Just Let Me Leave (Jercy AU)

Chapter 55: I've Created An Absolute Idiot, Guys, That's My Bad

Y'all I finally switched from writing on my old iPhone 4 to my actual phone for this chapter. The version on my 4 literally glitched out and closed every thirty seconds so I couldn't get anything done, but now I'm thriving as long as nobody ever sees my phone again.✌🏻 The app looks very different LOL

Anyways, enjoy!

[TRIGGER WARNING: chapter contains some implications and discussion of self-harm, suicide attempts, etc. in conversation between characters. If this topic is triggering for you, feel free to reach out to me, and I can give you a brief summary of what you missed. If you'd like to skip that portion of the chapter, stop reading after the first mention of Hylla as Percy's therapist. If you or a loved one is struggling, please reach out and remember that nobody is alone. Thank you.]

Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano.
*****

Percy was very confused.

He managed to catch Alastor's confident gaze in Reyna's direction right before he requested a brief recess. Upon the judge's approval, Alastor left the table and walked down the center aisle, motioning for Percy and Jason to follow him. Reyna followed the three into the hallway.

"Thank you for coming, Miss...," Alastor began, waiting for Reyna to fill in her name.

She did so with a faint but friendly smile. "How do I help?"

The lawyer seemed impressed as he looked towards Jason. "You called a good one, kid."

Jason shrugged jokingly, choosing to ignore the glare Reyna shot at him.

Alastor was giving Reyna a quick update on the trial thus far and some base rules she'd have to follow on the stand. Meanwhile, Jason felt something tug on his sleeve and turned to face Percy at his side with a very confused expression.

"Your lawyer needed someone to talk about the school stuff," Jason explained, "I called Reyna because she took you to the hospital that one day, and she helped cover your bruise when I messed up the covering you had on it."

Oh, Percy mouthed, not adding anything else. He understood why they had called Reyna, he supposed, but he couldn't figure out why they were bothering to show how terrible Chris and Ethan really were. Gabe's lawyer was already going after the possibility that those two were the only ones causing Percy harm, so he wasn't quite sure how this would change his narrative. Jason seemed to support it, though, and Percy trusted him. Jason wouldn't do anything he thought would put Percy in danger, that was the only thing the green-eyed boy was sure of.

Sooner than Percy would've liked, they had to return to the courtroom. After being sworn in, Reyna sat up straight in her seat. She had her hands clasped on the stand in front of her, and Percy could already tell she wasn't going down without a fight.

Once again, Alastor set Reyna up to present the basic information needed and guided her retellings of finding Percy behind the gym, reapplying concealer to his face during her study hall, and a few other encounters Percy wasn't even aware she'd witnessed. Much like Percy himself, Gabe's lawyer seemed puzzled at the girl's presence. Regardless, he took the chance to speak with her once she'd wrapped up her initial testimony.

The man emphasized some of her points and pulled a few more stories out of her about Chris and Ethan with other students. Both the lawyer and Reyna were unwavering, and Percy could tell that the attorney did not like how Reyna presented herself. The girl was confident and radiated a certain power that showed she was in control, even if she wasn't meant to be. She was intelligent and well-spoken, and her calm responses were vastly different from the emotionally charged answers Percy had previously given him. It was obvious that Gabe's lawyer had been expecting a similar experience with both teenagers, and now he was struggling to figure out what to do.