جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 110

Kassidy's POVEli had texted me after the trial when I hadn’t expected it, apologized for not being able to come for the trial, and promised to see me back at home. I kept rereading that single message, my thumb tracing the short sentences. *I am so sorry I couldn't be there in the courtroom with you today. You were so brave. I'm driving back right now. I promise I will see you back at home tonight.*So, I waited up all night for him until I slept off. The clock on the nightstand ticked past midnight, then two in the morning, then four. Every little sound outside the window, every passing engine on the highway and footstep in the corridor, made me jump up to check the blinds. I kept on sending him text messages and calling his phone but he didn’t pick up.*Are you close?* I had texted at one in the morning. No reply.*Please call me when you get this, I'm getting worried,* I sent two hours later. The status remained unread.Eventually, exhaustion took over my body, and I drifted into

Kassidy's POV I had cried myself to sleep on the chair in Eli's hospital room. The uncomfortable vinyl seat offered no real support, forcing me into an awkward, cramped position against the corner of the wall. The morning sun was just beginning to peek through the blinds, some of it spilling against my face. I lifted my head, my neck cracking painfully as I extended my arms to shake off the stiffness in my joints. The moment my vision cleared, I realised where I really was. I looked at the bed. Eli was still under the white sheet, his face still bruised and swollen from the impact of the shattered windshield. My gaze drifted downward, inevitably stopping at the left side of the mattress where the blanket flatlined below the knee. Then a wave of grief pressed down on me.  It was so unfair! He had spent his entire life running from his father's shadow, trying to build a future for himself on the i

Eli's POVThe days following my accident were extreme difficult. The hospital room became my entire world, a small, white box that protected me from the outside world.The sun would rise and set outside the narrow window, but inside, nothing changed except the level of bitterness rotting away in my gut. Every morning, the physical therapy staff would wheel a metal walker into my room, offering fake, cheerful smiles as they asked me to practice shifting my weight or sitting up on the edge of the mattress. I turned my head to the wall and ignored them until they gave up and left.When Marcus or Jay brought the guys from the hockey team by, I didn't look at them. They would stand around the foot of my bed, shifting their weight from one foot to the other, talking in loud, forced voices about the upcoming weekend games or the latest campus gossip. They looked at the flat left side of my blanket with wide, terrified eyes, treating me like a ghost before I was even dead. I didn't say a sing

Kassidy's POV I stepped out of the double doors of the lecture hall and let out a massive breath that I felt like I had been holding for the entire week. The stress of the final exam was finally over! Bree and Simone came running across the brick courtyard. "Oh my God, Kas!" Bree squealed, throwing her arms around my neck in an enthusiastic hug. "We are officially done with freshman year!" Simone was bouncing on the heels of her sneakers, a massive grin lighting up her face. "I can't believe we actually survived it. We need to do something big tonight." "Something big?" I laughed. "Yes! Okay, liste

Kassidy's POV"Eli? What's going on, man?" Marcus asked. There was the sound of traffic in the background, like he was driving or walking somewhere outside.Eli didn't change his cold look directed at me. He held the phone out in the space between us, his fingers steady. I looked up at Celeste, who was staring at her friend Eli in slight fear."Marcus, I need you to do something for me. Tell Kassidy about the bet you, Devon and I made when she first came into the house. Tell her the truth about why I started talking to her in the first place."There was an immediate silence on the other end of the line."Eli, what are you doing?" Marcus muttered, his tone instantly becoming cautious. "I'm not doing this right now. Hang up the phone, please, or I'll do it myself.""Tell her, Marcus!" Eli shouted, his voice filling the apartment. "Tell her right now. Tell her it was a joke. Tell her how we sat around and laughed about it. You were there. Don't back out now just because she's standing in