58

(This is a long one, so buckle up!)

It was 8:56. Judge Pooby was already in his judge seat, waiting for Chef PeePee to show. In the table next to where he was supposed to be was Bowser and Goodman, going over notes they had discussed in the office. Behind them were the spectators.

Rose surprisingly sat between Marvin and Jeffy, with Marvin on the very end of the bench. Next to Jeffy was Junior, who was also sitting next to Joseph, Cody and Toad. Tony had sat down next to Toad, and next to him was Woody. On the other bench was Shrek, who was sitting alone due to his impossible-to-get-out smell he had from his time in the bathroom, and Jackie Chu.

Junior looked around the room anxiously. He hadn't seen a trace of Chef PeePee anywhere. The jury walked in and sat down in their spots. Cody pretended not to recognize his mom, and instead kept his head down and glanced up at her slightly. Junior got Joseph to tap Cody on the shoulder, and Cody looked Junior's way.

"What happens if Chef PeePee doesn't show up?" Junior whispered.

"If Bowser's able to convince the judge that he's guilty, then he'll be sentenced without getting a chance to talk." Cody whispered back. Junior's eyes widened, and he crossed his fingers for potential good luck. He hadn't even gotten any chance to plead his case yet, so if he didn't show up it was a guaranteed loss.

Thankfully, just a moment later, the doors opened. Brooklyn Guy poked his head inside the courtroom. "Hey, sorry we're late. We had a situation with Bubbles..." He said. He waked fully inside the room, followed by Simmons,

And Chef PeePee.

Junior's heart dropped when he saw the chef. His hair was messy, his eyes had slight dark circles under them, and he was in an orange uniform. Though he did have his chef hat on, which Brooklyn Guy had gotten for him.

Simmons had a tight hold of the chef. He led him over to the defendants table and stayed standing beside him while crossing his arms and looking down at him disapprovingly.

"Defendant, where is your lawyer?" Judge Pooby asked.

Junior waited for Chef PeePee to say he didn't have one, but surprisingly to him, Brooklyn Guy spoke up. "I am his lawyer, your honor." Most of the people in the room gasped, Simmons being the loudest to do so. Brooklyn stripped off his cop shirt to reveal a simple suit and bowtie underneath.

The now revealed lawyer walked up to Simmons and whispered something to Him. Simmons scoffed, nodded, and sat on the opposite side of the bench Shrek was on. Meanwhile, Bowser looked very surprised, and most definitely angry under the mask he had on.

Judge Pooby checked his watch, then banged his gavel to get everyone's attention. "It is now 9 o' clock, which means it is time to start this trial." He announced, clearing his throat right after. "Justin 'Bowser' Reynolds is accusing Fernando 'Chef PeePee' Strongbottom of kidnapping Justin Reynolds, or more commonly referred to as Junior. Prosecution attorney, please state the charges."

Goodman stood up from his seat, hands folded in front of him neatly. "Your honor, this scoundrel has not only kidnapped my client's son, but has also abused him, cooked him terrible food, and has done questionable things in front of him. He has also presumably starved the child during their time on the run, along with forcing him to walk despite being exhausted." Chef PeePee winced at each accusation. He knew they were lies, or at the least assumptions. But the jury didn't know that, and their shocked faces showed it.

Judge Pooby took a moment to take in everything Goodman had said. "Very well. Defendant, what is your side of all this?"

Brooklyn Guy glanced at Chef PeePee, and the chef nodded for him to start talking. He cleared his throat nervously before beginning. "Your honor, my client did not kidnap this man's son. In fact, this man is the reason they both ran away. See, Boozer or whatever had been not only abusing the chef, but also his own child which is why the kid had bruises even before he ran away. My client also told me that Junior was the one that came up with the idea of them running away in the first place. Without his idea, they both still would've been suffering right now."

Goodman stood up again. "Objection!" He said. "You're telling me that this twelve year old planned an entire escape on his own? Doesn't sound possible."

"Hmmm, sustained for now." Judge Pooby said. "Prosecutor, do you have any witnesses you'd like to call up to the stand?"

Bowser stood up and whispered something in Goodman's ear. Goodman nodded, and cleared his throat. "We would like to call Officer Bruce Simmons to the stand."

"Very well. Officer Simmons, please come up to the stand" Judge Pooby announced. Simmons stood up and walked to the front of the courtroom. He took the oath and Judge Pooby started asking questions. "So, you took this case alone since your partner was away, is that true?"

"Yes sir. Brookie was away on vacation. Bowser called the station and I answered, which led to me leading this case." Simmons responded.

"Alright... have you noticed anything out-of-the-ordinary with Bowser and/or Junior?" The judge asked.

"Junior's behavior, from what I've heard and the times I've seen him, is very erratic. The chef's manipulation and/or brainwashing has really messed him up. Bowser on the other hand has been trying his hardest to stay calm about the whole thing. I've witnessed him break down over the whole thing, blaming himself as the bad guy for letting it happen." Simmons explained. The whole jury, besides Judith, gasped at the last part. Bowser looked down at his feet embarrassed, then nodded.

"Okay...That is all for now. I may call you back up here later, but for now you may sit down." Judge Pooby said. Simmons nodded before exiting the stand and taking a seat.

"Your honor, I have a request." Brooklyn Guy announced. The judge told him to say it. The lawyer turned to the jury. "That officer may have been involved in solving this case, but he wasn't actually there now was he? Sure he may have been with Bowser, but he wasn't with my client or the kid. But you know who was? The kid's friend, Joseph. I say we call him up to the stand."

Judge Pooby considered it, before nodding. "Very well. Joseph HisFriendFromSchool, come up to the stand."

Junior looked at Joseph in anticipation. Joseph looked back and gave a thumbs-up before going up to the front. He sat down, took the oath, and waited for the questioning to start.

"Alright, Joseph. You were with Chef PeePee and Junior on their trip, correct?" The judge asked.

"Yep, that was me." Joseph answered.

"How long were you with them?"

"Well, I found them walking around Titoville on... Saturday morning. They pulled me into an alleyway, and told me what Brooklyn Guy just told everyone; that Bowser had been abusing them, and that they ran away because of that. Then I decided to take them to where I lived." Joseph explained.

Judge Pooby listened intently. "And, your parents were fine with this?"

"I don't have parents. My mom abandoned me like 6 years ago and my house burned down so now I just live outside." The jury let out a small gasp and murmured some things Joseph didn't hear. Judge Pooby raised a brow, before writing something down.

"So, you tagged along with them on their journey because...?" Judge Pooby said.

"Because Junior's my best friend, and I want to help him out. Even if I haven't been the best to him in the past, I wanted to change that." Joseph beamed. "Also, just to mention it, we werent starved or abused or anything. We ate less than we usually did, but that's because we were walking a lot."

Judge Pooby nodded, and told Joseph he could sit down for a while, but Goodman stopped him. "I want to ask the boy a few things before he sits down." Joseph frowned a little before going back to the stand. Goodman stood up and faced the boy. "You mentioned that Junior was your best friend, right?"

"Yep, I did. We've been friends since 2014." Joseph answered.

"And as his best friend, you'd believe anything he said. Correct?"

"Of course." Joseph said. Bowser instantly knew what Goodman was doing. Junior was starting to catch on as well.

"Even if it was absurd, or... possibly a lie?" Goodman questioned. Bowser smirked, knowing he was about to gain the upper-hand. Junior stared at Joseph, shaking his head. Unfortunately for the ginger, Joseph didn't see him.

"Yeah." The boy said. Goodman smirked and turned to the jury.

"See? The boy is so close to Junior, that he has believed everything he has said blindly even if it was a lie. In fact, it is very possibly that Chef PeePee had Junior lie to his friend to cover their hide. What a scum." Goodman said. Joseph realized what he had done and instantly regretted it, very evident based on his facial expression.

"Wait! That's not what I meant! He didn't lie!" Joseph exclaimed. "He couldn't have!"

"I'm sorry Joseph, but unless the defendant has any questions for you, it's time for you to sit down." The judge said.

"But he didn't lie! Even in private he told me what his dad had done!" Joseph shouted. One of the court guards went up to him and escorted him off of the stand and back into his seat. Once seated, he put his head in his hands in defeat. Junior knew he had good intentions. He wasnt mad. He patted the boy on the back and continued watching in suspense.

The judge reviewed his notes, and in the meantime Brooklyn Guy sat down to talk with his client. "Well that backfired. What do we do now?"

"He doesnt have anyone else that could vouch for him, right? As long as Marvin doesn't switch sides, and no one messes up, we should soon get the upper hand." Chef PeePee told the lawyer.

"Alright, so I've noticed that the two people already called up may be close to the victim, or the case itself, but I know that there are some people here that live with both the victims and the defendant." Judge Pooby stated.

Brooklyn Guy stood up. Excuse me, your honor, but I have a suggestion. How about we hear from the actual victim, aka Junior who actually experienced everything first-hand."

Goodman stood up as well. "Objection! Junior's mind isnt stable. He's been manipulated by the chef, so whatever he says will at the least be biased in some way. Also, he's only twelve. I have no idea how his friend got called up but by how he acted I'm sure the victim doesn't know how to act in a court setting."

Judge Pooby examined the situation, and banged his gavel. "Objection sustained." Brooklyn Guy's jaw dropped and Chef PeePee frowned as Bowser smirked, unbeknownst to the judge. "I shall call Shrek up to the stand.

Jackie Chu and Simmons sighed with relief as the ogre walked up to the front. They were free from smelling his odor, at least for a little while. The green man took the oath, and sat down in the witness seat. "Mr Shrek. How long have you lived with Bowser?"

"Ever since my friend Marvin, who I've been living with for a while now, got evicted and had to move in with him. I think that was in... 2015. We all even moved to the new house with him when we got evicted from the apartment we were in." Shrek explained.

"And do you know Bowser, Chef PeePee, or Junior well at all?" Judge Pooby asked.

"I haven't really talked to Bowser... at all. Junior, I've babysat a few times. The chef donkey has made me cheesecake many, many times. So, we are pretty chill with each other." Shrek said.

"Okay... did you hear anything about anyone being abused in the house?" The judge questioned.

Shrek thought for a moment. "Not really. Though, I don't really hear much besides the sounds of my craps when I'm in the bathroom. I think I might've seen the chef with a black eye once though."

"Right..." The judge mumbled, pretty disturbed by the ogre's words. "Anyone else have any questions for the ogre before he sits down? Please make them quick, he doesn't smell too good."

Brooklyn Guy raised his hand and stood. "Shrek, I have a question for you... Do you think the chef would kidnap anyone? Does he have any reason to?"

"I don't think so, lawyer donkey. He's very scrawny and weak-looking." Shrek said. The chef crossed his arms and frowned, but stayed quiet. "As for reasons... Not really. Unless someone ate his cheesecake, of course. Though, he isn't as Sara-Lee-crazy like me."

"You may sit now." Judge Pooby said.

"May I actually use the bathroom? The cheesecake I bought off of a homeless man earlier isn't sitting well." Shrek requested. Judge Pooby sighed and shooed him off.

Goodman got the judges attention. "Excuse me, your honor, but I have reason to believe that the ogre was very biased with his responses. It's clear he is close with the chef, and the chef has made him lots of cheesecake. Who's to say he wasn't bribed?"

Brooklyn Guy piped up next. "How would the chef bribe him if he was in jail? And besides, that ogre said that he's seen my client with a black eye. It is highly likely that the black eye was given by Bowser."

"You have a good point, defense attorney. I will call up the next witness." Judge Pooby said, taking a note before calling Tony up to the stand. The tiger ran up, took the oath, and waited to be questioned. "Mr Tony the Tiger. Are you close with any of the victims, or the chef?"

"Nah, not really. I'm close with Marvin though. Hey Marvin!" The Tiger beamed, waving at Marvin, who awkwardly waved back while averting eye contact.

"Right... So, why are you here then?"

"Because this kid in a helmet told me to come and support Chef PeePee because the Boozer guy did some really bad things. I support you Mr Chef! What that Boozer guy did was bad!" Tony said. "I prefer poop though. Haha, poop!"

"Okay, that's enough. You may sit down, Tony." Judge Pooby grumbled, clearly not amused with the tiger's behavior.

"Your honor, that witness was clearly not competent enough to testify." Goodman said.

"I know, I know. Trust me, I'm aware." The judge sighed. The next witness was called up, that being Woody. The judge asked a few questions as he answered as vaguely as Tony did, not knowing Bowser's family well enough to answer thoroughly.

"Sorry your honor, but I don't know them folks that well. I only know Marvin's fam, and my shrimpos." Woody said.

"It's fine. Just sit back down." Judge Pooby said. "Are there any members of this household who actually know who they live with and don't just sit in one room and talk to two people at best?!"

Toad raised his hand and waved it around to get the judges attention. The judge noticed him and called him up to the stand. "So, Toad, what is your relationship with Bowser, Junior, and Chef PeePee like?"

"Well, I really didn't talk to Bowser much. Junior was my childhood best friend, way before my rap career took off. We don't see each other as much now, but we still hang out a lot. As for Chef PeePee, I always loved helping him cook. We had a lot of fun together, cooking in the kitchen and him kicking me out after I added some of my special touch to his recipe." Toad reminisced. "I really need to be home more..."

Judge Pooby wrote down some things and cleared his throat. "Did you ever notice any unusual behavior from anyone?"

"Well, Chef PeePee was grumpy quite a bit, but who wouldn't be if they were a slave." Toad said. "Also, when we were younger, sometimes Junior's dad would pull him into his room, then I'd hear a lot of yelling from Bowser, and a lot of pained yelping from Junior. Junior would always come out of the room looking terrified, but would say he's fine."

"Objection! Your honor-" Goodman tried interrupting, but was instantly shushed by Judge Pooby, who told him to wait.

"When was this? Like which age range?" He asked Toad.

"Uh... well, it's been like that for as long as I can remember actually." Toad said. The jury's eyes widened in shock, a few audibly gasping.

Judge Pooby eyed Bowser, who shrugged like he had no clue what Toad was talking about. He then jotted down some more notes. Goodman stood up. "I have a question for you, Mr Toad. Did you ever see Bowser doing any of these things?"

"On occasion, like if Junior broke something. He was pretty rough too." Toad answered.

"Interesting..." Judge Pooby said. Goodman looked anxious that his question backfired. Brooklyn gave Chef PeePee a fistbump, then stood up.

"I have a question for Toad too." He said. "Do you know some of the reasons that Junior was beaten?"

"Bad grades, if Junior spilled something on accident, if he did anything accidentally, or if Bowser was drunk." Toad told him.

"Very interesting..." Judge Pooby said. The jury murmured as the judge wrote more things down. "Toad, you may sit down."

Toad got off the witness stand, winked at Bowser mischievously, and went back to his seat. Junior gave him a high five, along with the other kids (including Tony who really had no idea what was going on but hey high fives are cool!)

"I know my client, and I know this is all a misunderstanding, your honor." Goodman said with a nervous smile.

"Yes, quite believable." the judge said sarcastically. "I heard grades were mentioned by the previous witness, so will Jackie Chu come to the stand?"

Jackie Chu stood and walked up to the front. He took the oath, and sat down. "Mr Chu, how is Junior doing in school?" Judge Pooby

"Very bad, very dumbshit he is. He has an A+ in history and art, which is acceptable, but he has below a C in every other subject, including attendance." Jackie Chu said. Junior was embarrassed at the mention of his terrible grades. Though, he was happy about the 2 A+'s he had.

"Even attendance? How much school does he miss?" Judge Pooby asked.

"Around 5 days per month. His dad tells me he's sick." Jackie Chu answered. "If he misses 3 more days this year, he will be held back."

Judge Pooby wrote something down. Chef PeePee whispered something to Brooklyn Guy. Brooklyn Guy nodded before standing up. "Mr Chu, I have a question for you. Does Junior take any medication at school?"

"Nope. I have been notified that he has ADHD, but he doesn't take his medication at school, and from how much he pays attention, I don't think he's taking it at home either." Jackie Chu said.

Bowser whispered something to his lawyer also. "My client has notified me that Junior does take his medication, but can't take it as often as he should due to the price."

Judge Pooby hummed in response. Chef PeePee knew it was a lie; the boy's medication ran out a long time ago and Bowser hadn't even tried to get more. He even had insurance too, but he didn't know how he'd prove that in court.

"Thank you Jackie Chu, you may sit down." The judge said. Jackie Chu bowed before returning to his seat.

Brooklyn Guy piped up. "Your honor, I have recognized that all of Junior's friends have been called up except 2. I say we call Cody Nutkiss up to the stand. He's a proper and smart kid, so he won't be vague."

Judge Pooby thought for a moment, before agreeing. Cody was called up to the stand. He gave Junior a quick thumbs up before scurrying to the front.

"Cody Nutkiss. You are a friend of Junior's, yes?"

"Of course, your honor. We've been friends for a very long time, I think around 8 years. We're very close." Cody answered.

"Have you experienced anything that Toad described? With Junior's father pulling him aside and beating him?" Judge Pooby asked.

"I have, your honor. Junior has also told me his father has threatened and intimidated him even after Chef PeePee was taken into police custody." Cody explained, adding extra details for the judge to have in his brain for later.

"Have you seen Chef PeePee do anything like that?" Judge Pooby questioned, writing what Cody previously said down.

Cody thought for a moment. "No your honor. He got mad at Junior many times for making messes or breaking cups or pestering him, but I haven't seen or been notified of Chef PeePee laying hands on him." Bowser and Goodman both searched their brains for an excuse to say.

"Objection! The chef could've done it while you weren't watching, then manipulated the boy into lying about it just like he did with sneaking him out." Goodman said, springing up after knowing what to say.

"You people just love making excuses, don't you..." Cody muttered. "Your honor, even with the times he's been angry at Junior, Chef PeePee has also shown him great care. He's like the father Junior was never given."

"Hmmm... Objection overruled." Judge Pooby said, much to Goodman's dismay. Junior smiled. All the witnesses were backfiring on Bowser. It was only a matter of time before Bowser's cover was blown. Junior had waited a long time for it to happen. He was so close he could nearly taste Chef PeePee's burnt cooking again.

The next witness was Rose. She told the judge that Junior had seemed terrified the entire time he was back home. Goodman tried saying that it was because of Chef PeePee's manipulation, but Rose said that no manipulation she'd seen made someone that terrified, and that the fear was genuine. She told the judge about the boy hiding in Jeffy's closet. She also said that Jeffy was the one who told her that he was actually being abused and that she hadn't seen him so serious about anything else before, which led to him being called to the stand.

As Rose was still at the stand, Bowser was appalled. That was the reason she had left, the full reason. He turned backwards to Marvin, who avoided eye contact. Bowser knew that he bent the truth. He wasn't very happy about that.

Jeffy took his oath, and sat in the witness chair. "Jeffy, your adoptive mother said that you hid Junior in your closet as soon as you got home. That is true, correct?"

"Yes, your honor, I did do dat." Jeffy replied.

"Why did you?"

Jeffy took a deep breath before speaking, as to ready himself. "Well, I was sitting on my bed playing my cat piano, when I heard thumping coming up the stairs. Before I knew it, Junior was in my room pressing himself against my door so no one could come in. I asked him if he was okay and he started rambling about his daddy and how he was scared he would get beaten. So, to make sure that didn't happen, I hid him up in my closet, then distracted my daddy enough so he wouldn't search my room too gud."

Judge Pooby took a few notes while the jury and the witnesses took it all in. "And, you never doubted him?"

"Of course not, your honor." Jeffy said. Marvin was surprised by how Jeffy was acting. He was afraid that the boy would be disrespectful and rambuctious. Luckily for the red-clad man, Jeffy eavesdropped on Cody's tips to Junior and learned a few things.

"May I ask why?" The judge requested.

"Well..." Jeffy took another deep breath. "I've kinda been in his shoes before." The jury quietly gasped and widened their eyes. Marvin and Rose knew well what Jeffy was going to say, but all the others listened in suspense. "Until I was 11 years old, me and my sister endured years of abuse from my mom. If we even something that made her even the least bit unhappy, she'd hit us, starve us, and lock us in a cage. I tried to tell the police, whenever I could, but they never believed me. Feebee, my sister, would always say she was gonna kill us. She thought her own mom would kill her, just like Junior told me he thought his dad was going to kill him." Everyone in the courtroom gasped, even Goodman. Bowser felt himself panic a little, but he kept his composure. He knew he could use the 'manipulation' excuse again, it'd just be a little harder.

Jeffy felt a lump forming in his throat, but he swallowed it the best he could. He couldn't breakdown in front of everyone. He took a few more breaths before continuing. "She didn't live past 7. Luckily, bad mommy wasn't the one to kill her, she actually got hit by a car. But even after her death, I was still treated the same, most of the time even worse. I kept trying to tell the cops but time after time... They didn't believe me. After a while, she got tired of my and dropped me off at my new daddy's house. I got lucky, but if Bowser goes free, Junior won't be as lucky. He'll end up like Feebee did. Please, just believe him."

Jeffy didn't even let the judge get a word in before he left the stand and sat back down. Rose gave him a tight hug, tears rolling down her face as well. Marvin couldn't do anything but feel terrible. He'd seen how Jeffy was around his mom, and now the memories of forcing him to go back with her were coming back. He then realized... the same thing was happening again, except with a different kid. But he could stop it this time. All he had to do was be called up there.

Judge Pooby cleared his throat awkwardly, and stuttered on his words a little. "Okay then... jury, you all heard that."

Bowser whispered something to Goodman, and Goodman gave him a look before standing up. "Excuse me your honor, but it seems that this child has taken what the manipulated child has said to him too literally." Jeffy was appalled. That whole speech, and the lawyer still made excuses. He wanted to get up and say something, since the whole thing was about believing the witness, but Rose stopped him in fear of him worsening things. Bowser whispered something else to the lawyer, who nodded and continued speaking. "Furthermore, I have one final witness that knows Bowser and knows he wouldn't do any of the things described by these witnesses. Marvin."

Marvin's heart dropped. Judge Pooby called him up to the stand, and he felt everyone's eyes on him. Jeffy's, Rose's, Junior's, Chef PeePee's, and the one that made him the most worried, Bowser's. He forced himself to stand, and walk up to the front. Bowser's gaze continued, as if he was saying 'don't mess this up for me.'

Marvin had a decision to make. Be a yes man to his longtime friend and roommate and not get insulted or attacked, or do the right thing and risk Bowser being very, very angry at him. He knew he had to choose the latter, but it made him terribly nervous. He felt nauseous as he took the oath and sat down in the witness seat.

"Mr Marvin, how long have you known the plaintiff?" Judge Pooby asked.

"S-since 2006, your honor." Marvin said, internally face-palming at his stuttering. Even while looking away, he could still feel the pressure of Bowser's eyes on him. He wanted this to be over with and be able to go home and watch the meatball channel with Rose and deal with Jeffy's antics.

"And you moved in with him in 2015, correct?"

"Yes, your honor." Marvin answered.

"Did you ever see any of the actions described by the witnesses? Abuse, yelling, child neglect, etcetera?" Judge Pooby questioned.

"Not really...?" Marvin replied nervously.

"I need an actual answer, Marvin." The judge said. "Not just vague responses. We are in a courtroom, and I dont think you are as distant from everyone as the tiger or the cowboy or the ogre are."

"I've seen him yelling at Junior sometimes, but I can't really remember any abuse right now..." Marvin said.

"How often do you see Chef PeePee with Junior?" The Judge asked.

"Pretty o-often."

Judge Pooby wrote something down and continued questioning. "And do you see Bowser and Junior together often?"

"Well, uh... If we go on trips, then yeah." Marvin said not-so-confidently.

"What about at home? Are they ever alone together?" Judge Pooby questioned, leaning in as to pressure Marvin.

"Kinda...?"

The judge groaned. "Enough, go sit back down. It seems we've called everyone up that won't lie, so the jury will make their decision."

Bowser smirked. The lack of evidence would make it highly likely that he would win. Sure, the legal fees would be higher will all the struggle, but that didn't matter. What mattered was his revenge, and boy was he ready for that.

Marvin on the other hand, felt embarrassed, and dissapointed in himself. He failed that little kid. All because he was scared. He ever used to be scared. He'd always take Bowser head-on in fights when they were enemies. Now he was scared of the guy being mad at him for telling the truth.

This couldn't happen. Marvin couldn't let himself be seen as a coward.

"Wait!" He shouted. The jury, who was starting to stand up, stopped. Judge Pooby looked confused, and the saddened witnesses look more surprised. Bowser's confidence crumbled a little, but he tried assuring himself he was fine. "I... I have something to say."

"Well, go on..." Judge Pooby told him, still looking unamused.

Marvin now felt everyone's eyes on him, not just Bowser's. He wanted to just say nevermind, and run off of the stand. But he couldn't quit now. There was no going back, nothing would be normal anymore. He could only make the future better. He cleared his throat.

"Throughout this entire case, I've been mostly out of the loop. I really only believed what I was told, and what I seen on the news. I don't know the kid that well, we hardly talk. Me and Chef PeePee... we're kinda friends, but only on occasion. And with him being either missing, or locked up, I really only heard anything about the case from Bowser. But a day or two ago, I learned from my misfit son that you can't just listen to one side of the story and get an answer." Marvin explained. Bowser knew where this was going, and he wasnt happy about it at all. Chef PeePee did too, and was becoming increasingly proud of him.

"Have any of you noticed how Chef PeePee hasn't gotten a single word in this entire case? No statements, no interviews, no talking to anyone who would listen. Hell, I was the only visitor he got while in jail. He told me that Bowser had been abusing him and Junior, and that's why Junior came up with the idea of them running away. Am I doubtful of this? Of course I am. I've known Bowser for a long time, and before this entire thing started happening I had no thought of him doing anything he's been accused of. But there's more than 1 side to a story."

"What are you trying to say, Marvin?" Judge Pooby questioned, genuinely curious this time.

"I'm saying that we should listen to the victim. Call Junior up here, and at least listen to what he has to say. Even if he's been 'manipulated,' it won't hurt anything, right?" Marvin said.

Brooklyn Guy stood. "I agree with Marvin. Call Junior up here, let's see what he has to say." Bowser felt things crumbling down around him, and tried to get Goodman to stop it, but Goodman couldn't.

"If you're innocent, then why are you this scared of your son telling the truth?" Goodman whispered to him. Bowser didn't have an answer, instead sitting back and grumbling to himself.

"Alright then. Junior Reynolds, please come up to the stand." Judge Pooby said.

Junior's whole mood shifted. He could actually say his truth. He could tell everyone the truth, without being shushed or censored or hidden away. He stood up, his friends wishing him luck, before heading to the front of the courtroom.

"Wait a second, I have an unrelated question for Marvin." Goodman said. "If you have all these people, ogres, and animals living in your house, then why the fuck are your house payments always late?!"

"Uhhh, can we discuss this later?" Marvin stuttered, before standing up from his seat. Goodman scoffed before crossing his arms.

Marvin passed Junior on his way back to his seat. The kid looked him in the eyes, and gave him a thumbs up accompanied by a small smile. Marvin smiled back, then continued walking. He sat down, and Rose gave him a kiss on the cheek, followed by a tight hug. Jeffy saw the scene unfold and raised his eyebrows, or rather unibrow, at his father. Marvin rolled his eyes at the boy before hugging Rose back.

A Bailiff approached Junior as he sat in the witness chair. "Justin Reynolds Jr, please raise your right hand." Junior did as the man said. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god?"

"Yes, I do." Junior responded. The bailiff then told him to sit down before walking away. Junior looked over at Chef PeePee who was talking to Brooklyn. Chef PeePee then locked eyes with the ginger boy. He smiled a bit and nodded, as if to say 'you've got this.'

Judge Pooby cleared his throat to get the attention of the court. "Junior Reynolds... Were you kidnapped, manipulated, or forced into running away with Chef PeePee?"

"No, your honor. I was not. That was just a lie my dad made up so the police wouldn't be suspicious, and so that he could have me back at home to take his anger out on." Junior answered.

"And you're the one who came up with the idea? Why?" Judge Pooby asked.

"Well, on Thursday, the day before me and Chef PeePee ran away, my dad's abuse got really bad. In the morning he hit me all over my face and body with a shoe and left bruises all over. Chef PeePee came in and tried to stop it but my da- Bowser hit him with the shoe too. My bruises were so bad I couldn't come to school that day since not even makeup could cover them up." The jury gasped on the last part. Bowser looked panicked yet fakely composed at the same time. Meanwhile, Chef PeePee only watched with a slightly sorrowful look, not wanting to rethink the events of abuse that went on before everything changed.

Junior continued. "So, Chef PeePee cleaned me up, got me a happy meal to cheer me up, then we took a nap. After that, I woke up, waited for dinner to be ready, and colored in the meantime. I still had my colors out when dinner was ready, and Bowser got mad at me so he shoved them off of the table and slapped me in the face really hard. That night I slept in Chef PeePee's bed because I felt safer there. I asked him why he never left, and he said because he didn't want to leave me. Then, I said, 'Well, why don't you just take me with you?'"

Everyone was dead silent. The jury stared in shock, the witnesses as well. Chef PeePee's face was neutral, he already knew since he was obviously there. Bowser was getting increasingly worried. He tapped on Goodman and told him to do something, but he didn't budge. Bowser groaned as Judge Pooby wrote something down.

"How long has your father been abusing you? Has he done that in other ways besides physically?" Judge Pooby asked.

"He's been abusing me since... well, as long as I can remember." Junior said. Many people gasped. "And even besides hitting me, he'll call me names, and say I'm stupid and worthless. When he's not doing that, he's in his room watching Charleyyy ignoring everyone, including me. That stupid show is all he loves. Chef PeePee was more of a father than he ever was."

Bowser was now shaking. Goodman wouldn't do anything, the judge wouldn't do anything, and Junior was up there spilling all of his secrets. He was opening the doors that ha been closed for years, and Bowser couldn't let that keep happening.

"Your honor! He's lying! I've never laid a finger on him! T-that chef! He's the reason behind him saying all this! You have to believe me!" Bowser shouted. "I spend every moment I can with him, I shower him with love! I do everything I can for my precious baby!"

It was Chef PeePee's turn to stand up. "It's obvious that you're the one lying. You can tell by your voice! Give it up Bowser, your own son has exposed how much of a piece of shit you are!"

"My voice is like this because my baby is about to be stuck with a MONSTER!" Bowser screamed angrily, his voice sounding desperate with each word.

"That would only happen if you won this case!" Chef PeePee retorted. Bowser tried to get past Goodman to attack the chef, but the bailiff and court guards held him back.

"I AM INNOCENT!!!" He shouted, trying his hardest to break from the guard's grasp. Everyone in the courtroom mumbled and talked amongst themselves about the situation unfolding. Brooklyn Guy brought out his taser just in case Bowser were to escape, but luckily Judge Pooby was able to get the attention of everyone.

"HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted loudly, the sound echoing and bouncing off each wall in the courtroom distracting everyone from their endevours. "ENOUGH! THIS IS A CIVIL COURTROOM!"

Bowser stopped trying to pursue the chef, and instead sat down while grumbling. Goodman looked at him with disgust, and turned his body away from the man. Brooklyn put his taser away and he and the chef sat back down. Junior's heart was racing. He felt even more nauseous each time he felt it beat. He didn't want to see Chef PeePee get hit again. Never again.

"I think I've seen enough. Junior, you may go back to your seat. Thank you for answering my questions." Judge Pooby said, turning to Junior on the last part. Junior nodded, before scurrying back to his seat. His friends stared at him in awe once he sat down.

"That was intense, dude." Joseph whispered.

"Are you okay, Junior?" Cody asked, concerned."

"Yeah, I'm fine guys. I'm just nervous. What are they gonna do now?" Junior said.

"It is time for the jury to discuss the verdict. Witnesses, you may stay in here while the jury goes to a separate room. Plaintiff and prosecuting attorney, and defendant and defense attorney, a court guard will lead you to an office where you will wait until the verdict has been reached. Mind you, this might take a while." Judge Pooby explained. He banged his gavel, and stood up to lead the jury to a separate room to discuss. Two guards took Bowser out of the courtroom, Goodman following behind. Before Bowser left, he glared at not only Junior and Chef PeePee, but Marvin as well. Marvin averted eye contact, but knew well that Bowser was very, very, angry at him. Junior went back up to the front to Brooklyn Guy, who was watching Chef PeePee being escorted out by two more guards.

"Do you think that we'll win this?" Junior asked the lawyer.

"I hope so, kid." Brooklyn Guy said before walking over to his buddy Simmons.

Junior hoped so too.