Chapter 83 What were the odds?
Uriel's POV
Nobody expected me to show up.
I didn't expect myself to show up too after everything I had gone through lately.
After I ran into the car, which unfortunately didn't hit me - because goodness, I really wished it had - I ran far away.
I didn't even know where I was going but I needed out.
If I could run to another city by foot, I would've done that.
The people I called my family had stripped me off everything - my future, my life.
Worse, I wasn't even who I thought I was. I lacked identity.
That even hurt more.
I didn't even know why I still bothered to live but I also couldn't take my life...yet.
Not when a little light had smiled upon me. Not when I could also dish out the same meal my sister served me, to her.
She had started the war but I was going to close it.
My phone rang for the umpteenth time. My eyes hardened when I saw my father's name flash on the screen.
"How long would you keep ignoring him?" Kathie asked quietly from where she sat at Lance's couch.
He was the only person I thought to run to. Lance didn't leave my side all through, holding me so that I don't fall apart.
"I - I am not ready to talk to him."
"You hid something from him too." Kathie spoke, earning a glare from me. "You didn't send him that letter too. Someone must've saved your ass."
True.
I knew the truth.
I was mad okay?
"You're not illegitimate so you won't understand." Picking up my bag, I spat scornfully.
Kathie sighed loudly, walking up to me. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? We're here for you."
Chloe stood up quietly, folding her arms. Kathie nodded at her to come closer. She did.
They both engulfed me in a hug. My insides broke, tears pricking the back of my eyes. I bit my lips, hard until it drew out blood.
"Okay, I need to go." I broke out, swallowing hard when my eyes caught onto the white envelope that had sat on the dresser for days.
Lance hadn't opened it too. He said it was for me. Only me.
Frowning, I picked it up and ripped it open. My eyes turned icy cold, a scoff leaving my lips.
"Wow."
"What's that?" Kathie peeked over my shoulder.
"I was rejected from both colleges because of malpractice." I smiled at them, handing the letter to Chloe.
"Oh my God." She gasped, looking at me with full eyes.
"Are you ready?" Lance asked from the door.
"Let's get this stupid questioning over with." I frowned, taking the lead out of the room.
"And burn Emma and stupid principal down." Kathie fired.
Honestly, I doubted my evidence were going to be sufficient. Yes, it was a video of them making out but this was the Principal. The board would obviously be his people or people who did similar things.
It wasn't a win-win situation.
But regardless, I had to try.
Squeezing my phone in my hand, I entered into Chloe's vehicle and we were taken to school.
Already, news of my illegitimacy had already begun to spread everywhere. Everyone knew I wasn't a Kennedy. They mocked me.
"Uriel!" I heard a familiar voice call when I had finally made it past the thousand cameras that wanted to get me filmed for their private social media account.
My friends and I stopped moving. My heart seized when the voice spoke again.
"Uriel, can I talk to you?"
Slowly, I turned to face Ryder, my heart squeezing in my chest. My eye roamed around his face, taking in little details that couldn't be ignored - like his red eyes and the dark eye bag.
"She's been through a lot. You should let her be." Lance spoke, his voice hard.
"Uriel, please."
I opened my mouth to say something but nothing would come out.
His eye locked against mine then they fell to my trembling hands. He swallowed hard. "Goodluck then."
I hated that word now.
It felt like mockery. But not from him though.
Something in me sparked. It felt like I was being blown some sort of confidence.
Silently, I turned away from him, entering into the hall room where the questioning would take place.
As I sat, Emma and I locked gaze. Her lips lifted up into a sinister smirk. She raised her thumbs up.
God, I wanted to snap her fingers backward and pinch out her eyes from their sockets.
"Uriel Kennedy?" A masculine voice called. Inhaling sharply, my head snapped up.
"Present."
"Take the floor."
The Chairman of the Panel went ahead to call in Emma, The Principal, The security officer, Mr. Tom and Mrs. Bel.
After which, they asked us to each narrate the story, starting from me. I had told them everything, exactly as it happened. Everyone concurred with me too.
"Okay, since y'all share same story... Uriel, we'd like to hear your defence. Why should be believe you? On what grounds? What are your pleas?"
I stood up again, walking to the center.
"I, Uriel Ken... Uriel Kennedy, is of good behavior which can be dated back to my school report from my junior high school up until now."
"People change." A man scoffed, folding his arms.
"At the final stage? I may not be an A student on sheet because I spent most of my time helping my sister write her exams. I can't prove that but I know what I did."
"That's defamation to my character." Emma yelled.
"True." The Chairman concurred. "Speak facts only. If you don't have evidence, don't speak."
I nodded curtly. "I believe I am being framed by the Principal and Emma because I caught them making out weeks ago in his office. I would ask that her phone be investigated but I'm sure she must've cleared all evidence." I laughed, shaking my head.
"Young lady, you seem not to know what to say." The Chairman eyed me up and down. The other panels were laughing.
I turned to look at the Principal and then at Mrs. Bel who was playing with her fingers.
Hmm.
"Permit me to submit evidence." The principal's face snapped to me immediately.
"Sir, I don't accept that." He spoke up immediately.
"I haven't even disclosed what it's about." I scoffed.
"Whatever it is, it's surely to her favour and highly fabricated." Emma butted in.
"You sound even more defensive than I should." Smirking, I said.
The Chairman looked between the Principal and Emma, then me. "Bring it forward, Uriel."
Nodding, I walked gently until I was close to their desk. Then I placed my phone.
"Inside is a video. I must warn, it's explicit. Next to it is a photo of a student and a teacher hanging around a motel on school hours. Next is a voice recording of a conversation between the both of them, plotting to engage Mr. Tom in upgrading of Emma's result."
The panel sat together, looking through and deliberating silently. I dug my nails into my palm, anticipating.
The Chairman cleared his throat, "is there any tangible evidence? One we could touch?"
I looked down, scoffing lightly.
I raised my head up, glaring at the Chairman "no."
He nodded. His eyes flickered with sadness and then it was gone.
"Hmm. Uriel Kennedy, you haven't showed us a tangible evidence to assert that you didn't take the sheet and that you were framed by those you accuse, as that's the issue being deliberated on."
Right.
"This electronic evidence cannot be accepted as AI is in vogue and can be used to create anything. It would be unfair to apply these recordings and videos to this case because they could be fabricated by you to sell your story. I hope you get me."
"Then look into my previous record from junior high school." I asked, my voice almost breaking.
"We did. As at last semester, before you suddenly picked up, your grades fell. Also, your report doesn't quite have good things about you. You were involved in leaving school on a bike with a boy, detention for discussing in class, seen kissing a boy in restricted classrooms... the list goes on."
Clenching my jaw, I nodded slowly.
"Those are all the report of the Principal, yeah?"
"Students confirmed it."
"Did they confirm that some were debunked and the real truth came up? Did they confirm how I aced all my extra-curriculars?" I shot, my voice hard and laced with anger.
"Ms. Uriel." The Chairman barked. "We will give our decision now."
Biting my lips, I looked down again. My heart clenched hard in pain.
She won again.
Arghhh!!!
Why did the bad people always win?
"Due to lack of tangible evidence, I'm sorry but you have been held guilty and you will -"
The door flew open, interrupting the Chairman from giving out his harsh verdict. Slowly, I turned to the door, my mouth falling open.