Her words echoed like thunder. Even the bailiff shifted uncomfortably.
Karen wiped a tear from her cheek. “Your Honor, I can’t keep saving him. If detention will help, send him. If harsher punishment is needed, do it. But please—don’t let him walk out of here believing he can keep living like this. He needs to know that not even his mother will stand by his lies anymore.”
The Sentence
Judge Whitmore raised his gavel. “Ryan Cooper, I hereby sentence you to twelve months at Franklin Juvenile Rehabilitation Center. You will undergo mandatory counseling, complete your education program, and perform community service for the very neighborhoods you’ve stolen from. If you fail to comply, you will be transferred to adult court upon your eighteenth birthday.”
The gavel struck. The sound was sharp, final.
Ryan slumped in his seat. The cocky boy who had walked into the courtroom now looked like a child stripped of his armor.
