Chapter 20: From today on, be Mr. Hawk! (Please follow!)

If one were to rank the most popular female students at Midtown High.

Gwen's popularity might not be the highest, but her ranking would definitely be first.

Even, there is a high probability that she would be first by a landslide.

It should be that the silent majority in the school would choose to cast their votes for Gwen.

This also includes Hawk.

He still remembers that when he first entered the school, because he was not good with words and was relatively solitary, he was mistaken by Gwen for 'being ostracized by classmates,' and she tried to help him integrate into the student group.

But this was only because Gwen was kind-hearted.

Hawk had never regarded Gwen's practice of seemingly caring about his affairs as anything else.

Because if it were other students, the beautiful and kind-hearted Gwen would also choose to help.

And how does that famous saying go?

Right.

There are three major illusions in life.

Among these three major illusions, 'she likes me' is undoubtedly the well-deserved number one by a landslide.

So…

Hawk naturally would not have this illusion.

Soon.

The Queens Court arrived.

Hawk looked at the court outside the car, said thank you again to Gwen who had brought him here, and then pushed the door to get out.

Then…

He heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind, turned his head to look at Gwen who had also gotten out of the car and followed, and a question mark squeezed out on his head again.

"?"

"How do you plan to go back? Walk back? It's a long way from the airport."

"Sub…"

"The Drivers Union is on strike; subway drivers are also drivers."

"……"

Hawk was silent.

Gwen smiled slightly and took the lead in walking toward the court: "Let's go quickly, it's almost three o'clock; you don't want Judge Bruce to cancel your hearing, do you."

Hawk looked at Gwen, who was walking in front of him, opened his mouth, thought for a moment, shook his head, and lifted his feet to follow.

Family Court, Courtroom Three.

Judge Bruce, sitting on the bench, tapped his small gavel.

"Next, Hawk's independent hearing."

"My lord."

Hawk rose from his seat and politely greeted the judge on the bench.

"My lord."

The staff member from the Children and Family Services Agency in charge of Hawk also rose.

Judge Bruce looked at the various materials Hawk had submitted for his application for independence, and after a while, looked at the staff member from the Children and Family Services Agency: "I see in the materials that he has never been adopted once, and there is no foster family?"

The staff member gave a bitter smile upon hearing this.

"Yes, my lord."

"May I ask why?"

"Hawk is different from other children; he didn't like to talk when he was young, and he didn't like to deal with others very much, so adopters never considered him; this is also the reason why Hawk has been in the adoption system for so many years and has never been adopted."

"Hawk."

Judge Bruce nodded after hearing the answer from the welfare agency staff, and then looked at Hawk, who didn't look like the type of person with an isolated personality just from his appearance: "I see in the materials you submitted that you are applying for independence because you want to rent a house?"

Hawk nodded.

"Yes, my lord."

"May I ask, how do you plan to pay the rent after you become independent."

"I have already saved thirty thousand dollars in my bank account; if it's just renting a cheap apartment, it's enough to ensure that I can pay the rent before I find a job."

"Thirty thousand?"

Judge Bruce heard Hawk's answer, flipped to the bank account deposit certificate that Hawk had submitted while applying for independence, and then looked at the other materials; a flash of disbelief crossed his eyes.

No phone.

No computer.

No car, and he didn't even have a driver's license.

Judge Bruce was a little surprised.

It wasn't that orphans hadn't applied for early independence before they were eighteen, but Judge Bruce was seeing someone like Hawk, who reduced all non-essential consumption, for the first time.

Not to mention, this was the first time Judge Bruce had seen an orphan who had never been adopted by an adoptive family or received by a foster family have such a huge sum of thirty thousand dollars in their deposit account.

Judge Bruce thought in his heart, looked at Hawk, and his tone was somewhat inexplicable.

"You have great self-control, Mr. Hawk."

"Thank you, my lord."

Hawk's heart moved when he heard Judge Bruce's address to him.

Because 'Mr.' is the address for an adult independent male.

Sure enough.

Judge Bruce smiled slightly, and with a 'plop,' stamped the seal on Hawk's application for independence materials, and while handing it to the bailiff next to him, looked at Hawk and said: "Under normal circumstances, I don't agree to early independence, because the adult world is very cruel, but you, Mr. Hawk, I believe you are already prepared, so, congratulations, Mr. Hawk."

Hawk took the materials passed over by the bailiff, listened to Judge Bruce's words, and looked at Judge Bruce.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Judge Bruce nodded and smiled at Hawk, and then tapped the small gavel again: "Next case…"

Hawk left the court with Gwen, carrying the stamped materials.

Outside the court.

Hawk looked at the material in his hand that had been stamped by the court and smiled slightly.

Because with this material endorsed by the court, it meant that he was already independent in the eyes of the law, and even if his actual age was not yet eighteen, he could sign a rental agreement with a landlord.

He could finally move away from the hangar, a temporary residence that was a powder keg that could explode at any time.

This was great.

Hawk thought happily in his heart while walking toward the subway station.

The next second.

He was pulled back.

Hawk looked up, looked at Gwen, who seemed somewhat speechless, blinked his eyes, and reacted.

Oh right, the subway was also suspended.

"Sorry."

"Let's go…"

Gwen shook her head, then thought of something, looked at Hawk, and added a sentence: "……Mr. Hawk."

Hawk raised an eyebrow at Gwen, who had a smile on her face and was walking toward the vehicle parked not far away.

At this moment, a traffic police officer was standing in front of Gwen's yellow Corolla.

"Wait a moment, Officer."

Gwen looked at the traffic police officer who had already taken out a ticket, ran up quickly, and hurriedly took out a business card from her backpack and handed it over.

The traffic police officer was slightly stunned when he saw the card Gwen handed over, and then reached out to take it.

But this was not a business card, but a family card, a type of card that circulated among the families of the New York Police Department.

This card had only one function.

To prove that you are one of us.

The traffic police officer looked at the family card in his hand, noted down the name and phone number of '19th Precinct: George Stacy' on it, then looked at Gwen, immediately put away his ticket machine, and handed the family card back to Gwen.

"Go ahead."

"Thank you."

Gwen hurriedly thanked him.

The traffic police officer got back on his police motorcycle and left with a 'put-put-put' sound.

Gwen looked at the departing traffic police officer, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, looked at Hawk, and her tone was somewhat fortunate.

"That was close!"

"……" ===== CHAPTER 22 =====