nick was nowhere to be found. At first when you saw Onyakapon walk in, smiling cheekily as he was in love with the sight of you all dressed up (he was trying to hide it though since you were dating Porco at the time), you would've thought that your brother would be right next to him but he wasn't. You sent him text after text but he didn't answer.

You see, the funny thing about the street life that so many people aspire to, is that it's never what it seems. Sure we see in old movies and old hip hop music videos that the life of a gangsta was something everyone should get into. The women, the money, the cars. And all of that in exchange for just selling drugs ? Who wouldn't want to do it ?

However what they don't tell you is that once you start it's hard to quit. For numerous reasons. Some people get addicted to the lifestyle. And those who still have a grasp on reality try to get out but by then it's too late. By then, there are people itching, waiting for you to even mention the thought of leaving so that they could call you a traitor, outcast you, or even kill you.

As it turns out, for the last few months Nicky wanted to leave the business. He realized that there was nothing for him in this. He wanted to get back on track, make his parents proud, and become a detective with you as his badass lawyer little sister. Nicholas had told one person about his plan but somehow it made its way back to his boss, who wasn't happy at all. Dice felt as if your brother betrayed him in the worst way possible.

So if Nicholas was to take away something precious to the man's business, he decided that he was going to something precious from him.

Everyone who knew your brother knew how much he loved and cared for you. Sure you had sibling arguments. What siblings didn't ? But through thick and thin, he was going to have your back and you were always going to have his. He was extremely proud of you. You were the captain of the debate team at a prestigious private school who had a boyfriend that belonged to a rich family. Sure he despised Porco but from what he saw, you were doing good for yourself. And that's all he could ever ask for.

However since everyone knew, that included his boss. The week leading up to your birthday party, Dice had sent threat after threat to your brother. It was only enough to make him more cautious when going to school since Dice was only threatening him. However, it got a little more serious when he started to send people to stake out your house, watching you and your brother's moves. You didn't notice at the time but your brother did. So he made sure to accompany you, especially whenever you hung out with your friends from Paradis. Not only that, but this was the only time Nicholas had been driven to do anything of a violent nature.

That night, the night of your Sweet Sixteen, he figured that he would have a solid alibi. So he headed over to Dice's place, telling him that he wanted to return the remaining product he had and "maybe talk some things out". He went there knowing that Dice's agreement to the meeting was solely set on the intention of killing your brother. Knowing this, Nicholas found the gun your dad kept in the house and tucked into his waistband. The whole ride over, he was sweating bullets, no pun intended.

Nicholas eventually got up to the door and knocked twice, gripping onto the strap of the backpack that held the product in it. One of his maids answered the door with a remorseful look on her face. It was no secret that she knew what was probably going to happen to him. "Ah. Nicky Boy," Dice called from his study. He had his feet kicked up on his dark oak desk. His bright blue eyes scanned the boy's face, searching for a hint of fear but had no luck. Nicholas walked in with a poker face and it only made Dice's urge to kill him stronger. "What is it you wanted to speak about ?"

"Um. It's about me uh- about me leaving, man."

Dice let out an airy laugh before taking a shot of whiskey before offering your brother any. He declined. Dice was almost piss drunk and Nicholas didn't know whether or not that help him. "Ah that's right. You're killin' me Nicky Boy. You were like my son."

"I know and I'm sorry but I want to go to school. Make my moms and my sister proud."

"Something tells me they have a part to play in why you're really here."

His calm tone scared Nicholas shitless but he didn't want to break and go through with what he was going to originally do. Not just yet. "Yeah.. You sent people to watch my sister ? You're going too far. I thought we was family, Dice."

Dice laughed again. "Have I ever told you about the last person that left me ? It was my.. second wife. She wanted a new life. One.. more legal." Dice got up and stepped so that now he was inches away from Nicky's face. "I won't bore you with the details. She got into an 'accident' on the way to the airport. The funeral was lovely, close casket though because she wasn't exactly the prettiest afterwards. God Bless her soul. Do ya' get what I'm tryna say ?"

Nicholas gulped and his thoughts bombarded any other thought in his head. He couldn't believe that he would even get into business with someone like that. Now you were in danger. If only he had listened the first time. But it was time for him to man up now. It was time to fix what he had gotten everyone into. "Yeah. Yeah I understand."

"Good boy. Now you should probably get going. Tell your sister I said happy birthday." Dice goes back to his desk and lights a cigarette, waiting for Nicholas to leave the room. But he didn't. "Nicky Boy ? Everything alright." Without another word, Nicholas whipped the gun from his waistband. "Woah. Nicky Boy grew a pair !" the man laughed.

"I'm not scared of you."

"No ?" Your brother shook his head in response. "Boo !" Embarrassed, Nicholas jumped subtly. So, he cocked the gun, showing that he was serious. "Alright. Alright. What is it that you want Nicky Boy ? Hm ? Control ? Money ?"

"I want you to leave my family alone. What I want to do has nothing to do with them-"

"Too bad. Your actions have consequences. Your daddy should've taught ya' that."

"I want you to leave my family alone," he repeated. "And let me go."

"Or what ? You gonna shoot me ? Hm ?"

Nicholas was tired of the games and quickly approached him, pressing the cold, metal end of the gun to his temple. "Yeah."

"Then go right ahead. But remember if you put that gun to my head, make sure you kill me."

Nicholas's hand shook a little as he tried to fiddle with the trigger, pulling it. However, something else took a hold of him. Instead of killing him, he hit Dice in the head with the gun, over and over until he passed out. Panicking, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to go to jail but going to jail was probably safer than what would happen when Dice woke up. That's when he heard footsteps upstairs followed by muffled talking. "Honey ?" his fourth wife called as she walked down the steps.

At that point, it completely slipped Nicky's mind that he had a backpack full of drugs on his back. He ran out the house, not making eye contact with the maid from earlier, who was confused on how he even made it out alive. He then got into his car and sped off, going straight to your party. Before getting out of the car, he swore he heard the sirens of cop cars going into the direction he came from. Nonetheless, he changed into cleaner clothes and went inside.

You, of course, were waiting for him at the door. Your heart wouldn't rest until you knew that he was safe with you. So when you saw him, it didn't take long to run up to him. "Nicky, where the fuck have you been ?!" you hug him, happy that nothing had happened to him.

"I had business to take care of," he responded quietly. His voice was shaky and the tight hold he had on you, only made your mind start to race, trying to ponder what had really happened.

"Let's get you something to eat. Dad just left, he had to respond to a call somewhere in the burbs," you say, grabbing his hand and leading him to a table where your closest friends were sitting.

"A call ?"

"Yeah. Something about a man beaten I think. He said he'd be back." If it were possible, Nicky would've turned as pale as a vampire. His eyes widened and his forehead glistened with sweat. But those nervous feelings soon went away after he got a plate. He relaxed a little more since he realized that maybe there was no way anything could've traced him back to the scene of the crime.

"Hey man. Everything okay ?" Onyakapon asked, coming up to greet his friend.

"Yeah. Everything's great."

"Mi hijo. Dónde has estado ?" your mom said rushing up to question your brother.

"En la tienda, mamá. I had to get (y/n) a present," he responded.

"It better be that Juicy-"

"Juicy Couture jumpsuit. You know I got it sis," Nicholas answered.

Your smile reached from ear to ear and you gave him a tight hug. Your smile was worth everything he went through that day. And if he could, he would do it ten times over again just to keep you safe. Everything then continued to go well for some time. You and Nicky were in the middle of the dance floor as everyone surrounded the two of you. 'Mera Woo' was playing and everything felt like life was beginning to balance itself out. Your mom was happy to see you and your brother still as close as close could be, your brother looked less stress, and you were having the time of your life. There was nothing that could mess it up. Or so you thought.

A burst through the doors of the hall was enough to make everyone turn and look. A group of officers came in, with flash lights and stormed to the dance floor. Confused, you turned to see if your brother knew what was going on. But his face was blank. His eyes reeked of terror and his jaw was wide open. "Nicky ? What's going o-"

"Nicholas Smith." You both turned to see your dad in front of you. Tears filled up in his ocean blue eyes but he blinked quickly so that they didn't dare to drop. "You are under arrest for the murder of Andrew Phillips and the possession of illegal substances."

Murder ? But Nick didn't murder anyone. Dice was still breathing when he left. It had to be a set up. There was no way it wasn't.

"Erwin ? What're you talking about ?" Your mom rushed to your brother's side, trying to stop the officers that accompanied your father from putting handcuffs onto him. "Where are they taking my baby ?"

Your dad couldn't bring himself to answer. All he did was leave and left the rest up to the cops he came in with. "Ma'am Nicholas' car matches the one at the seen of the crime. When checking his car, we found illegal substances. We'll be taking him with us."

"You know how many people have the same car in Atlanta ? You can't just come in he-"

"It's okay, mom." Nicholas couldn't stand to look at your mom, who know had tears running down her face and hair was now in a frenzy.

"You did this ?"

He didn't answer. Only allowed the officers to take him out of the building. You were completely frozen in time but snapped out of it to go follow him. All eyes were on you and him as you walked out in the sea of blue uniforms. "Nicky !" He didn't answer. "Where are you taking him ?"

"The juvenile center in Dekalb County," the cop replied. "I'm sorry to do this on such a big night, kid. Happy birthday."

You stopped in your tracks and watched your brother get man handled into the back of a squad car. You couldn't bring yourself to cry, for you weren't sad. Nor were you mad. You didn't feel anything. Just numb. The only slight sign of emotion was the trembling of your hands that was stopped by JuJu holding your left hand and Bryson holding your right. Mikasa came over to you and not knowing what to say, she only gave you a hug.

Needless to say the party was over for the night. Your girl friends offered to sleep over but you wanted to be alone. For that week, you didn't show up to school. You slept in your brother's room. You couldn't eat and didn't leave the room unless it was to shower or pee. Your mom tried to talk to you but it was no use. She kept asking questions you didn't know the answer to nor had the strength to find one. She would try to tell you to eat or to try sleeping in your own bed, but it was quickly drowned out by the music in your headphones. Your father also tried to come talk to you but he was less nurturing. It was him trying to get to the bottom of everything. He wanted to know if you knew or if you were involved. You were pissed at his questions. "Stop interrogating me. You're my dad not a fuckin' detective," was what you said that would've started an argument but he quickly got the memo that now wasn't the time.

About a week later, when Nicky was allowed visitations you finally got out of bed and went to go see him. You didn't go with your mom though so you could have the most unfiltered conversation with your brother as possible. Your feet dragged across the white tile floor. The lights in the facility were extremely bright. You sat down at a small booth that separated you from your brother, who looked terrible, with a glass window.

All you did was stare at him through the glass, looking for his eyes. But each time you looked at him, he directed his eyes somewhere else. It wasn't until you looked away, he would look at you. He would study your hurt eyes as they shifted around. You took the phone off the hook and held it up to your ear, not even having anything to say. "Hey (y/n)," Nicky said. He was trying to make his voice seem as though he was fine but you new it was a facade.

"Hi."

"How's mom ?"

You shrug. He waited for any further response but you didn't say anything.

"How's dad ?"

"Mad more than anything I think."

He nodded. "And how are you ?"

Your eyes trailed up from the small table to his eyes and this time they were staring back at you. "Feel like shit."

"Ma' tells me you're not going to class."

"Nope."

"I know you're upset and (y/n) I'm sorry but you can't stop what you need to do because of me-"

"Did you do it ?"

"What ?"

"Did you do it ? Did you kill that Dice dude ?"

"Did I- No (y/n). What the fuck ?!" He was offended by the question. "No I didn't kill him. I was set up."

"So why was your car there ?"

"Because I was there."

"But why ?!"

"Because..I was gonna kill him because he was threatening you- But I didn't ! I only beat him, which is what I told the lawyers. No one believes me," he pleaded. "No..one..believes me." A few tears shed from his eyes.

You felt bad for questioning him like this. He was probably so fed up with everything he had went through since the night he was taken away. Your brother was a good kid and you know that he wouldn't try to hurt anyone on purpose and he definitely couldn't kill anyone. "I believe you."

"You do ?"

"Yes. And I know you'll get out of this."

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭..

You and your mom wore white to the courthouse that day. She insisted that wearing white would help your brother. You didn't understand but you wanted to make today easier for her. It's the first time she'd see him face to face in Lord Knows how long. The both of you went through the routine security check and made your ways to the room the hearing would be in. Soon after, Nicky came out. His hair was freshly twisted and he was wearing some nice clothes his lawyer probably picked out. "My baby ! I love you so much. How have you been ? Have you been eating ? How's your cellmate ? Has anyone been messing with you because we can get your uncle-" Your mom's arms squeezed your brother tightly, making up for all the kisses and hugs she missed.

"I'm fine ma' and I love you too," he laughed, slowly pulling away from her so that he could give you a hug. "Hi (y/n)."

"Hi Nicky."

"Thank you guys for coming.. Does uh- dad know ?"

You and your mom exchanged looks. She decided to let you answer since it was almost like she didn't know how to talk to him anymore. "Yeah."

"And he didn't wanna come ?"

"No. But it doesn't matter, you have us," you smile.

Nicky flashed a bit of a forced smile. He was very grateful but he still kind of wanted your dad there. Just so he could show that he's still the good kid he would do detective work with.

Soon after, the hearing began. The judge reviewed his records, asked him questions about his crime, how his behavior has been from juvie to jail, and what his plans were. They all seemed to be satisfied by each answer, you could tell he was practicing in his cell. After, he was allowed to give a final statement.

"Mr. Smith. You may give a final statement if you want. Anything you want to say. If you don't wish to, we will begin deliberating your release."

Nicky nodded and stood up, making sure to have his posture right. "When I was transferred from juvie to actual prison on my eighteenth birthday, they only person who would visit me everyday was my baby sister, (y/n). She would come and teach me everything I would've been learning if my actions were different. (y/n) would call me to let me know everything that was happening. She listened to what I had to say and when I told her what got me in here, she didn't treat me like a monster. (y/n) was the only one to show someone believed in me and I hope you guys can believe in me as well. Thank you."

The judge's eyes looked glassy and so did your mother's. There was that charm bomb. After, that the board went back to reach a decision. It was going to take an excruciating thirty minutes so you and Nicky went to the vending machine. Of course, they had his favorite hot fries. You put some crumpled up bills into the machine and selected B5, the slot that held the chips. You watched as they slowly rolled out with a thud after they hit the bottom. Nicky excitedly reached into the machine and pulled them out. He didn't hesitate to tear the bag open and start eating them. "Want some ?" he offered after nearly finishing the whole bag in a matter of seconds.

"Just one." He hands you one with a lot of flavoring, as a subliminal 'thanks for everything'. You threw it back into your mouth and dusted off your fingers instead of licking the dust off your fingers like Nicky was doing. You would've looked in disgust any other time but just for today you let it slide.

"So how do you think I did ?"

"Um. I think you did good."

"Good enough to get out ?"

There was no way you could tell. Again. Nicky was a black boy involved with the justice system. So did he do good enough to get out ? Only the people deciding his fate know. "Yeah. Don't even trip."

"What if I didn't ?"

"Then we'll just do what we've been doing. But either way I won't stop believing in you," you answer.

"Guys. They're ready," your brother's lawyer called.

Everyone returned to the courtroom and sat themselves back into the chairs they were in before the break. Nicky's leg fidgeted up and down as the judge began to spoke. "I'm sure everyone is nervous so I won't waste time. After deliberation from our board, we, the court have reached the unanimous decision that you, Nicholas Smith, will be free on parole. After this hearing you will go back to your cell and prepare to go home. Good luck. We all believe in you."