Page 107 of Prove You Wrong

‘I’ll come with.’ Nate follows along with me. We’re silent as we walk along the maze-like corridors.

My mind is reeling with guilt and accusations, and desperate bartering for Chloe to be okay.

This is my fault.

If I hadn’t …

If I’d only …

I’d do anything to make sure she’s okay.

We arrive at an abandoned canteen. There’s no staff serving food, but there are plenty of vending machines stocked with everything from sweets and chocolate to sausage rolls and sarnies.

‘Can I get you anything?’ he asks, eyes earnest.

‘I … No, thank you.’ I press my lips together.

‘You need to eat, too.’ He frowns. ‘How long have you been here? Hours?’

‘I don’t des –– I’m not hungry.’ A scrap of hair falls over my cheek as I shake my head.

‘What do you mean?’ He jerks back.‘You were going to say you don’t deserve to eat, weren’t you?’

Casting my gaze down, I say, ‘I’m just going to grab a sausage roll and one of those dubious looking apples and get back to my sister.’

‘Ella,’ he says, his voice ragged, ‘you can’t look after her properly if you’re not looking after yourself.’

‘That’s total bollocks.’ I cock my hands on my hips. ‘I can’t look after her properly if Iamlooking after myself.’

‘What?’ His brows fold together.

‘This is all my fault. Allourfault, really. If I hadn’t been so distracted and swept up in all of this –– ’ I point between him and me ‘ –– in us, then this would never have happened.’

‘It was an accident, El.’ He splays his hand wide, like he’s trying to calm a stray animal. ‘This isn’t on you, or on us.’

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. ‘You wouldn’t understand. It’s my fault she was mixing with these people. If I’d have been there for her, she wouldn’t have been there with them.’

‘You can’t blame yourself for this.’ He reaches out for me but I take a half step back. ‘They’re just kids messing around. It was an accident.’

‘You wouldn’t understand,’ I bite out again.

‘Take a break for five,’ he pleads. ‘Eat something. You’ll feel better.’

‘I’m not the one with a gaping hole in her leg. I’m not the one who needs to feel better,’ I shout.

‘We’ll get through this,’ he says as I turn away.

I spin back. ‘There isn’t aweor anus.’My voice catches. ‘We can’t be anything.’

‘Ella.’ His eyes are black, imploring.

‘I’d better get back. Chloe needs me.’ I stalk back into the maze, tears blurring my eyes.

Chapter 32

Nate

‘We could be everything.’ I say it softly as I watch Ella walk away.

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