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"I wonder if her and Brad are actually dating."
Even the thought of that douchebag makes me want to punch someone in the face. Seeing her with him, it took everything in me to keep my cool, but I did it for her. He looked like one of those stupid Ken dolls I always hated as a kid. If someone could break his jaw, I'd be thankful.
I shrug and focus on the game of Madden we're playing. "No idea."
My best friend snickers. "Oh, sure. Act like you don't care."
"I'm not saying I don't. You're not stupid enough to believe that."
"Then why aren't you over there?" he says, throwing his hands in the air. "Get her over here and claim your fucking girl. Take what we both know has been yours all along."
It's not something I haven't considered. I mean, not knowing how this week is going to go, all I've wanted is to spend this time with her and make the most of it. But that's not fair to her.
"For what?" I ask. "So that I could potentially get sentenced to life in prison and have to leave her anyway? She'd never leave me, and that's part of the problem. She deserves better than that."
He looks like he wants to fight it but realizes there isn't even a fight to have. "And when—and yes I mean when—you win, what then?"
A smirk makes its way onto my face. "Then all bets are off. She's mine."
Carter claps once and stands up. "Sounds like a plan. I've got to go pack. I'll be back in an hour."
"Wait," I stop him. "I was thinking you should just stay here."
His brows furrow as he stares back at me. "The fuck would I do that for?"
"You act tough, but you know as well as I do that going back there will be hard on you. It's why neither one of us cared when we got expelled. We never had any intentions of going back anyway."
"Yeah, but this is different," he argues. "My brother needs me."
I shake my head and look down at my lap. "You've got to stay here, man. Plan the huge party you're going to throw when I come back. But you're staying here."
He runs his fingers through his hair and sits on my bed. "What if it goes wrong?"
"Then it goes wrong," I answer lightheartedly. "We'll get through it, no matter what. Just like we've gotten through everything else for over a decade."
Carter looks over at me, and I can tell we're both getting upset. The severity of all this isn't lost on either of us. And while we vowed to always stay together, we don't know if that's a promise we can keep anymore. It's a harsh reality that we need to face.
Standing up, he comes over and we hug for the first time in years. We pat each other on the back in a silent message and hold on a little longer.
This isn't the end.
THE PRIVATE JET FEELS too big. There's so much space for just Finn, my dad, and I. When they booked the flight, the plan was for my mom and Brax to be coming with, but after a lot of begging on my part, they agreed to stay home. No mother needs to see her son’s character picked apart in front of a room of people.
My dad and Finn run through all the evidence in the case one more time, making notes of things and making sure everything is in line. But me? I stay quiet. Tucked away in the corner and staring out the window, watching the country below me pass by.
I always imagined Paige and me taking flights together. She's had a thing for traveling for as long as I can remember. That girl is a wild one. She was never meant to stay in the same place for long.
Looking at it now, I wish she were here to see it with me.
I wish she were here in general.
MY NIGHT IS FULL of tossing and turning. I would be surprised if I got more than five minutes of sleep. Hell, for at least two hours I stared at my phone, hovering over Paige's contact and wondering if I should call her. In the end, I turned my phone off and shoved it inside my nightstand.
I'm standing in front of the tall mirror, messing with the tie that just doesn't seem to look right. My dad comes into the room and sees me struggling. Stepping in front of me, he smacks my hands away.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
I swallow and try to stay calm. "Like I'm going to be sick."
