Chapter Three: His Side of the Story

Shock was still inside me as Bridgette, Geoff and I waited out in the lobby of the courtroom for Duncan to get his handcuffs off and change into his regular clothes. "How long was Duncan in jail for before his trial?" I asked.

"A few weeks," Geoff answered. "But he's been to juvie a lot when he was a minor, but since he's nineteen he went to jail."

After he said that, Duncan walked out and I found myself holding my breath. He wore a black T-shirt with an angry skull on the front, with a gray long sleeved shirt underneath, dark blue baggy jeans, and black converses. I'll admit he looks a thousand times better than he did in an orange jail jumpsuit. He saw me staring and playfully raised a brow, "See something you like?"

That's all he needed to say for me to snap back to reality and breathe again. "You wish," I replied stubbornly.

Standing behind Duncan was a huge black guy that looked a little older than us, that was dressed like a cop and had a hand on Duncan's shoulder to make sure he wouldn't dash off anywhere. "Hey guys. I'm DJ," he greeted happily. (Author Note: Squee I love DJ! He's such an awesome cartoon! ;D )

DJ took out a black anklet that looked really heavy and then snapped it around Duncan's left ankle.

"What is that?" Bridgette asked.

"I have to put this on him, so if Duncan tries to leave this town it will go off and beep so we'll find him. I'm sorry to say man, but we'll have no choice but to arrest you if you break your probation. And I'm also sorry to say that no matter what you do you absolutely positively cannot take this off, even if you wanted too."

"It's okay man," Duncan replied. He turned to me, "Ready to go Princess?"

I sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He smiled. "That's the spirit."

10:01 A.M. Starbucks, across the courthouse

What I really needed to do was sit down and have a long talk with Duncan. He needed to tell me all the details of what he's accused for, everything right down to what's happening now. And what was happening now? He and I were sat down to coffee (Bridgette and Geoff were so nice they left me alone with this potential murderer) and Duncan just stared at me.

"What is it?" I asked him.

He shook his head lightly. "I'm just trying to decide what the hell is wrong with you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just trying to figure out why an uptight girl like you would try and help me."

"Uptight?"

"Yeah sweetheart, uptight."

"I am not uptight!"

Duncan laughed. "You are so uptight. But that's what I don't understand, why did you agree to be my lawyer? Why did you take my side?"

"I don't know," I replied softly. "I really don't know."

"I think you're doing it because you like me."

"Ha! I just met you and I already can't stand you!"

He winked. "Well you're stuck with me babe." Duncan was seriously cocky.

"Can you just tell me what happened and actually be serious? I need to know."

"You sure you want to hear it?"

"I'm your lawyer now; I have no choice but to hear it."

Duncan laughed and cleared his throat. "It all started three weeks ago. I was trying to get into this street gang, and to do so I had to do an 'initiation' which was stealing some random guy's car. Of course I refused to steal a car, because I'm an adult now and I didn't want to risk going to prison. My refusal pissed off the leader of the gang."

"How noble of you," I replied dryly with sarcasm.

"Anyway, so the leader of the gang is named Alejandro. One night I was walking down an alley as a shortcut to get to a new club in town, and Alejandro and his gang followed me and stalked me. So with nowhere to run Alejandro and his gang stole a car that was parked in the alleyway. But fate would have it that as they did the owner of the car came out. So the owner of the car grabbed his gun and started shooting wildly at us."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Duncan smiled. "Look who's concerned."

I growled. "Just get on with it."

"So while the owner was going all wild on us with his gun, I was able to snag one of Al's gang member's gun so I could use it as protection against the crazy car owner and Alejandro and his gang. It was Alejandro who shot his gun at the car owner. It was Alejandro who killed him. But before I fled I was knocked out by getting hit on the head. When I woke up cops were there, I was being asked questions and there was a dead body surrounded by a pool of blood only a few feet away from me."

"And you were put in jail because they thought you committed the murder, and you've been there up until the trial?" I surmised.

Duncan nodded yes. "And that Asian chick Harold was defending was the car owner's girlfriend. She's suing me. So if we… or you rather… can prove that I didn't kill her boyfriend and that I'm innocent I don't have to go to prison for twenty something years."

"That long?" I asked quietly.

"Yep," he answered solemnly. "I've already been to juvie and back probably thirty something times. Each time I got bailed out by my parents. But then I was cut off from them, from my family, from basically everyone but Geoff. Four years I've been on my own with no one looking out for me but myself. So when I finally decide to reconnect with society… this kind of crap happens." His voice was hushed as well. "But now I've got you princess."

"Don't call me that," I told him without anger in my voice. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. I haven't driven a car in awhile it'd be good to get behind the wheel again," he grinned.

I laughed. "You're not driving my car. Period."

~X~X~X~

Duncan was pretty peeved he couldn't drive, but that's just too bad. I believe he was in this mess because of a car in the first place. So as I drove back to my house he sat in the passenger's seat and snooped in the glove compartment for whatever I had. "All you have in here are stupid books!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's because I like to read," I replied. He was starting to annoy me.

"That's basically all you do, isn't it? Study and read, study and read. I bet you never go out and have fun, do you?"

It was a good thing Bridgette or Gwen weren't with us. "What's it to you?" I asked defensively. "I have goals you know. I want to be a successful lawyer and maybe governor one day. And I'm not going to do that by going out and partying. So yeah, I do study a lot."

He rolled his eyes. "Stick in the mud."

A devious smile went across my face. "You better be nice, it'll be because of me you don't end up in prison."

"Sweetheart, I'm not nice."

"So what, you're just a bad boy all the time?"

"I am a bad boy. Except, I prefer delinquent."

"And you're actually proud of that title?"

"Better than stick in the mud." I punched his arm but he just laughed because of how much it didn't hurt. Wow, he was really in shape. I'll have to punch harder next time. "Oh what do we have here?" Duncan asked. He pulled out my hidden CD.

"It's not what you think!" I cried. Because in his hands Duncan held up my secret Cheetah Girls CD. (A/N LOL Cheetah Girls, lmao )

He roared with laughter. "Seriously Princess?"

I found myself blushing bright red. "That… uh… belongs to Gwen." It's a good thing Duncan never met Gwen otherwise he'd know I just told a big fat lie.

"Sure it does princess," he chuckled, sarcasm in his voice. I gripped the wheel tighter. Jeez I can't stand him. We arrived at my house ten minutes later, and I fiddled through my purse trying to find my keys while he leaned against my wall watching me with an amused look. "Don't you have a spare key?"

"Ha! I'm not getting it in front of you," I replied. That's when I stopped. Am I really going to let a delinquent inside my home? He's probably going to steal something. But the whole reason for me to come here with him was because we needed to study in my room, and go over the case at hand since my room has all the law books I need. Oh my god. Am I really going to let him in my room?

"Anytime now, princess," he said. Ironically when he said that I found my keys and unlocking the house we stepped through. Duncan whistled impressed. "Nice place."

"Don't touch anything," I snapped. "And thanks. Bridgette's dad owns this house and Bridgette and my other friend Gwen are my roommates. I don't think Gwen is here right now, she's probably at work." I forgot to mention Gwen had a job as a waitress Cheesecake Factory (she always complains that her manager is cheap).

"So it's just you and me huh?" he asked. Wow, this guy is SUCH a perv!

"Possibly," I answered stubbornly. Then it occurred to me I was still dressed up in my fancy suit, and the heels I was wearing were staring to hurt. "I need to go change. Can you please stay down here and stay out of my stuff until I return?"

He plopped on the couch and crossed his legs, putting his arms up behind his head. "No problem princess," he grinned.

"Don't call me that!" I exclaimed. Then I rushed upstairs and slammed my bathroom door, locking it. Quickly I changed into green halter top and white shorts, taking off my heels to go barefoot. Then I realized I was probably showing too much skin considering I had a delinquent pervert in my living room. So with a sigh I changed into a regular shaped green tank top, and my old faded out blue jeans. There. Take that Duncan!

When I went downstairs I didn't see him on my couch. Oh my god! He totally took something and ditched! That ogre! "Duncan!" I screamed. "Where are you?" I heard him laugh up the stairs.

Running up there full speed I saw him sitting on my bed looking at the shelves and shelves of law books I had. He laughed, "Damn, you really do spend all your time studying and reading."

"Shut up."

Author Note: Please review and thank you for reading!