The last of them

 Instead of heading straight to Dev's house, they made their way to the park, their sanctuary. The swings creaked softly as they sat, the evening air cool against their skin. .

Cole put his hands in his worn out trouser pocket, staring at the sunny sky as the first hints of dusk settled over the town. "Do you ever think about what happens after this?" he asked, voice low.

Dev frowned. "After what?"

Cole motioned vaguely around them. "This town. Our lives. If we ever get out."

Dev smirked. "Of course. We're gonna get out, Cole. We'll go to college, live in some crappy apartment, work shitty jobs, but at least we'll be free."

Cole chuckled. "Sounds like a dream."

"It's not a dream, man. We make it happen." Dev nudged his shoulder. "But we gotta do something about it."

Cole turned to him. "Like what?"

Dev took a deep breath. "Like leaving. For real. I mean, tonight."

Cole's eyes widened. "Tonight?, I thought we were going to your place Dev?"

" Cole we can't stay at my place, my dad doesn't want to see you" Dev said.

Cole slowly looked at the ground, taking a deep sigh. "So what do you suppose we'll do man? Can we really leave tonight?"

Dev nodded. "Look, I'll grab some stuff from my house. Money, clothes, whatever we need. Meet me back here in an hour."

Cole hesitated. "Dev, are you sure?"

"One hundred percent." Dev stood, brushing dirt off his jeans. "We can't keep waiting. If we don't go now, we never will."

There was a bit of awkward silence between them. Devan could see Cole was scared, he hesitated.

"Just trust me man, we are in this together" Dev reassured Cole.

Cole bit his lip, then slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," Dev repeated, relieved. He patted Cole's shoulder. "Stay here. I'll be back before you know it."

**********

Dev sprinted home, fueled by adrenaline. His heart pounded, not just from running but from the idea that this was it. They were finally leaving.

But as he got closer, he heard shouting.

He slowed down, creeping toward the front door. Inside, his father's voice boomed, filled with anger, but he wasn't alone.

"You let her waste away in this house!" one of his aunts, Margaret, snapped.

"She's my wife!" his father shot back. "You think you can just take her?"

"She's dying!" Aunt Helen cried. "And it's your fault!"

Dev's stomach twisted as he stepped inside. His mother sat on the couch, looking small and frail, her eyes barely registering the fight happening around her. Dev's mother was diagnosed with cancer. It kept his Father working very hard so that he could pay the hospital bills for his Mom. This was one of the reasons his Father remained distant from Dev. 

"We're taking her," Margaret said, her voice shaking with fury. "You can't stop us."

His father clenched his fists but didn't argue.

" I'm trying my best Margaret, do you think I like seeing her like that??"

"She's coming with us, and that's it" Margaret snapped back.

Nobody noticed Dev slip into his father's room.

His hands shook as he opened the drawer where his father kept cash. Bills were stacked carelessly inside, emergency money, probably. Dev didn't care. He grabbed what he could and stuffed it into his pocket.

Then he turned, grabbed his backpack from his room, and bolted out the front door.

Cole was still waiting at the park, exactly where Dev had left him.

"You got everything?" Cole asked as Dev skidded to a stop.

"Yeah. We're set…"

"Well, well, well."

The voice sent a shiver down Dev's spine.

Jack.

Dev turned just in time to see Jack and his gang, Dan, Eli, Ian and Chou, stepping out from the shadows, blocking their exit.

Cole tensed beside him.

Jack smirked, his usual arrogance dripping from every step. "Where you two off to in such a hurry?"

"None of your damn business," Dev spat.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, but it is our business. See, you embarrassed me back at school. And I don't like being embarrassed."

"Leave us alone!" Cole said, his voice firm but wary.

He looked at Cole. "You know, I heard your dad's looking for you. Bet he'll be real happy to know you've been sneaking around with Dev."

Cole's face went pale.

Jack laughed. "Maybe we should let him know where you've been hiding out."

"This is your last warning Jack, leave us alone" Dev said trying to control himself.

Jack tilted his head. "Or what? You two gonna run away together? Like a couple of losers?"

Dan chuckled, while Ian and Eli grinned. Only Chou looked uncomfortable.

"Just walk away," Dev warned.

Jack scoffed. "Or what?"

That was it.

Dev lunged.

The park erupted into chaos.

Dev tackled Jack to the ground, fists swinging. Jack fought back, shoving Dev off as Dan, Ian and Eli jumped in.

Jack grabbed Dev's collar, slamming him into a short fence there in the park.

He swung back, hitting whoever was in front of him.

Cole was fighting too. He tackled Ian, knocking him to the ground.

But there were too many of them.

Dev was yanked back, punched in the stomach so hard he felt like throwing up.

Cole tried to pull Dev away, but Dan grabbed him, throwing him aside.

"Stay out of this!" Dan sneered.

Cole stumbled back, but he wasn't going to stay out of it. He swung at Dan, catching him across the face.

Jack, furious, turned his rage on Cole.

He shoved him.

Hard.

Cole's foot slipped.

His arms flailed for balance.

And then…

A sickening crack.

Silence.

Cole lay motionless on the ground, his head against a rusted metal pole. Blood pooled beneath him.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

"Shit," Dan whispered.

Chou took a step forward, eyes wide. "Is he…?"

Dev dropped to his knees, his breath ragged. "Cole?"

No response.

"Cole, come on, man, wake up," Dev pleaded, shaking his friend. "This isn't funny."

But Cole didn't move.

They heard a police siren snapping the boys back into reality.

Jack took a step back, horror creeping into his expression. "We…,We gotta go."

Eli nodded quickly. "Yeah, man. We need to get out of here."

"But.." Chou's voice cracked. "We can't just…"

Jack grabbed his arm. "Move. Now!"

And just like that, they ran.

Leaving Dev alone.

With Cole.

And the sound of sirens growing closer.

The flashing red and blue lights cut arrived at the scene. The boys they saw running away invited them there. Two officers stepped out of the car, hands hovering over their weapons.

Dev raised his hands, his entire body trembling. "It wasn't me!" he choked out. "It was them, Jack and his gang! They pushed him!"

One officer moved toward Cole, checking his pulse. He exchanged a glance with his partner, then looked back at Dev. "Kid… your friend's gone."

Dev's world shattered.

"No, no, he's not.. it can't be… we were talking not too long." Dev crawled forward, grabbing Cole's limp hand. It was still warm. "Please, he's not…"

"Son," the officer said gently, "step back."

Dev couldn't breathe.

The other officer stepped forward. "What happened here?"

Dev forced the words out. "Jack. It was Jack. They killed him!, He pushed him. They came, they attacked us and then they pushed him!" Dev said as tears began to blur his vision.

The officers exchanged glances. Then one of them reached for his radio. "We have a 10-54. Suspect on scene."

Dev's eyes widened. "Suspect?"

Before he could say anything else, he was being pulled to his feet, his hands yanked behind his back. Cold metal snapped around his wrists.

"No! I didn't do this!" Dev struggled. "You have to believe me!"

*********

Jack and his gang were arrested. But Jack's father was a prosecutor.

And suddenly, everything changed,

The Lie That Sealed Dev's Fate.

The police station was suffocatingly silent except for the low hum of the flickering lights above. Jack sat in the middle of the long metal table, playing the role of the shaken witness. Dan and Eli sat beside him, their hands folded, expressions carefully crafted to look remorseful. Ian, ever the smug one, lounged in his seat like he had nothing to worry about.

But Chou sat stiffly at the edge, his hands clenched into fists beneath the table. His heart pounded in his chest.

They were about to destroy Dev's life.

And he was about to let them.

Two officers stood before them, their expressions neutral but firm. One of them, a tall man with graying hair, flipped open a notepad.

"Alright, boys," he said. "We need to know exactly what happened in that park."

Jack exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair as if struggling to find the words. "It…it was Dev," he started, his voice shaking just enough to sound convincing. "He… he lost control."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Lost control how?"

Jack took a deep breath, like the memory was too painful. "We were just passing by when we saw him and Cole fighting. It was bad. Dev was pushing him, shoving him, yelling at him. We tried to stop it, but…"

"He wasn't listening," Dan cut in, shaking his head. "It was like he was in a rage."

Ian smirked slightly. "I mean, the dude was always a little unstable, right? But this? This was something else."

The officer frowned. "So you're saying Dev pushed Cole?"

Jack nodded furiously. "Yes. We saw it with our own eyes. He shoved him hard, and Cole… Cole just fell." He swallowed hard, playing up the fake emotion. "He hit his head on that iron bar, and then he wasn't moving."

Dan let out a breath. "We tried to help, but… it was too late."

Eli added, "Dev just stood there. Like he didn't even care. No emotion. Nothing."

The officers exchanged a glance, their pens scratching against their notepads.

"And what did you do next?" the second officer asked.

Jack hesitated, then said, "We panicked. We ran to find help."

Ian scoffed. "And then your guys showed up and arrested us, like we were the bad guys. You should be thanking us for telling you what happened."

The officers ignored Ian's cocky remark, turning to the last boy at the table.

"Chou," the graying officer said. "You've been quiet. Do you have anything to add?"

Chou's throat felt dry. He could feel Jack's gaze burning into the side of his face.

This was his chance. He could tell the truth. Say that Jack was lying, that Dev had never laid a hand on Cole, that it was Jack who pushed him. That Dev had been trying to help, not harm.

But his hands shook.

If he told the truth, Jack would make him pay for it.

Finally, he swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. "No," he mumbled. "I don't have anything to add."

Jack's smirk was barely noticeable, but Chou saw it.

The officer sighed, scribbling down a few more notes. "Alright. We'll need you all to make official statements."

Jack nodded, feigning sadness. "We just want justice for Cole."

Dan, Eli, and Ian echoed their agreement.

As the officers left the room, Jack leaned back in his chair, stretching lazily. "That was easy," he murmured.

Dan snorted. "Dev's screwed."

Ian chuckled. "That's what he gets for messing with us."

Eli smirked. "Did you see the way Chou almost cracked? Man, I thought he was gonna spill."

Jack turned to Chou, his expression darkening. "But he didn't," he said smoothly. "Right, Chou?"

Chou didn't answer.

He had just watched Dev's life get torn apart.

And he had stayed silent.

There was no evidence to prove otherwise.

The case was clear-cut. Dev was painted as a violent, troubled kid.

His father came to the station but didn't fight for him. Didn't argue. Didn't believe him because Dev had stolen from him.

Dev was sent to juvenile detention.

Until he turned eighteen.

And then?

Then, the real punishment would begin.