The Book Boy's Revenge 1

Shawn Hutchins

Bella was not my love

              

Love doesn’t always have to be romantic sometimes it could be platonic, that was what Shawn felt about Bella Jones who jumped into the river beside Fred’s hospital, she was wrong, she did wrong and Shawn knew that but he still couldn’t blame her for doing that. She was tortured enough by his father, Cody fucking Williams that’s what Shawn called him inside his mind. Left as a new-born at the Great kids are often Abandoned, Bella had no one she could rely on, for her 19 years of age she was too ahead of the kids and orphans of her age, ‘I don’t want to waste any moment of my Life’ Shawn used to joke about her motto until she was killed at the age of 21.
“Shawn, you are my first love so don’t make it hard by falling in love with me.” Those were her last words before attempting suicide which should be stated as murder, she gave him her belongings which was quite suspicious for Shawn who was too busy crying to see her in that condition. In spite of all that she still had that tender smile on her face. Only if he was more careful, Bella would’ve been alive, he thought.
“I love Aster, do you think he would accept me now?” Her teary eyes were still clear in Shawn’s mind, clenching his heart every time he remembered that, her cotton like voice was the saddest that day and still managed to sound stronger than Shawn.
“I might be selfish to expect Aster to love me after all this.” Shawn inhaled deeply and felt his mentor Samuel notice his quietness. He had been teaching Shawn all about Law, he wished to study before when he was busy hitting clubs at night.
“I hope you are resting well.” Samuel’s deep voice sounded professional but concerned, he nodded enthusiastically and closed the book in which he had all the laws return on so far.
“Samuel, how long would a person or people who tortured a girl and that led to her suicide go in jail for?” He tried hard to not sound suspicious, he didn’t. Shawn was blessed with relaxed and unbothered facial expressions that always kept people wondering what he was thinking, Cluelessly Smart, Bella called him that.
“Depends, but minimum 11 years.”
“Too less.” Shawn shook his shoulders and wrote down the notes Samuel told him to write. That would be too small span of time for those ruthless Fred and Cody.
“You were doing major in Literature, why suddenly changing to Law?” Samuel interrogated, Shawn knew he was not bothering Samuel, his face always had a frown even when he was just idly writing his case file. Literature was the degree Shawn wanted to pursue then becoming an author, he had written short stories and few novels and sometimes poems, mostly for his childhood crush, for whom he changed his prestigious school and went to low budget ‘Fumi School’. Lily Park, Shawn’s deepest desire ever since his eyes locked with her on his way to Olive School which only really rich people could’ve afforded but for Lily, he was willing to leave it. Yet he couldn’t ask her out, she had warned him to stay away from her or that’s what her jerk boy-friend had told her to say.
“I didn’t say I want to become a lawyer. I just want to do it for fun” He scribbled the book writing the word from which he could’ve wrote a whole book. Platonic and Romantic.
“Hurts a full time Lawyer’s ego.” Samuel snickered making Shawn laugh at the way Samuel used to laugh, his eyes crinkled while it looked like he was a camel but fluffier.
“Besides the mystery girl Lily wouldn’t let that writer die in you!” He playfully kept his hand under his chin and Shawn’s cheeks turned red.
“I met her, seems like her boy-friend Earner isn’t treating her better.” Shawn looked at Samuel hearing carefully about Lily.
“Why?” He did not feel the need to correct Samuel who called Warner Earner.
“He slapped Lily.” Shawn’s hands made a fist, wasn’t that heroic Warner boasting about her love and care for Lily back then? Was it all gone? He scoffed.
“You have a chance then, and she cooks so good!” Samuel added, he was well aware about Lily, not because Shawn told him but once he read the poems he had written and his habit of writing his muse was enough for Samuel to take a hint.
“June should be thanked after all he was the one who encountered her to me but I guess he suspects me of liking Lily.”
“June who?”
“The friend I met at Hawaii.” Shawn had his gaze focused on Samuel, indicating he wanted to know more about June, how he knows Lily and Warner.
Samuel stopped typing, “He works at the Richard’s Company,”
Richard’s Company? The same Company where Bella moved to after leaving Reporting. This had made Shawn more curious about him, maybe then he could’ve found out about Bella’s Files she had handed him.
“Brother Rowan worked as a consultant for them, recently.”
Shawn inhaled deeply collecting all the strength for the action he was preparing himself to take, for Bella and for what the work file played in this case! Maybe that had a hint about who hurt Bella. It couldn’t be his father and Cody, himself. They did torture her but wasn’t that for her being with Shawn.
“I want to meet him. Can you give him my number?”
Samuel looked up to see Shawn’s face, he regretted asking him. He blinked at his question for few seconds while Shawn tried to come up with an excuse, Until, he said.
“Sure, but why?”
Shawn opened the book reading the law notes.
“I need to ask him about their Company rules…files” Files came out indistinct.
“Ask me, I know a lot too Rowan won’t shut up about his business life on phone, you won’t believe but half of our conversations are me saying ‘oh’ and him blabbering about business.” Shawn nodded and pursed his lips.
“Is that CEO Richard a fraud? Or abuser?” Shawn’s question seemed to arose suspiciousness in Samuel’s eyes because he instantly raised his eye-brows.
“No! Shawn! He is married to an engineer wife and is blessed with triplets. Shawn who is spreading these rumors? Tell me his name.” Samuel’s offended tone helped Shawn become sure about those files didn’t have anything to do with Richard after all it was hard to be in Samuel’s good books.
“June, is he fraud? Or abuser?” Shawn asked again, this time whole sentence came out indistinct.
“No, June is really kind to me and well yes he is up for hook-ups but not without consent.” June cancelled out from the list as well, then why were that files given to him by Bella and how anxious she was for him to keep it safe and away from everyone.
Shawn gazed down on the ground, “Bella Jones and I had a nonsensical tie-in.”
He could feel Samuel’s eyes on him, he squeezed his eyes in regret knowing Samuel knew the case and wanted someone to fight it but couldn’t due to lack of evidence or witness. The witness was in front of him and couldn’t say anything, Samuel deserved to be mad at him.

“Trivial affair? You dated her?” His tone was high-pitched while his eyes were widened
“Nonsensical tie-in Samuel.”
“You know. Oh, this is why you asked me to teach you law wait!” He was stammering and it was acceptable. Shawn couldn’t do anything about his anger.
“Samuel, please listen to me. I was scared and my father he is also involved along with Cody but I have no proof.” Shawn explained feeling his pulses loudly throbbing in his neck that Samuel paused getting up and came out with a glass of water.
“Drink this, your forehead veins throbbing again.” Shawn took a moment and wanted to say his neck was too but just took the glass, gulping it in one go he felt the throbbing lowering.
“Take a deep breathe, Shawn, I understood it. I suspected the moment you asked me that question,
“She was tortured by your dad and Cody?”
Shawn nodded massaging between his eyebrows, that had become a hell for him to take. He wanted to get out of it but not until he would give her justice.
“You shouldn’t get stressed so easily and often, go and take some rest in my room then, we will get some food.” Shawn felt consoled by Samuel’s action and he wanted to say thank you but his racing mind needed some rest so he went in with Samuel who helped him lie on the bed and left covering him with a warm blanket but just when he thought he could finally get some rest, his phone’s notification buzzed as he opened it and Samuel stood there.
“It’s a message from my dad.” Samuel nodded turning the temperature down, Shawn opened the message knowing there are only 2 reasons why his father had texted him.
First, it was his birthday
Second would be he needed a favor in terms of his case. Without any second thoughts he opened the text from
JERK COMMISSIONER

[I need you to be my defendant say you were the one who hurt Bella Jones.]
[Don’t worry! I won’t let you go to jail as long as my position as Commissioner doesn’t jeopardize, Shawn please help your father out.]
Shawn’s face turned pale, disgust was the right word that he was feeling it was intense disgust, the one that made him want to wipe off but he couldn’t. How can my own dad do this to me? He thought to himself, wondering where did he go wrong? What had made his father not think anything about how he would feel seeing those texts.
“Everything good?” Shawn heard Samuel’s voice bringing him back to reality he inhaled deeply thanking God that he finally shared the case with Samuel.
“Look.” Shawn handed the phone to Samuel who took as his face turned pale like Shawn’s, how could Fred go this far? For a commissioner’s position, that made a question arise in Shawn’s mind killing him and hurting him to think, is this how he works as a commissioner?