Jury Page 14

  “For your punishment, you’ll be doing community service for three weeks, including Saturdays, four hours per day.” Professor Wishbourne gathered his things and took off his glasses. “Now that we’ve concluded this case, I want to say congratulations to both Taylor and Mike for putting up a good show; even though it wasn’t a serious one, you both gave it your all.” There was another round of applause. “Having said that, next time, please and please, leave the whole school out of your squabbles.

  “You should be able to decide what is right and what is wrong on your own, and I would like everyone to learn from this. I was first asked to pick a jury but I opted against it because a jury can get it wrong based on their personal values. The both of you chose the winner of this case yourselves and not me. You both knew who was right and who was wrong but your egos wouldn’t let you settle it peaceably. Your wanting to show off put the whole school on hold just to witness you fight and yet you were your own jury at the end of it all.

  “Mike, you are really smart but you cheat a lot. Taylor, you are smart and not a cheat but you look down on Mike too much. You are friends and shouldn’t be like this all the time.” Professor Wishbourne grabbed his things and shook the hands of both Taylor and Mike. “Remember, the jury isn’t always right. You should think about your own actions and make your own decisions.” Professor Wishbourne walked out and the rounds of applause began again.

  Emily walked down and hugged Taylor tightly. She gave him a peck on the cheek and smiled at him. “You never cease to amaze me.”

  “I am a boy full of mysteries, milady.” Taylor tipped his invisible hat and smiled.

  “Tay.” May called from behind Taylor. “That was a good one.” She smiled.

  Taylor turned to face her. “Thank you. Sorry about earlier.”

  “Nonsense.” May chuckled. “I expected nothing less.”

  “I guess I’m the only one left that has to say congratulations to you.” Mike walked up to join them.

  “Mikey!” Taylor grinned and spread his hands out waiting for a hug. Mike reluctantly hugged him and Taylor squeezed tight. He broke the hug and held Mike by the shoulders. “Thanks for giving it your all. It was a good one.”

  “You’re welcome, but still, I’m sorry for everything. From attacking you all the way down to calling you to the stand.”

  “It is alright.” Taylor shrugged. “I had you by the balls anyway.” The both of them erupted into laughter.

  Emily clears her throat, interrupting their moment. “We have plans to meet with Malia on Saturday evening. Any of you want to tag along?”

  “You’ve met with her before?” May asked.

  “No.” Emily lied and Taylor smiled but she did not notice. “ It’s my first time but we’ve spoken on the phone. Spoiler Alert, Taylor is a sister’s boy.” Emily chuckled.

  “Well, let’s do it.” Mike said. “I’d like to meet this fool’s sister.”

  “I’m in too.” May shrugged.

  “Before then, Mike and I have to catch up so we will see you later.” Taylor said and grabbed his bag. “Let us go boy.”

  Mike and Taylor walked out of the room and May sighed. “Those two still surprise me.”

  “You and me both.” Emily laughed. “But that’s why we love them.”

  “True.” May sighed. “Want to go get coffee?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “What’s your favourite coffee type?” May laughed when Emily rolled her eyes.

  “Please don’t.” Emily chuckled and the both of them walked out of the room together.

  SEVENTEEN

  May was taking a bite out of her sandwich when she noticed Emily looking at her. They were sat in a restaurant close to school that Emily had chosen. May had to admit, Emily knew how to pick the best spots. “Stop staring at me. It’s weird.”

  Emily smiled. “I’m sorry but you’ll have to endure it. I’m trying to figure out how it is even remotely possible for you to have feelings for a guy like Mike.”

  “Well, he is handsome, tall, strong and smart. Plus, he is really nice.” May shrugged.

  “I guess the saying love is blind actually has some truth behind it.” Emily frowned. “And stop talking with food in your mouth. It’s nasty.”

  May chuckled. “At least I’ve admitted to liking Mike. You’re still trying to hide the fact that you have feelings for Taylor and you are failing woefully.”

  “What makes you think I have feelings for Taylor?” Emily sneered.

  “The great Emily Reese stammered when she was asked if she liked Taylor. What other proof do I need?” May laughed.

  “I was just acting.”

  “Oh please. We both know that’s a lie.” May drank from her cup. “Just admit it. I won’t feel bad. I’ve actually known about your feelings for him since we were in our first year and it is clear he has feelings for you too.”

  “Don’t be silly. If I had feelings for him, I would say it. There’s no reason for me to hide my feelings for him.”

  “Alright. Whatever floats your boat.”

  “Enough dumb talk. What exactly is going to happen with you and Mike?”

  “I have no idea. We will just have to wait and see what happens.”

  “Really? You’re just going to let fate decide?”

  May shrugged. “What else can I do?”

  “You are annoying me to the bones.” Emily grunted. “Why not just talk to Mike and get it out of the way?”

  “Why should I be the one to talk to him?”

  Emily stared at May for a while. “Don’t tell me you’re still living with the mindset that guys should be the ones to ask girls out.”

  “It just seems right.”

  Emily sighed. “Well, I can’t help you then.” She signalled for the waiter. “Please why is my order taking too long to be done?”

  “I’ll just check in with them in the kitchen.” The waiter bowed and left.

  “Next time don’t order a bloody triple decker chicken burger with all the toppings available.”

  “I was feeling extra.” Emily smiled.

  “Will you finish it?”

  “I ordered it. It’s only right that I do.”

  “I have to witness this.”

  They both laughed. The waiter brought Emily’s order and May guffawed. Emily’s laugh had turned to a frown as she stared at her plate.

  “Come on. You ordered it. It’s only right that you finish it.” May could not stop laughing.

  “Shut it, May.” Emily grabbed the burger off the plate. “Here goes.”

  ***

  “I’m on my way, driving that ninety down those country lanes

  Singing to “Tiny Dancer” and I miss the way you make

  Me feel, and it’s real. We watched the sunset over the

  Castle on the hill.”

  The restaurant Mike and Taylor had chosen were exhausting their Ed Sheeran playlist and Taylor was not complaining. He really liked “Castle on the Hill” so he sang along.

  “I really don’t know how you can enjoy this.” Mike said, pointing to the speakers.

  “I really do not know how you can enjoy that.” Taylor pointed at Mike’s plate that was full of different vegetables. “And unlike you, I listen to the lyrics of the song and not just the beat.”

  Mike squeezed his face. “Do you have anything against vegans?”

  “No. I just have a problem with meat lovers who try to mask themselves as vegans.”

  Mike chuckled. “It’s my cleanse week you fool. Just vegetables. I’m going back to eating meat next week.”

  “I see.” Taylor picked up his burger and took a big bite. “Well, enjoy your veggies.”

  “Cunt.” Mike stabbed at his plate with his fork.

  “This is my jam.” Taylor started moving to the rhythm of the song that was playing. “I can’t, no I won’t hush, I’ll say the words that make you blush, I’m gonna sing this now. Ow ow.”

  “I didn’t follow you here to have a mini Ed S
heeran concert.” Mike wiped his mouth and pushed his plate away from him. “We have a lot to catch up on like you said.”

  “I am sorry.” Taylor smiled. “First things first, how did you not know about the car accident that killed my parents? I stayed in your house for a week.”

  “My dad told me it was something like an abandonment and that he just saw you on the side of the road.”

  “That is odd.” Taylor shrugged and took another bite of his burger. “Anyway, next up, what is going to happen with you and Maya now?”

  “Wish I knew.” Mike sighed. “I don’t know what she wants, talking about her feelings for me in front of everyone like that.”

  “I would take a wild guess and say she wants you both to be more than just best friends and I say this because it is the only logical reason I could think of for her to have told Chloe about the one-night stand.” Taylor shrugged.

  “Chloe told you that or you figured it out?”

  “She did not have to tell me.” Taylor chuckled. “Maya was the one who told you to come after me with the law suit and she was the only one who stood to gain anything from this since the both of us are always being talked about, so it was easy to put two and two together.”

  “You do all this and expect me not to fall for the secret agent story?” Mike laughed.

  Taylor shook his head, smiling. “You are a special breed of morons. I do not have to be a spy to figure these things out.”

  “And you’re a special breed of dickheads. You don’t always have to insult me.” Mike playfully hit Taylor and shrank back once Taylor’s smile changed to a frown.

  “Scared?” Taylor cocked his head to the right.

  “Of course not.” Mike chuckled nervously.

  “I see.” Taylor smiled.

  Mike received a messaged and his countenance fell once he finished reading it.

  “What now?” Taylor asked.

  Mike sank into the chair. “My dad just texted me.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Do not give me that crap. Come on, spill it.”

  Mike sighed and sat back up. “It’s my mum.”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s back you fool. She says she wants to talk.” Mike hit the table. “She spoke to dad already and he has forgiven her.”

  “And you do not want to talk to her?”

  “Hell no.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because… well, just because.” Mike ran his hands through his hair. “What reason do I need to give for not wanting to talk to a woman who abandoned me for ten years and gave no reason?”

  Taylor understood where Mike was coming from and he knew if it was him in his shoes, he would think the same way. The fact that he was not the one going through this at the time made it easy for him to think logically. “You know, I would give anything to talk to my mum right now. See, I get it. You are angry but that should not keep you from talking to her. We both know you still miss her so why not just hear her out?”

  “Have I ever told you how much I hate you?” Mike laughed as he wiped his tears.

  “I would be a millionaire if I got a penny for every time you did.” Taylor smiled.

  “Anyway, I guess you’re right. I still miss her and it would be nice to talk to her again.”

  “There you go.” Taylor clapped. “When are you going to talk to her?”

  “I’ll find time tomorrow.” Mike smiled.

  “That settles it. Pick up your phone and let your dad know.”

  Mike sent a message to his dad and locked the phone. “Want to do some karaoke?”

  “Sure. Just one condition.”

  “What might that be?”

  “We do an Ed Sheeran song first.” Taylor grinned.

  Mike groaned. “Fine.”

  The both of them walked over to the karaoke machine and grabbed the mics.

  “Let’s do this.” Mike said and selected a song.

  ***

  Back at the restaurant, Emily was trying to catch her breath and May was crying from all the laughing she was doing.

  “You did it. You finished the whole thing.” May said.

  Emily smiled and relaxed into the chair. “Told you so. Only thing left now is to work it all out later.”

  “We wouldn’t want you putting on weight now, would we?”

  “We wouldn’t.” Emily chuckled.

  “I’ve got to go use the restroom. I’ll be right back.” May stood and headed for the bathroom.

  Emily stared at May as she walked into the restroom. Once she was out of sight, she grabbed her phone and dialled Mike’s number.

  “Are you sure you weren’t trying to dial Taylor’s number?” Mike said, trying to make his voice louder than the music.

  “Your number is saved as Mike and his as Weirdo with a heart emoji. I know how to use a phone.” Emily rolled her eyes. “And tell Taylor to stop trying to sing. He sucks at it.”

  “I will tell him.” Mike chuckled. “Now, why did you call?”

  “I know you and May are trying to wait this thing out, but I am not going to sit back and let fate decide.” Emily checked to see if May had come out of the restroom yet and went back to the call when she was sure she had not. “May is obviously not going to come talk to you so it is left to you to make a move.”

  “What makes you think I even want to make a move?”

  “Playing hard to get doesn’t suit you Mike.” Emily sighed.

  “Fine.”

  “You’ll need to talk to her between tomorrow and Friday so you can both get this thing out of the way. I don’t want to see the both of you being awkward during lunch on Saturday.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Mike sighed. “Taylor says hi.”

  “Give him the phone please.”

  “Hello there, mon ami. Miss me already?” Taylor chuckled.

  “Shut it.” Emily smiled. “Just wanted to hear your voice.”

  “Well, there you go, Love.”

  “Thanks.” Emily noticed May leaving the bathroom. “Got to go.” She hung up the call.

  “Who was that?”

  “The boys. Was just checking in with them.” Emily stood and gathered her things. “Shall we?”

  “Sure thing.”

  They both left the restaurant.

  ***

  It was 8:24 p.m. and the council was now gathered around the table, the soft glow of the moon casting shadows around the room. The members of the council were sat in their assigned seats, silently watching the video being projected on the ceiling. The video had been playing for almost an hour and when it finally ended, everyone turned his attention to the man sat at the head of the table.

  The Man clapped his hands slowly. “I must admit, that was impressive. Thank you Mrs. Reese for pushing me to make the decision to give them some more time.”

  “You’re welcome.” Mrs. Reese smiled.

  “Mr. Wishbourne, you seemed to be really into that inspirational speech at the end. Telling them that the Jury isn’t always right and they should be able to make their own decisions. I hope you weren’t trying to turn them against this organization before they even got to find out about us.”

  “I wouldn’t dare.” Mr. Wishbourne said.

  The Man hmphed. “Reina, where you able to find out who sent Bob Maker to handle Taylor?”

  “That would be me.” Mr. Yeng said. “I am surprised your favourite henchwoman was not able to figure that out early.”

  “You know it’s perfectly fine for you to say “bitch” right?” Miss. Reina said.

  “Has anyone ever told you that your accent is really disturbing?” Mr. Yeng asked.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you are an unlikeable fellow, maldito coño?”

  “I’m telling the both of you right now to cut it out.” The Man snapped. “Reina, I expected more from you, and Mr. Yeng, fine choice you made sending Mr. Maker. He did his job well.”


  “Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.” Mr. Yeng said sarcastically.

  The Man chuckled. “Your children are really something. Taylor is really good at detecting the little things quickly, and your daughter was able to hack into our database. That is one hell of a duo.”

  “I taught them well.”

  “That’s good.” The Man smiled. “Mrs. Reese, I’m yet to see your daughter in a situation where she has to prove herself but I think it’s safe to assume that she is really good because Malia went to her.”

  “Trust me, she is more than good.” Mrs. Reese said.

  “How about my son?”

  Everyone in the room turned his attention to the man sat in the seat opposite Mrs. Reese.

  “Mr. Marlon.” The Man giggled. “Your son is the weak link in this group. Naïve and easily deceived. He has a long way to go.”

  “If I may object,” Mr. Wishbourne said. “Mike might not have any experience, but once he gets a sniff of what we do, he will become an asset for us if on our side and a formidable foe if against us. He is a fast learner and also easily motivated, so don’t look down on him or it could pose serious problems for us moving forward.”

  “Thank you Mr. Wishbourne.” Mr. Marlon said. “I wasn’t even planning on exposing him to this life.”

  “It’s good that every one of them on this end has been able to impress so far, but it isn’t the end. We still have one more group left to evaluate.” The Man said.

  “I believe we all know what it is we have to do and we have no choice but to accept it.” Mr. Yeng said.

  “You sure you’re ready for this?” Miss. Reina asked.

  “No, but like I said, we have no choice but to accept it.”

  Miss. Reina looked at Mr. Yeng and sighed. She could only imagine what he was going through. “Alright.”

  “Since we are all okay with what is about to happen, this meeting has officially concluded.” The Man stood. “We’ll meet again soon.”

  They all left the room one after the other, giving each other a five minutes head start; it was a way to protect the identity of the members of the council. Mr. Yeng was always the last to leave and this time, he stayed longer than usual to give himself sometime to think. It is almost time. He took out his phone and dialled a number.