Chapter Text
Leo sat on the desk, his hands on his lap as he looked at the police officer with disdain.
“You can take a glass of water, if you want–” The man said and gestured towards the cup in front of him.
“I want a lawyer,” Leo said, tapping a rhythmic pattern on his leg. “This is not fair, I didn't even try do anything from another world–”
“Speak correctly, first of all” The man said, and Leo could swear he heard something about immigrants and their idioms. He had to restrain himself from strangling the guy “and we already called your lawyer, kid, he's going to take a while, so in the meantime, cooperate”
Leo looked away, and he was met with his reflection. He looked… like shit, his hair tousled, his eye swollen, and one of his teeth split in half. And that without even looking at his bloody knuckles and the cut on his leg the policemen had to wrap up for him because he was unconscious.
He silently cursed Mark for leaving him there when the police sirens blared, couldn't they had just carried him? No, no they couldn't Leo, then all of you would be in the police station.
“What do you want me to say? Hm?” Leo asked as he turned back at the police officer. The man looked like he had a sunburn, a silent reminder that wherever Sun shone, white people were not welcomed by it. So much for immigrants and their idioms, but Leo didn't look like strawberry icecream when Sun hit him for more than ten seconds.
“So tell me, Leonardo–”
“Its Leonidas” He corrected bitterly “Leonidas Samuel Valdez Papanikolau, It's literally on the paper in front of you dude, are you illiterate or something?”
“Look, Leonidas, I've seen many kids like you sit here and be as disrespectful as you are being” The man said and leaned forward “That smart mouth won't serve you much use once you're in juvie, kiddo”
Leo's eyes widened. Juvie. He had heard of it a lot, tales from the other kids about how they threw people inside washing machines or something. It was scary to hear, even for Leo.
“So tell me, Leonard– Leonidas, what happened on Mayhem street today?” He asked once again.
The man must have asked a thousand times before, but Leo had kept his mouth shut. But… juvie… the thought made Leo shiver in fear.
He might be a con, but he was only sixteen after all. Between blades and guns still lay a kid, a child who felt responsible for his mother's death, a child who only wanted to be held by the same arms that coddled him as a baby. If he went to juvie his record would be stained forever, and people would not only shame him for emigrating, for having a loud mouth, or for being a bad kicker, but for being a criminal.
“I…” Leo started, the memories flooding his brain like a tank with each time less oxygen.
Him and his buddies, Mark and Jake, had robbed a store. I know, bad, boohoo. But it was a lousy 24 hour market with a loud neon sign and long empty aisles, it screamed money in a way they couldn't describe, and they went looking for copper and found gold. Turns out the owner was a richass guy with money to spare, so they figured it was a good idea. They slipped through the darkness, their reflection on every glass discreet, their steps silent. The three of them pointed their guns at the cashier, and gestured to keep quiet. As Jake pointed the gun at the man, Leo stuffed the money in bags, from bills to coins to even pennies.
Mark was supposed to guard the door, but he joined the two other boys to stuff the money faster, and probably take a sneak peak at the action.
Mark had gotten distracted, the three of them had, and before they knew it, punches flew and blood slipped everywhere when Carlos’ buddies showed up.
They owed them money, yes, but it was only like– a thousand dollars they were planning on recovering soon, but soon wasn't enough for Carlos. They kicked and punched and hit them, but there were too many. Leo was knocked unconscious, and when he woke up, he was told by officers that the cashier had run away and called the police, and he was the only one who didn't escape.
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of the water, but finally spoke.
The words left his mouth with practiced ease, he spoke as if he was ashamed of himself, making up things as he went. He didn't tell them they owed money, he didn't mention he had a gun at some point, he didn't say anything that could get his friends detected, in trouble obviously, but they would go right past the radar. He hoped.
Just as Leo was done speaking his lawyer arrived. His lawyer was a tall, lean man, with glasses and brown-ish hair, he struggled to keep the papers on his hands and his glasses kept falling to the tip of his nose.
"Good night, Leo” He said and sat down “Excuse me for being late, I had a couple problems, but it's all sorted out now”
Leo drifted off as the police officer droned about paperwork and laws. He fiddled with his shirt, his leg bouncing in a rhythmic pattern as he looked to the side.
“...Leo, what's 754 multiplied by 753.9 divided by two?” His lawyer suddenly asked.
“284,220.3” Leo replied in a heartbeat and turned to him with furrowed eyebrows “Why?”
“That could had easily been prepared so you could fool me” The policeman said, ignoring Leo's question.
“You ask him, then” The lawyer replied and looked at Leo, and silently asked him to comply.
The officer turned to Leo and narrowed his eyes, and Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat under the man's gaze.
“8165 multiplied by 175” he said as he took out his phone and opened the calculator app.
“1,428,875” Leo replied before he could type the first number. His confusion deepened as he leaned forward “Why do you keep asking me shit?”
“You just answer, kid” The policeman said and pressed the equal sign on his phone. “How much did you say again?”
“1,428,875” He said again “you have the retention of six year old”
The policeman was stunned to silence for a couple seconds, and Leo thought he had stepped a line, gone too far, and he would get clocked for being a smart mouth yet again. But the man just… laughed.
“I'd have to ask my superior but im sure we could do that, if he behaves in this school then it should be fine” He said. “What was the name again?”
“Well, it's a boarding school in New York, Long Island specifically” The lawyer said and pushed his glasses up again. God Leo desperately wanted to tighten the screws on them. “It's called Harmony heights, it's a very famous school and kids from all over the country travel to study there, I submitted a test Leo did and he got a scholarship”
Leo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. A school, for rich kids. And a test? So that was the paper the lawyer had made him do last month! That was a violation of everything, had someone asked him if he wanted to go there? No! But on the other hand… juvie.
“So… when are we leaving?”