December 15th, 2019
I stood outside Cato's door, hesitating on whether or not I should knock. I needed to tell him what had happened with Ben at the prison, but I was afraid of how he'd react. He'd already yelled at me once today, and I don't think he was too pleased about Eli and me leaving earlier.
I gathered up my courage and knocked on the door quietly, taking a deep breath.
"Come in," he instructed from behind the door. He glanced up at me as I entered. He was lying on his bed, typing on his laptop.
"Are you working?" I asked meekly. "I can come back later,"
Cato quickly shut his laptop and sat up. "No, it's fine. What's up?"
I sat down on the edge of his bed, putting as much distance between us as I could. "I need to talk to you," I told him.
He was beside me in an instant, gazing down at me with both pride and concern. "You can tell me," he encouraged gently.
"It's about Ben," I held my breath, watching him tense up.
"Okay . . ."
"I went to see him today," I mumbled. "Eli took me,"
Cato sighed. "I figured,"
"He wants bail," I announced quietly, deciding not to tell him about what would happen if I testified. One problem at a time. "He wants me to steal your money and bail him out,"
"What did he threaten you with?"
I glanced up in surprise. "How did you know,"
He shrugged. "Because I know him. And I know you. You're too good of a person to even consider doing something like that without good reason,"
I smiled faintly. "He uses the same threat every time," I mumbled. "Because he knows it'll work,"
"He said he'd hurt Javi . . . didn't he?" Cato asked quietly.
I nodded, a tear sliding down my cheek. "What do I do?" I whispered.
He pulled me into a tight hug, kissing my forehead. "Well, for starters, you did the right thing by telling me,"
"I trust you," I admitted softly.
He looked so proud to hear me say it. "And I love that," he said. "I'll take care of Ben, okay? Don't you worry,"
I stared at him hopefully. "Promise?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, I promise," Cato paused, his voice quieting. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you today, I was just frustrated. I didn't mean to scare you,"
"I'm sorry too," I whisper, hugging him harder.
He leaned backwards, sending the both of us lying down together.
"Ow," I gritted my teeth as my head hit the pillow. I held a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes to try and stop the dizziness.
Cato sat up immediately, his eyes frantically searching me for visible injuries. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I lied, clenching my teeth even harder to stop the pain. I swallowed back the nausea, sitting up slowly.
"Amelia Grace, you tell me right now," His voice was laced with concern.
I waved him off. "I'm fine, honestly,"
"Did he hurt you?" Cato whispered. "Please, talk to me,"
I slipped my hand from his, shakily rising to my feet. "It's just a headache, I'm fine," But it was all a lie. My headache had only grown worse since I'd gotten home, and I felt half-ready to collapse.
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Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)
Teen FictionMia Albright can't remember anything before the age of four. No parents, no family, nothing. Living in a small town in Italy with her younger brother and a dead sister, Mia is hidden away by her abusive foster father. When Mia moves to New York, she...