My Blue

by Jacobs, Emery

  “The cops? What the hell are you talking about?” Leo’s voice is laced with concern.

  “It’s a long story and I don’t think we have time to get into it, so I’ll give you the short version. My mom sent me down to check on my brother to find out if he was coming by the house—”

  “Dammit, Wade, slow down. You need to take a deep breath or something because you’re talking so fast that I can’t understand a word you’re saying,” Leo says loudly, cutting Wade off.

  I don’t say anything, but I agree with my boyfriend; I couldn’t understand him either. It’s not hard to assume Wade is either extremely anxious or on the verge of a meltdown—or maybe both.

  Wade takes in several deep breaths before shaking his head. “Sorry, man, I’m just freaked out right now. So, I’ll start over. Mom tried to call and text my brother earlier but couldn’t reach him, so she sent me down to the station to find out when he would be stopping by the house for dinner. On my way to his desk, I heard two officers talking about you, so I stopped to listen. That’s when I heard one of them say they were about to head down here and arrest you!”

  Nausea hits me like a punch to the gut. There’s no way Wade’s right. He’s gotta be confused.

  “Did they say why?” Leo asks with a shaky voice.

  “And are you sure you didn’t misunderstand them? Maybe it wasn’t Leo’s name they said,” I add before Wade has a chance to answer Leo’s question.

  “I’m positive they were talking about you, because one of the officers used your full name and said you had been seen earlier here at Redwood Park.” Wade’s words are rushed.

  “Fuck,” Leo mumbles, kicking the gravel underneath his foot.

  “I wish I could have hung around and listened to more, but I had to get out of there so I could warn you.”

  Leo’s entire body is trembling against me, so I step around him until we’re facing each other. He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me snugly against his body. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?” he asks, holding on to me tightly.

  I tilt my head back and look at his face. “Do you have any idea why they would be looking for you?”

  His wide eyes look down at me before shaking his head. “No, no idea. I haven’t done anything that would even have me on the Idlewood Police Department’s radar.” Leo’s shoulders sag as he moves his gaze to Wade. “Call your brother and ask him if he knows anything.”

  “Are you fucking crazy? You’re one of my best friends, but there’s no way I’m telling him I hid in a corner listening to official police business before rushing down here to forewarn you.” Wade takes a step toward us. “Look, man, I don’t know what to tell you, but if you didn’t do anything then you have nothing to worry about. It’s probably a mistake, maybe a case of mistaken identity.”

  “In this town?” Leo looks away for a beat before returning his focus to Wade. “Everybody knows everybody, so tell me how the fuck someone could mistake me for someone else.” Leo’s voice is growing louder with each word he speaks.

  God, I hate that he’s scared and confused. All I want to do right now is hold him and make whatever’s about to happen go away.

  Wade shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m just thinking, man. Don’t fucking take my head off.”

  “Dammit, I’m sorry. I just—” Leo stops talking and his eyes immediately move to the cars traveling toward us.

  I glance over my shoulder, and my gaze lands on two sets of headlights. “Oh, shit, they’re here. They’re really here,” I whisper as my pulse races frantically.

  A few minutes ago, I had convinced myself Wade was confused, was sure he’d overheard information that was about someone else and not Leo. Now, though, as I stand here watching two police cruisers move down the winding road toward us, I know Wade was right—the cops are here for Leo.

  I wrap my arms around Leo’s waist and pull his body into mine. I breathe in his clean scent and squeeze my eyes closed. Please let this be a mistake.

  Leo kisses the top of my head, and I open my eyes and look up at him. “Blue, you need to go stand next to Wade until we know what’s going on,” he whispers just loud enough for me to hear.

  Wait. What? “No, I need to be here, next to you.” My voice quivers as the words slip through my lips.

  “Please, Ella Blue, go stand next to Wade. I don’t know what’s going on other than the cops are here for me…” Leo’s body becomes rigid as he pulls himself away from me.

  My heart sinks into my stomach as the significance of what is happening suddenly becomes real.

  Wade’s clammy hand wraps around my wrist before dragging me away from Leo. The crazy side of me wants to jerk away from him, grab hold of Leo, and never let him go, but I don’t. I do what he asks and stand next to his friend.

  Both cars roll to a stop just a few feet in front of us. Doors slam, the sound reverberating in the thick night air as I stare at Leo standing all alone, waiting to find out his fate.

  As the three officers approach, Leo widens his stance slightly and shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

  I glance over at Wade, who’s shifting his weight from one leg to the other. He’s grimacing as his eyes follow the movements of the approaching officers.

  I don’t know what to do or how I’m supposed to act. I’m so confused.

  My eyes flit from Wade to Leo just as the policeman stops in front of him.

  “Leo Matson?” the cop asks gruffly.

  Leo nods without saying a word.

  My entire body shakes from the fear of what’s unfolding in front of me.

  The officer nearest Leo moves quickly, handcuffs and words of arrest followed by my boyfriend being led to the police cruiser.

  I take a step toward Leo but am met with resistance. I glance over at Wade, his arm stretched in front of me, holding me in place. “Don’t, Ella,” he says stiffly.

  “I can’t let them take him. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Plus, the cop didn’t even tell him why he was arrested.” My voice quivers.

  I take a step back and then quickly move around Wade’s outstretched arm.

  “Ella!” Wade’s voice is lost somewhere in the darkness as I dart toward my boyfriend.

  “Just tell me what’s going on. No one even told me why I’m being arrested,” Leo huffs out just before he’s shoved into the back seat of the police car.

  “Leo, why are they arresting you?” I ask, leaning into the open car door.

  “Ma’am, please step away from the car,” the cop demands.

  My eyes search Leo’s face for answers.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me!” Leo yells.

  I’m helpless, unsure of what to do. He needs me and I’m failing miserably.

  Just the thought of Leo being carried off to jail tears at my insides. “What do you want me to do? Please tell me how to help you.”

  “Go with Wade. Let him take you home.”

  “Please move away from the car so I can shut the door,” the officer commands loudly.

  “Leo!” I call out his name one last time before the cop steps in front of me, giving me no choice but to move. He slams the door and moves toward the front of the car.

  “Let me take you home,” Wade calls out from behind me.

  “I need to be sure he’s okay,” I whisper, fighting back tears. But how?

  Wade makes his way over to me. “You know they won’t keep him.”

  I turn toward Leo’s best friend. “If they don’t plan on keeping him, why did they arrest him?”

  He shrugs because he doesn’t know either. None of this makes any sense.

  A single tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away. I’m confused, scared, and now sad. My heart breaks as I watch Leo ride away from me in the back seat of a police car.

  2

  Ella Blue

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Wade asks as he pulls into the driveway of my house. “I can call Kami to come over if you want.”

  �
��No, I’ll be fine.” It’s a lie, but I tell it because even though I don’t feel fine right now, I don’t want to discuss it with him. I also don’t want anyone else knowing about Leo’s arrest, especially Kami.

  Even though Kami is one of my best friends, I don’t trust her with all my secrets. She’d never be able to keep her mouth shut if she found out about what happened tonight.

  “Hey, you’re not going to say anything about Leo getting arrested, are you? I know it was a mistake and he’ll be cleared, so I was just thinking maybe we should keep it between the three of us.” I hesitate a beat as his truck rolls to a stop. “I’m sure once everything gets figured out it’ll be a big joke we can laugh about later.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. This is Leo’s story to tell.”

  “Thanks for keeping it to yourself. I know Leo will thank you, too, once he’s released, which will hopefully happen very soon.”

  I glance at the clock on the dashboard. It’s only nine o’clock, but feels like it’s closer to midnight. What a fucking night this has been. Happy birthday to me.

  “Are you going to talk to your dad about getting Leo out of jail?”

  I unbuckle my seat belt and shift in my seat until I’m facing Wade. “Yes, of course I’m going to ask. I’ll even beg if I have to.” I look over my shoulder at the front door just as my mother steps outside onto the porch. What the hell is she doing home? She and my dad were supposed to be going to some fundraiser tonight, and they never get home until well after midnight. I glance back at Wade. “My dad should be able to do something, right?”

  “Yeah, he’s the mayor, so that means he’s the police chief’s boss. I would think he could at least find out what’s going on and maybe help Leo out.”

  I’m really nervous about telling my dad what happened to Leo. Just thinking about him behind bars is causing a constant swirl of nausea in the pit of my stomach, and throwing my father in the mix makes it a hundred times worse. He can be very unreasonable, not to mention, he’s the type who always believes the worst of everybody, so I’m sure he’ll think Leo did something terrible.

  My greatest fear is that he’ll believe whatever the cops tell him and Leo won’t have a chance of escaping whatever fate the Idlewood Police Department has in store for him.

  “I think you need to go.” Wade motions toward the walkway leading to my house. My mother has moved from just outside the front door to the bottom step that leads to the porch. Her arms are folded across her chest, and her focus is on me and Wade. What is her problem?

  I push the door open and hop out of Wade’s truck.

  “If you hear anything, text me,” he tells me just as I slam the door shut.

  I look back and nod before heading toward the house.

  * * *

  “What’s going on? Why are you home so early?” I ask, following my mother up the stairs and across the porch.

  She opens the front door and waits for me to walk inside before closing it behind us.

  “Who brought you home?” She looks over her shoulder at me.

  “Wade Richmond. You didn’t answer my question. Why are you home so early? Did y’all not go to that charity event?”

  “No, we didn’t go. Is Wade a friend of Leo’s?” She stops and turns to face me while we’re still in the foyer.

  “Yeah. Why does it matter who brought me home? I’m not late. And why didn’t you and Dad go to the event? Isn’t it a requirement for him to make an appearance?”

  I’m not so dumb as to think it’s a requirement for the mayor of this small town to attend a charity event—it’s just that the woman standing in front of me lives for that shit. So, there has to be a really good reason why they didn’t go, and I’m doing my best to get it out of her without just blurting out the question.

  She huffs out an irritated sigh and looks me square in the eye. “I know you’re not late. Your father and I just like to know who you’re spending your time with.”

  “I wasn’t ‘spending time’ with Wade. I was with Leo earlier. Wade just brought me home.” After my boyfriend was hauled off to jail. “And the charity event?” I fold my arms across my chest and tap my foot on the floor.

  “Something important came up that kept us at home.” Her hand moves from the hem of her navy blue blouse to her diamond necklace. Then she fiddles with her earrings before pulling on her blouse again. She’s entirely too fidgety and restless tonight, which can only mean one thing—she’s lying and my mother is a terrible liar.

  “Oh, okay.” I shrug and move past her toward the stairs. I’m heading up to my bedroom because I need a few minutes alone to process this night before I ask my father to help Leo.

  I’ve only taken a few steps when my mother clears her throat. “Your dad and I need to speak with you.”

  There it is—I’m about to find out the real reason they didn’t go out tonight, and I’m guessing it has something to do with me.

  I stop walking and turn around to face her. “Now?” I hesitate for a couple of breaths, giving her some more time to flounder around like a fish out of water while she attempts to continue to lie. “What do y’all want to talk to me about?”

  “Yes, now, and you’ll know exactly what we want to talk to you about in a few minutes.” She furrows her brow as her lips form a straight line.

  Okay, that wasn’t vague at all. I wonder if they know about Leo. Surely if they knew, she would have said something by now.

  “Fine,” I snap. “Where’s Dad?” My right eye twitches and my mouth goes dry. Crap! My mom may fidget when she’s lying, but sometimes when I get nervous or anxious, my damn right eye twitches almost nonstop, and I guess with all the stress and tension I’ve been exposed to tonight it’s well overdue for a twitching. I lift my chin and pull my shoulders back in an attempt to wipe all the worry and anxiety away. I’m sure they’re probably just going to wish me a happy birthday one final time before I go to bed.

  “He’s in his office.” Her words pull me from my thoughts, but I don’t move just yet, not reacting until she does that throat-clearing thing again. “He’s waiting, Ella.”

  She turns in the direction of the hallway and heads toward his office.

  Guess that’s my cue to follow.

  I follow Mom into my dad’s office, and he looks up from his computer screen as soon as I’m through the door. His green eyes are dark with disappointment, or maybe it’s anger. Whatever it is, I don’t think he’s happy. Please don’t let his unhappiness be directed at me.

  My eyes scan his large office in search of anything that might give me a clue as to why talking to me tonight is so important. I was actually hoping they would have a cake and maybe a few presents for me. Thinking about presents sends me back to earlier tonight when I was with Leo. He was about to give me my gift when Wade got there. Once we got the news of Leo’s pending arrest, all thoughts of birthdays and rings were gone.

  “Sit, Ella,” my father grunts out before motioning toward the large black chair in front of his desk.

  My chest tightens as I move toward it. Think, Ella. Think. Why are you here? If I knew why I was here, at least I’d be able to mentally prepare myself.

  Now that I’m sitting across from Dad, it’s more than obvious whatever is going on does concern me. Maybe he knows about Leo and thinks he’s guilty—of what, I have no idea.

  I stare at my father as he pecks away at the keyboard, finishing up whatever it is he was working on before I walked in. My dad, William Kincaid, isn’t a big man, but he is a man of authority. Just one look from his searing green eyes puts you in your place without him saying a word.

  He lifts his head again and his gaze meets mine.

  “You wanted to see me?” I ask.

  “Yes, Ella, I did,” he responds in his usual dry tone.

  “I’m really glad you guys are home because I have something I’d like to talk to you about, too.” I bounce my toes on the floor and tap my fingers along the arm of the chair. I’m really nervous to ask for
help, but it’s something I have to do, and I have to do it now.

  I open my mouth to speak, but the words never come out because I’m beyond shocked. I stare at the item Dad just slid to the center of the desk directly in front of me.

  It’s suddenly hot in here, so hot that I’m sweating—a lot, and I never sweat. Oh, and I can’t breathe either. I squeeze my eyes closed. In and out—just breathe. And now my gut’s churning. Oh, God, I may vomit.

  I slap my hand over my mouth and drop my head downward. This is so bad, worse than anything I could have imagined.

  “Do you have something you’d like to say, Ella Blue?” Mom asks.

  I slowly lift my head and open my eyes. Mom is gradually moving across the room toward my father.

  “Umm…” I blow out a shallow breath and begin to sag down in the large chair until I remember I don’t need to come across as guilty—because I’m not. I refuse to look defeated, because I’m also not defeated. I’m confident that my parents will believe me once I explain. This will be looked at as a terrible misunderstanding, and then Dad will agree to help Leo get out of jail and Kami will come get her shit, and then life will be good again.

  I jerk myself up into a straight sitting position and cross my ankles. My hands are resting on the tops of my thighs, and my eyes are glued to my mother’s face. “It’s not mine.”

  Wow. Three words—not the defense I planned on, but it’s the truth, and that’s all that matters.

  “Is that all you have to say for yourself?” Dad asks angrily.

  My eyes flit from Mom to him. “No, it’s not all I have to say, but it should be enough. You two need to believe what I tell you because I don’t make a habit of lying.” It’s true. I’m not perfect, but I’m also not a liar. I just don’t have it in me. I’d rather tell the truth and suffer the consequences—whatever they may be.

  My focus moves from my parents to the small green pill bottle that’s taunting me from the center of the desk.

  “We do believe you, Ella.”