Absolutely Maybe

e i g h t

"No Sloane, you should."

We were still parked on the side of the road. The envelope was still in her lap. The police officer was long gone.

"Please Colton" she begged " I can't do this"

Her eyes filled with tears, pain and nervousness.

"Sloane, I can't. There's gonna be shit in there that you don't want me to know."

"I don't care Colton. I can't go through another round of my dad's manipulative bullshit alone again." the tears in her eyes made them red and puffy. Her long lashes bunched together, her mascara starting to slowly run down her rosy pink cheeks.

"I do, Sloane. I Care. I fucking care that there is shit in there that is way too personal for someone like me to read." I was surprised that I wasn't screaming at her. I was calm for some reason. She brought out a side of me that I only saw when I was with Cassie. Someone who cared. Someone who I normally wasn't. "I haven't even known you for five days yet."

"Can we at least read it at the same time?" she asks

"Sure. If that's what you want."

We moved to the back seat of the car so it would be easier to read.

"You sure you're okay with me reading this, Sloane?" I ask

"Yes." she said as she opened the envelope pulling the pieces of paper out.

SLOANE DIANA NORRIS

I hope you know that your mother and I are nothing but discussed with you. You have done everything against our family's morals and gone against everything that we have taught you. You personally have ruined our reputation at the Country Club which you loved spending time at as a child.

The fact that you became a stripper is beyond revolting and you should be ashamed of yourself. You looked like a slut in your costume and seeing you with that man is nothing but evident. I will be pressing charges against your little boyfriend for when he physically assaulted me. After seeing you like this, I am beyond merry that you no longer call me your father, and I no longer have your name in any of my files and your name does not appear in my will. You will be receiving nothing from me when I die.

You will no longer be allowed in contact with Rylie or Leah under any circumstances. Supervised or not. My biggest regret in life is having you as a daughter. A spoiled brat who chose to take up a career in dance instead of a worthy degree in law or medicine like your grandfather and I. I will no longer be allowing you to stay in my flat and you must be fully moved out by Tuesday at 5 pm or else everything in there will be going to landfill.

If you are wondering how I found out about your little slut-like, disgusting, shameful job that you look like a cow doing, I would like to send a big thank you to Nico's beautiful, gorgeous, amazing, smart, humorous girlfriend. Kelly Stevenson. I hope you remember her stunning face because she has only ever done great things for Nico. Made him nothing but happy. Helped him with all of his needs and everything in between. Just like a woman should. Unlike you. A woman who sells her body for sex. You whore.

You disgust me, Sloane Diana Norris. Absolutely disgust me.

From:
POLITICIAN MICHAEL NORRIS

What the actual fuck. The fuckers pressing charges against me?

I look over to Sloane to see that she was still reading. Tears ran down her face. Her eyes were now puffy from the crying. I watch her reading, not knowing if she wanted to be left alone or not.

After a few more minutes she looks up at me. I wrap my arms around her, embracing her in the biggest high I think I had ever given anyone.

"I'm sorry" she sniffles "I'm sorry that you had to read all of that. I'm sorry that you had to get dragged into this shit. I promise I'm not like my father. I swear I'm not a slut. I-"

"Shhhh, it's okay Sloane. I know. I know." I whispered into her ear

She was now sitting on me. Her hands around my neck, my hands wrapping around her back drawing circles. To anyone walking past it would look like something else but neither of us cared.

xxx

"Colton?"

It had been around thirty minutes of her just sitting on my lap crying. I didn't mind. She needed it, and lord knows how much I needed it too.

"Yes?"

"Can you drive us to the police station?" she asks

I scan her face, trying to find any glimpse of humour in it. Nothing. Nothing but her glossed-over eyes and pure sadness and nervousness in her expression.

"You wanna press charges against him?"

She nods getting off of my lap and climbing over the centre console and into the passenger seat.

SLOANE

I knew that they never cared. I knew they never loved me. All I wanted to do was pursue a career in dance instead of something boring, traditional and posh. But now that they were planning on pressing charges against Colton for punching my father while defending me. That was far from okay. I had gotten Mattia to send me the CCTV footage from the incident. I had proof. My father did not...not that I knew of anyway.

What was a five-minute drive felt like 45 minutes. I didn't say a word to Colton. I didn't know what to say. I didn't have the words or a half-decent way to thank him. He was the most selfless man I had ever met.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked walking into the police station.

Did I want to do this? Fuck no. This went against all my morals. "No" I say shyly. "But I have to do it...We can call it closure."

"Closure" he repeats, assuring himself.

xxx

"If it isn't my favourite failure of a rugby captain." A man in his early 20's walks in wearing handcuffs and an angry-looking officer by his side. "Is this your new chick, Colton? Surprised you ever moved on from that other chick. Why did you break up again?" the young man stirs.

I look over at Colton to see his jaw tense. It was a side of him that I had never seen. I wasn't scared, but I was definitely intimidated.

"Would you fuck off Christian." Colton scowls. "