Page 69 of Paper Thin Love

I saw a part of Mila she had hidden for years. She saw a part of me I’ve been trying to kill for years.

I’m trying to drag that hidden part of Mila out; she’s been trying to keep me alive.

In the end, one of us will win.

It has to be me.

Chapter 28

Mila

Chills erupt when a shoulder brushes against mine.“Is everything alright?”” Jared asks as he joins me. I flex my toes, but the ground beneath my feet does little to settle me.

I find myself sinking deeper into the school’s thick metal gates. There’s a part of me that longs for the bars to open, pushing me back inside, trapping me with Dash.

The guards near Jared and me are edging closer, constantly monitoring and reporting. Within the school, we have unlimited freedom, but exiting through the gates is more challenging than anticipated. There is only one person my dad would trust to take me off the campus, only for a few hours, that is.

Glancing at the ground, I search the soil for evidence. The grass looks clean, but I know it has hungrily drunk up the spilled blood from my fellow peers. The dirt is like a demon that swallows up everything.

Kids have tried to escape The Cleansing; others just wanted freedom. Perhaps they had a fleeting moment to taste it before someone dragged them back inside.

“How did you get past the guards?”

“I’m a scholarship kid. They don’t care if I come and go,” Jared retorts with a hint of pain. I peer up at him and realize that I don’t know much about him. He rarely mentions his family or his past life outside these walls.

“I didn’t do it, Jared.” I admit, crossing my arms.

“I know,” Jared replies. Is that disappointment in his tone?

“Was it King?” He implies.

I shrug. I don’t know if it was Dash who had Mr. LeBlanc killed.

I sense Jared watching me now as if the dilation of his pupils can tear me open and see the secrets and lies deep inside of me.

“Who do you think did it?” My question is hesitant like slowly opening the cage door to an unknown beast lurking behind it.

His lip twitches. Was he going to smile?

“It doesn’t matter. Death here is just a normality. No one cares.”

An uneasiness rumbles in my stomach as I take a slight step back. Tires screech, causing both Jared and me to look at the car racing through the school gates. My escape is almost here, closer and closer, like the sun rising.

There is one person in my life I can call to help me. Unlike Dash, he has never granted me the full chance at freedom, only a few hours' reprieve. I called him because I felt like I was going to explode right into Dash’s arms.

I didn’t know if Dash would accept me or shove me away. I can’t risk my heart anymore today.

I push off the wall and turn to face Jared.“I’m sorry I failed you and all the other kids.” My vision blurs with tears.

Jared’s shoulders slump.“I shouldn’t have asked you to do that. I know you’re not like the other privileged kids here. You’re different.”

“I think the word you’re searching for is coward.”

“This world is so fucked up. Since when did not killing a man make a person a coward?” Jared grunts.

My tears fall freely.

“Don’t cry.”

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