All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese (new books to read TXT) 📕

least wait until tomorrow?” The defensive edge in her voice was as off-putting as her body language, but I didn’t immediately dismiss her request.

“Why?”

“Because I know as soon as I tell him, I’m gone. Even if the consequences are less, I’m still gone. I know the rules. We all do. But I want one more night here. Just one. So if I promise to do as you say and confess everything to him in the morning, can you promise not to say anything to him or the others until then?”

It was a hard bargain to make, one I wasn’t entirely sure I should agree to. But then again, wasn’t Silas always saying that trauma didn’t play by the rules? Hadn’t Sasha had enough hard breaks in her life? Yes. Undoubtedly so.

“Okay,” I said. “We can wait until the morning.”

There was no thank-you as she steered her svelte frame back to the house, just a lonely resolve that caused my heart to ache with such unexpected sadness I suddenly wished she was wrong about the consequences. Because though I could understand the pain of losing a best friend, that was hardly the only pain Sasha carried inside her tonight.

As I ventured into the dark field to meet Silas, midway between Lavender Cottage and the guys’ Bunkhouse, I worked to shake the unsettledness in my gut over the bargain I’d just made. But the moment I saw Silas up close, my promise to Sasha faded into the background. He looked exhausted. No, he looked weary. Even in the darkness, I could see the half-moon indents under his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Diego didn’t pass his exam.”

“Oh no, not again.” Sympathy filled me for the young man with such a sensitive nature. This was his second time around at the trade school. “I’m so sorry. So what does that mean for him?” But I already knew what it meant. Silas had told me yesterday that this test was the make-or-break determination of Diego’s place at The Bridge. If a resident wasn’t actively enrolled in an internship, job, or education program of some kind, then his eligibility to stay in the program and have a place on campus would be over. The waiting list was too long, and the stipend he received from the government had already paid for two rounds of his trade school and exams.

“I’m not sure yet.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, a gesture that worried me more than his words. “I’ve been on the phone since we got back, trying to figure something out for him, but it doesn’t look good. And he knows it. Worst case, he’ll have two weeks left here. Max.”

“Oh, Silas.”

“Yeah, he’s pretty upset. It didn’t help that Alex aced his exam on his first shot.”

I sighed. “Not the night you’d planned.” At least on that point, we were on the same page.

He blew out a hard breath. “Devon’s still pushing for a group poker game, but I’m not sure he’s gonna get his wish. It’s pretty tense in the house right now. I might just rent a couple movies for us to watch instead. We could all use an evening off. It’s been a long, draining day.”

“Is there anything I can do? We have lots of mini cupcakes we can share. I ordered way more than we needed.”

“Imagine that.” He chuckled softly. “Jerry bought a few snacks, but they’re almost gone. Some cupcakes might be nice.”

“Okay, I’ll send a couple of the girls over to deliver a tray.”

A beat of silence passed between us, and his hand reached out. Midway to me, he withdrew it and shoved it deep into his pocket instead. Though we were in the middle of a darkened field, there were dozens of illuminated windows all around us. It was why I stood four feet away from him even now, barely able to detect the scent of his aftershave. And even still, there were some residents who’d apparently figured out that we’d become more than friendly colleagues.

“I need to apologize to you, Molly. For earlier,” he said. “I was short with you over text. But my responses had nothing to do with you. I was stressed about Diego. I’m sorry I didn’t handle that better.”

Though I now had context for his curt responses, there was a dull burn in the pit of my stomach that hadn’t been fully extinguished by his apology. “I was only trying to help.”

“I realize that. But that’s a difficult matter to deal with over text.”

And he didn’t even know half of it yet.

“The good news is,” he continued, “nothing more can happen with that tonight. Not with all the extra staff on campus, and not after I had Jerry switch out the padlock after you texted me. Nobody’s getting in there tonight. Unfortunately, he confirmed that the security camera aimed at the west garden has been offline for over a month. My guess is that our offenders knew that.” He sighed. “It’s likely why they left the evidence in there. They figured they were a long way off from getting caught.”

Yet the box of condoms wasn’t the only piece of evidence I’d found. I opened my mouth to tell him about the deal I’d made, about how I knew one of the offenders involved and that I’d promised her we could talk to him in the morning together, when Jasmine hollered across the field for me. She wanted help with her eye makeup.

I glanced back at him, my hesitation dying in light of his exhaustion. Silas wasn’t even going to start the official investigation until tomorrow anyway, which meant I could honor Sasha’s request and allow him to get a good night’s sleep tonight. Hadn’t he earned that much?

“We should both probably get back to our people.” I pointed at the cottage behind me and slowly retreated. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the pancake breakfast.”

“I certainly hope so. Good night, Molly. Sleep well.”

“You too, Silas.”

As I neared the cottage, I glanced over my shoulder to