The Switch

chapter 28

Emory

After school Jessica and Anthony tried to talk to me again, but I just told them I didn't want to talk about it and asked if they'd leave me alone. They didn't seem to want too, but they obliged anyway. Dinner was awkward and silent. Well silent except for Georgie who is now friends with  his bully, or victim, depending on who's telling the story. After dinner Aria said she was studying upstairs and Anthony and Jessica went to get Georgie ready for bed and I'm pretty sure talk about me more.

Around ten o'clock I went to my room to pack my bag. I figured Aria might be asleep by now and Jessica and Anthony were asleep an hour ago. Georgie was definitely asleep, so I wasn't worried about running into him in the slightest.  When I got to the room though I didn't see Aria. For a second I thought maybe she was downstairs, but I had just been down there. Regardless of where she was, it was better that she wasn't in here. Despite the fact that she definitely didn't want me here, I wouldn't put it past her to tell her parents just because she could.

I waited till midnight, before sneaking Down stairs, aria must have snuck out herself, especially since the security alarm was already turned off. That actually was pretty lucky, since I didn't exactly know the alarm code. As i reach for the door knob though, Jessica's car keys in hand, I hesitate. What was I doing, was this really a good idea? I think about it for a second, and maybe this was what I had to do for the Jacobs to finally take me seriously. Maybe this was the thing that would show them that my opinion mattered and that what I wanted was important.

So, without another glance I opened the door and made my way to Jessica's car. I technically only had my permit, I wouldn't be sixteen for another month, so I made sure to be extra cautious as I drove through  the city.  I had only made it a few miles outside of town when my phone rang. I was going to let it go to voicemail, thinking it was Anthony and Jessica. I had to get further before I could confront them. However when I saw that it was Bentley calling I pulled over to the side of the road and answered. "What's going on, is everything okay?"

"Um can you come get Aria and I? You have your license right?" She says and I hear music in the background and kids talking or yelling.

"Yeah sort of, but why do you need me to come get you?" I glanced back at the road, if I turned around and took them home and then tried to leave that would increase the odds of the Jacobs stopping me.

"Please, she's really drunk and it's probably my fault because I keep messing things up and I'm really mad at her right now but I don't want anything bad to happen, so can you please pick us up?!" She sounded desperate and exhausted and a bit drunk herself.

I close my eyes, knowing I was going to end up regretting this later, "alright text me the address I'll be there in thirty minutes."

After that she thanked me then had to hang up because Aria was trying to leave with some random guy. I cared about Bentley, and I told myself that she was the only reason I was going back, that it had nothing to do with Aria. Except that was a lie, some part of me wanted to protect her, which was so stupid because she has been horrible to me for weeks. However if I didn't care about her, then I wouldn't have stopped being friends with Bentley when she asked, I wouldn't have stopped going by EJ or doing anything else that reminded her of her sister. Part of me cared for her the same way i cared for Georgie, which surprised me but it was True. I hated that, and here I was risking my escape plan, to go save her and Bentley. To be fair Bentley definitely didn't deserve the stress Aria and I were probably putting her through.