I Hate You More

The Jury Has A Verdict

Harlen

"He's gonna get what he deserves."

The memory of Remington's words ran rapidly through my head, as I was sitting on the witness stand. We had been here for two hours, and the only thing left, was my testimony.

"So Ms.Fields," My father's defense attorney questioned as she walked closer to me, "what happened the night of your "kidnapping"?"

I made sure to look her in her eyes, just as I was instructed to. It was kind of hard because, she was just cold, "I was walking to my friend Renee's house."

"Where were you coming from?" She said shortly.

"The house I had been living in with my band."

"So you weren't even with your father?"

"No I wasn't," I responded, "one of my bandmates moved my sister and I out of my father's apartment after he walked in on a fight I was having with him."

"A fight with your father?" She asked.

Did I not just fucking say that? I nodded my head instead of saying the words in it.

"What was the fight about?"

"I was with the band I was in. We were doing some recording, and one of my mates dropped me off after we were finished," I clarified, "he was mad that I wasn't home as often as I should be."

"Was this fight violent?"

"Yes."

"And do you mean violent as in physically or, violent as in he hurt your feelings?"

"Objection," My lawyer, Yasmine, spoke up, "call for intimidation your honor."

"Objection sustained." The judge nodded before focusing on the woman in front of me.

"Ok," The woman cleared her throat, "would you say that this argument was physically violent, or verbally violent."

"I would say both." I nodded.

I felt my body heating up because, I knew everyone's eyes on me. Including his. I hadn't seen him since the day he left me in his basement, and now he was here, and sitting in front of me.

"What brought it to that point?" She acted confused, which made me mad.

"I told my father that I was at work-"

"So you lied."

"Yes," I sighed, "I did lie, because I was told not to hang out with the person who was dropping me off, and I was convinced that lying was a way to protect myself."

"If you were hanging out with someone your father told you not to, doesn't that give him the right to be upset?"

"I do believe that would give him the right to be upset," I nodded, "but I do not believe that would give him the right to strike me, and that is what I was afraid of."

The attorney thought for a second, and when she couldn't come up with a snarky response she instead asked me to continue my answer to the previous question.

"Me bringing up my job, lead my father to bring up the eviction notice on the counter. Even though my father is part owner of a law firm, he expected me to pay the rent. When I brought this up to him, he struck me in the ribs."

"Mr.Kropp," The lawyer paused to gesture to where Remington was sitting in the audience, "testified that when he walked into your apartment- without knocking- he saw you on the floor, with your father towering over you? How could he have punched your stomach if you were on the floor."