The Bet: A Bully Romance(60)

When I reach my dresser, I pull open the top drawer and freeze. My knees buckle and I almost fall to the ground. I pick up the shirt that’s neatly folded on top and clutch it to my chest for a few minutes before returning it to the drawer. I get out my own stuff, but I leave the worn out cotton shirt with a faded Mickey Mouse logo laying on top.

I don’t think there is a chance that she will ever come back to me, but I can’t bring myself to think that she wouldn’t. I can’t let myself believe that there is no chance at all of her being mine again. We’re two pieces of the same soul, each other’s forevers and if I lose her, I might as well be dead.

Hope always dies last.

◆◆◆

The days move slowly without Jules. I force myself to run every night just to stop myself from going to her. Sebastian hasn’t admitted it, but I know she’s staying with him, and it takes everything in me to give her time, space. Each day without her feels like an eternity. My reason to breathe starts and ends with her.

Gritting my teeth, I push harder, my lungs burn, a delicious ache forming in my muscles, as I round the block and sprint the rest of the way up to the house. As I get closer, I notice Sebastian and my father standing outside. They look as if they’re in a heated conversation, one that I don’t want to involve myself in. I’ve got enough going on inside my head. I don’t need to add more to it, that is unless it has something to do with Jules.

“Rem, you need to come with me,” Sebastian orders as soon as I reach the driveway. His jaw is clenched, and he looks pissed off.

“What’s going on?” I ask between breaths, sweat dripping down my forehead and chest, soaking my t-shirt. My father has a strange look in his eyes, one I’ve never seen before.

“The police are looking for you. They want you to come in right now.”

I roll my eyes. Fuck them, there is nothing to investigate or question. I didn’t do shit, not yet. They would have something to investigate if I could get my fucking hands on Cole, but thus far, I have no leads on where he is.

I lift my shirt, wiping at my brow with the fabric.

“Do I have time to change and shower?”

Seb shakes his head, and that only frustrates me more.

“Well, I guess let’s fucking go then,” I grumble, heading toward the SUV.

“Let them ask you their questions, son. You fucked up yes, but I know you didn’t hurt Jules like they’re saying you did.”

I don’t even care, there is nothing I can do to make them believe me, not without revealing what happened that night and I won’t do that to Jules. I’ll never hurt her again, ever.

Sebastian and my father get into the SUV, and we start off toward the police station I itch to ask him how she’s doing, if she still isn’t talking or eating, if she’s still having nightmares, but I worry that he wouldn’t tell me the truth, even if I did ask.

Dad’s the only one who’s told me of her current state. Sebastian is cold and aloof and doesn’t often mention Jules, if ever, when I see him.

“I know you think I did it, but I didn’t. I love her too much to do something so foolish.”

“You think because you tell me you love her that I’ll believe you?”

The tone of his voice catches me off guard, and before I can respond, he’s talking again.

“She refuses to eat, talk, shower, and sometimes I have to go into her bedroom at night because I worry that she might stop breathing… that she might just give up, might stop trying.”

There are no words, no response to what he just said. My heart literally fucking aches.

“You’re my brother Rem, and I love you, but you hurt her, you hurt her so badly, and I know you’re sorry, and that you didn’t mean for it to get this out of hand, but it did. It fucking did and now there are consequences for your actions.”

“I didn’t do it, Seb. I took the recording, but I didn’t take the photos. I saved her that night, from him…” The confession slips from my lips with ease.

“What? Who is him?”

“I can’t say. I don’t want Jules to have to relive that night. If I say something, they’ll ask more questions, they’ll go to her, they’ll bring her into all of this, and I don’t want to hurt her any more than I already have. I can’t fucking bear it.”

Sebastian sighs. “So you’ll take the downfall for the photos, to what? Protect her? They’re going to end up questioning her anyway.”

I shrug. “Then she can tell them whatever she wants. If she wants to tell them the truth, of what really happened that night, then she can. If she doesn’t, then I’ll take the fall.”

We pull up to the police station and park in the small parking lot out front. I open the door, but my dad grabs my arm and stops me from stepping out.

“Maybe we should get a lawyer before we talk to them.”

“Dad, I didn’t take the pictures,” I growl. I’m seriously getting tired of having to tell people that. I might have been fucking stupid enough to share that recording with the guys, but if I had photos of Jules, I wouldn’t be sharing them with the entire campus.

Those would be mine, all fucking mine.

“You heard what the lawyer you talked to said. There is nothing they can charge me with. The recording was fucked up but not illegal and I didn’t take those fucking pictures. I’ve denied it a million times and I’ll continue to deny it, because it wasn’t me.”