A/N: All work and no time to write makes Rod feel it's just not right. LMAO sorry xD
But really, I gotta confess that it is not less time, but… procrastination.
You gotta understand, these chapters are really long, and I have to elaborate ad structure as I see fit. I mean, the ideas are already on, but it is hard for me to write long chapters as these.
And also, if you're interested, I am also drawing some scenes of my chapters on DeviantArt, my pen name there is "Tanalbi" (What a surprise ¬¬), so if you wanna see how Rod looks, there is the answer!
Okay, this one… is a little more over real life context than Loud House cartoon one, so, If you don't like it, please avert from reading it. Sorry, trying to be a revolutionary Loud House fanfiction author here xD
Anyways, thanks for your continuous support and… enjoy!
The Loud House and all of its characters belong to Nickelodeon, and maybe… JUST MAYBE… Chris Savino.
CHAPTER 4: Retaliation.
Thursday.
Rod didn't realize it, but that day… he'd receive a very bad tasty experience.
But it wasn't gonna be worse than what he dealt with back on his home country. Besides, he did something spectacularly relieving for his mind the day before: He did the right thing. Not very much people he knew would have done what he did if they were in his place, specially speaking about a girl like Ronnie Anne. Others would take advantage of the chance… probably. But no, Rod wouldn't be that jerk, he respected some limits, and Ronalda was no exception, no matter how much she would initially agree to be with him, he just didn't feel like doing that.
But let's not tune in too much on Royal Woods TV, shall we? That day… the gang, as in, Lincoln, his sisters, his girlfriend and etc. were gonna taste something they rarely taste nowadays in that city, something they haven't felt before: Real life.
That is… as in… right. They thought everything's like a bed of roses, right? Well, too bad, because as long as Rod was in town, and circumstances exist… things were gonna turn different. Probably with bad connotations.
Rod was sitting on his bed, with a red plastic mug filled with water on his left hand, and his right hand grasping into a little, light green little pill, wearing the same attire as yesterday, and his backpack lying next to him, ready for school. As he put the pill on his mouth and swallowed followed by a little of water, Doctora entered the room, wearing a different attire: A black buttoned jacket with tan pants and black shoes.
"How are you today, Rodrigo?" she asked. Remember, Spanish.
"Pretty good so far" Rod sighed "That until I remember the part you put me a curfew" he sighed as he then lifted up his head to look at her "Aw, Doctora, that It is just like a dictatorshi-"
"Don't dictadura me, don't come up with that with me, young man!" she interrupted with a glare "You know why-"
"No, I don't!" Rod quickly stood up "It is not my fault things are just like in Argentina, I would have been mugged the same way there, and you wouldn't mind either!"
"I would, as a matter of fact!" she replied "And wanna know something? It would be ten times worse, because if it were there, your mother would be TEN TIMES more severe than I am, so be thankful that happened in here and not there!"
She was right, totally. His mother, considering how much she loves him, would do something worse than a simple curfew. You know how maternal love is, there was enough pain for her mother to know her son was studying more than a thousand miles away from her home, not to mention how much Rod felt that pain.
Rod sat down again on the bed defeatedly as he took a deep breath. He then lifted up his head to look at her "Are you always that right or you're tired of being wrong?"
"Look Rodrigo, I am doing what is best for you"
"Then let me live!" Rod groaned "I know you don't wanna take risks, but…"
"I am sorry but if you don't understand limits, then there's nothing else we can talk about at least for today" she crossed her arms.
Rod looked at her for a few seconds, then at his backpack before grabbing it and wrapping it onto his bag. As he got up, he walked towards the door.
"Rodri…"
Rod stopped for a moment. She always addressed her as the way he hates, just like his second eldest brother. He turned around to look at her.
"Look, I am sorry for that harsh punishment, but it is not just for my duty, it is just that… after all those years working on this case, caring for you… I felt like you're like one of my children" she sighed "At least besides my biological ones"
Rod then huffle-chuckled, his classic 'catchphrase' if you wanna know "It's okay, I understand, and I am sorry for being snappy"
"It's alright" Doctora smiled "Have a nice day"
"Nice of you to say that"
Were his finals words as he crossed the door and left the room.
As Rod was walking through the streets of Royal Woods, he was starting to feel an uneasy aura, as if today was gonna be a day where something was gonna be just wrong, and he could have something to be based on to hold that feeling.
"Rod!"
Grasping onto the backpack hung on his shoulder (His not wounded one, by the way), he turned around. Lincoln and Clyde, both with cheerful smiles and backpacks on their backs, were there, walking. Rod gave a small grin as he turned around back forward and slowed down his pace so they could reach him.
"Hey Rod, how you've been?" the two quickly got near him.
"Fine so far" Rod smiled "How are you and Rona?"
"Absolutely amazing!" Lincoln smiled "Thanks for that ring, bro, you surely nailed it with it, she's never been so happy in her entire life, and so I am"
"You gave her a ring?!" Clyde's mouth gaped in awe as he looked at his two friends back and forth.
"Long story" Rod sighed "Yeah well, I didn't need it anymore, so… it is hers, I mean… theirs, now" he grinned.
"Whose was it from?" Clyde rose an eyebrow.
"My ex-"
"Her ex… excellent mother gave it to him as a birthday gift!" Lincoln quickly interrupted him, as a sign of concealing to Clyde the fact that the ring was from his dead girlfriend.
"Oh, really?"
"Y-Yeah" Rod grinned nervously.
"Okay" Clyde shrugged "Anyways, Rodster, Stella and the gang are gonna go at Gus' this Saturday, wanna tag along?"
Rod then sighed. Did he had to repeat? "I said I'd be extraordinarily busy, fi-"
"Oh I remember, yeah, church" Clyde chuckled.
"Count me down too, Clyde" Clyde's eyes then widened as he turned around to face his best friend, who was with a frown "Ronnie Anne and I are gonna go to Dairyland the whole day, so I am sorry, but I can't"
"I see you're taking this relationship seriously, eh?" Clyde chuckled smugly as he elbowed his best friend's shoulder playfully "It's okay, Linc, be with your girl"
"Thanks, bro" Lincoln smiled "By the way, how are things with Chloe?"
Clyde then blushed "We want it slow"
"Next topic, I guess?" the two then looked back at Rod, still with his grin.
"You know it" Clyde grinned back, then looked back at Lincoln "So Linc, how was your day with Ronnie Anne yesterday?"
"Pretty, the prettiest day I had in my life" Lincoln smiled, smitten "I never felt that happy in my entire life, yesterday was surely the best day in my life"
"Who knows you haven't repeated that already like many times" Rod chuckled.
"What can I say, I am a ladies' man" Lincoln smirked coyly.
"Riiiiiight" Rod and Clyde smirked back as the three soon burst out into laughter, walking.
As school time was up, they were on their respective lockers. As Rod crouched down to check his backpack, Chandler, who was passing by… well, you already know the rest.
"Four" Rod muttered as he stood up to open his locker as the bully walked away, laughing.
"Will you ever leave him alone, Chandler?" Lincoln snarled.
"Well, what do we have to say to you… ROMEO?" Chandler smirked as he turned around to face the albino-haired boy.
"Yeah!" Tyler also smirked as he walked into the scene "When's the wedding, eh?"
Lincoln's eyes widened as he heard that. How did THEY know already? "W-what are you talking about?" he stammered, nervous.
"Oh, don't you try to hide it, we already know you're dating Ronnie Anne!" Chandler smirked.
"Yeah!" Tyler and the rest of the gang said In unison.
"How's the kisses, eh?"
In a matter of seconds, Lincoln was the center of attention as everyone was teasing him.
"Ronnie Anne and Lincoln, sitting on a tree, K-i-…"
"Leave him alone, will ya?"
The center attention suddenly turned from Lincoln… to Rod.
"At least HE has a girlfriend, eh?" Rod smirked "What about you?"
"Well…" Tyler was caught on that one "Chandler has Girl Jordan, and… what about you?"
"YEAH!"
"You don't have a girlfriend, so why don't you mind your own business, eh, Nosy?" Chandler smirked "What's with you, your girlfriend couldn't stand trying to kiss you because of your big nose or anything? Or… your lips?"
Rod grumbled as there was a cascade of laughter through the room as he clenched his fist.
"Oh, what's the matter? Did the customs retained your tongue or what?"
Rod finally had it "SHUT UP! IT'S NOT MY FAULT MY GIRLFRIEND GOT KILLED!" he snarled, which instantly made anyone gasp in awe and stopping the teasing, with Rod inhaling and exhaling in anger with his fists still clenched "Gabriela was a better girl than any of you in here, alright?! I DO NOT have any reason to explain myself to any of you!" he yelled, then hung out his head in sadness.
Everyone looked at Rod, both silent an in shock "Whew, buddy" Rod quickly perked up his head to look at Clyde, who was walking towards him "I never knew, I am really sorry!"
"It's… okay"
"Well…" Chandler, out of nervousness, was still with his smirk "Tough luck, man!"
Everyone went from being compassionate to Rod, to look at Chandler in anger.
"That's not nice, dude!"
"Yeah, you're awful!"
"You have no heart!"
Were some of the words as Chandler, for the first time in his life (Well, probably) had everyone against him "Heeeey, this fella sucks, don't get mad at me just because her girl died, come on!"
"You're terrible!"
Everyone turned around to look at the source of that statement, it was Jordan "Chandler McCann, I cannot believe you sometimes!" she stomped up towards his 'boyfriend'
"Jordie, don't tell me you're at this nosy's side!" Chandler chuckled nervously as he started to back away a little, covering himself with his hands.
"His girlfriend died and all you have to say is… tough luck?!" she shrieked "Seriously, I start to doubt why I ever love you!"
"Calm down, sweetheart, i-i… I'll make it up!"
"This is just more than an apology, Chandler, you hit him where it hurts!"
"Actually… no" Rod pointed out while raising a finger.
"No matter!" Jordan spat "If you keep being this way, we'll be over, you got me?!"
"I get ya, sorry" Chandler giggled.
"You better" and after a huff, Jordan walked away and left the scene. Right on cue, the bell rang. As Chandler picked up his backpack and started to back away, he got bumped by someone "Hey, watch it!" followed by another one "Really, it's not a big deal!" and another one, his joking smirk quickly turned into a frown as he felt what Rod felt literally yesterday
Rod then took a deep breath as he watched at him "Is it normal to feel pity for that guy?" he asked at Lincoln as they saw Chandler leaving the scene.
"Probably, and I SERIOUSLY believe it"
"Gotcha"
Principal Ramírez was on her office, checking some papers on her desk when her intercom suddenly rang "Principal Ramírez, I know you told me to not to pass you calls, but… uh?"
The headmistress then pressed the intercom button and spoke "What is it, Meryl?"
"Well, it is just that… uh… some detectives want to speak with you"
Ramírez rose an eyebrow at this, thoughtful for some seconds before replying "Send them in"
"Right away"
And right away, two men, one wearing a grey suit with a black shirt, grey pants and black-polished dress shoes, black hair and sunglasses, and the other, an uniformed policeman, entered the scene "Principal Ramírez, right?"
"That is right" the principal then stood up and walked up to them "And you are…?"
"Oh, forgive my manners" the suited man then drew out something from the inner pocked of his suit, a golden badge "Detective Eric Thorne, Royal Woods Police Department"
Principal Ramírez, after some seconds, blinked twice "What's the problem, detective?" she stammered.
"I believe you… recently got a student from a Latin American country as a part of the student exchange program, am I right?" Thorne spoke as he packed his badge on his pocket
"How did you…?"
"It's not of the outmost importance" the detective replied "Is he here?"
"Yes, he's right now attending classes with Mrs. Salter"
"Can you send him in here?"
"O… Okay" Ramírez then walked towards her intercom "Eh, Meryl?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Can you bring in, uh… Rodrigo Damian, is… his name?" she stammered "Can you summon him in here ASAP please?"
"Sure thing, principal!"
As Principal Ramírez let go of the intercom button, she looked back at the detective "What's the matter, detective? Did he do something wrong?" he questioned.
Throne then sighed "Ma'am, I am afraid one of your students aggressively attacked two people, one got stabbed on the pelvic area and was left paraplegic from waist down"
"Oh dear!"
"But he wasn't acting alone, we already arrested his… ahem… accomplice"
"Who?" Principal Ramírez rose an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I am not in the liberty to divulge that information"
In the classroom, there was home economics class as they were discussing the values of saving, with a graphic board drawn on the chalkboard.
"You attention: Rodrigo Damian, please present to the principal's office, IMMEDIATELY!"
"Damian…?" Rod , who was on his desk writing and taking notes, rose up his head when they all heard secretary Meryls announcement.
"Oooooooh!" as Rod turned around, he saw that Chandler was smirking at him "Look who's got into trouble, eh? Ese?"
"I'll give you… ese" Rod grumbled under his breath as he stood up and started to leave the classroom, with Mrs. Salter and everyone else looking at him in awe.
Lincoln, particularly, was looking at him, worriedly 'Why would they…?'
"Principal Ramírez!" the intercom rang "Rodrigo Damian is here; shall I send him in?"
"Please, Meryl" Ramírez sighed as she pressed the intercom button.
Rod entered the headmistress' office, with a glare on his face "Principal, my surname is Damiani, not Damian like another name, DA-MI-A-NI!" he exclaimed "As in, paroxytone!"
"Eh… Rodrigo?"
"It happened me too back in Argentina, but they had and excuse at least, you don't!"
"Rodrigo!"
"And one more thing…"
"RODRIGO!" the sudden scream echoed through the entire room. Rod was fazed at this, and as soon as she realized that, Principal Ramírez regained her composure and cleared her throat "Rodrigo, these policemen want to talk with you"
"Policemen…?" Rod muttered under his breath as he looked at Thorne and the uniformed police officer with his eyes widened.
"Young man, I am afraid that I gotta put you under arrest for assault and attempted murder" Thorne stood in front of him, then looked at the uniformed policeman "'Cuff him"
"Yes sir" and the policeman walked towards Rod "Hands behind your back"
"But… you can't do this!" Principal Ramírez objected as she ran towards them "Rodrigo is new here, he couldn't do this, he is just a student, he…"
"He is part of a gang, headmistress, and there is ZERO tolerance for that!" Throne stopped him as Rod voluntarily did what the uniformed said while hearing his Miranda rights.
"But what proof do you have?!"
"Besides the victims?" Thorne rose up his voice "We also have a witness that saw how he mercilessly stabbed one of them"
"… do you understand your rights?"
Rod silently and voluntarily allowed himself to be cuffed and read his rights as he kept his thoughtful stance.
"I repeat: Do you understand your rights?"
Rod's mind then snapped as he remembered something. Eyes widened, he slowly perked his head up to look at the police officer "Yes, yes I do" he uttered before lowering his head down again "'stos boludos…" he muttered inaudibly.
"Alright, come on there, son" the police officer said as he and Thorne were leaving with Rod cuffed and being carried away by the policeman.
Ramírez stood in front of them "B-But detective, you're wrong, Rodrigo isn't part of a gang, he's a…"
"A criminal? A felon? Or maybe a rapist?!" Thorne glared at Rod "I know his kind, he's surely a delinquent, just look at his face!" he meant the bags under his eyes, truly a disadvantage at that moment.
"That is because I don't sleep prop…"
"YOU SHUT UP!" the policeman yelled as he pointed a finger at him "Only speak when we say so, GOT IT?!" Rod then silently nodded.
"You don't understand, detective, Rodrigo is a…"
"I don't care what he is!" Throne interrupted "I'll have him at the station for today and then he'll surely go to a juvie tomorrow along with his girlfriend!"
"Girl… friend?" Rod muttered inaudibly as he got confused. Could it be? No, it couldn't!
"And I beg you to desist your attitude, ma'am, or else I'll charge you for harboring a delinquent!"
That ultimatum from the detective left the headmistress silently shocked, as she saw in horror how the two law enforcement officers took Rod out of her office "Good day, ma'am".
As soon as they left, Principal Ramírez quickly dashed towards the intercom "Meryl!"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Do you have the number of Rodrigo's legal guardian? Eh… Dr. Miguez?"
"Yes, I have it on file, why?"
"Call her, right now!" she ordered her "Tell her to see me as soon as possible!"
"Right away!"
The entire situation got Principal Ramirez shocked. As Rod was being carried away from the school, walking through the hallways (And saying thanks to God that it was class time, ergo, almost no one was there to watch), they soon passed nearby Lynn Jr., who was on her Hall Monitor shift. As she caught a glance on him, her eyes widened "Hey, I know you!" she yelled as she ran towards the three "You're Lincoln's friend, what are you…?"
"I am sorry missy, but no talk to the suspect, he's going to the station" Thorne stopped her.
"What?!" Lynn gasped "Why?"
"None of your concern, please carry on with your stuff and don't get into our way"
Were the last words before Rod got finally out of the hallway, leaving Lynn there, completely silent.
"I gotta tell Lincoln!" and then she left, running towards Lincoln's classroom.
As Rod was dumped inside the car and the door got closed, he was still thinking 'Those assholes…'
As the two agents got into the car, they drove away from the scene.
Being driven through the streets of Royal Woods, Rod was with his head hung down, thoughtful. What did he EVER do? If he recalls correctly, he wasn't a criminal… but a victim. Rod then lifted his head a little to look through the window, seeing the streets and the cars and the people passing by.
Certain girl, having dark-toned skin, long black hair and wearing a blue shirt, jeans and some shoes, quickly caught a glimpse on him "What the…?" she muttered in awe, surprisingly in Spanish. She quickly drew out her phone, and tapping through it for a bit, played a video "It's him…" she muttered again in Spanish as she looked back at the streets.
"… and that's what happened!"
Lynn, with her hall monitor power, summoned Lincoln from the classroom and they were outside. Lincoln, obviously, was shocked by that.
"B-But… how could it happen?!" Lincoln yelled "Rod didn't do anything wrong, or at least, that's what I do believe"
"Lincoln, how about that he may…?"
"No, Lynn, NO!" at that point, everyone in the classroom could hear him, as some heads peeked out of the door's window to eavesdrop on him "I may know Rod for at least FOUR days, but I at least know he's innocent!"
"Wake up, Stinkoln!" Lynn clenched her fists in anger "He's Latino, and so is Ronnie…"
"DON'T…" Lincoln was already fuming in anger, then took a deep breath "Don't get Ronnie Anne on this, will ya?" he gave her a death glare "She's not like that!"
"I am not saying anything, I just…"
"Come on, Lynn!" he interrupted her "What are the chances that…?"
Suddenly, Lincoln felt a worming sensation on his pocket as he felt his phone in vibrator mode, being like that since he couldn't have loud mode on his phone during class "Huh?" he then rummaged through his pocket and drew out his phone, and as he did, he saw that he was being caller, and it was, surprisingly, Bobby "Bobby…?" Lincoln's eyes widened as he felt his pulse may stop, he then proceeded to pick up "Hello, Bobby?"
"LINCOLN!" was the first word he heard from his new in-law "Thank God you picked up!"
"What is it, bro?" Lincoln was starting to feel even more and more uneasy.
"Something terrible, bro!" he could hear Bobby shriek like he was in total disarray.
"Okay, Bobby, just calm down, take a deep breath, and tell me what…"
"Ninís been arrested and taken away to the police station!"
Point Break. Lincoln felt totally frozen upon hearing that sentence, as if he heard that his worst nightmare came true. He was so frozen, his hand slightly opened and lost the phone's grip, which fell to the ground.
"Lincoln, bro! You there?!"
"Lincoln…?" Lynn watched the entire line of succession in amazement "Linc…?"
But he didn't answer, he just stood there, as if he was petrified.
Lynn then crouched down and grabbed the phone "Hello, Bobby?" she talked "What happened?" she had a slight fear sensation while uttering those words.
"WHAT?!"
As minutes passed, the patrol car was already on the station. Rod, still handcuffed, was being dragged towards the interior of the police station. Rod looked around, seeing nothing but cops, chatter and telephones ringing, along with detective investigation chalkboard and all that stuff. Nothing he was surprised for, as he used to watch American crime procedure TV series when he was at Argentina. As Rod was walking by, he caught a glimpse on someone at the receptionist.
"Sir, please calm down or else I'm gonna have to eject you out of the building!"
"This is ridiculous, my little sister is part of no gang, this is the worst case of racial profiling I've ever seen!"
"Roberto?" Rod muttered under his breath as he was being taken away from the scene.
As Bobby looked at his side, he spotted Rod "YOU!" he growled as he pointed his finger at him "I should've known!" he snarled as he then dashed towards him.
"Hey! HEY!" the receptionist called "Freeze right there!"
Ignoring him, Bobby finally reached Rod and lunged on top of him, knocking him to the ground, slightly knocking away Thorne and the police officer who was holding Rod "I knew that Ronalda shouldn't had to date you, you're nothing but trouble!" he was grasping onto the neck of his shirt, shaking him.
"Robbie, I don't…!"
"SHUT UP!"
Bobby was about to punch him, but as he lifted his fist, he was quickly interrupted by Thorne, who quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Athletic as he was, he quickly grabbed him, standing up, and got him into a hammerlock with his arm on his back, making him cringe in pain "You better calm down, amigo, or else you will spend the night inside too!"
"You don't understand, detective, HE is the villain here, not Níni!" Bobby pleaded as he pointed at Rod with his head, who was being held again by the police officer.
"Is that how you call your accomplices, ni-what?" Throne snarled as he effortlessly struggled to keep him locked as he was opposing resistance, given that Bobby is also athletic himself.
"No, that's how I call Ronalda, my sister, the girl you have in custody!"
"What the hell…?" Rod's fear came true. As he was starting to put all the puzzle pieces together, he finally solved the enigma upon realizing Ronnie Anne was also involved. As he was standing up and held back again by the policeman, he turned his head at Thorne "Detective, this is all a misunderstanding!" he yelled "We're no gang members, we were framed!"
"Hm, amazing" Thorne nodded as he finally let go of Bobby "Despite being a Latino, you have a fluent English speech, gotta give you that" he then turned back at Bobby "And you better get the fuck out of here before I lock you in with him!"
"But…"
"NO BUTS!" Thorne shrieked as he pointed at the door "OUT!"
Bobby, first growling and glaring at Rod, then looked at Throne, still with a glare, as he started to walk away towards the exit door "You're gonna regret this, ALL OF YOU!" were his final words as he then exited the building.
"But Detective, you gotta believe me, Rona and i…"
"Rona…" Thorne interrupted him "So THAT'S her nickname, eh? Some kind of code in your organization"
"No!" Rod yelled "I mean, yes because that's how I call her, but…"
"Enough already" Thorne interrupted him "Take him to the interrogation room B and get him wait for a lawyer, even though it would be a waste of time and he won't get acquittal" he brushed him off with his hand.
"Yes sir" the policeman holding Rod nodded "Come on, señorito" he muttered at him as Rod, still trying to struggle, was being taken away from him.
"I DON'T WANNA A LAWYER!"
This got both Thorne and the policeman shocked. After a few seconds, Thorne then smirked "Well, saves us a lot of trouble then" he remarked as he waved his hand, signalizing his subordinate to take him away, just what he did.
"What the hell?!"
Doctora, summoned by Principal Ramírez, was on the latter's office.
"I couldn't believe it, this is insane!" she shrieked "How could this have happened!" she was nervous "Rodrigo would NEVER EVER do something like this, they can't…!"
"I know, Dr. Miguez, but I am pretty sure we can solve all of this out if we go to the police station and explain everything there!" Principal Ramírez assured her as she stood up from her seat.
"This is a terrible nightmare!" Doctora, or rather, Dr. Miguez, sighed as she walked towards the window, looking outside in despair. She then turned around to look at the headmistress "Her mother won't like this if she ever finds out, Rodrigo was NEVER in jail, much less for some crime he did commit" she stated "Which is still irrelevant because Rodrigo NEVER EVER committed a crime" she added "He's 14 years old, for God's sake, he still has a life ahead!"
"Don't worry, Dra., this will end sooner than you imagine"
"Loud, wait, you can't go in!"
As the two women turned around, Lincoln quickly entered the room, followed by Meryl, the schol seccretary "Oh, I am so sorry, Mrs. Ramírez, I tried to stop…"
"It's okay, Meryl, let him in" Principal Ramírez sighed as she signaled Meryl to leave, which she did.
"Principal Ramírez!" Lincoln quickly yelled "Is it true that Rod is in jail?!"
"Unfortunately… yes, Loud" Principal Ramírez sighed "But… how do you know?"
"Bobby, my sister Lori's boyfriend, called me minutes ago" Lincoln explained "He told me that Ronnie Anne was put in jail!"
"Wait, Ronnie Anne?" Dra. Miguez quickly pointed out "As in… Ronalda?"
"Yes, but…" Lincoln looked at her "Wait… who are you?"
"Oh!" the psychiatrist's eyes widened as she forgot to present herself to him "Please forgive my manners" she chuckled nervously as she walked towards him "I am Sonia Miguez, PHD, and I am Rodrigo's legal guardian on this student exchange program matter" she presented herself as she extended an arm to shake it with the white-haired boy, who was still eyeing him confusedly "And also, his psychiatrist"
"Uh… pleasure… to meet you, I guess?" Lincoln chuckled back as she shook his hand with her "I'm Lincoln Loud"
"Well, now that presentations are out of the way…" the headmistress, standing in between the two, cleared her throat "We don't have no time to waste, we must go to the police station immediately and solve all of this!"
"Can I… go with you?" Lincoln sheepishly asked as he saw the two women walking towards the door.
"And what's your story on this exactly, Loud?" as the women stopped, Doctora Miguez eyed him suspiciously.
"Well…" Lincoln sighed, nervous about what he was gonna say "As of yesterday, Ronnie Anne is my girlfriend, and…"
"So she ended up with you ant not with Rodrigo?" the middle-aged psychiatrist rose an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah, it's quite actually a long story" Lincoln nodded.
"But I am afraid that will be for later, we have work to do!" Principal Ramírez then looked at Lincoln "Loud, you can come with us, you might work out as a witness since you probably know what happened this past Tuesday" she told him as he then nodded.
"Meryl, can you cover up for me?" the headmistress asked her secretary as the three were leaving.
"Of course, Mrs. Ramírez, you can count on me!" Meryl, sitting on her desk, nodded.
The three then left the area.
"No… no… NO!"
Back at the police station, Rod was, still with his handcuffs on, sitting on a chair on the interrogation room with Thorne at the other side of the table. It looked just what like you saw in 'Law & Order', fellas. There were some file folders and photos on the table, along with a small bag next to the other objects.
"Of course you did, son!" Throne yelled as he slammed the table "You attacked those two individuals with your knife, which by the way, has YOUR fingerprints on it, and mercilessly stabbed one of them and left him paraplegic!" he was showing him the respectively mentioned photos "We also have a witness, and he saw both YOU and your girlfriend committing that crime!"
Rod took a glance at one picture. It was certainly the knife that he suspected it is. Same shape, but… something was wrong: The grip was of different color. Looking at the photo deeply, his eyes widened as he realized that the black thing was black duct tape that covered most of it. He remembered that the knife's grip had a name carved on it: Larry! The name of one of the two who attacked Rod and Ronnie Anne the day before yesterday.
"The grip…" Rod mumbled under his breath.
"What was it?" Thorne, who was at the middle of a further explanation, quickly looked at the Latino "Your confession?"
"No…" Rod slowly lifted his head to look at the detective "The grip was duct tape, the original color was beige"
As he heard this, the detective grabbed the photo and examined it. The knife's grip had a slight beige color, which revealed that it was indeed covered in duct tape, probably taped after the supposed crime. He was right, he overlooked something important.
"Duct tape, hmm…" Thorne then walked towards the exit door and knocked on it. After a few seconds, a police officer opened "Yes, sir?"
"Tell the forensic to examine the knife even further, there may be some new details about the weapon, and let me informed ASAP"
"Yes sir" and the policeman left. Thorne, closing the door, then walked towards Rod back again "Gotta hand it to you, chump" he smirked "What a keen investigative sense you've got right there" he then changed his smirk into a glare "Too bad that won't still let you off the hook" he then drew out a small smartphone from the bag, now signalized as an evidence bag.
"What's… that?" Rod asked.
Thorne didn't reply, he instead tapped a few things on the phone before placing it on the table. As Rod took a glance, he saw that the smartphone, an iPhone, was playing an audio file on the music app.
"What would it be, pana, the money… or your life?" the most surprising fact of that recording's section… was that Rod's voice said that.
"What the…?" Rod muttered almost silently as his eyes widened. He then slammed his fist on the table "That is crude fake, I would NEVER EVER say that, i…" he then remembered. Those were the same words… Larry told him. But Rod then realized something else 'That was… edited'.
"What would it be, pana, the money? The girl? Or your life?"
Those were his words, as the tone of voice matched the tone of voice of the recording, as in… it was crudely doctored by an AI or something. Those were Rod's thoughts.
"That voice is yours, buddy" the detective stopped the recording with a finger tap "Also, we have a witness who swore that saw two individuals that matched YOUR description, on that SAME alley where everything happened, am I right?"
"NO!" Rod exclaimed as he gritted his teeth "You've got it all wrong, I was framed by fake evidence, I swear it does!"
Thorne then walked towards him and got his face closer to his "In my experience, your word is worth nothing on these lands, amigo" he then slowly backed away "The D.A. has EVERYTHING to put you in juvie until you reach adulthood and then be dealt with as an adult, you committed a serious crime and you must pay for it, pana"
Rod then took a deep breath before answering "I already told you, it is not how it happened, those two mugged us, and…"
"Don't give me excuses, will ya?" Thorne growled as one police officer entered the room "Take him away to a cell, he'll stay there until tomorrow" he instructed his subordinate as he nodded, walked towards Rod, and picked him up "To his fellow's cell, it would be a good reunion for both"
"Yes sir"
"Fellow?"
As the policeman and Rod arrived at the cells area, Rod looked at his sides. Criminals, felons, scum inhabited that place.
Finally arriving at his cell, Rod's eyes widened as he saw that Ronnie Anne was sitting on the bed with her head hung low, a very small frown, slight tears on her eyes and obviously devastated.
"Morita, here's your boyfriend"
Upon hearing the guard, Ronnie Anne lifted her head to look forward, then getting surprised "Rod?"
"Rona…"
As the policeman was rummaging through his pockets, Ronnie Anne quickly stood up, walked towards the cell bars and grasped them tightly, facing Rod "Rod, what is going on?"
"I believe it is a long story, but I know what's up" Rod sighed as the policeman finally grabbed his keys, unlocked the cell gate, opened it and walked in with Rod inside, then getting behind him, all while Ronnie Anne was looking.
"No, I am gonna let your handcuffs go, and I don't want you to bite, okay?" the guard stared at Rod coldly as he said that all while he reached his other keys, that were Rods' handcuffs' keys.
"What do you take me for?" Rod growled as the police officer was unlocking his handcuffs.
As the police officer unlocked his handcuffs and took them away, he glared at him "Why do you think I am asking you that?"
"Cabrón" Rod muttered inaudibly as he felt freedom on his arms, stretching them as he felt it aching of having it in that position for so long all while the policeman exited the cell and closed it. Ronnie Anne then walked towards him and hugged him, silently sobbing "It's alright, Rona, I am here now" he whispered to her as he stroked her head.
"Now, I want you to stay here, and NO PROBLEMS, okay?" he instructed Rod, pointing his index finger at him.
"What. Do. You. Take. Me. For?" Rod repeated to the policeman as he kept on stroking Ronnie Anne's head, to which the mentioned just tsked and walked away.
"Oh Rod, I dunno if I can say I am glad you're here" Ronnie Anne muttered with a frown as he looked at him.
"I know, bad circumstances" Rod sighed "But do not worry, I promise to you that by the end of the day, we will be walking free"
"How can you be so sure of it?" Ronnie Anne was still sobbing "There's solid evidence against us, the detective already…"
"They are false, elaborated, fabricated" Rod interrupted her "First off, why the heck these guys didn't checked out files and saw that neither you nor me have ANYTHING to do with street gangs?"
"Well…"
"Rona… there is something IMPORTANT I gotta tell you, and PLEASE don't tell neither Lincoln… nor anyone" Rod sighed as Ronnie Anne then slightly backed away from the hug.
"I thought… you told me anything already?" the Latina shed her tears as she stopped sobbing.
"No, there are still a few things" Rod sighed "Or… thing, only… maybe"
"Well, what is it?" Ronnie Anne smiled "You're my best friend, of course I gotta know!"
"Well…" Rod then did his signature huff as he looked down "The reason of why I have been acting all like this, special at our date, and so on… that wasn't a coincidence or anything"
"Oh?" Ronnie Anne then remembered all the date they had. He was right, he was truly a gentleman all the time with her, and for some strange reason, she felt that Lincoln couldn't have been like him, she noticed some patterns on Rod, which made him… different? For instance, he was real introvert at some stuff, whereas Lincoln would be 100% confident the whole time provided he would go on a date with her instead of Rod. She also noticed that sometimes, he would look away during conversations, not that she cared too much about that, but made her feel there was something with him. Ronnie Anne then looked at him "Then… what is it?"
Rod then took a deep breath before answering "Rona… i…" she was looking at him thoughtfully "I have Asperger's Syndrome, I am Autistic"
In Ronnie Anne's mind, she could hear the strong sound of a porcelain platter (Or mug, or whatever else) crashing to the ground soundly "You mean…?" she pointed her finger at him "You are… mentally…?"
"Handicapped?" Rod tried to complete her sentence "That is right, i…"
"No no!" Ronnie quickly stopped him "I didn't want to say that"
"Oh, come on, Rona!" Rod chuckled "There's no other way to put it"
"How about mentally different?" that was the complete sentence of her.
"Oh… yeah" Rod chuckled nervously "Thing is, my legal guardian, a psychiatrist called Sonia Miguez, was a psychiatrist I had since I was diagnosed, when I was 4, and besides medication, I had to go through a deep therapy, especially after Gabriela was killed 2 years ago" he explained "Olanzapine and Citalopram, one at morning, and the other at night, always constant on medication, no day left behind" he confessed, explaining why those text messages "And don't ask me how Doctora does to get these pills for free just like I could back in Argentina, because I don't know" he then sighed as he walked towards the bed and sat on it "Look at me, if everyone at school finds out I am… this, I can't imagine how they would react, maybe they'll shun me away, or something!" he mentioned as he closed his hands into fists.
"No, don't say that"
Rod then looked forward, seeing that Ronnie Anne walked towards him and sat next to him "Being different is no excuse for being segregated from everyone" she smiled at him as she wrapped an arm around him "I promise"
"But…"
"And let me tell you something else: You aren't the only one"
Rod then looked at her as his eyes widened "You are Autistic too?"
"What?" Ronnie Anne chuckled "No, silly" she fake-punched him "I actually have a cousin with Down Syndrome, Carlos Jr., or CJ, as he prefers"
"Oh… oh" Rod sighed. He then stood up from the bed "That is a real problem"
"Why?"
"Because…" Rod stretched his arms again "People with Down, unless they have a therapeutic companion, don't last longer, no matter how slight the condition is for him" he told her, using his mental conditions knowledge "They reach adulthood, and cannot do at least 60 or 70 percent of what the average-minded adult can do, unless they have some support, and parents don't last forever, you know?"
"And you had… to remind me" Ronnie Anne sighed as she shook her head "I honestly… don't wanna think about it, despite knowing it"
Rod then looked back at Ronnie Anne. She was sad, as he did some indiscretion mentioning it, classic Autistic kid "Oh! I'm sorry for reminding you, I guess I am being Aspie again, no manners"
Ronnie Anne then smiled as she perked up her head to look at him "It's alright, as long as you don't say it in CJ or his parents' presence, it'll be okay"
Rod then sighed as he sat back "I just hope these idiots double-check that so called 'evidence' and realize it was all a setup"
"That's right" Ronnie Anne spat as she slammed her fist on her palm "Just because you're Latinos doesn't mean we have criminal conduct!" she then remembered something "Well, at least not you"
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"Well…" Ronnie Anne sighed.
Rod then smiled as she realized what she meant "Rona, pulling pranks and bullying Lincoln just because you had a crush on him, doesn't mean you were a delinquent"
Ronnie Anne then looked at him "Really?"
"Yeah" Rod assured her with a smile "You were just victim of paternal divorce, learning to live without your father, and such, it is not like it's YOUR fault your parents got divorce!"
"That is…" Ronnie Anne then smiled "True!"
"That's the spirit, always be confident" Rod smiled "And remember one thing: Do not care about what people say about you, what does really matter is what YOU think about YOURSELF!"
"Yeah, you're right, I shouldn't care if people called me a bully just because I annoyed Lincoln as a stupid way to show him I really liked him"
"Yeah" Rod smiled.
Ronnie Anne then smiled and leaned towards Rod and rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, startling Rod.
"Rona, what the…?!"
"You know, Lincoln may be my boyfriend and we're just friends, but, for some reason…" Ronnie Anne took a deep breath still smiling "I also feel safe at YOUR side"
Rod then gently nudged her head away, erasing the smile on her face "Rona please… don't"
Ronnie Anne frowned at this "Why not?"
Rod then sighed "You have your man already, please don't waste it just because I am able to defend you whereas he doesn't" he mumbled "Look, he may not be strong as you and me, but he's been a good person to you in the past, and I certainly don't wanna ruin it"
Ronnie Anne looked at him, puzzled, then smiled "You're right, I let myself go for that moment" she giggled, then retained her smug smirk as she playfully fake-punched his cheek "You truly are a good person"
Rod then huff-chuckled once more "It's what I do"
The tender moment was interrupted by the sound of the cell gate being opened as the two got their smiles off and turned around.
"Welcome to the club, pana" the same policeman that brought Rod, pushed a man inside the cell before closing it. He was dark-skinned as Ronnie Anne, but was bald, with a tattoo next to his right eyebrow, and was wearing a shredded shirt with a smiley face logo, shredded jeans and rotten sneakers. He had a muscular built-body "Hope you enjoy being with your kind!" were the last words from the policeman before leaving.
The man, grumbling like a dog, walked towards one side of the cell and leaned his face through the bars.
The two thoughtfully observed the man as Rod then looked back at Ronnie Anne and leaned over her ear "We better not provoke him"
"Gotcha" Ronnie Anne nodded.
"This is a total outrage!"
Dra. Miguez, accompanied by Principal Ramírez and Lincoln, were at the police station.
"Ma'am, please hold back your attitude" the police receptionist glared at her "We already told you; he is a suspect…"
"He is not!" Dra. Miguez snarled "I already told you; I know Rodrigo very well and…"
"Oh, so YOU know him?" the police receptionist snarled back "That's not good for you, ma'am, I may be able to guess you're responsible for him and all he did"
"Rodrigo WOULD NEVER do what he did, officer, he's from the student exchange program"
"Bull, BULL!" the receptionist snarled "If that were true, you may have some proof!"
"She has… officer" Mrs. Ramirez interjected "I am the headmistress of Royal Woods Middle School, the school where Rodrigo is studying, and I attest of it, he is a student exchange program foreigner from Argentina, not a Mexican juvenile delinquent, like you said"
"Well then, in that case, your will have to speak to the Police Captain to clarify everything"
"Oh, wash your hands that way, come on, do it!" Dra. Miguez snarled as she slammed her hands on the desk, she had enough of it.
"You're 3 words away from being imprisoned, ma'am!" the receptionist growled "Step. Back. Now" he glared daggers, to which, still retaining her death glare, Dra. Miguez did as told.
"What the hell is going on here?" a voice called and the four then turned around to the source. They saw an elderly man on a grey suit, grey dress pants, black shoes, white shirt and a red tie, standing on the doorway.
"Oh, Captain, you didn't have to come here" the receptionist stammered "I am able to deal with…"
But the man, now identified as the police captain, interrupted him by walking towards the four. He then stared at Principal Ramírez "Heard everything, is it true that you're Royal Woods Middle School's head principal"
"Yes, captain…"
"Ludlow, Earnest Ludlow"
"Well, yes, Captain Ludlow" the headmistress nodded "I am Principal Ramírez"
"Pleasure to meet you" Captain Ludlow shook his hand with hers "So with this new case… are you telling us that half of the evidence, or even more, is wrong?"
"Well, we do not know what's the evidence, but we can assure you those two younglings are innocent"
"Interesting" the police captain nodded "Because there are fingerprints, a witness and a recording of it" he pointed out "It is a very solid evidence, but we still couldn't get a clear motif for it or anything, but you may be able to help us on clearing it out" he explained "First off, what is his real name?"
"Rodrigo Adrián Damiani" Dra. Miguez spoke.
"Not Rodolfo?" Ludlow rose an eyebrow.
"No" the doctor shook her head "That's… quite a stereotypical common mistakes you Americans do, confuse Rodrigo with Rodolfo just because people call him Rod"
"True enough" Ludlow nodded, then looked at the receptionist "Anderson, go get me the case file, will ya? I need to clear out some discrepancies"
"Yes sir" and with that said, the receptionist left.
"Age?"
"14"
"Nationality?"
"Argentina, he's from Buenos Aires"
"Huh, this is getting strange"
"Why, sir?" Lincoln finally spoke, with a sad tone of voice, being surprisingly silent the entire scene.
"We've got different information" Ludlow replied "For example, the witness said he's from Pénjamo, Mexico"
"Really?" Principal Ramírez rose an eyebrow.
"And that he looked like a 16-year-old teenager"
"Just because he was tall? And such?" Dra. Miguez growled "You've got it all wrong, officer, Rodrigo MAY look older than what he appears, but he's truly younger!"
Captain Ludlow then walked towards the door and opened it, facing the police staff "Get me detective Thorne ASAP"
"Yes sir!"
"Sorry about that" Ludlow walked again towards the trio "I need the detective who arrested him to clear any other discrepancy"
Thorne then entered through the door "You called, si…?" then realized that Principal Ramírez was there "Oh, what now?" he growled "Don't tell me you came to defend that Latino, because…"
"Detective…" Ludlow interrupted him by raising a hand "Were you the officer in charge that arrested the young boy?"
"Yes, captain, but…"
"And exactly why, before the arrest, didn't solved some discrepancies, like the name or the nationality?"
"That didn't matter, sir, we have the weapon, a witness stated that he was accompanied by a fellow Latina, and even a true, reliable recording of it!"
"Here are the file as you requested, sir!" the police receptionist returned with a folder as he handed it to the captain, which he examined closely "A small knife with a black-colored grip" he muttered
"Yeah, about that…" Thorne nodded "The suspect stated that he was framed, and that the grip was originally beige-colored" he then walked towards his superior and pointed at a photo inside the folder "See this small beige bit? It shows that the weapon could have been manipulated AFTER the crime, forensic is examining it as we speak"
"Sir!"
The group was quickly interrupted by an elderly man, the forensic wearing a coat and such, and was holding a folder "Sorry to interrupt, but there had been some new details about the evidence" he handed the folder to the captain.
Ludlow examined it closely "Weapon was indeed manipulated, the fingerprints were fake, corresponding to one Rodolfo Damian, someone who was coincidentally living nearby" he read "Extensive research revealed that under the duct tape, the grip, who is indeed beige-colored, with a name carved on it… Larry"
"Larry…" detective Thorne's eyes widened.
Upon this, Ludlow stared at his subordinate "Know him, detective?"
"Larry Matthews, captain" Thorne nodded "That's the name of one of the victims that reported the crime, along with Ethan Robertson"
"There's also something else that the tech lab discovered" the forensic then drew out a small recorder "See, the tech lab managed to discover that the recording was indeed doctored with the help of an AI" he explained "Listen, this is the real one" and with that said, he pressed the PLAY button.
"What would it be, pana, the money, the girl… or your life?"
Everyone was shocked at this "That voice!" Throne growled "That's Larry Matthew's voice, captain!"
"Well, that's two" Ludlow sighed.
"Enough to exonerate him?" Dra. Miguez asked with a smile.
"Unfortunately…" captain Ludlow rose a hand "There's still the witness evidence"
"I believe… I can help with that"
Everyone then turned their attention to the front door. The girl that previously spotted Rod on the patrol car was there "See, i…"
Thorne's eyes widened as he saw who she was "Captain!" he faced his superior "She is the witness! She's the one that previously stated she saw the suspects!"
And said that these innocent people were the muggers" the girl shook her head in negation "Name's Galleta, Helena Galleta"
"Well then Ms. Galleta, if those two are innocent, then why did you lie to us while taking your testimony yesterday?" Ludlow asked.
The girl, now identified as Helena, sighed "My father had an accident, I have no insurance nor he does, I needed the money so hard" she explained as she rubbed her arm in shame "Then those two got a hold of me yesterday when they realized I witnessed the events, they planned to pin it all out on Rodrigo and Ronalda, and that they would give me money if I said I saw them there doing what they did"
Captain Ludlow then shook his head "Miss, I am afraid then that I gotta put you under arrest for perjury" he then signaled Throne, to which he walked towards Helena and grabbed her by her arm mildly strongly "Your false witness statement got two innocent people imprisoned"
"Come on, 'ñorita"
"I don't care if I go to jail, I needed the money and now my father has proper medical attention!" Helena sobbed as she was being carried away "This country's medical system is a disarray, you gotta have money to be attended or else you'd be in debt!"
She kept on spitting insults and anti-American stuff as she finally got carried away from the scene, Lincoln looked at the door, thinking the last things she said. His mind then snapped as he then looked back at captain Ludlow "Does that mean that Rod and Ronnie Anne…?"
"Well, all that is left is that and arrest Mr. Matthews and Robertson" Ludlow then looked that two uniformed policemen entered the room "Where are them?" he asked them.
"We have them here, want us to put him in custody?" one policeman asked.
"Immediately" Ludlow nodded as the other two policemen nodded and were about to leave "One more thing" the police captain made them stop "Check if the other one… er… Ethan Robertson, yeah… check if he's really paraplegic" he ordered them "I feel that that would be also a lie"
"Sir, don't you think…"
"Are you questioning my authority?" Ludlow interrupted with a stern glare "Don't hesitate and do it!"
"Y-Yes sir, yes cap´n!" and the two policemen quickly walked out.
"Does that mean that Rod and Ronnie Anne will be free, captain?" Lincoln, alienated from the scene, spoke again, nervously.
"I believe so, son" Ludlow assured him "It'll be a lot of paperwork and such first, but since every piece of evidence is elaborated, I will let them off the hook… for now"
"Awesome, thanks… sir" Lincoln smiled as Dra. Miguez eyed Lincoln curiously.
"What was your part on all of this again, young boy?" Lincoln then quickly looked at her.
"Ronnie Anne is…"
"The girl imprisoned, what does she has to do with Rodrigo?"
"Well, it goes like this: I wanted to have a date with a friend, as in, Ronnie Anne, since she came from her house in another state to visit me, but after a serious bad luck incident, I couldn't, so I told Rod to go out with her instead as a favor"
"Oh!" Dra. Miguez nodded "Really?"
"Yeah, he seems to be a good guy after all, tho" Lincoln nodded back.
"Once you get to know him completely, you'll know" the psychiatrist smiled at him.
"What would it be, pana, the money, the girl… or your life?"
"Care to explain this… buddy?"
Both Detective Thorne; who already put Helena on a cell , Larry, who was wearing an arm cast and Ethan, on a wheelchair; were on an interrogation room. They both were sweating and looking nervous at each other while Thorne had a deadly glare on his face, staring at the two firmly.
"Ah…" Larry stammered "W-Where did you get that recording, man?! it may be manipulated" he smiled nervously, stammering "W-With technology of these days, you can do anything"
"Yeah…" the detective nodded "I believe you"
"Y-You do?!"
"Yes" Thorne nodded again "I believe I can put you away for fraud for at least 5 years" he declared "Even more if…"
Thorne then walked around and towards Ethan, looking at his legs precisely "Uh… what's the big idea, man?" he stammered, still sweating as he covered himself with his hands "Y-You can do anything to me! I am disabled!"
Thorne replied by grabbing the wheelchair by its grips and then flip it over, making Ethan fall to the ground.
"Hey, you cannot do that!" Larry snarled as he stood up "You may have set us free, Five-O!"
"You son of a…"
Ethan quickly stood up "You're gonna pay for that, you mother… oh wait"
Ethan quickly realized what he has just done.
"Weren't you… disabled from waist down?" Thorne rose an eyebrow "And also, your witness confessed already, that's where I got the original recording"
"That bitch!" Larry screamed "I hope his father dies!"
"Well, you will never know it, that's one thing" Throne then took a confident look on his face.
"Officer, you have to believe us, he…"
"Not. One. Single. Word" Thorne interrupted "Your kink made me arrest two innocent people, and worst, minorities, which means we can confront a good civil lawsuit if we don't play nice, so if anything, I should put you away for 10 YEARS instead of just 5!" he kept on glaring at him "Know about Hate Crime? No? Tough break, buddy" he added as a pair of uniformed policemen entered the room, prepared to handcuff them.
".. and I ended up here just like no reason, man, I mean, I didn't sold the coke, man, I swear, I mean like, man"
The previously mentioned cellmate of Rod and Ronnie Anne was sobbing sitting on the bed, with his head buried onto his two hands. Next to him, was Rod, who was embracing him and patting his back with a blunt expression on his face. Next to him, was Ronnie Anne, who had an uneasy look on her face as she stared at the two, not knowing what happened that lead to this. Most importantly, that she still didn't know full Spanish enough to understand them.
"It's alright, buddy, you were framed, don't worry, you will be exonerated too as well" Rod smiled as he was still patting his back.
"How can you be so sure of it?" the Latino looked at Rod.
"It all… comes, don't worry" Rod gave him his classical assuring smile.
Just then, an uniformed policeman walked in and, with keys steady, walked towards the cell. The Latino criminal's eyes widened and grinned as he was expectant. As the officer opened the cell door with the key, he got up from the bed.
"Not you" the policeman gave the Latino 'criminal' a glare, then looked at Rod and Ronnie Anne "You two, you can go, everything was settled"
Rod and Ronnie Anne immediately got up from the bed too, as the other Latino gave a sigh of sadness as he frowned and sat back on the bed "Settled?"
"Yeah" the officer nodded "Turns out every single evidence against you was a sham, and in the name of Royal Woods Police, please allow me to give you an apologize for all of this, we were just doing our job"
"It's… alright" Rod sighed, then looked at him with a smile "At least you didn't take our phones away"
"That is… done while being processed, and you were just one step behind of it" the policeman informed as he was about to close the cell.
"So, officer… can we go now?" Ronnie Anne got to smile again, something she was yet to do at that day since waking up.
"You're free, please leave before anything worse happens" the policeman sighed "For us, I mean, not you, at all" he quickly corrected himself.
As Ronnie Anne was prepared to leave, she stopped when she saw Rod wasn't doing so. He instead was looking at the Latino prisoner. He then walked back inside the cell and got near him "Sir, what are you doing?"
Rod didn't reply vocally, he just smiled at the prisoner as he then met eyes with him, teary eyes, by the way. Rod's next action was placing a hand on his shoulder "I am a strict Catholic, I may pray for you on church Saturday, friend" Khe told him "What is your name?"
"Juan…"
Rod then chuckled "Like an older brother of mine, Argentina's most perfect name of all time" he remarked as he let go of him "Keep calm and stay strong, will ya? "he pointed at him with his index finger, but with good connotations "You are innocent and you will be free, be sure of it"
"Thanks… friend?" he couldn't help but give a weak smile.
As Rod heard that, he gave him a final smile before turning around and joining Ronnie Anne "Shall we go now?" he gave her a grin.
"I… could barely understand what you two were saying" Ronnie Anne giggled.
"You will" Rod promised her, as he was still with the task of teaching her Spanish, her mother language. As the two left, the policeman closed the cell gate as the criminal, now Juan, was looking at the two disappear from the room.
"RONNIE ANNE!"
"RODRIGO!"
The two, the first thing they saw when they entered the police station's lobby, were name yells and hugs. Lincoln hugged Ronnie Anne while Dra. Miguez hugged-ish Rod.
"Thank God you're okay!" Lincoln then broke from the hug and held her by her arms "Are you hurt, did anyone…?"
"No, Linky, don't worry, I am okay" Ronnie Anne gave her an assuring smile.
"Okay okay, Doctora, no hugs in front of you-know-who" Rood chuckled as he backed away from his legal guardian "Remember, you're not my mother"
"I'm sorry, I just… thought you were gonna be falsely arrested and taken away"
"I am actually surprise I wouldn't face a trial or some sort" Rod then looked at the desk clerk "Hey officer, wasn't I supposed to go on a trial or something, first?"
"Normally, but since you're a minor, and a… ahem.. you-know-what… you were gonna be directly sent to a 'special' juvenile detention center"
"Special… as in…?" Rod rose an eyebrow.
The desk clerk just replied by moving his stare away from him and focus in his paperwork.
"Wow, what a REAL ordeal" Rod commented sarcastically, rolling his eyes "Can we go now?"
"Yeah, I feel like if I keep on being on a place like this, I may gonna lose it" Ronnie Anne grumbled "Too bad we can't sue them for wrongful arrest"
"Let the baby have it's pacifier for now, Rona" Rod wasn't pretty good at metaphors, shown by Ronnie Anne raising an eyebrow at that comment, to which Rod cleared his throat "Nevermind… that"
"Okay then, I suppose that's my cue for leaving, now that a student of mine has been cleared of all guilt" Principal Ramirez then headed for the exit "I got to get back at the school ASAP" she added, and before leaving, she stopped and looked at Rod "See you tomorrow, Mr. Damiani"
"Yes ma'am" Rod nodded, and the headmistress left. Rod then looked at Dra. "Doctora, do you mind if I catch you later at home?" he asked "I feel like I wanna accompany Rona to her hotel"
"But Rod, she already has Lincoln, why do you…?" Doctora then stopped on her tracks "Oh, well… I suppose you can" she smiled "See ya later, and don't forget it, earlier than 9 o' clock, okay?"
"Alrighty then" Rod nodded "See ya" he waved at Miguez as she was leaving, then looked at both Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, who were holding hands "What a day!"
"Yeah, and the lesson here is… no going out very late, or else THESE kind of things could happen!" Lincoln smiled, earning a glare from Rod
"Excuse me?" Lincoln's smile got erased upon hearing Rod's aggressive tone of voice "What makes you think going out late is all to blame?"
"What do you mean?" Rod kept glaring at him as the albino-haired boy rose an eyebrow "I mean, it's not your fault the schedule got carried away too much, but…"
"Lincoln, you don't understand it yet, don't ya?" Rod grumbled.
"Understand what?" Lincoln shrugged "These kind of things happen EVERYWHERE, even on your home country!" Rod was still glaring at him "Err… Brazil, was it?"
Ronnie Anne then facepalmed at this "Exactly proves my point"
"Which point?" Lincoln was forming a glare at his Latino friend.
"You Americans are all that!"
"Oh, so it's America now, eh?" Lincoln growled "Sure sure, it is easy to point your finger at MY home country that early!" he softly slammed his palm on his chest while he was saying this.
"Well then, do something about it, make things change instead of just swallowing the blue pill and live the world you wanna live instead of knowing the truth!"
"The truth?" Lincoln growled "Which tru…"
"The truth is… that America cares less or even NOTHING about us 'minorities', as YOU call us" Rod added air quotes, his voice trailing off even more and more into anger "Have you ever wondered who cleans public services buildings bathrooms?" he started counting with his fingers "Who drives the school bus? Who keeps public parks neat and tidy? Who does the hard job while you sit on a chair and just rest about it?" he closed his fist firmly "Lincoln, I am sorry to inform you, but the American Dream is nothing but a lie! Why? Because people like me or from neighbor countries like Brazil or even Chile come here and earn hard-for-Americans jobs and receive a misery as a salary which is actually a good quantity back in their countries, but guess what? IT'S NOT WORTH IT! Because you cannot afford to get back to your country with that misery of salary, you gotta spend YEARS to earn monthly miseries so you can be well-stocked economically to live, or else you die. Why? Because in America, no having money leads to death, and even worse considering that medicine and educations aren't free, if they were free, this country would have prospered quicker than any other country, but NO! You gotta pay to go to school, you NEED a medical insurance or else if you get attended and you DON'T have it, your medical bill is higher than the external debt my or any other Latin American country has with the International Monetary Fund, and speaking about international, which SO ticks me off is the fact that you openly show your lack of knowledge for other countries geographies! Do you know where Warsaw is? No? I already know you don't! Helsinki is not on Sweden! Your country only knows where SOME countries are because they go into wars with them! Or else, they must be so blind to know where their communist 'enemies' are, after trying to prove yourselves superior both in science and other facts, and wanna know why the Soviets lost? Because they cannot cope with the idea of suppressing other small countries to live! Heard about Operation Condor? Yeah, that hurts so much, because my grandparents lived a military dictatorship SO terrible that there was fear, A LOT OF IT! And all that because your government thought that if we don't follow them, they may become puppets! Thank God Almighty my country rebelled so soon! And wanna know the worst thing? The worst thing is… that your girlfriend that is next to you has something to say about ALL THAT I've mentioned!" incredible, just incredible. How Rod could recite all that if he wasn't perfectly fluent? I dunno.
Lincoln's eyes got widened and his eyeball was as small as a grain of sand upon Rod's speech, he couldn't believe it. Nor could Ronnie Anne, who was literally fazed upon hearing all that.
Rod then realized how far did he went, looking at Lincoln as his glare was erased already. He then took a deep breath "Rona… told me that his brother Bobby… had to take multiple jobs after their parents divorced" he explained, calmed "Besides her mother being a nurse or some sort, to support the family and earn enough money" he explained.
Lincoln's cold and stunned expression slowly drifted off as he then looked at his girlfriend "R-Ronnie, is that…?"
Ronnie Anne just took a deep breath "As much as I hate to say so, Lincoln… yes" she frowned "We needed money so hard after the divorce, and daddy was so late in paying pensions, so we all had to do everything" she explained "Remember that time you came into my house for that stupid egg thing and saw me that I did chores?"
"Yeah"
"Well, they were hard times, and I felt a huge relief after I moved to Great Lakes City, my grandpa Hector had a business of his own and Bobby wouldn't have any of these job problems anymore, it was just one job and well-paid" she mentioned "Heck, even sometimes get things for free AND also live in a house with all commodities"
"So you're saying… you do enjoy being there?" Lincoln let out a frown, as he believed that maybe… JUST MAYBE… she didn't miss living back in Michigan anymore.
"Just because of that" Ronnie Anne shook her head "Now that we're officially a couple, all I wanna do is just move back in here so we can be closer" she confessed "I don't care if we have to go all the way back to have multiple jobs, I just love you very much, and love can conquer everything" she smiled at him.
"Awww, c'mere!" Lincoln cooed as he went over to Ronnie Anne and hugged her with a kiss on their lips.
"Lincoln…"
Breaking away from the kiss, the pair noticed Rod was still there, with a frown "Rod?"
"I… wanna apologize for that rant" he sighed "I shouldn't… i…"
"No no, it's okay, Rod" Lincoln smiled, then walked towards him before placing a hand of his shoulder "Most of what you're said is true, just as you explained!"
"I'm glad… you actually recognize it" Rod slowly grinned "That's what makes you a real man, you're a good person after all"
"What made you think otherwise before?" Lincoln rose an eyebrow again.
"I thought… you'd be bigoted, just like everyone I've met back in 'Tina"
"Well then, not everyone is the same" Lincoln assured him with a smile "Also, wanna know something?"
"Ah?"
"After Ronnie Anne, you're actually the best Latin American person that I've ever met" he declared "Other outsiders would say 'DEATH TO AMERICA' or things like that, but you said all that and still you apologized at me just because you thought I'd be offended"
"Well, that's what makes us human" Rod chuckled.
"Yeah…" Lincoln then eyed him curiously "It's like… something's different with you, something… special, maybe" Rod was sweating nervously, as he felt in danger of having his 'secret' exposed.
"Aaaaalrighty then!" Ronnie Anne quickly stood in between the two "Lincoln, I am kinda tired, can you accompany me back to the hotel?" she smiled in a dissimulated way, then looked at Rod "You can go now, Rodri, see you tomorrow"
'Ooof, so close' Rod thought as he stopped sweating "Ah' Uh, yeah!" he nodded "Yeah, I am tired too and gotta take my pi… I MEAN, go to bed early!"
"What was that?" Lincoln looked at him.
"Nothing, nothing, nevermind!" Rod then hastily walked towards the exit door "See you two tomorrow, okay?"
"See ya!" both Lincoln and Ronnie Anne waved at him in unison
After that, Rod exited the building and left the place 'Ooof, so close! Thank you, Rona!' were his thoughts as he was walking through the streets "Do I really hate America THAT hard?" he asked himself "This place isn't that bad!"
He kept on thinking on the same, as he was facing the sunset on his walk through the streets, uncertain.
Well, here ends another chapter! Again, if you get offended by Rod's speech on his opinion about the USA, please remember it is just a fanfiction, only my OC thinks about that, i DO NOT hate the USA. I'll give you a cookie if during the speech, you noticed a movie reference. Really, guess it, I dare you xD
IF you find any plot hole in all that police investigation scenes, feel free to say it, I thought I could have written it because I saw too many criminal procedure TV shows. The Closer, CSI, Law & Order, etc.!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you soon, if procrastination and work doesn't take the best of me. Arrivederci!