This was not our plan.

ch 25: friend on the inside.

A/N: so sorry for the wait, it's been a rough month 😖, but I will definitely try to update more often. This book is quickly approaching its end, Fallon and Cleo's story is being tied up in bulky chains 😬

My heart pounded mercilessly in my chest, begging to escape, begging to be released and never return. It was beating so hard I genuinely thought I'd drop dead right here on this cold floor.

"Squat and cough." The guard said in a monotone voice as if I wasn't naked and shivering in front of her.

"I don't have anything-"

"Sweetheart, I don't recall asking you to speak." She snapped and shot me a stern glare before repeating her prior directions. My entire body trembled as I spread my legs shamefully and gave a cough.

I was so fragile that I feared the cough would break me. My skin wore awful goosebumps as the hairs rose on my arms from the cold. My nails dug painfully into them as I shook uncontrollably. There was an awful hollowness in my stomach as nausea built with trepidation laced ropes tied around my guts. My heart still thumped against my chest cavity, but right now I didn't mind if I dropped dead at this moment.

I can't do this. I can't stay here.

The guard threw me an orange jumpsuit and directed me to put it on. My arms shook as I trembled through putting my arms and head into their respective holes. The guard barked at me to go faster but I was moving as fast as I possibly could. Everything seemed painfully slow, and cold. My eyes had a dark filter over them, making everything seem darker than they'd previously appeared.

The guard gripped my bicep tightly before shoving me into a cell. A cold, dark, and woeful box much like the prison of my mind.

In this prison contained my thoughts, my assets and my fears. One section of it held the anxieties that were currently ravaging through my veins. What if I'm here forever? Or I get stabbed or hurt? I was never good with conflict. The other section contained my assets — the information I'd been equipped through years of legal education. They legally cannot keep me here for much longer without a fair trial. But trials sometimes take forever to start. Especially here in Oceanside. Shit, fuck, how long will I be here?

My arms hugged my knees tightly as I sat on the hard bed, which felt like the mattress was a thin cracker. My entire being shook so vigorously that the flimsy material underneath rocked as well. My thoughts were enthralled by two names.

Fiona. I wish I'd hugged her before she left. I wish I didn't react so horribly that night, I wish she knew how much I really love her. She's going to come home from school, wait up for me, wait for my texts that will never arrive. How will she find out what's happened? Will they take her into the system? Send her back to mom? This has fucked up her life, not just mine. Would she find out from Cleo?

Cleo.

Fucking Cleo. Anger rose into my throat like bile. I wish I'd never met her, none of this would be happening if she'd never walked into my life. If I never accepted a job at Oceanside. If I'd never even looked at her. My life was simple before Cleo Atwood. My life was simple before I fell in love. Love. My pain is present because I loved first. Did she cause this? Did she frame me? Maybe she didn't — I hope she didn't. Could I even look at her? Would I even have the chance? Maybe she's fleed the country, leaving me the reap the consequences of her actions.

Is this all my fault?

Cleo's POV

My breath was cold and coming out in visible puffs in the frigid temperatures. I came out here in nothing but my white short sleeve shirt and dress pants but my entire body felt hot and sweaty. I attempted to catch my breath begging for my brain to slow down so I could process what the hell just happened. An unfamiliar sob escaped my throat as a mental picture of Fallons face flashed in my mind. She looked distraught, broken and terrified.