Page 129 of Dare To Live

That’s something I understand. Just as I had to open mine, Eli has to be the one to face this. But he’s not alone, not with me beside him.

This is part of the process of moving on. It’s what we need to finally start to heal. Ivan is right. We need to lay the past to rest.

“Take your time,” I whisper, when he doesn’t move, his eyes locked onto the metal door.

The sound of my voice seems to snap him out of his trance. He takes a step forward and slots the key in the lock, and inches the door open. There’s an old tablet on top of a stack of books. Photographs are stuck to the inside of the metal door. A few of Eli and Zoey. Then another of the three of them together.

“That’s my math book.” Eli’s voice is low and raw. “He always brought my books down the night before, so I had them for class.”

I curl my fingers loosely around his hand. “You should keep the photos.”

“And the tablet … it should still work.”

“We can get a charger from somewhere.”

“There’s one in the box of Kellan’s stuff in my room.”

My heart aches. “We can look at the tablet when it’s fully charged.”

He closes his eyes for a brief moment. “Would you do it with me?”

I squeeze his hand tightly. “We’ll do it together.”

Chapter 72

Eli

I gather up the stuff from the lockers and stash it all in one of the bags supplied by the school. There’s a prickling between my shoulder blades, and I’m sure if I turn around, I’ll find one or more of the other students watching me.

I’m starting to feel like I’m in a weird reality tv show—my every move being watched, assessed, and discussed. Has everyone walked through the gates of Churchill Bradley and forgotten they are now twenty-eight years old? Have they reverted to their eighteen-year-old selves? Have their lives been so unhappy that this is the only thing they have left that makes them feel alive?

I straighten and turn slowly, my gaze moving over everyone in the hallway. Most of the ex-students are focused on their own lockers, but Lacy and Linda are leaning against the far wall, eyes on me. Jace is nearby, also looking in my direction, but his expression is more uneasy than anything else.

Out of all the people involved with Evan, Jace had the most involvement with his schemes. Part of me is surprised he turned up to this event, another part of me isn’t. I’m pretty sure Jace Black is just as much a victim of Evan’s manipulations as everyone else.

“Wait here,” I instruct Arabella in a low voice.

“Why? Where are you going?”

I nod toward Jace. Her fingers curl around my sleeve. “Eli—”

“It’s okay.” I pat her fingers, then peel them off. “Wait here.” I set off toward the other man.

His gaze doesn’t leave mine, nor does he attempt to evade me. Instead, he straightens and lets his arms drop to his sides. I stop when I’m an arm’s length away from him. Up close, I can see the suit he’s wearing is old. There’s a slight sheen to the material where it’s worn over time. His shirt is rumpled, with faint stains that haven’t washed out. I wonder what happened to him. His family was as rich as mine when we were growing up.

His throat moves as he swallows, and he drags a hand through his hair, shoving it away from his forehead. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come back.”

“I wasn’t sure, either. Why did you?”

“To see you.”

That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. “To see me? Why?”

“Can we go somewhere and talk? I don’t really want to do it with an audience.” His eyes dart past me to where Lacy and Linda stand. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m on a stage, with everyone staring and waiting for the action to begin.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

His jaw clenches. “You know what.”

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