The tears begin to flood down my face; the news Joe had just told me was frightening.
"And what was he typing?" I ask, wiping the tears away and biting my lip.
"What you were doing. What time the pictures were taken. Your biological parents. Your birthday. Where you've lived in the past few years. Who you've been seen with. Your school schedule. Your fingerprints. Everything. It looked like a background check," Joe explains, never breaking eye contact.
"And why would he be doing that?" I intrigue, still flabbergasted by the whole thing.
Joe closes his eyes firmly and bites his lip before saying quite slowly,"I think you're a suspect in Eddie's murder, and he's creating a file against you."
"What?!" I yell, annoyed that anyone would ever think that.
Joe puts his hands in the air and replies with raised eyebrows,"Demi, I never said you-"
"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! HOW COULD HE EVEN THINK THAT?! I LOVED HIM! I SAW HIM GET SHOT! WHY ON EARTH WOULD I BE A SUSPECT!" I cut him off in a rage.
"Demi! Keep it down! Somebody's going to suspect something. You new to calm down. I don't believe you did it. But I can't think of any other explanation of why he would be tracking you down and profiling you. Nothing else makes sense. C'mere." Joe opens his arms up as I continue to cry, and I surrender in.
I wrap my arms around his waist tightly, and he gently brings one arm around my waist and another behind my head. He soothes me, brushing one thumb back and forth under my hair, and rubbing my back with the other.
"It's gonna be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Okay?" he says gently in my ear. I nod and pull back to look him in the eyes, wiping my tears as I do so.
"Th-ank you for t-telling me," I sob, trying to regain composure.
"I love you, he replies simply, wiping away a tear I missed with his thumb.
"I love you too," I reply; and I meant it too. I never stopped loving Joe, even after our fight. I just couldn't get over him.
"I know you're going through a really rough time right now, but you don't have to face it alone. Will you take me back and be my girl?" he says, looking as nervous as the first time he asked me to be his girlfriend, if not more.
"Of course," I smile through my tears.
Joe grabs my hand and then says to me,"We better get going. Don't want to be late." Hand in hand, we step out of the trees and cross the road.
"Race ya," he teases as we reach the sidewalk.
I laugh and start running to the school,"You're on!"
"Hey! That's cheating!" Joe tells back, running after me.
Suddenly, I feel two firm hands on my waist and I'm lifted into the air.
"Joe, put me down! Joe!" I squeal, kicking around.
"Never! You're mine!" he laughs, carrying me the rest of the way to school.
Although the news today made me aware that this was the darkest time of my life since Eddie died, I still had a genuine smile on my face. In that moment, I realized one thing. Despite all the troubles and horrors Joe and I have been through, we could find peace and sincere happiness when we were together. This was meant to be, and I could never leave him again. Joe was my savior, my one true love.