Changing You ✦ The Sequel

Chapter 41 {R}

✦ RILEY ✦

"I'm warning the police, there's a deputy downstairs," Carrie said, and I didn't know how fast to tell her 'no'.

That earned me confused looks from everyone in this room.

"We can't," I said. "We just- we have to go."

"Riley-"

I didn't wait for her to finish, knowing we really didn't have time to argue about this. "Can you drive us out of here?"

She stared at me, and I could tell she didn't understand. Out of all the solutions that were shooting through her head, running away definitely wasn't one of them. But we didn't have time to reconsider our options here, and she realised that, too.

She nodded. "Get him in one of those." She gestured towards the wheelchairs that were lined up in the hallway. "We'll take the staff exit to the parking lot."

I grabbed the first one and rolled it to the side of Zach's bed. As Ryan and I helped him get up and sit down in the wheelchair, Carrie rushed to get some of her medical tools together.

Zach grabbed my hand. Made me look at him. "What happened? Did they see you?"

I swallowed, hating how pale he looked, knowing how desperately he needed to rest and that all this commotion really wasn't doing him any good. "Jack was here, before you woke up, he still is, with Camila," I muttered. "We can't go to the police."

"What did he say to you? Did he- did they threaten you?"

"They threatened you, Zach. None of this is about me, it's about you."

His jaw snapped shut and I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it, because I knew it came out wrong.

As Carrie slung the bag with her stuff over her shoulder she spared us a short glance. "Follow me."

~ ☾~

No matter how tired Zach was, visibly fighting against the urge to close his eyes the whole car ride, I could tell he was worried about seeing his grandparents again, after three years of no contact.

I knew he had never expected to see them again and therefore I had never expected to meet them, but under these circumstances that was the last thing I was nervous about, unlike him.

It's scary how easily your mind plays tricks on you when you're scared, because I could have sworn there was a red car following us. Or maybe it was that black one. Or no, it was definitely that one; the silver Toyota.

I knew I was being paranoid, but the more I told myself that, the worse it got.

The car ride itself was dreadfully quiet, which put me on edge even more. I could almost taste the unspoken questions hanging in the air, feel the heavy weight of the loaded atmosphere pressing down on my shoulders.

We had so much to talk about, to clear things up for Carrie, to bring Ryan some comfort, to confront each other with the whole, honest truth — but there were no words to cover any of it.

At least, none that we could find.

~ ☾~

Zach's grandparents lived in Ferndale, a small town not too far away from Beacon Hills and it took us about half an hour to get there.