"Please . . . don't cry. You had to have known I'd do this at some point."
***
Parker Sims is the class clown but that doesn't mean he's easy to fool. And that's just what Nola B. is good at - fooling people. She's got the whole school believing th...
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***
Chapter Twenty:
Nola laid on her back on Parker's couch as her mind raced back to everything that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours. She couldn't believe it. Mitch was behind bars. Her eyes began to water at the mere thought. Her body clung desperately to hope that that's where he would stay, forever.
Rolling over on her side, Nola considered the possibility of him breaking out. Yet, she remembered Jackie - the police station's psychologist - who helped her through yesterday's statement and identification of Mitch. She remembered how Jackie assured her before leaving the room they were in, that Mitch was not going to escape. Jackie went to explain that many victims of repeated assaults got a heavy belief that their attacker would escape and come after them again. She told Nola that she needed to try and not fear that Mitch would get out of jail anytime soon.
However, Jackie's words brought no comfort to Nola as she sat in the living room, alone. She was left to her thoughts and they were slowly, but surely, suffocating her.
Sitting up, Nola had an idea that moved her to get off the couch and get the phone that Parker left for her to use.
Within seconds, she was dialing Parker's number.
"Hello?" He answered after a small series of rings.
Nola gulped, all her courage and excitement had vanished. "I'm sorry." She didn't even blink as she quickly hung up the phone. She remained focused on the screen as her eyes pooled with tears. Nola began beating herself up, mentally, as she wondered how stupid she was for thinking she could ... she could ...
Shaking her head, Nola stopped herself from - dare she say - daydreaming.
Suddenly the phone in her hand began to vibrate. Blinking her tears away, Nola saw that it was Parker calling her back. Her eyes caught sight of a photo of him, which took up the whole cell phone screen as it rang. The picture was angled to showcase Parker's whole face that was lit up with a giddy smile. His effervescent facial expression reminded Nola of a gleeful child, innocent to the cruel world.
Something about the photo made the corner of Nola's lips want to twitch up into a smile as she received a sudden rush of happiness. However, she denied herself the smile.
She couldn't be happy, she thought, happiness was engraved into her mind as never lasting.
She'd be stripped of this happiness she was feeling soon. Very soon. Nola could feel it in her bones. The feeling was so deeply rooted that she couldn't shake it off, no matter how hard she tried.
The phone stopped vibrating and indicated a missed call from 'Parker The Great and Awesome'.
Nola's eyes were fixated on the screen. She knew he wouldn't stop at one call, he was persistent.
