Page 27 of We Are Yours

Especially when it came to me.

Neither one of us said a word, but time had proved we didn’t have to. Our eyes spoke volumes, exactly the way they always had, causing the nervous feeling in my core to subside as if it had never been there to begin with.

“Hey, Mouse,” he greeted. Licking his lips, he eyed me up and down with another familiar affection that stirred my emotions.

He started calling me that one afternoon, and I smiled with a glimmer in my stare.

“I got something for you.” I watched as he reached into the pocket of his jeans, showing me a cell phone, and handed it to me. “This is for you.”

I shook my head, immediately pushing the phone back to him. This present was too much. He was already letting me stay at his house for free. I couldn’t accept this, too, along with all the stuff he’d bought me. It wasn’t right. He’d give me money every week, saying it was for anything I needed, and I hated receiving it.

When I didn’t, I’d just find it in my bag or in the pockets of my clothes. Even with that money, I had no way to pay for this cell phone. I was hoping to get a job, but without an ID, it was challenging. I was too scared to try to get one, afraid CPS or the cops would find me.

I thanked my lucky stars every day they still hadn’t, and I was beginning to think that maybe they weren’t even looking. What were the odds of that… I caught whispers about kids just running away from the system, never to be seen or heard from again. I knew it was possible, but I didn’t know their circumstances.

Are they hiding from unintentional murders, too?

I tried not to think about that. There was no way I could outrun my nightmares. I began dreaming about the Bates, mostly about the husband. I’d wake up in a cold sweat, feeling his hands around my throat.

It was an accident. I’d repeat it in my head until I found sleep again, only to be slapped in the face with the reality that I…

* * *

May have killed someone, and I had to live with that every day.

Chapter

Eleven

Isla

I firmly shook my head again, trying to get my point across to Julius. He didn’t let up, not that I expected him to.

“You need a phone, and it’s prepaid,” he insisted. “Not that you’ll be using any of the minutes to talk,” he teased with a grin. “But at least this way, we can text.”

He was working a lot more, taking on odd jobs. Getting to the house later and later. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the idea of being able to text him whenever I wanted, not because I wanted to keep tabs on him or anything like that, but more from the fact that I’d be able to actually talk to him without having to write it down on a piece of paper.

This made it seem easier to communicate, and something about that made me smile back at him.

“I already paid for it, Mouse, and my number’s already in it. It’s yours, please accept it.”

After a few seconds, I reluctantly sighed and grabbed it from him. Swiping over the screen, I found his number and texted him. His phone pinged, and I nodded to it.

He chuckled, reading my message.

* * *

This is my first phone. Thank you.

* * *

He winced for a second, trying to hide it from me. I texted him again.

* * *

I don’t want you to feel bad. I just want you to know how much this means to me.

* * *