Ready To Run?

Chapter 16

(White Horse By Taylor Swift)

Cora's Pov

"Juliana?" I spoke softly.

Her head shot up. I took notice of her right away. She looked to be around 5'7. Her curly hair. I'm actually jealous. Her big brown eyes. Her nose piercing.

The butterfly tattoos going down her left arm.

"You're hot." I blurted out and she smiled.

Way to be professional, Cora.

"Do you want me to stay?" Eryn looked at Julie who nodded her head quickly. Eryn sat down next to Julie with a smile, and Julie looked over at me.

I sat down in the booth of the closed bar, pulling a notebook out of my bag. She looked down at it and stared.

"Hey, we don't have to go with the notebook route if you don't want to." I said, tossing it to the side of me in the booth after seeing her get upset.

"How are we gonna do this?" I asked, putting the notebook back in my bag.

How the hell is this supposed to work?

"I can tell you everything that I was told while Julie writes the rest?" Eryn spoke in a questioning tone and I nodded.

"Will it be easier for you to go to a different room and do it?" I asked, noticing her discomfort. She nodded her head, and stood up, walking out of my vision.

"Well..." Eryn breathed out and I closed my eyes taking a deep breath.

I'm so not ready for this shit.

***

I walked into the room. It was dark, it was quiet. I went to the bathroom, leaving the door slightly open. The light in the bathroom illuminated my skin.

I brushed through my hair, as tears started to fill my eyes. I grabbed a makeup wipe and wiped all of the makeup I was wearing off. I put my hair up, washed my face, brushed my teeth.

I went to the room, grabbed my clothes and went back to the bathroom. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Leaving my suit on the counter folded up.

I knew this was going to be hard.

And especially after that phone call this morning. I just need a second to breathe. I sat on the bed, my body racking with sobs. I put my hand over my mouth in order to try and quiet myself. I didn't want to wake him up.

I didn't want anyone to worry. This is where I loved being alone in my house with Apollo. Apollo would just lay his head on me, almost as if he was trying to tell me that I wasn't alone. Now I'm completely alone and trying to calm myself down.

"Cora?" I quickly wiped my eyes, and took a deep breath before coughing.

"What's up?" I asked, hiding my crying voice.

I felt the bed move, and I knew that he was sitting up. I knew that he knew I was upset. I could sense it. So when I felt his arm wrap around me and pull me to his chest, I just cried. \

"What's going on, Cora?" He asked, and it brought me back to the memories from before.

Everything is all wrong.

I felt my heart beat, as I turned to face him. It was dark but I could still make all of his features out. He brushed my hair from my face, and wiped my tears.

Everything felt the same.

"Talk to me, Cora. I'm here."

"I want you to show up for me even when we're falling apart."

Played over and over again in my head. I felt like the room was spinning as I held on to him.

"Everything's so difficult." I spoke and he stayed quiet, holding me as he listened.

"One of the parents of a girl I helped called me this morning. She passed away. Her abuser was released from prison and killed her." My body was shaking as the tears did not stop falling down from my face.

I remember that case so well. I met with her in the hospital. Her parents didn't have enough money to pay me, but they refused to not give me anything. I remember asking them for one dollar.

I put him behind bars for one singular dollar for her. That case was one of my worst cases, and I just can't believe that things ended this way.

"They don't have a lot of money. They can't even plan the funeral." I squeezed my eyes shut, and I just cried.

"I offered to pay for it, but they didn't answer anything I said. I know they are grieving and do not want me to do it, but it sucks so much." He held me tightly, and listened to me speak.

"And Julie. She needs help. So much help that I don't even know if I can do it all. It's so much, and I don't think I can do it."

He held me tight as I cried harder. Pulling me closer to him. At the end of the day, he was the only person that could see completely through my walls. Even after all of these years, he still can read my emotions better than anyone else.

"You're the strongest person I have ever met in this entire world. You fight so many battles, Cora. But I think you should let someone else help you fight your own. You're not alone." His voice was soft, and he just played with my hair as I cried.

My head was on his chest, and he was fine with it. He didn't make me move, he didn't make me stop crying. He let me let all of my emotions out, and I haven't done that in such a long time.

"It's so hard to not feel alone, when all I have been is alone." I felt a kiss on my head and I closed my eyes.

"Cora, I never left you alone. You fail to realize that, and I know for a damn fact I will never leave you alone."

"I missed you, Karl."

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