Just Hold Me

Chapter: 6

By the time Oliver and I came downstairs, the pizzas were already sitting out.

"These are great," Conner says.

Oliver walks over to him. "You ate it?" he asks sadly.

Conner shakes his head. "No," he says softly. "I meant they look great."

"Oh."

Adam looks over at me and smiles.

I smile back. "Let's eat," I say.

By the time Carol was back, we had almost devoured the entire pizza.

Oliver was in the living room with Adam watching television.

Conner and I were left in the kitchen cleaning.

"Hi, mommy," Oliver says happily.

"Hey," Carol says. "Where's Emily?"

"She's in the kitchen cleaning."

Carol walks in the kitchen. "Hey, you guys," she says. "How was everything?"

Conner smiles. "It was great."

She looks over at me. "Emily, can I speak with you for a second?"

I nod and hand Conner the plate.

We go up the stairs.

She looks down. "Your mother and I ran into each other in the grocery store," she says quietly. "She told me what happened."

I look at her. "What happened with what?"

"Your school," she says flatly.

I feel my face turn red. "Why?" I ask, my voice breaking.

She looks up. "I just asked her why you were here for the summer."

"And she told you?"

Carol leans against the wall and shakes her head. "Not immediately."

I don't say anything. Just rest myself against the bathroom door and sink to the ground.

By then, I was sobbing.

I didn't need to be reminded of what happened.

Katrina is still going school while I, who was actually defending myself, got expelled.

She sits beside me. "Emily," she says softly, putting an arm on my shoulder.

Adam slowly walks in the room. He stops when he sees me on the floor.

"Is something wrong? What happened?"

But the fact that he might actually care makes me cry harder.

Carol pulls me into her. My head rests on her lap.

She removes the hair from my face. "Emily, honey. I'm sorry. I was just wanting to ask what happened."

Adam crouches in front of me. "Hey," he says softly.

I've never cried like this in front of anyone.

It's like that moment you get when you want to be alone.

Especially when you know you're not.

It's kind of embarrassing.

Adam helps me up and puts his arms around me. "It's okay," he whispers into my ear. "Just let it all out."

I cry on his chest for a while before finally pulling away. "Sorry," I mutter.