NEXUS TRIAL: The Rise of Liam Parker

The Streets and the School

Three hours later Liam found himself sitting on a bench in the public park near his old neighborhood, surrounded by two hastily packed duffel bags and a backpack that contained everything he and his mother had managed to salvage from their former home. Alice sat beside him with her head in her hands, still crying softly, and Liam felt completely numb as he stared at the playground equipment where he used to play as a child. The afternoon sun was starting to sink lower in the sky and the temperature was dropping, which meant they would need to find shelter somewhere before nightfall.

Collins had stood in the doorway watching them leave with that same satisfied smirk on his face, and he had even had the audacity to wish them good luck as they walked down the front steps for the last time. Mrs. Parker hadn't even bothered to come outside, preferring to stay in her comfortable chair and avoid any potential scene that might embarrass her in front of the neighbors. Gordon had already left by that point, apparently satisfied that the property would be cleared for his inspection whenever he decided to return.

"I called Sarah from the restaurant," Alice said quietly, breaking the heavy silence between them. "She said we can stay on her couch for tonight but only for one night because her landlord doesn't allow long term guests."

Liam nodded without really processing the information because his mind was elsewhere, replaying the morning's events over and over like a broken recording. He kept thinking about all the things he should have said to Collins and his grandmother, all the ways he could have stood up for himself and his mother more effectively, but those thoughts were useless now. The house was gone and they were homeless, and no amount of clever comebacks or brave speeches would change that fundamental reality.

"You should go to school tomorrow," Alice continued, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. "I know everything feels terrible right now but you can't fall behind in your classes or you'll never get into a good college."

The idea of going to school and pretending everything was normal seemed absurd to Liam, but he didn't have the energy to argue with his mother about it. School had always been another source of misery in his life anyway, a place where he was constantly reminded of how poor he was compared to his classmates and how little his future prospects looked. His grades were decent enough when he actually tried, but most days he was too tired from working his part time job at the convenience store to focus properly on his studies.

They sat in silence for another hour as the park slowly emptied of the families and children who had been enjoying the pleasant weather. A few people gave them curious looks as they passed by, probably wondering why two people were sitting on a bench with all their belongings piled around them, but nobody stopped to ask if they needed help. That was just how the world worked, Liam thought bitterly, everyone was too busy with their own problems to care about anyone else's suffering.

Eventually Alice's friend Sarah arrived in her old sedan and drove them to her tiny apartment on the other side of town, and Liam spent that night curled up on the floor with a thin blanket while his mother took the couch. He barely slept because his mind wouldn't stop racing with thoughts about their situation and what they were going to do next, and when morning finally came he felt even more exhausted than he had the night before.

His mother insisted he go to school despite his protests, and she gave him her last twenty dollars for lunch money even though he knew she needed it more than he did. The bus ride to school felt longer than usual, and Liam kept his head down and his earbuds in to avoid making eye contact with anyone who might recognize him. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with questions about why he looked so tired or why his clothes were more wrinkled than usual.

The day started badly and only got worse as it progressed, beginning with his homeroom teacher Mr. Harrison publicly announcing that Liam hadn't turned in his history essay that had been due yesterday. Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal because teachers were used to students missing assignments, but Mr. Harrison seemed to take personal offense to it and spent five minutes lecturing Liam in front of the entire class about responsibility and following through on commitments.

"I don't care what excuses you have Parker," Mr. Harrison said while the other students snickered and whispered to each other. "Every other student in this class managed to complete the assignment on time so there's no reason you couldn't have done the same."

Liam wanted to tell him that he had been too busy being thrown out of his house to worry about a stupid essay, but he bit his tongue and just nodded silently. Making a scene would only make things worse and draw more unwanted attention to himself, and he had learned long ago that teachers didn't actually care about their students' personal problems. They just wanted compliance and completed homework and good test scores that would make them look effective at their jobs.

Lunch period brought its own special brand of torture when Liam sat down at an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria with the sandwich he had bought using his mother's money. He had barely taken two bites when Derek Whitmore and his group of friends approached, and Liam's stomach dropped because he knew exactly what was coming. Derek was the son of a successful real estate developer and he never missed an opportunity to remind everyone else of their inferior social status, especially Liam who he had targeted for bullying since freshman year.

"Well well well, if it isn't Liam Parker the charity case," Derek said loudly enough for half the cafeteria to hear. "I heard some interesting news about you this morning Parker. My dad mentioned that your uncle Collins sold your house yesterday. Does that mean you're officially homeless now?"

The other students at nearby tables turned to look at them with interest, and Liam felt his face burning with shame and anger. He had no idea how Derek had found out about what happened so quickly, but he should have known that news traveled fast in their small community. Collins probably bragged about the sale to anyone who would listen, and somehow that information had made its way to Derek's father and then to Derek himself.

"Leave me alone Derek," Liam said quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on his sandwich. "I'm not in the mood for your games today."

Derek laughed and leaned down closer to Liam's face, and his breath smelled like the expensive sushi his parents probably had delivered to him for lunch. "Oh you're not in the mood?" he mocked. "That's too bad because I'm very much in the mood to talk about how your pathetic family finally got what they deserved. My dad said your uncle was smart to sell that dump before the neighborhood value went down even further."

Liam's hands clenched into fists under the table and he could feel his control slipping away despite his best efforts to stay calm. Every fiber of his being wanted to punch Derek right in his smug face and wipe that superior smirk off permanently, but he knew that would only result in him getting suspended or expelled. Fighting back had never worked out well for him in the past, and it certainly wouldn't help his situation now when he and his mother were already in such a desperate position.