Promise

Chapter 24

I hated having attention on me. All it did was make me nervous. I knew what I wanted to say and what I had to say, but for some reason I couldn't get the words out. I felt like I was suffocating.

"Are you okay?" Officer Fletcher took a step into Jay's room and gave me a concerned look.

My eyes darted to Jay who looked uncomfortable at the officer's proximity to me. I wondered if he felt some sort of embarrassment that everyone was in his room, a place he knew was the only privacy he had to abuse me. In fact, Jay's mom was standing near the exact spot Jay used to corner me in so I couldn't get away while he hit me. I felt sick just being in here.

"I just want to go home," I finally croaked out. "I want it all to be over."

Officer Fletcher nodded and placed a warm hand on my shoulder gently guiding me towards the hallway out of Jay's room.

"Amore-"

The other officer on scene cut Jay off.

"Don't talk to her," he said sternly.

Jay clenched his jaw and his anger was the last thing I saw before leaving.

Weeks Later

I felt hands cover my eyes and the presence of a tall body standing behind me.

"Guess who."

I laughed softly.

"You're so corny," I said. I didn't even bother taking a guess and moved Darius's hands from my eyes. I turned around and looked at his grinning face.

"Why you can never just participate?" Darius asked.

"Aww I'm sorry. Okay do it again," I said. I turned back around and moved Darius hands back over my eyes.

"Nah, you should've did this earlier," Darius said, moving his hands off my eyelids.

"You're such a baby," I said playfully.

Darius grabbed my waist and turned me around. The bell rang and I held back a laugh.

"We're going to be late again," I said.

"So," Darius said. He started kissing on me.

"Why are you trying to get us another detention?" I was enjoying the kisses but also serious about not wanting to get in trouble.

My reputation at school was already rocky. I didn't need to give the teachers or anyone else for that matter another reason to talk about me. No one knew the details about what happened between Jay and me over Christmas break, but he'd officially been pulled from school. Rumors spread of me lying about him and it seemed most people were on his side. I hadn't seen or talked to Jay since what happened. Naomi also appeared to no longer attend school.

"Let's just skip, we already late," Darius said.

I gave him a look and he gave in.

"Fine, you win," he said.

He'd already wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we made our way down the hall. It felt nice being walked to class just out of love rather than because of a controlling motive. I looked up at Darius and smiled . I felt butterflies in my stomach and not the bad ones. Darius looked down at me and lowered his head so I could reach for a kiss. We stopped walking and I pulled away.

"Maybe we should skip after all," I said with a wicked smile.

"And why's that?" Darius teased.

I rolled my eyes. I hated when he got cocky even though it was justified.