Adopted by Hamilton

Chapter 99 - Testify

When we got home from the show Thursday night, Lin and Vanessa brought me into the living room.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously, was I in trouble, did something happen, were they giving me back to my bio parents?

"We kind of have some news." Vanessa said, Lin was in his office.

"Is it good or bad?" I asked, kind of nervous.

"Kind of both." She admitted.

"So, we got this in the mail a couple weeks ago." Lin said coming in with two pieces of mail. He handed one to me, as it was addressed to me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's a notice to appear in court." He explained, and my heart fell into my stomach.

"Wha... What? Why?" I fumbled my words.

"You need to testify against Nick." Vanessa said.

"Oh." I said softly.

"I have one too." Lin said sitting next to me.

"A friend of mine is your lawyer, he's really good." Vanessa added.

"I mean, this could put him in Juvie for a year." Lin reminded me.

"What will I have to do?" I asked.

"Just answer some questions, honestly sweetheart." Vanessa had her hand on my shoulder.

"It's all going to be okay."

"I don't want to see him." I confessed, pulling my legs up onto the couch and hugging them.

"We know, it's just, I mean, it's this or drop the charges and he goes back to school with you." Lin said.

"I want to press charges. I'm just afraid."

"It's alright, you'll be alright, we know, we'll be with you." Vanessa hugged me.

"And we're going to win, and this will all be over." Lin said, "it's 11:00, we have to be there at 10:00 tomorrow, bedtime Niñita." He added.

"Okay." I sighed standing up.

"Do you need me to carry you?" He asked, and I rolled my eyes and yawned.

"That yawn means yes." He said, and bent down for me to get on his back, "hop on sweetie." I smiled, and got on his back. He brought me into my room and set me down on my bed.

"Can you hand me Cookie?" I asked, pointing to the stuffed dog.

"You named the stuffed dog that Thayne got you, Cookie?" Lin asked, handing him to me. "Fitting." He smiled. "Good night Niñita, I love you." He said, leaving the room.

"I love you too." I said, as he closed the door, and then I fell asleep.

•••

I was sitting in the court room, alone. I mean, I had my lawyer, but, Lin and Vanessa couldn't sit with me, because legally, I was the one pressing charges. I could feel Nicks cold glare land on me from my right, he was sitting next to me. I'm not sure why.

"You're not going to win this." He whispered in my ear, and his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. "There's no way you're going to win this."

Suddenly the court case started, and I had no idea what was going on, until someone grabbed my arm, and started yanking me towards the center of the courtroom.

"He called for you to be sworn in three times, pay attention." Everything was a blur and then I was sitting on the stand and Nicks lawyer was talking to me.

"Where were you when my client allegedly assaulted you?" He asked.

"Um, an alley way on 51st street, by the Ambassador theater."

"Wrong, according to my client you were in Pennsylvania." He flipped a page in his notebook.

"What? How can I be wrong? That's where this happened, why would I be in Pennsylvania?" I was throughly confused.

"Next, did my client assault you? And if so, in what ways?"

"Yes he did," I took a deep breath, "he, um, assaulted me physically."

"Why?" The lawyer asked.

"Why what? I don't know why?"

"No, why would he assault you, that makes no sense." As he said this my eyes drifted down and landed on my lap. "Your Honor, I move that all charges against my client be dropped, on am the grounds that they're ridiculous." He turned to the judge.

That was so stupid, what's going on? That doesn't work in a court of law, where's my lawyer? He's not here anymore, wait, Lin and Vanessa are gone too, Ryan and Linda are where they used to be, what's going on?

"Motion passed." The judge said, and Nicks lawyer smirked and went back to Nick. Someone grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the stand.

"What were you thinking pressing charges against that sweet boy?" It was Linda, my birth mom. "He would never do something like that." She shoved me out of the New York courthouse, and I was suddenly back in Oregon. I could tell because it was raining and there were hipsters.

"You could of ruined his life." My birth dad came over to me, and grabbed my waist harshly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I flinched, "it won't happen again." I said.

"You're right, it won't happen again." He picked me up then threw me harshly against the concrete, and sharply kicked me in the stomach. "It. Won't. Happen. Again." He said pausing between each word to kick me, I nodded and he gripped my hair yanking me into a standing position. "Niñita. Calm down." Ryan said, and I was confused.

"Lin?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm here." Ryan said softly, but after saying that, he slapped me across the face. "Niñita, wake up, it's just a dream." I heard Lins voice coming from Ryan again, and my eyes fluttered open.

"Niñita, you were dreaming, it's ok, what happened?" He asked, and I sat up in bed.

"I'm not quite sure." I said, "my birth parents were there, and it was like, we were in court, but we lost, I don't really know." I confessed.

"It's alright, your birth parents aren't coming to court, they don't even know it's happening, and there's no way we can lose the case, everything's going to be fine, and, he's going to go away. Don't worry about it." He tried to calm me down.

"I know, it was just a dream." I said, letting my head fall back onto my pillow.

"Yeah, everything's gonna be alright. I'm going back to bed, get some rest." He kissed my head, and left my room.

•••

In honor of my next chapter being my hundredth, I will be posting a chapter that's basically me finishing all the questions (now's your last chance!), I'll post some of the character development I have written and include in depth character descriptions! Yay! Ok, since questions are closing tomorrow, here's everyone I have left:

Nick

Mr and Mrs Walter

Abi's friends

Misc.

Myself

And her birth parents (just now adding this, if you want to ask something you can!)

Thanks for reading!

- Abi