Page 119 of Return Policy

I want to tell him to come over. To hold me till I fall asleep. To wash away all the pain and fear I just endured and never leave my side. But if Elijah finds out what Seth did, he won’t let it go.

And if Seth could almost kill a girl he supposedly used to love… what would he do to someone he definitely hates?

34

ELIJAH

Sophia shuts the front door, and my eyes stay glued to her as she strolls toward the car for our drive back to campus. She’s looking fine as fuck, wearing denim cut-off shorts and a turtleneck tank top, with her duffle bag flung over her shoulder.

“Hey there, beautiful,” I tell her as she opens the back door, throwing her duffle on the seat.

“Hey,” she clips, getting in the passenger side, buckling herself in without so much as a glance my way.

“You alright?”

“Yeah.” She turns toward me, eyes red and puffy, smiling weakly.Maybe still sad about Chloe’s room?“Just tired.”

“Okay…” I back the car out of the driveway, and onto the main road. My fingers strum against the steering wheel, filing the silence. “Thanks for letting me borrow your car while we were in town.”

“No problem.”

I shift in my seat, confused as all hell about her mood. She was fine when I left her house yesterday, so I don’t understand what happened between then and now to make her pull away.

After half an hour with neither of us speaking on the highway toward campus, I can’t take it anymore. “Sunflower?”

“Hmm,” she hums, staring out the window.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” She rubs her hands against her thighs, then touches her neck and exhales heavily. “Babe?”

“Seth came to see me last night.” I almost run the car off the road.Metaphorically.

“What?” I say calmly, sure I misheard her, while a fireball of anger threatens to explode out of me.

“Seth came to see me last night,” she repeats, picking at her fingernails.

I’m gonna throw up.

“Why am I just now finding out about this?”

“I didn’t want to tell you at all,” she admits nervously, gutting me like a hog.

“Wow, that sure makes me feel better.” She doesn’t speak, and her silence only heightens my anxiety. “What did he want?”

“He, um, he wanted to make sure you don’t tell your dad about the accident.”

“What?” I snap my gaze to hers before returning it quickly to the road. My stomach sinks, but I’m pretty sure my cover story was believable enough it doesn’t count.

“Seth saw you guys somewhere, I guess. And accused me of telling you.” She clears her throat again. “I admitted I did, and he, um, just wants to make sure you don’t tell your dad.”

Could he have overheard?

My hands tremble, and I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. There’s a sign for a rest stop a few miles up, and neither of us speaks until I pull in and put the car in park.

“Maybe weshouldtell Mark.”

“No,” Sophia blurts. “No.” She shakes her head violently. “We can’t.”

“Why not?” I snap. “This guy is harassing you and manipulating you. Why are you protecting him?”

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