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“I got the charges against you dropped to something less severe,” Dad began. He still sounded angry, but it was more controlled now. He wasn’t lashing out at me anymore.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Don’t thank me yet because you haven’t heard the rest,” he snapped. I flinched, nodding my head. “The judge has agreed to let you serve a six-month probation. You’ll need to go see your probation officer today. This is forever on your record, Holly, and violating any rules can land you in jail with no chance of getting out until you’ve served your time, do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

“The terms are you must maintain straight A’s as you have been, remain in school and attend all classes, and you must volunteer at a nonprofit organization every weekend of your choosing. Your probation officer will be checking in frequently and will also maintain a close relationship with your dean to keep a check on your attendance and your grades. If you’re sick, you’ll need to see a doctor to have a proper excuse for missing any classes. Understand?”

I nodded. “I understand.” My voice was small—timid. I hated it, but Ifeltsmall. So goddamn little.

He cleared his throat. “You’re dismissed. Lunch will be in two hours. I expect you to be down here, eating with us as a family.”

I nodded again and stood from the chair, grabbing my bag. Once I pushed my chair back in under the table, I quickly left the dining room and rushed up the stairs to my room, my hands shaking. I shut my door behind me and sat on the edge of my bed. My curtains were already open, but Jenson’s were still closed.

Holly:I’m on six months of probation.

Jenson:Fuck. Well, at least it’s not jail time, doll.

Holly:I have to go meet my new probation officer at some point today. I’m sure Dad will end up driving me.

Jenson:Do you know the terms of your probation yet?

Holly:Stay in school. Maintain A’s. Attend all classes, and if I have to miss because I’m sick, I have to have a doctor’s excuse. And I have to volunteer at a nonprofit organization of my choosing every weekend.

Jenson:That’s not bad. I’m sure you’ll find out more stipulations once you go see your probation officer. Just breathe. Everything is going to be okay.

Holly:I’m trying.

Jenson was right.Later that afternoon when I went to see my probation officer, more stipulations got added. No drinking. No drugs. Drug test every month. Random check-ins at my dorm. And I had to attend anger management counseling every week until the end of my probation.

“Do you understand everything I’ve explained to you?” my probation officer, Mr. Larry, asked me.

I nodded my head. He pointed to a line at the bottom. “Sign and date for me. Your probation officially begins today, Miss Keller.”

I grabbed a pen out of his cupholder and quickly signed my name at the bottom of the sheet, scribbling the date beside it. He nodded once at me as he slid the papers back over to his side of the desk. I capped the pen and set it back in his pen holder. “I expect you to be back on campus two days before classes start. Clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

He waved a hand to the door to dismiss me. I drew in a deep breath and left his office, heading out onto the sidewalk. Dad handed me my car keys. “Your car is parked down the block. Thank your mother when you get home.”

“Dad?” I called when he turned to get into his car. He looked at me, a hard look on his face that made my gut churn. I swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed and turned around fully, wrapping me in a hug. I sniffled, biting my lip to hold back my tears as I squeezed him. “I know you are. Just learn to think before you do things.” He brushed his hand over my blonde hair, leaning back to look down at me. “You’re smart, Holly. Don’t let bad decisions ruin your life.”

“I won’t,” I promised. I had no plans of ever doing something like this again.

He dropped a kiss to the top of my head before releasing me and getting into his car. And I knew that despite the horrible decision I’d made yesterday, everything between us would be okay.

It had to be. I wouldn’t let him down again. I fuckingcouldn’t.

8

Holly

The end of my college break was almost over. January was nearing, and soon, I’d have to head back to campus… two days earlier than I wanted. I wasn’t keen on leaving, mostly because I didn’t want to leave Jenson behind. We had yet to talk about what would happen when I left for college. I was over at his house spending time with him more than I was ever at home anymore. And so far, I’d managed to hide my relationship with him from my parents. They had no clue who I was spending so much time with, and they hadn’t asked.

But despite needing to talk to Jenson about what was going to happen when I went back to school, I was nervous about the conversation. Because what if this was only just some fun fling for him? Just a way to get a taste of someone younger? What if he wanted to call this off?

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