Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me ✓

[ 36 ] Boys vs. Girls

➴       ➵      ➴       ➵     ➴     ➵

•  C H A P T E R

T H I R T Y   S I X    •

His haunting words keep replaying in my head like a broken record.

My heart beats abnormally faster at the thought of possibly going to jail. As much as I try to keep it together and give the impression that I'm unfazed by his declaration, endless thoughts of doubt and chagrin threaten to consume me as I stand statue still in the middle of the suite floor.

Luke's piercing glare that previously wouldn't have petrified me the slightest is currently doing the exact opposite.

A snicker escapes Dean who briefly glances over his shoulder to throw a look of disbelief in my direction before redirecting his gaze back to Luke's.

He briefly bends his body before posing his hands on his knees to support his weight as he seems to find the situation hysterical.

Once he's able to compose himself, he straightens up before regarding Luke amusedly, "Jail? Yeah right, that shit isn't even illegal in California. Your stupid words have no credibility whatsoever."

Luke's expression hardens before he quirks a challenging brow. "If y'all think I'm bluffing, you guys have no idea what you're in for. True, it may not be legal where we're from but in Canada, she could be facing years in jail for pulling that stunt. Look it up."

And with a diabolical smile curving his lips, he addresses me one last time. "If I were you Emery, I'd start searching for an attorney and savour my last days wisely before I send you behind bars."

Those are his final words before he ends up disappearing from sight.

Immediately after his exist, I begin my quest for a better understanding of the punishable implications from the illegal recording of private conversations in Canada.

As I survey the web on my phone, a surge of astonishment, disdain and fear overtake my emotions as I'm having a lot of difficulty digesting what I'm reading.

The one phrase that has the ability to trigger my utmost terror is the following :

The illegal recording of two parties is punishable by law with two to five years in jail.

In a phase of denial, I begin to shake my head repeatedly in the hopes that this is another one of my nightmares.

"N—no, this has got to be a joke. . ." I fail to finish my sentence as Dean urgently marches in my direction.

Once he comes to a standstill in front of me, he encircles my wrist before pulling me into his arms.

"Dean," I begin in a soft tone but my voice betrays me as I fail to utter the following words without sounding broken, "I'm too young to go to jail. . . I haven't even graduated yet, I-I have a whole life ahead of me only to have it taken away from me?"

With my forehead pressed against his chest, he softly cups my cheeks before uplifting my head to lock his gaze with mine. "Hey, hey, no one's going to jail on my watch. Luke's full of shit, he will never have the guts to execute his plan."

His words fail to appease my anxious thoughts given that I continue to shake my head as I'm on the verge of tears. "Didn't you hear him? He sounded serious and I saw online that I could be facing more than two years in prison. . . Gosh I can't even keep up with what's happening in my life anymo—"

"Shh," he whispers before he runs his thumb over my furrowed brows, "Anyone that tries to go against you will instantly have to deal with me. All I ask of you is to enjoy this trip and stop worrying about things that are of little relevance."