Chase's POV
"Well I wasn't about to stand back and watch as the boy I like is taken away in a police car," She says, just loud enough for me to hear.
Boy she likes?
My mind is spinning, as if someone has taken my head and is shaking it around like a snow globe, muddling my thoughts up and leaving them to drift around and land all over the place, leaving me utterly confused and scrambling to pick them up and put them in order. Before I am able to even process a response to Sage's dad and the police officer enter the car.
Them being this close in proximity to Sage and I creates a strong feeling of complete and utter tension. I roll my neck from side to side hoping to lift this imaginary weight that feels like it is crushing me.
There is one thing I am certain of, and that is that I cannot let Sage take the fall for me.
I can't and won't let her.
I turn my eyes to meet Sage's dad's in the rear-view mirror and there is no mistaking the pent-up anger that can be felt rolling off him in waves. He is beyond mad. He has just found out his daughter betrayed him and kept a massive thing from him. I don't know whether he's disappointed in his daughter or fuming at me for involving Sage in my problems. Or maybe both.
I can't contain the small smile that slips onto my face, she chose me.
She chose me over everyone else, and something within me shifts.
I feel a small spark of happiness.
We pull into the police station and I notice that Sage slightly shifts in her seat. She's nervous I can tell by the way she begins to fiddle with her hands. Sage's dad and Dylan leave the car and I lean over and tilt my head towards her.
"Calm down, it's going to be okay," I whisper, noticing that she slightly relaxes.
"Let's get this over with," she says glancing at me, giving me a small smile before she turns and gets out of the car, and I follow close behind.
We make our way up the steps, following close behind Sage's dad and the police officer. Sage's dad glances over his shoulder to check that we are still following as if he's worried that we will turn away and make a run for it.
"Sit here, and we will be back in a minute," The officer says before turning and making his way around a corner with Sage's dad following close behind.
"Sage," I say catching her diverted attention.
"Yeah?" she asks, her voice light and airy.
"Thanks for before," I mutter not sure what to say. "And about what you said in the car..." I begin but get interrupted by the same officer from before walking around the corner.
"Sage, you need to come with me," He says, and I watch as Sage's eyes flicker to me, clearly reluctant to leave.
"I'll be back in a second," she says before following the officer out of the room.
I watch her go, her red dress flowing after her. I'm still stunned that she defied her father in order to prove a point on which side she was on.
Mine.
And that was one of the best things I heard in a long time.
I sit and let my eyes flitter around the room, the beige colour makes me begin to feel nauseous and uneasy. I look at the clock wishing for the time to speed up and for Sage to be out of the interrogation room. She doesn't belong in there.
Before I can think about what's happening in the room the sound of yelling begins to filter down the hallway. But that isn't what catches my attention. What makes my head turn so quickly I think I may get whiplash is the voice of who's yelling.
Sage, she is yelling something at whoever is in the room with her which I can only presume is her father.
It doesn't take long before the voices grow louder, followed closely by the sound of footsteps until they turn the corner and are standing right in front of me.
"Dad you're not listening, Chase isn't guilty, but you don't believe me do you? You've already made your mind up haven't you? This whole town has, just because he was the last one who was possibly seen with him means that he is guilty?"
"He lied Sage, he said he didn't know where Brett was, but he did!" Her father replies, struggling to keep his voice from raising.
"So did I!" she hisses back
"Sage, you are going to leave, go home and we will continue this discussion when I am finished here," Her father says looking down at her sternly, his eyes silently pleading with her to agree. "For once just do as your told."
Too bad for him my girl isn't one to listen to anyone.
Once she has her mind set on something, there is no undoing it.
Did I just say my girl?
"Go home? You want me to go home? That house isn't a home, it's four walls and a roof. But you're never even home long enough to realise that there is nothing homely about that place, are you? Because you're always working too late or you are too busy. Ever since mum's death you've spent your time drowning yourself in your work to distract yourself from the fact that she isn't here that you forgot about me in the process," She says her voice broken, her confident demeanour fading slightly as a single tear runs down her cheek.
My chest begins to tighten and ache.
I turn my attention to her dad, who looks as if he has been suddenly been punched in the stomach.
Sage turns and walks over to me. She looks up at me, I focus my eyes on hers and let them flicker down to the tear that has escaped. Before I can think I reach my hand up and cup her cheek and let my thumb rub lightly along her skin capturing the tear before it can fall any further.
"Hey, hey," I say making her eyes find mine once again. "It's ok, we're going to figure this out, no matter what," I say a silent promise beneath my words, glancing down letting my eyes look from her eyes down to her lips for a second.
After this is over I am going to kiss those sweet lips of hers.
"It's ok go find your friend. Stay at her house for the night, don't spend it alone after what has happened," I say rubbing my hand over her cheek again trying to get her to calm down.
I can practically feel the frown coming from her dad as he assesses the exchange between the two of us. But right now I couldn't give a shit.
"You're fine sweetheart, and so am I," I lean my head down against hers and lightly press my lips to her forehead, savouring the moment, because God knows her dad isn't going to let me this close to her ever again after tonight.
She looks up and nods at me meekly, before turning and leaving without even glancing at her father.
"Sage I've organised a lift, it's waiting out front," her dad says before she manages to make it to the door.
"No," she says pivoting around to look at her father, "I can figure out a lift myself," she fires back.
"Sage," I say strolling over to her before she is able to leave. "Take this, it has a phone number on it, call it and say that I gave it to you and that you need a lift. His name is Caleb and he'll help you," I say low enough for only her and I to be able to hear.
Her eyes travel up and meet mine before she nods and turns and disappears through the doors.
If looks could kill I would have been dead minutes ago with the look Sage's dad is sending my way currently.
"That is you, you started this! You're the reason she's wrapped up in all this," Her dad says anger evident in his tone.
"No," I state back "This is all you, don't get mad with me because I was there for your daughter when you weren't," I retort.
And with that, I turn and walk past him into the interrogation room.
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