Page 18 of Fixing Emilee

Stepping around her, I grab her hand, leading her up the stairs. I’m so damn nervous, but the fact that she walked out of school to follow me gives me hope that everything will be fine. My phone rings as we enter the room, cutting through the silence. Pulling it out, I see it’s mom. “Make yourself at home. I need to get this and then let Zak know we’re here,” I say, stopping at the doorway.

“Hello.?” I steel myself for the pissed off version of Mom I know is on the other end of the phone.

“Where the hell are you? Larry calls saying you got suspended for three days for fighting again. Then you never answer your phone. What’s the point of me paying the bill if you never use the damn thing? What is going on, Parker? I thought we talked about this,” she yells at a level that makes my ear ring. Emilee’s eyes widen, a guilty look crossing her face. Fuck that. She did nothing wrong, and I will not let anyone make her think she did.

“I told you. Hell, I told everyone that I wasn’t going to stand by and allow them to hurt her again. Christian had his fucking hands on her. All I saw was Emilee sitting on the ground freaking out and him in front of her. What was I supposed to do, let it continue? Fuck that,” I say through gritted teeth because I can still see the image of her cowering on the floor. I don’t know who designed the school’s doors, but I need to thank them for putting windows in them. “I didn’t know what was happening, nor do I know the whole story yet, but I promised to protect her, and that’s what I did. I don’t regret it one bit. I would have put him in the fucking hospital had a teacher not pulled me off him.”

A sigh comes through the phone. “Parker, I understand you want to protect her. We all want to make sure that never happens again. But you have to think before you act. There are consequences to your actions. You’re eighteen, and he’s still a minor. His parents can press charges on you for assault. You have a future to think about. You should have just told a teacher.” The yelling has stopped, but the disappointment lacing her words is worse.

No, I won’t feel bad for what I did. “Yeah, because they were such a huge fucking help last time, huh? Look, mom, I know you want the best for me, but I won’t just sit by and let anything happen to her ever again. If he wants to press charges…” My phone is yanked out of my hand. Turning around, I see Emilee walking toward the bed with my phone stuck to her ear. “What the fuck? You can’t just take my phone.”

“Quiet, Parker, and yes, I can,” she smirks. My dick takes notice of her being bossy and likes it.

“Ms. West. Hi, it’s Emilee. First off, I want to apologize for this mess.”

Nope, that’s not okay. “No, you have nothing to apologize for,” I growl out at her.

“Parker, let me talk to your mom.” She shoots me a glare that tells me to shut the fuck up. Sighing, I cross my arms, leaning against the door jamb to watch her.

“Sorry about that. What I was saying was I’m sorry for all of this, but rest assured, no charges will be brought against Parker,” she states calmly but with authority in her voice. I love seeing her so confident and controlling.

“No, I understand, but I promise you…” Mom must cut her off, saying something Emilee disagrees with because she rolls her eyes.

“Yes, I can promise you. Because if Christian tries to press charges, he will be admitting that he broke the agreement he signed. If he breaks that agreement, no matter the circumstances, my dad is dead set on putting him behind bars

“Also, I happen to know that there is an open investigation into the vandalism of the town’s new welcome sign. I also happen to have information about that which would interest the chief of police that Christian wouldn’t want me sharing.” God, this girl is stunning when she stands up for me. My dick gets harder because she is willing to go to battle for us.

“Ms. West… Okay, Aunt Luna, excuse my language. But I don’t give a flying fuck that what I just suggested is blackmail and illegal. I assure you I won’t have to use it. I know Christian better than anyone, and he won’t press charges. He likes to act all big and bad, but he isn’t.”

Emilee’s shoulders sag, making the instinct to protect her flare up. “Because I have been stupid and stubborn.” She looks up and into my eyes before continuing, “I care about Parker a lot and will protect him with my life just like he is doing for me. Yes, I promise to listen to him.”

She’s going to listen to me? My nerves make another appearance, making my stomach roll. I feel like a kid on Christmas that has just unwrapped the one toy he has been begging his parents for. All I have wanted for weeks is for her to give me time to explain what really happened. I don’t know why it takes her saying those words out loud for me to understand that. I mean, she got on my bike and is sitting in front of me. What else would she be doing here?

“Yes, ma’am. Here he is.” She stands up, crossing the room, handing me back my phone like she didn’t just shatter my world in the best way possible.

“Parker! Parker!”

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head, trying to get my brain to work again.

“I have to hand it to that girl. She’s stubborn and fierce when it comes to you. Son, talk to her and lay it all out on the table. That way, when you get home, everything is fixed. I’ll handle everything here. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I say. I almost end the call but rush out, “Oh hey, will you call Mrs. Haines and let her know we are here?”

“Yes,” she giggles, then the line goes dead.

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I resume leaning on the door frame drinking in the girl in front of me. She starts to shift around from my stare, but I don’t move. I can’t believe she is here and isn’t leaving until I make her mine again.

“Well, are you going to continue to hold the door up, or are you going to come in here and tell me why everyone in my life is vouching for you?” she sasses me once again, making my dick twitch at her tone.

I raise one of my eyebrows, “Everyone, huh?” Closing the door, I head toward her, my gaze never leaving her face. She scoots back to the middle of the bed after removing her shoes. I do the same, then crawl up until I’m right in front of her. Our legs are touching as we sit cross-legged. I smirk at her again, “Did you mean it when you said you would blackmail that asshole for me?”

“Fuck yes, I did. I didn’t want him to touch or talk to me, but I couldn’t get the words out. You were just doing what I would have done if I could.” Her gaze never falters, and I see that she means everything that came out of her mouth. I see she is working hard to keep that broken girl from returning, but I still see a little of her hidden deep in there.

“I love this new sassy Emilee,” I say, winking at her, but then I get serious. “Will you tell me what was happening? They pulled me away and wouldn’t let me check on you no matter how hard I fought against them.” I reach out and link my pointer finger with hers to see if she will pull back. She surprises me by pulling my whole hand into hers, interlocking our fingers.

“I had a panic attack. I’ve had a couple since coming home from the hospital… mostly when someone brings you up. Being in the same room as you, that close to you… I couldn’t handle it. As soon as the bell rang, I ran straight into the bathroom. I tried everything that helped me calm down before, but nothing worked. The little voice that tells me to cut was screaming at me.” My heart stops beating as I push up her sleeve, looking for new cuts on her, but I don’t see any. My breathing turns shallow as I see the scar from her suicide attempt for the first time.

“Butterfly,” I whisper as tears burn my eyes.

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