I Hate You...I Think (37 page)

             
"That's good. How's Jet?" Oliver twirled my hair in his fingers. Leon kind of looked away from us as we shared a moment looking at each other. I didn't realize just how much I really had missed him. It's insane to think this boy is now my whole world.

             
"He woke up yesterday. He's giving the nurse hell pushing the button so she'll bring him stuff. "

             
Oliver scoffed.

             
"Eien's still out," Leon mentioned.

             
Oliver shrugged. "Don't care. Ever won't be going off with him," Oliver gave me a look.

             
"You should he's the one who hurt her," Leon said.

             
"I didn't go with him willingly Oliver. He shoved a knife into my side," I frowned at Oliver. Why did everyone think I just went with Eien willingly? I'm not that stupid...well I can be...but I wasn't that time.

             
Oliver was staring at me a second. "Eien?"

             
I nodded lifting my shirt to show him the bandage wrapped around my ribs. It had a small blood stain on it.

             
"He broke her wrist too. I know Eien's always been a little bitch. He even took off when the fighting got started but he didn't seem too bothered with hurting her."

             
"What are you getting at?" Oliver questioned looking at Leon confused.

             
"Maybe there are other girls he beat around on, but I have never once seen him with a girl. Have you?"

             
"Err...no...I just thought he kept it away from the warehouse, but now that I think about it he's never really had a girl," Oliver muttered scratching his chin.

             
"Maybe he's gay," I joked.

             
"Makes sense," Leon laughed.

             
“But, seriously. Why be so violent with Ever? I mean Jason wasn’t even that rough with you, was he?” Leon asked.

             
I shook my head. “He slapped me and drug me around by my hair but Eien was the one who really hurt me. After he broke my wrist he tried to twist it off a few times.”

             
Oliver said nothing for a moment.

             
"Do not let her out of your sight. Not even for a moment," he told Leon in a firm tone.

             
Leon nodded. "Yes, sir."

             
I elbowed Oliver. "Be nice," I told him.

             
He looked down at me a second then smiled softly shaking his head.

             
"So we need to talk about the funeral arrangements."

             
Leon nodded and pulled a paper out of his pocket.

             
"I wrote down a list of the boys who got killed. They're being held at the funeral home right now," Leon spoke solemnly sliding the paper across the table.

Oliver picked it up and looked over it with a sad expression. These weren't just his gang that died. They were his friends. People he has known
long before I ever showed up, people who risked their life and died because Oliver said so, all for me.

Glancing at
the list I counted ten names, ten people who had sacrificed their life to save me and Jet.

             
Tears formed in my eyes as I thought of how reckless and careless I have been. None of those people had to die if I had just told Oliver sooner about Eien's threats. I could have stopped Kimmy and Alex getting hurt. Jet wouldn't have ran off in anger, now to possibly be paralyzed the rest of his life and Oliver or any of the others wouldn't be in jail.

             
How could me, one single solitary person cause so much mayhem and destruction without lifting a finger?

             
"Could you give us a second, Leon?" Oliver spoke cradling my head to his chest. I heard Leon stand and then a moment later the door shut. Oliver lifted my chin and I looked up at him miserably.

             
"None of this is your fault, Everlyn. None at all. It is mine. Mine alone. Please stop feeling guilty about what has happened, baby girl," he kissed my gently. His lips were so soft and loving it made me want to cry more.

             
Pulling back I took a deep breath sucking up my tears. "All I seem to be doing lately is crying," I muttered wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand.

             
"Maybe you're PMSing?" Oliver smirked.

             
"Oliver!" I smacked his chest. He let out a low chuckle and pressed his cheek to mine.

             
"You're beautiful when you cry though," he whispered his breath hot on my cheek.

             
"You're more beautiful when you smile. Please smile for me. I don't want you to be upset. If it's anyone’s fault it's mine. I shouldn't have let Jason go the first time he messed up."

             
"You would be in prison then, and we wouldn't have met. You kind of have to give him credit. He brought us together," I shrugged.

             
"I’ll thank him next time I see him with a kick to the throat."

             
That made me giggle, he chuckled too.

             
"Now that's the smile I wanted to see." Burying his face in my hair he inhaled deeply. "Being away from you has been torture you know that."

             
"When are you getting out?"

             
"Well, all the others are getting there trial dates. I have been trying to pull some strings but no one wants to help. Apparently Jason has got them worked up enough to not want to take deals from anyone. Although, I did talk to one guy, his names Monroe. Detective or some shit...he is putting a case together against Jason. When they get the trial date, you will have to testify. When that happens I can plea a moment of craziness about you getting kidnapped and hurt. We're keeping the others out of this. They are getting off mostly with assault in an unrelated thing."

             
I held my head in frustration. "You're giving me a headache. How is it unrelated? They were all there?"

             
"It's complicated. Just know that the boys are getting off with a slap on the wrist and me and Jason are going to court...but now listen," he spoke seriously.

             
"Jason's defense is going to say anything to make Jason look good, so it will be some pretty awful stuff to discredit you. I don't want you to listen to any of it or take any of it to heart. You just be you and the jury will love you, I promise."

             
"What would they say?" I questioned.

             
"Well they'll say stuff like you were with Jason, an affair maybe. They might even bring up your mom and say you hurt yourself for attention."

             
"WHAT?!"

             
"I know. It's what they do," Oliver squeezed me tighter to him. "Just tell them what happened. Leave the boys out of it. Jet will have to testify too, since he was there. But, I think we have a solid case. Just tell how Eien forced you to go with him and everything. We got time we'll go over what you can say and what shouldn't be mentioned okay?"

             
Sighing I nodded. I was confused, I had never had to testify, or go to court. It was all scary, but as long as Jason went to prison and Oliver got out that was all that mattered.

             
"So how long?" I breathed shutting my eyes I dreaded the answer.

             
"Two weeks...maybe less..."

             
I jerked my head up to look at him. "But, what about your job at the college?"

             
He shrugged. "Got fired," he grinned. "Not only an affair with a student but into gang violence too."

             
My eyes widened. "They know...about us?" I gaped.

             
"Yeah...I'm kind of all over the news if you haven't noticed."

             
"I haven't," I muttered. "Leon hasn't really been letting me watch it."

             
"Good," Oliver approved. "Did you know that Leon is Logan's step brother?"

             
I shook my head. "Really? Why didn't anyone tell me? Why don't you people tell me things like this?"

             
Oliver laughed. "Well he's older than Logan and he just found out that his dad wasn't really his dad and went searching for him. He found Logan four years ago. He's been kind of like low man on the totem pole because he comes and goes a lot. He's got his family in Washington so he goes back and forth at lot, but as of recently his mom passed away so he's been here full time living with Scott. I'm thinking of giving him Eien's old room at the house. What do you think?"

             
"That would be cool. He's really nice. Does he and Logan get along well?"

             
"Yeah, they're cool with each other. Don't hang out much but maybe they will now."

             
I nodded. "I like that idea." Logan and Leon should get to know each other better, they're brothers after all.

             
"So now...we got to discuss the funerals."

             
"Yeah..." I agreed. It's going to be a long week.

Chapter Twenty-Six

             
I sat nervously twitching my leg up and down and biting a hole through the side of my mouth.

             
"Would you stop that?" Leon scolded for the millionth time. "You'll be just fine."

             
"Leon...when Oliver asked me to help with the funerals I didn't think he meant give a eulogy. Those guys out there probably hate my guts. I got their best friends killed."

             
"Ever, you worry too much," Leon groaned. He pinched the bridge of his nose and I stiffled a laugh. It was a very Oliver like manner.

             
"I can't believe Oliver deals with you on a daily basis," he muttered under his breath. I rammed my elbow into his ribs and was satisfied when he grunted.

             
"I'm telling on you," he hissed.

             
"Shut up, Leon," I huffed and stood up to peak out the door. The warehouse was almost completely full with people. Ten caskets sat up on the stage. My heart sank as I looked upon all the sad faces in the crowd.

             
"It's time to go out now," Leon told me from behind and pushed me out the door. I sucked in a breath forgetting to breath for a moment. How can I get in front of all the people and tell them “sorry for getting your friends killed! But...err...I'm alive!”.

             
Leon ushered me up the side of the chairs toward the front. Eyes began to zero in on me and I swallowed a lump in my throat. Jet was sitting in his wheel chair up front. The doctors had not wanted to let him out but I gave them a promise he would be right back to the hospital after the funeral.

Jet wasn't happy about that. He would r
ather be in his bed at home but he was still having issues with infections from the bullet wound in his chest and I was not taking any chances.

             
He's now started calling me "mother hen", he's just lucky he's in a wheel chair and I don't have my wooden spoon.

             
Leon stopped us at the edge of the stage. "This is as far as I'm going. Good luck," he offered and speed walked away from me. Damn him!

             
Looking over the crowd again all eyes were on me and the room was silent.

             
Jet gave a reassuring grin and two thumbs up. I had the urge to flip him off but I didn't want to disrespect anyone. Taking a deep breath I stepped on stage and stood before the microphone. My speech I had worked on all night clutched in my hands.

             
"I...umm..." I spoke into the microphone nervously. In hailing again I focused my eyes above everyone’s heads onto the back wall.

             
"I will not insult you by trying to tell you that one day you will forget all this. I know as well as you that you will not, ever. I know I won't," I spoke with a shaky voice glancing down at my notes. Sighing again I crumbled up the paper.