by Cole Lepley
“Thanks, Dad,” she says with a smile.
His hand is still clutching onto me, and I can already feel the sweat trickling down the back of my neck. “Let’s go get some coffee, huh?” he asks.
I swallow hard. “Sure. Coffee sounds great.”
He releases me with a very firm pat on the back, and I turn to follow.
“I’ll come too,” Oliver says with a smirk.
“No,” Mason says and points to the chair beside the bed. “You stay here.”
We exchange uneasy glances, and Ollie tugs at my sleeve. At first, I think he’s about to wish me good luck, and then he opens his mouth.
“Hey,” he whispers. “Get me one of those cookies.” He holds his hands up to demonstrate the size. “You know the great big ones with the tiny chocolate chips.”
I shake my head as I turn away from him. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that.”
He grins, leaning into me again. “If my father looks like he’s going to kill you, give it to him first.” He gives me a wink as I reluctantly follow his father out to the cafeteria.
It’s only a two minute walk, but it feels like a lifetime. He never says a word until we have a carrier full of coffee and that damn cookie for Oliver.
He sets the carrier down on the table and lifts the lid, shaking a sugar packet in his hand. “So, it seems you’ve gotten yourself in a bit of trouble.”
Straight to the point I see. Okay, so maybe lying is out of the question? “Um…”
He laughs and turns his eyes directly to me. “There’s no point in lying, Hunter. I may be a busy man, but I know what my daughter is doing.” He pours the packet into his coffee and stirs it before looking back to me with a fury I’ve never seen before. “And who she’s doing it with.”
I hold my hands up. “Sir, I promise you my intentions when it comes to Elliot are pure. I would never…”
“Let me stop you right there,” he says, cutting me off. He takes a step toward me, and I almost flinch. “Let me tell you what you would never do.”
His eyes hold me captive as I stand there helplessly. We knew this would eventually happen, I can only hope he’s more forgiving than he looks.
39
Distance
“Should we be worried?” I ask, glancing at the clock for the tenth time in the last fifteen minutes.
Oliver shrugs and leans back in his chair. “We’re in a hospital. If Dad really does hurt him he won’t be far from medical treatment.”
Judah begins to laugh beside me, and I slap him with the back of my hand. “It’s not funny.” Carefully, I readjust my position on the bed and reach for my phone. Still nothing. “I’m seriously worried.”
Oliver clasps his hands together. “Well, Elliot,” he begins with a solemn expression. “You’ve been having a torrid affair with your high school English teacher that lives in our guest house. How do you think Dad’s going to respond to that?”
I bite my lip. “Reasonably?”
He laughs loudly and wipes fake tears from his eyes. “Oh, you really are about to get a dose of reality.” After composing himself, he stands and pats Judah on the shoulder. “You guys may need to have a team meeting after this. I have a feeling things are going to change.”
Judah’s face falls, and I feel guilty for dragging him into this. I know he tries to be okay with everything when he’s really not. I’m about to respond to Oliver’s unwanted commentary when my father walks back into the room, sans Hunter.
He hands me a coffee. “Your mother’s getting the car.” He turns to Oliver. “Did you drive here?”
Oliver nods slowly.
My father smiles. “Good. You can take Judah home.” He casually takes a sip of his coffee. “Hunter had to leave. He has some packing to do.”
My heart drops into the pit of my stomach so fast I almost throw up. I struggle to keep my voice even as I open my mouth to speak. “I’ll ride with Oliver. I left my things at the field house.”
My father’s eyes are hard as he looks between us. Oliver gives an unconvincing smirk, and I consider punching him. “Okay,” he says curtly. His eyes narrow slightly. “Come straight home afterwards.”
I don’t have to try to decipher the meaning behind his words. The fact that Hunter is gone, and currently packing, speaks volumes for how well their talk went and what’s going to happen now.
After getting discharged, and trying to nail down the art of walking with crutches, we finally make it to Oliver’s truck. Judah helps me inside and takes a seat in the back. I can tell he wants to say something, but for some reason he remains very quiet. Oliver, however, almost can’t contain himself as he slips behind the driver’s wheel.
“You’ve really done it this time, Elle,” he says as he pulls out of the parking lot. “Dad is extremely pissed and the fact we haven’t seen Hunter doesn’t rule out his body being stuffed in a trashcan somewhere.”
My typical sarcastic remark back is replaced by unexpected tears. A small sob escapes my lips, and I cover my mouth quickly. Oliver looks over at me in shock.
“Elliot, I’m sorry. I’m just messing with you.” He pats my leg gently. “I’m sure Hunter’s fine.”
“No, I know he is,” I choke out. “But I just feel so terrible.”
“It’s not your fault. Hunter’s a big boy, he knew the risk he was taking.”
“Yes, but I’m the one who started it.”
It goes silent for a moment and Oliver’s face turns thoughtful. “So, after I told you not to, you basically just went and did it anyway.” He shakes his head. “I should have never said anything in the first place. Maybe we wouldn’t be here now.”
I let out an incredulous laugh and tilt my head to him. “You think I’m only dating him out of spite?”
“No, Elliot. I think you started dating him out of spite. What you are now is exactly what I was afraid of.”
His words linger heavily in the truck as I turn my head away from him and stare out the window. I don’t want to continue this conversation with Judah in the vehicle. Regardless of our history, he’s been through enough without adding all the details of what’s happened while he was gone.
Nobody speaks again until we arrive at the school. Oliver pulls in next to Judah’s truck behind the field house.
Judah leans up in between the seats. “I’ll get your stuff for you, Elle.” He squeezes my shoulder and exits the truck before Oliver turns to me.
“I’m sorry if I sounded like a dick. I just know him, Elliot.” His eyes are pleading when I catch his stare. “He’s all the way in with you. If this is some kind of game…”
“It’s not,” I say forcefully. My eyes begin to burn with a fresh set of tears as I glare back at him. “I love him, Ollie.”
He just nods and leans back in his seat. “Okay. I really hope so.”
It says a lot that my own brother doesn’t even believe I am capable of having an actual meaningful relationship with someone. But my words are true. My love for Hunter is the only thing keeping me sane right now while everything feels like it’s completely falling apart.
When Oliver and I enter the kitchen, my father is waiting for us. Although I saw this coming, it’s never a good sign.
I hobble over to the barstool with my crutches and sit down. He glares at Oliver and points to the chair beside me. “You sit too. I know you’re somehow involved in all of this.”
Oliver pulls his hands into his chest in disbelief. “Me? You think I could possibly be involved in such things?”
My father rolls his eyes. “Don’t bullshit me, Ollie. Sit down.”
Oliver just nods. “You’re right. I’m an accomplice.” He holds up a finger after taking the seat next to me. “I want to let the record show I have only recently become privy to all the details.” He looks at me and shakes his head in admonishment. “They lied to me too.”
I kick him with my good leg, and he winces.
“Alright. I’m not going to pretend to understand why you have the Holloway
boy involved as well, and to be honest, I don’t want to know.” My father’s voice is relatively calm, which surprises me. I wait in trepidation as he folds his hands in front of him. “What I do want to know, is why you thought something like this was a good idea?”
I take breath. “Honestly dad, Hunter wasn’t a teacher when we started seeing each other. Well, not one at Central.”
He raises an eyebrow. “So, that makes it okay? Since you are a high school student and all, as long as he’s not your teacher, it’s perfectly fine?”
Oliver opens his mouth and I punch him in the ribs before he can speak. “God, Elle. You are super violent today,” he whispers, grabbing his side.
“I know it’s not fine, but I… I mean we lo…”
My father holds his hands up. “Don’t tell me that you love him. He already made it very clear how deep you two think your relationship is.”
I smile involuntarily at the thought of Hunter professing his love for me, and my father’s eyes narrow again. “Okay, don’t get too excited. I told him he has to leave.”
“You can’t do that! He has nowhere to go.” I am very aware I sound like a whiny teenage girl, but that’s basically what I am.
“Listen, I’m not heartless. I gave him a week to find a place, but I can’t exactly have him living essentially in the same house with you anymore. If this really gets out, how will that make me look? Like I’m okay with this?”
I lower my eyes and begin to pull a string from the edge of my placemat. He has a point, but the thought of Hunter leaving kills me. When I glance up again, he’s leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed. His expression softens, minimally.
“Elliot, you’re an adult, and I can’t tell you what to do. I’ll be honest, I actually like the kid, but you have no idea what something like this can do to your future. It is my responsibility to protect you from things like that.” He motions to Oliver. “I haven’t exactly left you with a good role model.”
Oliver scoffs. “Hey, I tried my best. She does what she wants.”
“Sounds a lot like someone else I know,” he responds bitterly. My father shakes his head and lets out a long sigh. “Look, all I want is for both my children to have a nice life and be successful. Is that too much to ask?”
Oliver and I shake our heads in unison.
“Okay, then.” He turns to me. “Elle, I can’t make you stop seeing him. In fact, I’m sure it will only make you want to do it more.”
I give a warning glare to Oliver, but he remains stoic beside me.
“Just keep it under the radar for the next three months,” he continues. “After that you can do whatever you want. I can’t let you make a mistake now that could affect the rest of your life.”
As much as I hate to admit it, my father’s right. Hunter and I have been less than careful when it came to our relationship. Half of the problems we have right now are because of that. I’m sure we can find a way to make it work, discreetly, until graduation. I just hope that this newfound space between us doesn’t cause us to fall apart.
40
Sacrifice
Elliot’s father is a surprisingly reasonable man. I was fully prepared for him to murder me, but he didn’t. His major concern is for her, and I agree one hundred percent. That’s why I know what I need to do. I can’t let this relationship ruin her future. No matter how much I love her—how much I’ve always loved her, in order to prove that I need to let her go. I just haven’t quite worked up the courage to do it yet.
Ollie texted me and said he was coming over to help me pack. That was a couple hours ago and due to the lack of things I actually had, I’m almost finished. I crack open another beer just as a knock comes at my door. Before I can take a step to answer it, Oliver finally peeks his head in.
“Oh, good,” he says with a smirk. “You’re still alive.”
My eyes narrow. “Ha-ha, asshole. You’re very funny.”
He shrugs, closing the door behind him. “I’d like to think so.” He walks over to the kitchen and sets a six pack on the counter. “Sorry I’m late. Family meeting ran over.”
I take another drink. “You have those often?”
Oliver laughs, cracking a beer open for himself. “Yeah, like never. I’ve haven’t seen my dad that pissed since he caught me drag racing his mustang across Cherry Bridge.”
I smile. I remember that night. Cooper Thomas bet Ollie his car was faster—and the prize? The heart of Farrah Briggs, resident lover of all things dangerous and a smoking body to go with it. Long story short; Ollie won, they dated for a magical two weeks.
Oliver takes a seat on the barstool and twirls his bottle between his hands. “I don’t necessarily think this will be a bad thing. A little distance is good for a relationship.”
I scoff, almost spitting out a mouthful of beer. “How would you know what is good for a relationship? I think your longest one lasted about a month.”
“It was six weeks and that wasn’t my fault,” he argues pointing his finger at me.
“Uh huh, I’m sure it wasn’t.” I set my beer down and continue shoving random items into a box. “I really don’t want your father to hate me.”
Oliver smirks. “He doesn’t hate you, but you have to admit he took the whole situation rather well. I’ve done a lot of shady shit over the years, but Elliot is like his pride and joy. The one who was supposed to do great things.” His smile fades as he takes another drink. “He’s pretty much given up on that dream when it comes to me.”
“Come on, man. You’re not that bad.”
Oliver raises an eyebrow, and I laugh.
“I’m serious. Sure, you like to dick off a lot, but you get shit done when you need to.”
He ignores my comment and takes another drink, staring over my shoulder. “Elliot’s really upset.”
My heart sinks when he says that. The last thing I want to do is hurt her more when she’s already so messed up over this. Oliver senses the weirdness in my mood and smirks at me.
“Don’t worry, brother. My dad’s cool. This whole thing will blow over in no time.”
I drop a box to the floor with a thud and lean against the counter. “I’m going to break up with her.”
Oliver’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.” He stands up from the stool. “You mean to tell me that after everything you two put me through over these past couple months, you’re just done?”
I nod. I also kind of want to laugh. Leave it to Ollie to somehow take my tragic break-up personal.
“You don’t have an explanation for that?”
I sigh heavily. “You were right. She’s young and she needs to be with someone her own age. Someone who can give her what she needs.”
Oliver rolls his eyes. “What? Like Judah?” He laughs, reaching for his beer again. “You nearly killed the guy and now you want her to be with him?”
“It doesn’t have to be Judah. It can be anyone, but you have to admit he has changed, and he really, truly loves her. That’s what she needs.”
Oliver’s face falls. “You love her, too.”
I give him a sad smile. “That’s why I have to let her go.”
Later that night, I tilt back my third shot of whiskey. As soon as it slides past my teeth, I can feel the burn all the way down. It doesn’t numb my heart though. That’s a pain that may never go away.
I started looking for jobs far away before this all started. I didn’t give it much thought until I got a call last week. At the time Elliot and I were in a good place, but something told me to take the phone interview when they offered it to me. I still didn’t accept the position, but I’m planning on it. After talking to Elliot’s dad, I realized that maybe I am bad for her. She’s about to go off to college and start living her life for the first time. I’ve already experienced all of those things. I don’t want her to worry about what she’s doing and how it might affect me. As much as I love her, I can’t be the one to take that away from her.
&n
bsp; The sun is just starting to set when I see Elliot hobbling over to the guest house in her knee brace. She’s supposed to be on crutches for at least a week, but as usual, she’s too stubborn to listen. I move from my seat on the couch and open the door for her, reaching my arm out for her to balance on.
She smiles and kisses me instead. “I’m fine, Hunter. This isn’t the first time I sprained something.” She hops over to the barstool and sits down. “See, all by myself.”
I frown. “You need to listen to the doctors.”
She rolls her eyes before looking around the room. “It’s so empty in here. I’m sure it won’t be long before Ollie fills it with beer posters and sorority girls again.”
When I don’t laugh, her eyebrows pull in. “It won’t be so bad. You’ll still see me all the time.”
She can see it in my face, because she braces her hand on the counter and stands. “Hunter, what is going on?”
I cringe as she balances on one leg. “Maybe you should sit back down.”
Defiantly, she crosses her arms and stands perfectly straight. Her eyes narrow. “Tell me.”
I shake my head, my words already getting caught in my throat. “I don’t know how.”
She slowly walks over to me and places her hand on my chest. “I think you know by now that you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it—together.”
She smiles on the last word, and all I want to do is break down. My heart starts to pound and my stomach knots tighter. After I say what I need to say, we won’t be together. There won’t be an ‘us’ anymore. I’m not even sure if we can be friends after this. It’s almost impossible to love someone that much and then go back to being platonic. Judah can attest to that I’m sure.
Gently, I take her hand and lead her toward the couch. She sits next to me without objection. I continue to hold onto her hand for dear life. At any moment she’s going to pull it away from me and I may never get to it back again.