Page 37 of Surrender
“No, I don’t want to press charges,” he responded through gritted teeth.
Principal Coe nodded, and his father placed a hand on his shoulder. Saying they should get home and tell his mother what happened.
Dallis followed his father out of the office and the school building. When they got to the parking lot, they began to go their separate ways.
“Come straight home, Dal.”
“I’m going to go check on Colbie.”
His father shook his head. “Not like that. I can see the anger in you.”
“I’m going to check on Colbie,” he repeated.
“You can’t go over there and do what you’re thinking. You’ll hurt her.”
Dallis turned his attention to his father. He could deny what his father was insinuating, but there was no point. The way everyone told it, Dallis was his father’s replica, personality, thoughts, and all. So, it was as if he always knew what he was thinking.
“She’ll like it.”
“No, she won’t. This won’t be the type of hurt you can control. It’ll be different than when you’re mad at each other or you’re coming to anunderstanding. You won’t be able to reign it in, and you’ll regret it. You won’t be able to forgive yourself. Believe me, I know.”
Dallis contemplated what his father was telling him. Usually, his dad didn’t get involved with things in his personal life—especially relationship-wise, allowing him to figure things out independently and make his own mistakes.
At the moment, however, he was giving him advice. It was one mistake his father didn’t want him to make, and he wondered how bad it had been for him. If his mother had almost left him, or if he hadn’t been able to forgive himself the way he was claiming, Dallis wouldn’t be able to.
“I’m going to check on Colbie,” he told him again. “And I do mean, just check on her.”
With that, he turned his back and continued to his car. Once inside, he started it and headed toward Colbie’s house.
It didn’t take him long before he was pulling up. Getting out of the car, he rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, it was pulled open, and he was pulled inside.
He looked down at Colbie to see the worry in her eyes. Reaching out, he stroked her cheek before tilting her chin a bit more.
“Don’t look so worried. I’m fine.”
She reached up and touched his cheek. Dallis winced a bit. “That’s going to leave a mark,” she told him, but he simply shrugged.
He allowed her to drag him over to the couch. He sat down as she requested before watching her walk off. She was back a few minutes later with a first aid kit.
Dallis watched as she sat on the coffee table in front of him before taking out a few things. First, she went about cleaning the cut on his lip.
“Why did you attack him?”
He lifted a brow at her while she dabbed at his lip. “You’re kidding, right? He put his hands on you. That son-of-a-bitch had it coming.”
She shook her head. “He was just trying to intimidate me.”
“Yeah, well, it just got his ass whooped. I’m not going to let another man put his hands on you. Regardless of his intentions.”
“Did you get suspended?” she questioned, picking up one of his hands and disinfecting his knuckles. He hadn’t even noticed he had cut them.
“Nope. Principal Coe told my dad I deserved a medal,” he responded with a smirk.
She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. “What did your parents say when they found out you got into a fight?”
“My dad came, and he didn’t say anything.”
“Did he suspect anything?”
