Page 93 of How We Fooled

But it all might be too late.

“How do we …” I pause, not sure how to ask about how we keep our story from getting out.

“Don’t worry about anything right now. All we care about is that both of you are okay,” Heather says, gripping my hand in a reassuring way.

I nod, wanting to agree with her, but knowing we’re probably both royally screwed.

They release me from the hospital, and we drive straight to the jail where Eli is being held.

“I’ve been told he’s good to go, but just in case, why don’t you guys stay here, and I’ll go inside to get him?” David says as he puts the car in park.

Heather and I sit in silence as I stare at the door, waiting for Eli to walk out. Time ticks by slower than I thought humanly possible as my eyes burn because I’m afraid even blinking will make me miss him.

The door finally opens, and when I see Eli walk out, I open the car door and race toward him. Not thinking twice, I jump up, wrap my arms and legs around him, and cry into his shoulder.

He catches me, just like I knew he would, and whispers into my ear, “Shh … don’t cry. I got you. I’ll always protect you.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

“I still don’t even know what happened.”

He stills and pulls his head back slightly, not letting go of me. “Look at me.”

I do as he asked.

“You don’t need to know. I know one thousand percent it was not you. All you need to know is, I was not going to let anything happen to you.”

“But you were arrested.”

“And I’d spend the rest of my life in jail if it meant that you were okay. You hear me?”

I nod while more tears fall.

He brings me to him again, holding me tightly. “I was so scared something had happened to you.”

David places his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s get your truck then go back to the cabins. I’m sure you both need to get some sleep.”

Eli doesn’t let me down. Instead, he walks us both to the car, guiding me to get in. When he enters on the other side, I slide over to him, needing to hold him more than ever right now.

After we arrive back at the restaurant, we exit the car, and I never leave his arms as he talks to his parents about them getting a room at the same place and getting back together in the morning. It’s really all a blur to me as I just focus on holding him tightly. I know, tomorrow, our world will come collapsing down, so I want to be with him as long as I can until then.

We wake up to his dad calling.

“Hey, Dad,” Eli says.

I wait in silence, as whatever he’s saying has Eli not moving one bit until he lets out a loud, “Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?”

He rubs his eyes, breathing in and out, not responding to me.

“How do they know?” he asks.

My stomach drops as I sit up. “Who knows? The school?”

He shakes his head, not looking at me, which makes me even more nervous. He pulls the phone back, checking for something on the screen, then bringing it back to his ear.

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