“Good, we can steal his bed before he comes back.”
“You’re killing me here, Clark.”
Hannah rolls, so she’s lying on top of me. “It will be a good death, Cross.”
There’re footsteps on the stairs, and Jack comes into the room. He takes one look at us and freezes. “Oh, sorry, I’ll wait for you in the car.” And he backs up.
“We’re ready. Hannah’s just being difficult.” I tell Jack.
“You’re no fun.” She huffs, but she pushes off me, standing up.
“Do I want to know?” Jack asks, looking at us.
“Probably not,” Hannah says.
“Definitely not.” I correct her.
“I’ll be in the car.” Jack turns on his heel, running back upstairs.
When we get to Hannah’s house, Jack says goodnight and heads inside. I help Hannah out of the car, but then press her back against the side of it. I like kissing her here. There are fewer prying eyes. I’ve been trying to decide if I should tell her about the website. Jack’s right. It’s gone. When I typed in the URL, it told me the site was not found. I want to see if her dad will say anything. He knows she won’t look at the site, so whatever he tells her, she’ll believe. “We’ve had a crazy wild night.”
“I keep thinking I’ve experienced the best moments of my life, and then something else tops it,” Hannah says. “And every one of those moments has been with you.”
“Every one of my best moments has been with too, Hannah.” I pick her hand up, kissing the inside of her palm.
We hold each other for a few more minutes before I walk her to the door. I have so much to say, but there will be time. Hannah is my soulmate.
55. Forced Separation
“Hey.”
I glance up, and Jack is standing at my bedroom door.
“Hey, what’s up? Did you want to study for our history test?” I pick up my history book and turn back around, but Jack is still standing at the door, and he hasn’t said anything. He looks upset. “What’s wrong?”
He swallows a couple of times before he answers. “Jim and mom asked me to come and get you.”
“What for?”
“Hannah, Ford is downstairs—”
“He is? He didn’t tell me he was coming over.” I try to walk past Jack, but he stops me.
“He’s here with his parents.”
“What?”
“This is bad. You—”
“Hannah.” My dad comes up behind Jack. “I need you downstairs.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” I slip past Jack.
“Jack, will you watch the boys? Make sure they stay up here until we’re done.” My dad asks.
“Got it,” Jack says in a clipped tone.
My dad walks behind me, following me down the stairs. Ford is standing in the living room between his parents. His mom is holding his hand in both of hers. She looks like she’s going to burst into tears. Mr. Cross, on the other, has his hands in his pockets, looking bored. Ford tries to break away from his mom, but his dad grabs his shoulder. Ford glances back at him and says something I can’t hear, and his dad lets go of him. Ford comes over, taking my hand. The two of us sit on the sofa. My parents sit on chairs they’ve brought in from the kitchen, and Ford’s parents sit in the two wingback chairs across from the couch. All our parents have somber faces, and no one will look us in the eye. Ford squeezes my hand, and I squeeze his back. We both know that whatever they’re about to say is bad. Ford puts his arm around my shoulder and leans in, whispering, “whatever happens, never forget I love you and the promise I’ve made you.” I nod and look him in the eyes, trying to convey my love, and that I believe him.
