Flashback:
- "Hello? Emily?" I hear from the other line. "Whats up?" I say casually, slightly aware of her strained voice. "Evan. He keeps calling. It.. it's about the baby."
"Michelle! You know I don't like to talk about your baby. You know what I said. You should've never gone out with him. I know I should've told you about how we dated, but I didn't want to bring up old dirt! I know it's like girl-code or whatever but you were happy. So happy. And I'm sorry you had to break things off. Especially like that. I hate drama, you of all people, know."
"Emily- I- know.." she sobs, "but he's threatening me, and I- I don't know what to do. We have school soon. Spring break is almost over. I can't keep hiding from him. Especially since the baby was born. I can't deal with him on my back!" I hear her choppy voice from the other end of my crappy phone.
"Plus your parents. You need a place to stay after they kick you out. And you know with my move.. this is so complicated! Why did this have to happen!" I pause to look at my phone, it just vibrated.
" Evan is texting me too.." I groan. These texts aren't pleasant and Im afraid of this side of him.
This is his bad-boy-I-lead-a-gang-and-can-control-anything-I-want attitude. Michelle groans.
But I suddenly become very mad at her, a rage and fury that I can't contain.
"Michelle! You need to get yourself together and deal with this man! He knows your running from him and your parents can only keep him out of the house until a certain extent! He's- he's threatening to follow me to California, Michelle. This is getting out of control! I can't let him walk all over you! But it's not just you! It's me too! He got me involved! He's threatening me because he knows he can get me to bring him to you! He's been plenty sure I know he knows I'm terrified of him,"
I mutter the last part because it's hard to remember his torturing me. I couldn't contain the scared and alone feeling so I continue to rant,
"and I'm leaving tomorrow. So I can't do this! Especially with him on my back! Do something because now I'm not just scared for you but scared for myself! I don't know what he is capable of!"
Okay that was a lie. I know what he's capable of. He's capable of tracking us down and torturing us.
"Look. He is in a gang. And believe it or not, he is powerful. And I don't want him hovering over me trying to get to you. Don't be a coward Michelle. I'm out."
Those were the last words I said to her in Florida.
"I'm out" has always been our outro, but that was the only time it was painful to say.
