It Doesn't Even Matter

Preveiw chapter of Oliver spin off- Denied

Denied. One word. One stupid destructive word. "What do we do now?" I ask John from across the table in his office with Mom.

"Oliver," Mom grips my hand like she's scared I'll disappear or run off again. I hear the request coming in her voice before she says it. "You have to testify sweetheart."

"No, I don't." John's face hardens and I see from the corner of my eyes how Mom's breaking.

"Baby-"

"You can't make me do it." Something dangerous and defensive comes out in my tone and she takes her hand back from me.

"Oliver-"

"What do we do now, what are our next steps? What do we file now?" I cut her off making direct eye contact with John.

"We don't. The judge ruled, you have fourteen days to- "

"Bullshit! Theres got to be something else we can do! I don't have anything else to say! I told them everything."

"Evidently not."

"What?" My teeth grind together at his comment rage starting to boil up in me resting right on the edge of overflowing.

"Look Oliver I'm not trying to upset you but they have enough evidence that says you didn't for a judge to issue a subpoena for you to have to testify or-"

"Don't even say it, he's testifying."

"I'm not-"

"You are." I scoff by mistake and the room goes quiet, all of us sitting silently in its echo.

"When do I need to go in for sentencing?"

"What?" His voice is low and Mom's is soft both of them asking it at the same time.

"When should I go in?"

"Your testifying" Mom says it again like it might change my mind but it doesn't.

"No mom," I turn to her trying to grab for her hand and she moves it away. "I'm not."

"Then I want you out, tonight."

"What?"

"I don't want you in my home."

"Mom you can't be- " my voice breaks and the room falls still again.

"I can't go through this anymore Oliver. I just can't do it." She stands abruptly picking up her purse and I swivel fully so I'm facing her. "I just can't. Find somewhere else to go and you can have someone come by to get your things." I'm frozen by her words. She moves, the door clicks shut, but everything has stopped.

"Well," John says after a moment of nothing. "Figure out where you're going to go, I have to call this in and then they have to approve it." A loud humorless laugh slips from me.

"You've got to be joking," I say more to myself than to him. "This is," I laugh again. "Don't say that I'm not testifying ok, we still have time to figure this out."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"What?"

"Why won't you testify? You talked the first time, so what's changed?"

"I didn't testify the first time, don't even say that." I try to keep my fear hidden but it's hard when I know I'm in a room he's been in hundreds of times.

"Oliver-"

"Don't. Everyone keeps talking about the magnitude of this case and then asking me to talk like that so simple. Well-" I paused realizing what I've just half confessed to him and his eyes stretch thin. "Just let me call and see who I can stay with and you can see if they'll approve it."