Hope Never Died

10︱How to Ruin a Friendship

I gesture at Orion to get up when my screen lights up with a text from an unknown number.

"He's leaving?" says Maria, frowning. She seems to think he's her long lost-brother or something.

"Yep, someone's picking him up," I say, watching him put his shoes on, his face bright.

"Take care," says Maria, handing him the red hoodie he took off earlier.

"Bye!" he says, smiling widely and saluting them. And it looks like only I know he's not smiling at them; he's just happy to leave.

"I'm coming with you," says Liam.

"No," I blurt out, feeling my face heat up.

"Why not?" he says, raising an eyebrow.

"Because Dr. Torres said no," says Orion mockingly, taking the stairs quickly when Drucie rises to her feet.

"I'm coming," says Liam stubbornly.

Not wanting to make a scene in front of Maria and Renee, I roll my eyes at him and descend the stairs behind Orion.

"Stay here," I mutter to Liam when Orion opens the door.

"Why?" he hisses.

"Just stay here, goddammit," I snap, shooting him a glare.

"Holy shit, Harvey got a Porsche!" says Orion excitedly.

I slow down when I see her getting out of the car. The man next to her doesn't seem to be much older than she is. He's tall with light brown hair and dark eyes. He's standing next to the said Porsche, his arms folded across his chest.

"Orion," says Cory, hugging him tightly. "God, I thought you got hurt when Jessie called."

"I'm fine," he says, pushing at her arms. "Let go! I wanna see the Porsche!"

She laughs shakily and lets him go. Our eyes meet, and I take a moment to admire just how beautiful she looks in that long, dark blue dress.

Beautiful is an understatement. I stare at her and feel my pulse quicken and my palms dampen with sweat. She looks divine.

"Elias," she breathes, moving forward to give me a hug.

"Hey," I whisper weakly, hugging her back.

She takes a step back, but remains close. "I'm so sorry, Elias, I'm so—"

I shake my head and swallow. "It's fine, Cory. It's fine."

"But your work and—God, Elias, I don't even know what to say," she says, staring up at me with a guilty look. "Thank you for not abandoning him. Thank you for not leaving him there, El—"

"I said it doesn't matter," I cut her off gently.

It's only when her hair moves with the wind that I notice two bruises on her neck. Then I notice that her hair is a little messy, her lips are bitten, and her lipstick is smudged.

I feel my breathing quicken.

And I feel angry.

"Cor?" calls the Harvey guy, who didn't even glance at me.

She blinks and turns to send him a nod.

"It's getting cold," I mutter, stepping away from her and pushing my hands into my pockets.

Her lips part and her brows furrow slightly as she studies my face, which I hope doesn't portray the silent turmoil going on inside my head.

"See ya, Eliasie!" called Orion, climbing into the backseat.