Page 50 of Your Side of the Offense

"And the others?" he asks as we stare at each other.

I stare into his green-blue eyes, instead of being a mixture like everybody else's his almost change between the two. Sometimes they favor the blue and sometimes they are greenish.

But I don't answer his question because I have no answer for it. He is a different case. The others, I don't know. I don't know if I'm ready.

"Listen, don't feel bad or feel pressured. What you feel is valid. And I will try to respect your choices," he says, holding my cheek and I allow his comfort and understanding to sink into me.

The nurse comes in after and so do the others. We stay for a while, leaving after midnight. He is getting discharged in the morning so we will have to be back for that.

They drop me off at my dorm and I don't even have energy for a full shower. I wipe the makeup and wash my face before I change to my sleeping clothes and am out.

15

CHARIOT OF ELIJAH

Summer

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"What the fuck?" I murmur trying to shake the sleep in my eyes. Did I hear that or I was just dreaming?

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I groan.

"Don't break my door down." I slip out of bed and look at my watch. 07:21 a.m.

Archer. I need to go to the hospital.

I open my door and find an almost frantic Logan.

"What the fuck, Su?" He walks in, eyes not leaving me as he stands in the middle of my room. He looks pissed and I know he has every right in a way to be, but I hope he isn't here to scold me or some shit, ‘cause that isn't going to go where he thinks it will. I don't have time for it.

"Morning to you too." I push the door closed.

"Why the fuck is your phone off? Do you know how worried I've been?" He spits fire like a dragon, but honestly, I don't have the energy to entertain this little tantrum. I walk to the phone on my bedside table, ignoring that.

It's still on Airplane mode.

"I forgot to take it off Airplane mode," I say, sitting on my bed. Fuck, I need sleep. And I don't need this.

"Are you serious? That's all you will say?"

"I'm sorry?" I hold back the shrug that almost pops out of me. "Look, I got an emergency, and I couldn't answer calls or texts."

"What was the emergency, Summer?" he asks but by the look on his face he already knows. Which would be accurate because Archer was fetched by an ambulance at their house, of course he'd know.

"You know what happened, I don't know why you are asking." I get up needing to get ready.

"So, you really cancelled our date to go attend to your ex?" he asks, rage spilling out.

I stand in front of him.

"Look, he is sick, and I panicked. When they fetched me, I thought the worst and I wasn't thinking."

"Couldn't you have told me that last night instead of switching your phone so I couldn't even reach you?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think." It's all I can say. Truth is, I really just need this conversation to be over.

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