Page 45 of Behind the Bars

Mama rolled her eyes. “Stop being dramatic,Jasmine.”

“Howlong?”

“A few weeks, almost amonth.”

My heart fractured. “You weren’t going to tell me, were you? Until tomorrow when we were boarding a plane? If I hadn’t run into you just now, you wouldn’t have told me we were leaving until it was actuallyhappening.”

“What does it matter?” she asked, appearing confused by my anger. “It’s what we do—we move, we chase thedream.”

“I don’t want your stupid dream!” I cried, running away from her. I hurried down the spiral staircase toward the bathroom in the basement. I slammed my hands against the door and hurried inside, taking deep breaths. Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed Ray’s number, and a sigh of relief hit me when heanswered.

“Snow? What’s up?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be in school? What’swrong?”

“She’s making us move,” I told him, swallowing hard. “She said we’re going to London to work with Trevor, and I don’t want to. I don’t want to go, and she’s trying to make me. Please, Ray, don’t let her take me. Please ask her to let usstay.”

“I was hoping it wasn’ttrue…”

“Youknew?”

“Yeah. I just thought she wouldn’t go through with it. I’m so sorry, SnowWhite.”

Tears flooded my eyes as I shook my head back and forth. “I want to stay here. I want to stay with you. Just let me stay with you. Mama can go on her own for all I care. I want to stay here. This is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a home, and you’re the closest thing I have to a dad, Ray. Please, let me stay withyou.”

There was a long pause. Each second that passed made me cry evenmore.

“There’s nothing I’d love more than that, SnowWhite.”

Yes…

“But…” hestarted.

No…

“At the end of the day, I don’t really have a say in that choice. I don’t get a say, because I’m not yourfather.”

I wondered if those words hurt him as much as they stung mysoul.

I hung up the phone and left the bathroom. As I was walking the hallways, still on the verge of more tears, Elliott was standing up after being pushed around by Todd and his friends. Ever since Elliott had punched Todd, he’d been getting harassed more andmore.

He never mentioned it to me, and whenever I brought it up, he’d say he was fine and change thesubject.

“Jazz? What is it?” Elliott asked, walkingover.

“I…I…” Tears started falling down my cheeks, and I shook my head. There were still three hours left of the school day, but I knew I couldn’t make it. I was too heartbroken to keep going to class that afternoon. “Run away with me?” I asked him. “Just for the rest of theday?”

“What’s wrong?” he askedagain.

“Everything.”

He glanced down the hallway and then held his hand out. “Okay. Let’sgo.”

* * *

Isnifflednonstop as Elliott and I sat on top of the closed dumpster in the alleyway of Frenchmen Street, listening to the music playing in the bars we weren’t allowed to step foot inside. We’d been there for hours, watching the sun start to fade intonight.

“You’re really leaving?” Elliott asked, his voice low as he fiddled with his fingers. His round, thin-framed glasses sat on his face, hiding the hazel eyes I loved, and his lips were turneddown.

I nodded, unable to stop looking at him, even though he couldn’t bring himself to turn my way. “Yes.”

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