"What 'cha in for, kid?" Emma looked to the left of the holding cell she was placed in. A tall, dark-skinned, busty woman, scantily dressed in a crop top reading "JUICY" and a mini-skirt with heels, stared back. Emma didn't answer, just kept her head forward. The woman looked like a professional prostitute, and Emma wasn't interested in having a conversation with her.
She was still trying to wrap her brain around how she ended up in a holding cell, barefoot and alone. She guessed Blake was put in a different cell, probably one for men, while she was placed here. Before she was put into the holding cell, the officer gave her one phone call, and luckily, she remembered her parents' number.
She ended up calling her father to bail her out. He did not sound happy about receiving the call. She begged him not to tell her mother about this, but he just hung up after saying he would be there in a few minutes. Maybe she should have just stayed at the play instead of going with Blake, but it was too late to second-guess now; her fate was sealed.
"Because you really look out of place here... like, how old are you? Fifteen?" the woman continued questioning her. Did she really not get the hint that Emma didn't want to talk to her, or maybe she just didn't care.
Emma looked outside the bars, watching as police officers passed by. "I was in a street race and got caught." She left out the part about Blake, The Underground, and her age, because all that was none of this random woman's business.
The woman gave her a slightly impressed look as Emma saw her father enter the police station alone. She stood, walking to the bars, letting out a sigh of relief that he didn't bring her mother. Gripping the bars, her wrists still fully cuffed, she watched him walk up to the front desk, having a discussion with the chief before handing him a stack of money. Her insides twisted as she watched the chief gesture to her cell before standing up from the desk, grabbing a pair of keys from underneath, and leading her father over.
The look of disappointment was clear on his face, and she could practically feel the anger coming off him in waves. That alone made her take a small step back.
"Wow, he's hot. Is that your daddy?" the woman said, crossing her arms underneath her full chest to push them up, a grin on her red lips.
Emma glared over at her before hearing the cell open in front of her. "You're free to go this time, girl, but if I may offer a suggestion, stay out of trouble and stay away from that boy, or you'll probably end up right back here." She just pressed her lips, looking towards the ground before stepping out of the cell. It closed and locked again behind her before the chief unlocked and took off her cuffs.
"If I may ask, what was the name of this boy she was with?" her father asked as the chief led them to the front door. That was private information; surely he couldn't get that type of information out.
"His name's Blake Black, sir. Long dark hair, green eyes, about six-foot-three, eighteen years old," the chief answered easily, to her annoyance.
"Why don't you just give his shoe size too while you're at it?" she whispered, looking to the side. Luckily, neither her father nor the chief noticed her statement. As they took a moment to talk about why she was arrested, she was looking to the side. They passed by another line of cells. Looking inside, she saw Blake leaning against the cell bars, tapping his shiny rings against them, wrists still locked in tight cuffs, looking bored.
Apparently, he felt her gaze on him because he looked up into her chocolate brown eyes, and a slow grin spread on his lips. Seeing him made her instinctively smile; thank God he seemed okay. She glanced towards her father, then back at him, shaking her head as if to say, Look at the shit we got ourselves into this time. He gave her a goofy smile while shrugging.
Suddenly, Chris ran through the front doors with Kandy trailing behind him, still holding Emma's heels. "Where's our boy! Where's our little baby boy at!" Chris yelled, slightly out of breath. Some of the passing cops glanced over at him, confused. Blake rolled his eyes. One cop walked up to them, leading them towards the front desk. They both noticed Emma standing there with her father. Kandy gave her a sad smile. Her father glared at them, disgusted, before turning his attention back to the chief.
As Kandy walked past them, she casually set the heels beside Emma's feet, into which Emma easily stepped without her father noticing. Suddenly, the chief put his hand on her shoulder, making her cringe. She looked at it. Blake's hands tightened around the bars, watching from a distance. "I hope not to see you in here again, little girl." He squeezed her shoulder slightly, making her uncomfortable one last time before removing his hand.
He tilted his hat to her father. "You two have a good night." Then he turned, making his way back to his desk.
Her father grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to the front door. She stopped walking, taking a moment to look back as the cop opened Blake's cell, taking off his cuffs. Blake rubbed his wrists. Chris pulled him into a hug as if he'd been in jail for twenty years.
As they hugged, his eyes met Emma's, and she could feel herself falling into that green ocean all over again before her father yanked on her wrist, making her wince with pain. "Come along, Emma." Frowning, she pulled her eyes away, facing forward, walking out the door.
The cold night air immediately hit her body as they made their way across the parking lot to his car. They both opened the doors, sliding inside. Most of the ride home was in silence until finally, she decided to speak. "Does Mother know?" Her voice slightly shaking as she looked out her window.
"No," he said simply, easing some of the tension in her body.The car fell back into silence, then he decided to speak up. "Seriously, Emma... street racing? You could have gotten hurt." He began to lecture, taking a minute to pull over onto the side of the road. That was enough to let Emma know this would be a long talk. "You're extremely lucky I was able to pay off the chief so this won't be going on your records. Colleges pay close attention to those things, Emma. I can't believe you let this happen." He glared at her for a moment before looking away as if unable to look at her.
She let out a shaky breath. She hadn't thought about this going onto her records, to be honest. She wanted to ask how much her father had to pay for the chief to keep this off the records, but she was too afraid to ask. She couldn't say she was surprised that the fat old white man could be paid off; this system of government was honestly so corrupt.
"You've been fine these past few months. Now, suddenly, you do something like this. I won't tell your mother about this because she's at work and I don't feel like upsetting her, but when we get home, I want your phone indefinitely. You will not be getting it back. And you will stay away from that boy. Your mother told me you were tutoring a little boy named Alex Black; I assume they're related. I want you to stop tutoring him. I'll call the school tomorrow and let them know. Do you understand me, Emma?" he said intensely, pointing a finger at her.
She looked in her lap for a moment before turning in her seat to face him. "But Alex needs me, Father. His grades have improved so much since I've been tutoring him..." he held up a hand, cutting her off. "There are other tutors, Emma. I'm sure the boy will be fine. Summer is coming up soon; that means his finals will be coming. I'm sure you've taught him enough to help him pass his grade by now."
Emma frowned before turning back forward again. She hoped with everything she had taught him, she had done enough to help Alex pass his grade. She didn't want him to fail just because of her and Blake. She nodded, biting her lip "Do you understand now, Emma?" he said before starting the car, starting to merge back onto the road.
Did she understand what exactly? Did she understand that she couldn't live her own life? Did she understand that she couldn't be around Blake? Or did she understand her parents were being controlling assholes again, like usual? Yes, she understood it all perfectly. She was seventeen and couldn't do anything she wanted. "Yes, Father, I understand," she whispered, watching out the window.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
