Page 228 of Promising You

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Page 228 of Promising You

“It’s the plan, isn’t it? They’re making you do this? But why? Did he say why?” I’m gripping Garret’s shirt tightly in my hands and don’t even realize it until he pries my fingers open and I release the fabric. He keeps hold of my hands.

“Jade, that wasn’t about me. Or the plan. It was about something else. Something happened.” He lightly rubs the top of my hand with his thumb which he knows always calms me down.

“What is it? What happened?”

“It’s Arlin. He had a heart attack. They took him to the hospital but he . . .” Garret has that sad look on his face that I hardly ever see, but when I do I really don’t like it. “He didn’t make it. I’m sorry, Jade.”

“No! I just saw him yesterday! He was fine. He wasn’t sick.” Tears quickly fill my eyes and run down my cheeks. “He took me sailing and he was healthy. Your dad is wrong! Call him back and tell him he’s wrong!”

Garret pulls me onto his lap and wraps his arms around me, pressing my head down on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Jade.”

The tears keep flowing and my rational side can’t figure out why. I just met this man a few months ago. I shouldn’t be this sad. But I am.

“I wasn’t done getting to know him. I needed more time.”

“I know.” Garret keeps me held against him. He kisses my head and rubs my back and we stay that way for several minutes.

My tears finally let up a little and I reposition myself in Garret’s lap to face him.

“When did it happen?”

“A few hours ago. My dad said the funeral will probably be this weekend.”

“And I can’t go. I can’t go to my own grandpa’s funeral.”

“Why can’t you go?” He takes the tear-stained strands of hair off my cheek and tucks them behind my ear.

“Because his family can’t know about me.”

“It’ll be a huge funeral. You won’t even have to talk to the family.”

“But Sadie knows me and so does her mom. They think I’m your ex-girlfriend and it would be weird if they saw me. It wouldn’t make sense.” I move off Garret’s lap and sit across from him. “I don’t want to go to the funeral anyway. I want to remember Arlin on a sailboat, not in a casket.” Saying it makes me cry again.

“What can I do, Jade?” Garret asks, cupping my cheek.

I push his hand away and wipe the tears off my face. “You can promise me you won’t leave. I’m sick of people leaving me! Promise me you won’t let that group take you away from me.”

“You know I can’t promise you that,” he says softly.

He reaches for me but I shove him away. I get up and stand on the other side of the tent. “Then just leave! Just go away! Let’s just end this now. We both know you’re not getting out of this.”

He jumps up and gets right in front of me. “We have no idea what’s going to happen.”

“Yes, we do. If these powerful people want you to be president someday they’ll find a way to make it happen. It’s over, Garret.”

“It’snotover. Don’t even say shit like that. You’re just upset because of Arlin.”

“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t meet you down here and act like we’re still together when I know this is ending in two weeks.”

“It’s not ending in two weeks!” He screams it and for the first time I can see that he’s scared. I see the panic in his eyes and I hear it in his voice. He’s scared that this reallyisending. That two weeks from now his life will be over. We’ll never see each other again and he’ll be forced to be with someone he doesn’t even like. Be forced to marry her and have children with her. Be forced into doing things that are bad and wrong and illegal. And years from now he’ll be the president and they’ll still control him. Who knows what they’ll make him do.

I hadn’t even been thinking about how awful his life will be. I’ve been so focused on us and what effect this plan would have on me. But it’s so much worse for him. And he’s only going along with it because of me. Because he’s afraid of what they might do to me if he says no.

“Sorry,” he says quietly. He hugs me and I feel his heart pumping hard and fast against my chest. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

I pull away. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you? And I haven’t been here for you. I should’ve been helping you, supporting you, doing whatever you need me to do. You should’ve said something. You should’ve told me I was being a shitty girlfriend. I haven’t even been a good friend.”

He looks at me, confused. “What are you talking about?”