Chapter 142 - Feeling Calm

I walked out alongside my homeroom teacher. She seemed a bit normal as she had almost recovered from the fatigue of climbing the stairs. 

She didn't say a word to me. Walking down the silent road I tried to think of my next step. 

Not long after we were tight in front of our school entrance. 

Beside the gate, my parents alongside a couple of police officers were standing. I broke into tears at the sight of me. 

But what confuses me the most is, I am completely fine so why are they both crying at the sight of me? I understand the concern but nothing more than that. Maybe it's the parental love that I don't know of. 

Whatever. 

…

After shedding tons of tears everything calmed down. 

Although the school was in jeopardy, now it was dead silent. I learned that the teachers sent the students home in order to stop the ruckus from increasing. 

And the video got deleted from the Forum. But no clue who uploaded it. Also, the account from which the video got uploaded was deleted. Still, no one was able to find out the real culprit. I guess Lily does have a piece of higher knowledge of this type of thing or she used something from his brother's assets. 

"Allen, can you explain exactly when, how, and why this incident occurred?" The officers came to me after my parents calmed down. 

And like that I started my story of course I hid the fact that his family was taken, hostage. But I did mention how he took a small conflict and escalated it. The homeroom teacher was also there. 

We all were sitting in the classroom where it all happened. 

And Of course they asked this too- 

'How come the video was recorded from the back side? Are you sure you didn't record it?' 

If I wanted to I could have agreed to it, no harm could have been caused to me. But I didn't. I played the dumb part. I told the answer as no. 

And before the officers could investigate further my mother interrupted. 

"Don't you think this is enough? My boy was assaulted and hid that fact for this long. Are you trying to traumatize him by forcing him to remember that horrifying incident?" mother slammed the desk. 

Watching the enraged expression on her face the officers backed down and the Homeroom teacher along with my father tried to calm her. 

"We have enough evidence and got what we needed. Thank you for your cooperation." They both stood up. 

"W-What will happen to the other boy?" my homeroom teacher asked hesitantly. 

"We can't say for sure but under 18 children aren't supposed to hold a weapon, it is a crime. We need to talk with his parents and maybe if his parents wish they could apply for a trial. Anything can happen so we can't say for certain as of now." One of them replied with a firm voice. 

Not taking much time, I was also taken home. 

The atmosphere was almost similar but it felt like it wasn't. Even though my parents seemed to put on a mask, I could still get slight hints. The food my mother made wasn't the usual. It's flavor wasn't completely merged with the food. 

Still I also played along and put on a fake front. 

With no talk about the incident it was already time for bed. 

"I shouldn't have done that…" I muttered to myself as I sat on my bed. 

I wasn't fretting over the fact that I made a complete mess out of this situation. To be honest I wished for this to happen. For once I wished to shake up the entire system. 

It has been too much time since they started playing with me. The only regret is that it involved my parents. If there was any other way that all of this could have been handled silently I would have chosen it. 

Nevertheless, let's stop thinking about what has been done. Let's focus on what should be done now. 

At the end of the day, I was supposed to get information about the girl who recorded me that unfortunate day. 

But with all this commotion I guess it was inevitable to cancel the meeting. 

Hmm… to gain something I lost quite a few things today. But it was all worth it. 

Having a feeling of a bit of triumph I spread my blanket and placed my head on my pillow and somehow it felt more cozier than usual. 

…

With the chirping of birds, I slide my head out from the blanket. 

And soon the same routine came to being. Getting ready for school. 

But apparently, I was told a bit late. The school was closed for today. After I had already put on my socks I felt a bit dejected for wasting my morning time. 

"Why not go for a walk?" 

Mother suggested. Since I wasn't supposed to be doing anything it was better to invest that free time in some outdoor experience. 

It has been quite some time since I went out for a walk. And the morning weather seemed to be quite lively. I was kind of interested in going outside. 

I quickly got up and threw my school dress on the bed. And took out my casual clothes. Looked up myself in the mirror for a minute or so. I might not show it but I do care about my looks a bit. At least my hair should be presentable. 

"Better tidy your room before you leave!" from below mother called out to. 

Looking around, I noticed it's been forever since I last cleaned this place. The clothes piled up in the corner. The computer wasn't cleaned. Millions of small dust particles were lying on the surface and with the sunlight, it was even more noticeable. And multiple subjects text books were lying all around. 

She really waited for this opportunity. 

I mean why would mother say this of all times? 

Still watching that myself I myself felt some disgust from my own room. It's really messy. 

With no other choice left and mixed feelings of wanting to clean the room, I started to dust the computer first. 

… 

After long hours of labor, the result was fruitful. The room looked much better than earlier. 

"Done." 

After that, I took out my shoes from the shoe rack and was just about to leave. Mother called out to me again. 

"Be careful!" she said. 

"Mh-Mhm." 

With a slight nod, I left the house. 

… 

Father had already left for work so we didn't meet in the morning. When I was cleaning the room he must have left for work then only. 

With no fixed destination, I lazily walked around the block. 

When I reached the corner of a department store I decided to buy something. Nothing specific but whatever piques my interest.

"Welcome." 

I was welcomed there by the clerk standing beside the counter. 

He smiled at me but I didn't. More like it felt a bit uncomfortable to smile at a stranger. Even though I have been in here a couple of times I still hadn't held a good conversation with the clerk so to me he is practically a stranger and to him, I am just another customer. 

I wandered around a bit and saw a packet of chips. It was my first time seeing this flavor. The brand made good chips so I usually eat their products and if it's a new flavor I should give it a try. 

I took one out and a small pack of gum. 

After paying up I left the shop. 

With an urge to eat the chips I opened it up. 

Watching the scenery and eating chips I reached Central Park. And as always it was filled with all sorts of people. The sunlight shines, making tall beams of light through the gaps in the branches of the trees. The tall night-scary trees become friendlier in the early morning brightness. As the woodland prepares for another swelteringly warm, sunny day the air becomes moist and heavy, making it hard to breathe. Gentle rippling waves caress the surface of the pond. And in the middle were the flowerbeds full of roses and tulips.

But I also noticed some of the familiar cars around the edges of the Park. 

Casually I walked towards them. 

As I got closer I noticed it was the same car Lily used to ride on her way back home. It means she is here. Am I getting lucky or what? First a new flavored chip and now meeting her. 

Of course, I wasn't feeling delighted to meet her but to meet her for the information she got from the President. 

Without completely reaching the car I took another turn and entered the Park. 

At first, I was kind of irritated because of all those loud noises created by stupid kids. 

I tried to get away as soon as possible and looked around for Lily. 

TO BE CONTINUED…