"O ok I feel you, I can't relate but I feel you." I couldn't help but be immensely annoyed by the smirk that came along with that sentence. With Ty being such a sponge when it came to information the idea of studying and hard work when it came to academics was foreign to him. Well, that's how he made it always seem. His smile seemed to ease the tension again, so he restarted the game. "You're studying criminal justice right? I never thought you would get into a field like that. You never seemed to be interested in law enforcement." I paused for a second and merely nodded. I got sensitive about my field of study and especially when S.T.E.M. majors looked down upon it. He used my disturbed moment to break one down the sideline for a long six. Laughing and dancing in his seat he asked me a question. "What is Justice to you?" Losing in this game didn't put me in the mood to really answer the question. I started the kickoff, trying to focus on getting those points back and gave a nonchalant answer.
"I guess payment from criminal activities." I felt Ty's head turn towards me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I was much more concerned about my next offensive move. After he felt himself being ignored, he paused the game again. I finally turned to look at him, his face was dead serious. "What?"
"Bruh, you are spending thousands of dollars of your money on this particular subject. You crossed the Atlantic Ocean just to study; you can give me more than that." I was kind of annoyed at being attacked and I really wasn't interested in getting deep into it. His deathly stare told me that he wasn't going to drop it, so I gave in and indulged him. Sighing to myself, I gave him the best explanation of justice I could think of.
"The dictionary meaning of justice is 'the maintenance or administration of what is 'Just' especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments'. In my own words, the quality of being fair and reasonable or the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this. Justice can be transactional eye for eye. If you wanted to know that you could have just looked that up on your phone. In my eyes, justice is just a social construct. Society and climate decide what's 'fair and reasonable' and more often than not it isn't 'fair'. In America, having a bit of drugs on you used to constitute twenty-five years in jail. That's not justice or that's not my value of justice. I don't see it as equal but who decides what's right and what isn't? As of now it's the various different governments in the world. Each government has their own spin on justice. There used to be a time where other governments would impose their own justice on others. Usually the 'justice' that they're fighting for is nothing but a beneficial outcome of whoever or whomever made it up and/or is enforcing it. That has been going on for centuries, I mean what was the Crusades but a giant era of murder, rape, and theft just to do 'Gods Work'. You couldn't tell the soldiers that fought in that war that their war wasn't their own form of justice. This world war that we're in right now is most definitely the result of someone's justice being imposed and forced on others. It's actually pretty fitting; it's just a cycle; A never ending wheel. I think this is right, so things should go this way, or I don't like your way I think this way would be better. In my eyes justice isn't something to be used on others. It's a personal thing, justice can be used as a sort of weapon to control people. To do what you want them to do but that way of thinking is wrong. No one on this earth is God so why try to control? Justice to me is simple. It's a question for yourself. Is this right? If it's wrong what is the proper way to atone? No one has the right to answer that question for you or enforce their answer on you. That is my justice." Ty looked back at me with his elbow on his knees and his hands balled up in front of his mouth. His eyes stared back at me intently. He looked as if he was considering every word I said repeatedly. Honestly, I never thought about justice and its meaning until now. Every thought I had about it just came bursting out as I considered its meaning and its history. Ty finally moved his hands and spoke in a quiet voice.
"I guess if it was up to you, your future wouldn't be looking too good. You wouldn't have a job to be studying for. Unless you wanted to be the one to dictate what is 'justice'." There was a pause as he looked at me with the same blank stare and then once that moment was over, he busted out laughing. I looked at him strangely for a second because to me nothing was funny. That's how I felt about the core of my profession which means that I don't believe in what I'm doing. Why was I really doing this anyway? Was it for the free scholarship? Was it to be a politician? I was never really patriotic and even after the U.S loss so much territory I never felt too tore up about it. It was a shock, but it didn't change my life too much. I still had to go back to school eventually and I still had to make some money somehow. I was in the rat race to support myself and this was the cheapest way at the time. It's a core contradiction, but as his laughing continued, I couldn't help but join in as well. His laughing was contagious and the whole topic wasn't that serious. Just hypotheticals and conversation between friends.
The thought came to me that it was about time for me to leave and go back to my dorm when I heard the door unlock. I felt like my heart stopped and the world slowed down. In walks CniDaria, looking twice as beautiful as when I last saw her. She was a grown full body woman now. She had the sexiest short cut, skin glowing, her tights showcased her thick thighs and perfect soda bottle figure. She had on a tank top to show off her flat tiny stomach and a pierced belly button. When she walked in her face was in her phone but when she looked up and saw me, she gave me the biggest smile. Big brown eyes and perfect white teeth, I seriously think that she was Aphrodite in the flesh. I smile back and look at Thylonius. Unaware of what I had going on in my head he looked at his sister blankly, unbothered by her sudden entrance.
"Hey Ni, look who I found roaming on campus."
"Oh my god. Look at you Nick, you've finally gained some weight. Did you fly all the way out here just to see your friend again? Aww how sweet." I couldn't get any words out. I was never very good with talking to her. I always thought that this was always a little high school crush that I had got over. Any other girl I talked to never had me like this.
"Naw apparently, he's here for a semester abroad. Hey, did you know that they thought we were dead in the old neighborhood?"
"Well, that's understandable, not like you made any effort to talk to anybody. We had our reasons though. So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to give me a hug? I haven't seen you in so long. It's always nice to see people from the states." I walked so stiff over towards her but when we embraced it felt like I've gone to heaven. She was so soft and she smelled like strawberries and fresh laundry. "Nick? You alright?" Damn, I lingered way too long with hug now I looked so crazy.
"Y-Yea I'm - I got to get back to my dorm, but I'll definitely kick it with y'all tomorrow. Have a good night." I rushed out the door without looking back and didn't exhale until I got to the elevator taking me back down to street level. Damn it! I think I'm in love again.