He pulled off his jacket as he went back into the room. Hayden had his cheek pressed to the table, hands over his head.
“Do you know how often they disinfect that tabletop?” Oliver asked as he sat down.
Hayden peeled his face off the table to glare at him. “Are you going to tell me how fucked I am again?”
“I’d prefer not to. Your dad hasn’t told me much about your situation.”
Hayden laughed. “Too busy sucking your dick?”
If this kid thought he was going to ruffle Oliver’s feathers with a couple dick jokes, he was going to be disappointed. “So why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“I already told you.” Hayden flopped back in his chair, long limbs splayed in all directions.
“That’s not what I asked.” Oliver kept his voice icy calm.
“You asked what happened.”
“I meant last year. There’s no point in trying to defend you for this if I don’t understand what happened last year. The first time you got arrested.”
Hayden sighed. “It’s in my file. I’m sure there’s a copy around here somewhere.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
“Well, I don’t feel like talking about it.” Hayden crossed his arms over his chest. When he glared, he looked so much like Nick, it nearly broke Oliver’s heart. So much of the father in the son, and the distance between them was painful.
“Hayden, I’m your lawyer.”
“I didn’t ask for a lawyer.”
Oliver continued, unperturbed. “Anything we say here is protected by confidentiality. I don’t have to disclose anything you tell me unless it’s as part of your defense or if I’m asked a direct question in court. But aside from that, I’m not allowed to share anything you tell me with the police, your teachers—”
“I know all of this.”
“—Or your parents.”
The room fell silent. Hayden kept glaring, dark eyes flashing black and brown, angry, frustrated.
Frightened.
“Is there anything I should know about last year? Anything that could help me, even if you don’t want your parents to know?”
“No.” But the dark eyes blinked and darted away.
Yes, there is.
“Your dad said you were bullying a kid in your class.”
Hayden shrugged, but he still wouldn’t turn his eyes back to Oliver’s. “He was a loser. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Your dad said he was gay.”
Another shrug.
Oliver made notes on his legal pad. Nothing important, only the recipe forMango Tornado, but Hayden wasn’t watching him, and it bought him some time while he planned his next approach.
“Your dad told me you came out to him.”
Hayden’s eyes shot back to his face, and he met it blandly. The statement was a risk, but Oliver needed to make some headway. “What if I did?”
