AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Norris shakes his head. “I’m not sure if they’re actively following up, but they’re looking for an SUV or a truck. It’s a shame. The man had his problems, but he didn’t deserve to go like that.”
“Anything wrong?” Elijah walks over and places his attention on Norris.
“I was just telling your girlfriend here about Winston’s son.”
“She’s not my girlfriend," answers Elijah. "We’re classmates, and she’s got somewhere to go."
My eyes widen, but I quickly recover, hoping the shocked isn’t displayed too clearly on my face. I didn’t think we were a couple, but Elijah was quick to correct the mistake. It hurts being cancelled from his life without a pause. I refuse to look at Elijah again as I walk toward the door.
“Please tell his son I’m sorry.”
Norris looks at us in confusion, but I play it off and quickly say goodbye before slipping out the door. The relief shakes me as everything comes to an end, though it’s not the ending I may have wanted, not at first. Well, I won’t wonder what happened tohimagain.
I don’t know where I’m heading as I walk away from the bar. Honestly, I don’t care as I drift in a daze through streets I would normally be cautious of. If anyone tries to speak to me today, I won't notice them, and by luck, I manage to end up at my apartment in one piece.
“Olivia, you look a bit off.” Amanda walks over to the door and guides me into the living room. She helps me take off my coat and pulls me gently down onto the couch.
I feel numb. The warmth in the room thaws me out, and then the tears start. I tell Amanda everything that has happened since we last talked.
“He's not the monster,” I tell her through my tears. “I’m the monster. I ruined his life, and all I can think about is myself and the fact that he doesn’t want to see me anymore. I haven’t changed; I'm still that spoiled brat who got him locked away.”
Amanda pulls me into a hug. “It will be okay. You know what happened now and can move on. He can move on. You both have closure.”
I swallow hard. “I wanted more than that, but I guess I’ll have to take it.”
“The two of you have some heavy baggage,” she says. “Maybe it’s best to let go. And that might mean letting each other go too.”
I wipe the tears off my face.
“Is this why you haven’t been going to class?” she asks. “You need to start going again. Midterms are almost here.”
“I can't go tonight,” I sigh. “My graphics class is tonight, and he’ll be there.”
Amanda holds my hand as she looks firmly into my eyes. "It’s going to hurt the first few times, but you can’t toss your future away by avoiding him. That photo you took is really great, but you can’t win the competition if you don’t enter it. You owe it to yourself and to that man. It’s a great tribute, not to mention it will draw more attention to his case."
I hold my head in my hands, pressing my cheeks as if I’m keeping my head from splitting. "You're right. I don’t want to go, but you're right."
“Why don’t you call Lucas to give you a ride?” she suggests.
“That is a bad idea." I stand up and head off to my bedroom to clean up. “Isn't there a saying about two wrongs?”
Chapter Sixteen
Elijah
I’m hurting Olivia, and I know it. But it will be better if it ends now. When I realized she had no idea about her father’s accusations, a part of me hoped she would never find out the truth. But she would’ve eventually. If we had had a stronger bond, maybe we could’ve gotten through it. But Olivia figured it out too soon for us to have built a relationship that could demolish our past.
The class is full as I take a seat and pull some new photos out of my portfolio. It’s a weird feeling, being social again. While I’m not ragingly popular, people in class have learned my name, and we exchange hellos.
“What do you have today?” One of my classmates, Hugh, pulls up a chair and looks over the photos I have spread out.
I shrug. “Nothing special, a few shots around campus.” I pull out a photo of a male professor walking in front of a brick wall as his shadow follows him. “Playing around with light.”
“That’s good.” He smiles. “Any more of that sexy brunette?”
I chuckle. “Not this week. I’m afraid she’s done with me.”
“You’ll have to find another model then.”
