Golden Boy

F O U R- T E E N

No one batted an eye at us as we entered the hotel. A girl being carried in after a too drunk night wasn't unusual to the staff here. Bev took me to my room, opened the door, and set me down on the bed. Jace trailed behind him. I turned over, pretending to settle into the bed.

"We will explain everything in the morning, Elliot," said Jace, throwing a blanket over me. "Don't paint us as the bad guys just yet."

I heard their footsteps retreating and the door closing behind them. I immediately sprung out of the bed, rushing to the bathroom to throw up again. The image of Jace shoving a staff through another man's body, continued to run through my mind. I didn't believe Jace when he said that Oliver wasn't dead, because he looked pretty dead to me. How he was able to not even bat an eye as he took someone's life, was astonishing. Clearly, he's done that before, and will likely do it again.

I broke down, finally crying on the bathroom floor, wedged between the toilet and the bathtub. Today never seemed to end. As the minutes ticked by, I managed to witness and be a part of more shit that could have lasted me a lifetime. All of my emotions from the day caught up to me right now as I tried even harder to suppress them.

I had been an accomplice to a crime, and now I was meant to live with that on my conscience for the rest of my life. I should have known better to trust Jace about going out tonight. If I had stood my ground and stayed in this hotel room, then none of this would have happened. Now a man was dead, and I was alone, dealing with the consequences.

The tears eventually dried up, allowing me to breathe evenly and think clearly. It finally occurred to me that I couldn't be here anymore. The longer I stuck around, the more trouble I would end up in. I couldn't afford to witness another murder or anything of the sort.

I stumbled back into the room, locating the leather jacket where I stored my phone. I dialed the first number that I knew would answer at 2 am.

Cami picked up after two rings. "Hey bitch, what's up?"

"Cami, I need you to pick me up at the Metro-North station."

There was a long enough pause that I thought she hung up. "Are you okay? You sound like you've been crying."

"I have been. Can you pick me up? I'll explain everything later."

"Are you in the City right now? Did you get in some kind of trouble?"

"Yes, but I just want to go home."

"Okay, yea I can get you. Are you there right now?"

"No, I still have to catch the train. I can text you when I'm close."

"Okay, stay safe. I'll see you soon."

I hung up and started packing, wiping tears away from my face. Telling Cami that I wasn't okay, already was enough to make me feel better. The knowledge that she was going to pick me up at the train station and take me home, made me gather everything a lot faster. I grabbed the packed bag, leaving behind the clothes that Jace had gotten me earlier tonight, and proceeded to exit the room.

I checked the peephole to make sure no one was standing in the hall, before slowly opening the door. I didn't want either of them to wake up and find me sneaking out. My heart pumped faster and faster as I tried my best to softly close the door behind me. I made it three steps before I couldn't help it anymore and started running.

The fatigue from throwing up, set in, causing me to falter in my steps. I caught myself on the wall and carried on to the elevator. We were on the 37th floor, so taking the stairs wasn't an option if I wanted to get out in the next couple of minutes.