His Paper Crown

♠️Prolog♠️

    I stood as still as I could, a guard on each side of me as the judge looked over the reports. My back was perfectly Straight, hands clasped tightly in front of me and head bowed ever so slightly. My throat wanted to close from the pain of what had just happened a week ago.

    My lawyer, who just so happened to also be a family friend, was trying to convince the judge that what I had done was purely out of self defense. I was just a scared 16 year old boy who had been backed into a corner and harmed by the one person I had always believed would never harm me. It was all true. I was scared. I am scared. And I think, because of this, I will never not be scared again.

    "5 years in a high security prison," the judged announced. "when he turns 21, we will revisit his case."

    I glanced at the crowed, panic filling me. 5 years? For protecting myself and others?

    My mother was crying into my father's shoulder, and my father looked... disappointed. Not in me, but in himself. As I stared at them, all excuses washed away and I was just left with the guilt of what I had done. It didn't matter if I was defending myself, I had hurt someone I cared very much about and was facing the consequences.

♠️♠️♠️

    "You have only 4 months left in there," Mom said into the phone. I could see her smile as I closed my eyes. 

    "4 months," I agreed. "Then I get to come home."

    After a long pause, I took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."

    "Nine, it's been 5 years, you can stop apologizing," Dad spoke gently but sternly.

    "I can never stop apologizing and I can never apologize enough."

    "We have a surprise for you," Mom said quickly to change the subject.

    "What is it?" I asked with a small smile.

    "A few days after you are released, you are due to become a big brother to twins," I froze. My mind spiraled back in time, to a few months before the incident. 

    I was there, in the hospital with my dad as we waited. We had been waiting for over a day now. I was tired, but to excited to close my eyes. It was happening, it was finally happening. My wish every birthday, my begging for as long as I could remember, it was finally here. But it wasn't really.

    There was a scream, my mom's scream. Everyone there was crying. Blood, there was blood too. No no nononono-

    "Nine?" Mom's voice pulled me back and I smiled.

    "Twins huh? What are you going to name them?"

    "Heather and Carder."