Jay's head was spinning as he headed home, the sound of his brother talking did nothing to ease the dull ache assaulting his head. Will had been babbling happily ever since Jay met him at the bus stop like he did everyday. The younger boy had noticed the glum look on the teens face immediately and had decided to make it his mission to try and cheer up his older brother. Unbeknownst to the eleven year old there was nothing he could possibly say that would make Jay feel better. The upset teen felt as if his head was going to explode, over ten years worth of memories were flickering through his mind, he recalled every time he'd seen Matt with a suspicious injury, every time he'd heard plates smashing in Matt's house, every time Matt flinched at someone shouting, every time Jay had turned a blind eye to the abuse his friend had been suffering. What if he had told someone about the yelling that used to come from Matts house late at night or the bruises that frequently marred Matts Body? Maybe now Matt would be surrounded by good kind people in a safe place, instead of being locked up in a juvenile detention centre waiting to go to court for killing his own father.
Jay's thoughts were interrupted by someone tugging at his jacket,
"Damn it Will, what is it?" Snapped Jay, regret swept over him when the younger boy recoiled,
"I'm sorry, it's been a long day" sighed Jay as he wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders bringing the upset boy closer.
"What's a matter Will?" asked Jay gently,
"I thought you said Matt was going a way for a while" mumbled Will his eyes fixed straight ahead.
"H-he is" replied Jay sadly, when Will had asked about the police officers swarming their street that morning Jay had told him they were checking that the area was safe and that Matt had to stay somewhere else in the meantime. The younger boy had been upset by the news that Matt was going away for awhile, the blonde was the only one of Jay's friends who treated Will as his own person instead of seeing him as Jay's annoying little brother.
"Then who's that?" Questioned Will pointing towards someone stood outside Matt's house. Jay's heart was beating rapidly in his chest as his eyes darted towards the figure he hadn't noticed, he hadn't even realised that they had reached their street, his eyes had been glued to the sidewalk for most of the walk home.
"Kelly?" Asked Jay as they neared the boy gazing intently at the house, Kelly was stood behind a strip of police tape that separated him from Matt's house. The amount of police officers around had significantly decreased but there was still a solitary police car parked outside the house, Jay was surprised the police officer protecting the scene hadn't shooed Kelly away yet.
"What are you doing here?" questioned Jay as Kelly continued to stare at the building with eyes full of despair.
"I uh, I needed to see, I guess a part of me hoped-"
"It was all a dream"finished Jay as he observed the distraught boy in front of him, Jay had briefly hoped the same thing, he desperately wanted this all to be just a horrible nightmare, he wished he'd suddenly wake up to find Matt playing basketball outside.
"I guess this whole stupid mess is real" sighed Kelly his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Yeah" sighed Jay before turning towards his little brother.
"Go inside Will" Jay whispered to the boy who was watching Kelly intently,
"But Jay I-",
"Now Will" demanded Jay causing the boy to pout as he began dragging his feet towards the house.
"I'll come inside soon Will, I'll even play that video game you're always talking about" promised Jay in a softer tone. Will stopped and beamed brightly at Jay before running down the path and heading inside. Jay moved to stand next to Kelly, their shoulders were almost touching but if the other boy had noticed their closeness he didn't say anything.
"He didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve any of it" muttered Kelly his eyes fixed on Matt's bedroom window.
"What are we going to do Kelly?"
"I don't know".
They stood side by side staring at the building for what felt like hours until a loud voice captured their attention, Kelly turned around expecting to see a police officer glaring at him but was surprised to see a man standing outside the house Jay's younger brother had ran into earlier.
"You two going to stand outside all evening or are you going to come in for something to eat?"called the large man in a gruff voice. Jay wiped his eyes before smiling weakly at the man Kelly presumed was his father,
"I better go" said Kelly before turning to leave.
"What's a matter? do you think a guy like me can't cook?" remarked the man,
"N-no sir, I just I-"
"I'm just playing with you, gosh you kids are too easy to mess with these days" chuckled the man before disappearing inside the house.
"Look I know we don't get along but why don't you come inside? We can be miserable together" suggested Jay. Kelly considered the offer, he didn't want to be alone right now but he didn't feel like going home either and explaining the horrible day to his mum's friend Mary. Kelly nodded to the other boy and they headed inside together.
Elsewhere Matt's sister Christie stared blankly at the man sat in front of her, she'd been busy writing an essay when she heard a knock at the door, when her roommate led a police officer wearing a grim expression into the room panic had washed over her, she had been terrified that something bad had happened to Matt. After the officer sat down and revealed the events of the previous night she had stared at him emptily. Just as the police officer was about to repeat his statement she erupted into laughter. However within seconds the mirthless laughter turned into heart wrenching sobs. Her baby brother had been arrested. Christie's sobs showed no sign of stopping, when she thought about her brother she didn't think of the lanky teen she'd left behind, she thought about the little boy who used to wander into her room after a bad nightmare gripping onto a teddy bear with one hand and sucking the thumb of the other. In her mind he'd always be that innocent little defenceless boy. She should never have left him behind. She began hastily throwing things into a bag as soon as the officer was gone. As she headed to the nearest bus station regret weighed her down, she should have gone to a local college or waited until she was eighteen to leave and taken Matt with her. She would never forgive herself for leaving Matt in that toxic household.
Voight exhaled before raising his hand to knock on the door in front of him, he'd barely slept all night thinking of the young teen locked up, he hoped the person behind the door would be able to help him free Matt. As his fist made contact with the hard wood he wondered what he would do if he didn't get the answers he needed.
"Come in" called a warm familiar voice, Hank slowly pushed the door open to reveal a woman sat behind a desk covered with pieces of paper belonging to a small blue file.
"Hi Donna I heard you know quite a bit about Matt Casey, I was hoping you could help me out?" announced Voight, Alvin was currently talking to the headmaster but Voight doubted it would be much help, the man had admitted that he barely knew who Matt was as they had over six hundred students but he did know Matt attended meetings with the guidance councillor. Voight was familiar with Donna, him and Wallace had been friends for years, and while he didn't know her as well as Wallace he did know she was dedicated to the students she worked with.
"I'll do anything to help him" she admitted.
"I've been looking through his file all morning trying to work out if there's anyone who can take him in" she explained as she spotted the man staring at the papers sprawled out in front of her.
"Any luck?" he asked despite knowing the likelihood of finding relatives to look after Matt was slim.
"No, he has no extended family willing to take him and I doubt his sister would be granted custody given her age and the fact she's living in a dormitory, have you managed to locate his mother?"
"She's gone, look I've been trying all my contacts to see if there's anyone who can help get Matt out now but I haven't had much luck, so let's focus on making sure his trial is quick and painless"
"Of course, what do you need to know?"
As Hank walked to his car he felt some of his tension ease, with the proof that teachers had concerns over injuries in the past, the bruises and scars found on Matt and the fact Matt had a spotless record at school ( the fight with Kelly had been kept off the record at Donna's request, as both boys had been grieving) would hopefully be enough to prove Matts actions were justified.
Matt's eyes were fixed on the bare ceiling, he was unaware of his surroundings but that was probably for the best. A vacant expression was spread across Matt's face and his blue eyes had lost there sparkle, dark bags were forming under his eyes as he had been awake all night; the bandages that had been wrapped around Matt's hands were absent and he'd begun scratching at his hands again. The only sound Matt could hear was his heart thumping in his chest and with every beat he thought about how his father was gone forever, he'd never take another breath, his heart would never beat again because of him. He deserved to be locked up, everybody was better off this way.
