Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 72

December 15th, 2019

I stood outside Cato's door, hesitating on whether or not I should knock. I needed to tell him what had happened with Ben at the prison, but I was afraid of how he'd react. He'd already yelled at me once today, and I don't think he was too pleased about Eli and me leaving earlier.

I gathered up my courage and knocked on the door quietly, taking a deep breath.

"Come in," he instructed from behind the door. He glanced up at me as I entered. He was lying on his bed, typing on his laptop.

"Are you working?" I asked meekly. "I can come back later,"

Cato quickly shut his laptop and sat up. "No, it's fine. What's up?"

I sat down on the edge of his bed, putting as much distance between us as I could. "I need to talk to you," I told him.

He was beside me in an instant, gazing down at me with both pride and concern. "You can tell me," he encouraged gently.

"It's about Ben," I held my breath, watching him tense up.

"Okay . . ."

"I went to see him today," I mumbled. "Eli took me,"

Cato sighed. "I figured,"

"He wants bail," I announced quietly, deciding not to tell him about what would happen if I testified. One problem at a time. "He wants me to steal your money and bail him out,"

"What did he threaten you with?"

I glanced up in surprise. "How did you know,"

He shrugged. "Because I know him. And I know you. You're too good of a person to even consider doing something like that without good reason,"

I smiled faintly. "He uses the same threat every time," I mumbled. "Because he knows it'll work,"

"He said he'd hurt Javi . . . didn't he?" Cato asked quietly.

I nodded, a tear sliding down my cheek. "What do I do?" I whispered.

He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my forehead. "Well, for starters, you did the right thing by telling me,"

"I trust you," I admitted softly.

He looked so proud to hear me say it. "And I love that," he said. "I'll take care of Ben, okay? Don't you worry,"

I stared at him hopefully. "Promise?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I promise," Cato paused, his voice quieting. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you today, I was just frustrated. I didn't mean to scare you,"

"I'm sorry too," I whisper, hugging him harder.

He leaned backwards, sending the both of us lying down together.

"Ow," I gritted my teeth as my head hit the pillow. I held a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes to try and stop the dizziness.

Cato sat up immediately, his eyes frantically searching me for visible injuries. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied, clenching my teeth even harder to stop the pain. I swallowed back the nausea, sitting up slowly.

"Amelia Grace, you tell me right now," His voice was laced with concern.

I waved him off. "I'm fine, honestly,"

"Did he hurt you?" Cato whispered. "Please, talk to me,"

I slipped my hand from his, shakily rising to my feet. "It's just a headache, I'm fine," But it was all a lie. My headache had only grown worse since I'd gotten home, and I felt half-ready to collapse.