Page 120 of Fall

I scoff. “I don’t wantto be here, Taylor. Doesn’t that matter?”

“Well, you shouldn’t have been at the gala either,” Elijah says coolly as he walks into the room. “Looks like none of us gets what we want.”

“You!” I shout and run towards him.

He doesn’t even flinch as I raise my fist to punch him in the face, but Micah’s arms are faster.

Micah grabs my waist, lifts me off the ground, and walks to the opposite end of the room. He sets me down, but refuses to let go of my waist.

“Let me go!”

“Calm down, and I’ll let you go,” he lulls.

Elijah smirks as my eyes blaze with fury. I push against Micah’s chest, trying to make my way to Elijah, but Micah keeps his hold as I continue to shout.

“How dare you! You had no right to tell him! That wasn’t your story to tell!”

He stalks closer to me. His eyes brewing with anger. “It became my right when YOU decided to be stupid.Youhad no right to be at that gala.Youhad no right to put him in that situation without telling him what the dangers could have been.”

“Nothing happened! I’m not an idiot, Elijah. I wouldn’t have done anything to put him or Celeste in danger.”

“What if my father decided to do something, or Caleb’s?” he questions. “Did you even once think of anyone else other than yourself?”

“Fuck you,” I whisper.

Elijah chuckles. “Sorry. I don’t fuck conniving pussy.”

Caleb slams his hand down on the desk.

“That’s enough!” he roars, and the entire room stills as he turns to face me. “Evelyn, tell me why. Why would you go there?”

At Caleb’s question, Taylor stands up and grabs Celeste’s hand.

“This conversation should probably happen in private,” he says, looking at everyone in the room. “We’ll see you guys in the morning.”

Once they shut the French doors, the three assholes in the room glare at me. Caleb repeats his question.

I push Micah’s arms off my waist, move to sit on the edge of the king-size bed, and breathe out slowly in defeat.

“Because I have a debt to pay,” I mumble.

Caleb whips his head in my direction, and Elijah stiffens.

“You wanna say that again?” Caleb commands.

Not particularly.

Elijah pulls a chair from the small table and sits down on it backwards, facing me.

“This I need to hear.” His smile slicks across his face. “Who do you owe a debt to, and what does that have to do with the gala?”

I roll my head and rub my neck, readying myself to pull off this band-aid and continue.

“I owe Alik Bianchi—”

Before I can even finish, the sound of Elijah’s chair falling echoes in the room. Both he and Caleb stand and rush towards me.

I jump on the bed and use it as a shortcut to run to the other side of the room. Micah runs to my side, shielding me from them.

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