Page 29 of Behind the Bars

“Now you’re covered in it, too,” he toldme.

“All for one and one for all, right?” I joked,shrugging.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “All for one, and one for all,” heagreed.

We started walking beside each other, and for a few blocks, we stayed quiet. I was surprised once we hit the bus stop that the bus driver even let us get on, but in a city like New Orleans, I was almost certain he’d seen and smelled strangerthings.

“By the way, what happened to Todd’snose?”

“I broke it,” Elliott said matter-of-factly.

“What? How?Why?”

He shrugged before turning to look out the window. “He called you a badname.”

“What wasit?”

“It doesn’tmatter.”

“Eli,” Istarted.

He turned my way and locked his hazel eyes with my browns. “Jazz…” He shook his head. “It wasn’ttrue.”

I swallowed hard, a big part of me certain Todd’s words held some form oftruth.

Elliott saw it in me—my fear. He kept shaking his head and whispered, “I don’t feel sorry for you. Sometimes you look at me like you think I feel sorry for you, and I want you to know I don’t. I think you’re perfect the way youare.”

I quietly laughed at him repeating the words I’d told him earlier. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m a little messedup.”

“I know.” He nodded. “That’s why I likeyou.”

He went back to staring out the window, and I kept staring athim.

And there itwas.

So small, so tiny, soreal.

Love.

It wasn’t love, but it was the beginning ofit.

I knew I was young, and I knew it was stupid, but in that moment, I began to fall in love with the quiet boy who quietly cared for me. The boy who was scared and still strong. The boy who stood up for me when he was surrounded by reasons not to do such a thing. I hadn’t known much about love. I hadn’t known how it looked, felt, or tasted. I hadn’t known how it moved, how it flowed, but I knew my heart was tight and currently skipping a few beats. I understood the goose bumps covering my arms. I knew this stuttering boy who was sometimes so scared was someone worth loving. He was worth being the first one I gave my heartto.

I knew Elliott Adams waslove.

And I was falling into him sofast.

I hadn’t felt safe in a very long time, and Elliott gave me thatcomfort.

I lay my head on his poop-covered shoulder, and a tear rolled down my cheek. “No one’s ever stood up for me like that,” I toldhim.

“I’ll always stand up for you like that,” he replied, making my heart twist and butterflies form. “Because you aren’t the things people say you are,Jasmine.”

I sniffled and snuggled in closer to him. “And neither areyou.”

“Hey,question.”

“Answer.”

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