"Semi-Short Stories" [ Story Collection ]

The Trial [] 6/12 []

They're sitting on their hands to stop them from shaking. But now they're tapping their foot. Is it noticeable? Can anyone else hear it? They feel the urge to pick at their nails.

"Give the court your name."

"Max."

"No, no. Your full name."

"Don't you have it written down or something? Why are you making me say it? You didn't make anyone else say it."

"Why so defensive? Charlotte gave her full name - it's but a simple question. What is your name?" There's a glint in his eye. Daciana probably asked him to do this.

More frustrated than anxious, and now red-faced, they huff. "Maxine Cosmina Theodorescu."

Something clatters to the floor. Max turns their attention to the spectators to spot the man from earlier sitting back up from where he'd grabbed whatever he'd dropped. The attorney, unfazed, begins speaking with a satisfied smile and a nod.

"Maxine - can I call you that?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Maxine." He begins pacing, completely ignoring the answer to his question. Either he's used to getting a yes, or he's just an asshole. "Tell me about your relationship with your mother."

"She calls me her mistake."

There's overwhelming silence in the room for half of a moment. It caught the attorney off guard. This is the fourth statement but the first time this word was mentioned.

"Elaborate."

"She's never said it to my face, but I've overheard her talking to my dad about it. She's said worse to her sister." Max's confidence has returned, fueled by their anger and hatred and something else.

"What did she say to her sister?"

"She said that if she could, she'd go back, fake a miscarriage, and secretly have an abortion. She said she hadn't meant to get pregnant. It was too soon after Charles and Charlie." Max leans back in the chair. Their throat hurts.

"Perhaps she was just overwhelmed at having to take care of so many young children at once."

Max scoffs and leans forward once again. "She said this on Thanksgiving. My youngest sibling is almost twelve."

More murmurs. The attorney seems to be struggling for words, for a solid argument against this. He changes the subject. "Stella stated that you treated your mother poorly as well. Do you think your behavior was the cause of what she'd said? Maybe she was stressed and needed to express her frustrations to your aunt. Did you do anything drastic before she had said that?"

"I moved out and went to live with a friend of mine. The only thing that could have stressed her out was my presence at my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving, which for the record, I wasn't actually invited to. She decided to remove me from all family FaceBook groups so that I wouldn't be able to tell when these holiday gatherings would be. Charlie told me." The fake pregnancy also could have stressed her out, but that hadn't happened until after Daciana had said this.

The attorney has begun to pace once again. "So you weren't kicked out."

"No. I wasn't. She was threatening to kick me out because I hadn't been home for a few days, because I couldn't handle her and was giving us both a break, so I decided to just leave before she could have the satisfaction of making me leave. Which is where this charge comes in, considering she made zero effort to find me and actively cut me off even more, even though I'm only seventeen."

"Your father didn't make any efforts either?" There's still the chance that he played a role in the neglect. This attorney isn't speaking on behalf of Chad, so he doesn't care whether he makes him look bad or not.

Max scoffs once again, rolling their eyes. "My father? Please. He never made any kind of effort. Ever since I could remember, he acted as if I didn't exist. He would tell people that he had six kids, not seven."

"Again, could that have been because of your behavior?"

"Look. I wanted attention, that much is true. I would do things so that I would be noticed. I've accepted this fact and will admit it - but it isn't as if I murdered someone. I never did anything horrible. I snuck alcohol. I took the car out for joyrides. I used their credit card to buy clothes, when everyone else had gotten clothes and I had gotten my sister's pink, frilly, overly feminine hand-me-downs. I just wanted to be seen as equal, is that really too much to ask? Or was that attention-seeking behavior really bad enough to make my dad act as if I'm not his kid? Tell me that, Mr. Attorney Man." Slightly out of breath, Max leans back into the chair once more. Their anxiety is forgotten.

"I have another question."

"Are you serious? You're going to completely ignore what I just said and just change-"

The gavel is brought downwards with a sharp thud. Max sucks in a breath and goes silent. Mr. Attorney Man smiles his thanks to the judge.

"Your mother told me that when you left, you stole around two-thousand dollars. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is. I consider it compensation for how I was treated my entire life. If it's that big of a deal, I'll pay it back." Max crosses their arms. 

The attorney returns to the defendant's table and speaks quietly to Daciana for several moments. When he finally turns back to the judge and Max, he puts his arms behind his back.

"No further questions, Your Honor."