He held her hand a little tighter. “In what way?”
“In a way that we could have come to the beach without sneaking. Don’t you ever think about just saying fuck it, and the two of us trying to make this work without worrying what others would think?” she asked.
“Yes, all the time. When we pass in the hallway, I want to grab you, push you up against the locker, and kiss you. You know that. You know I want to hurt your best friend every single time I see him with you because he can do what I cannot.”
“What’s that?”
“Touch you. Make you smile.”
“You can make me smile, Drake.”
“Not in front of everyone. No, I get to cause you the most pain.” He made them stop, and he pressed his head against hers. “You have no idea how much I wish things were different for us.”
“We could make them different,” she said.
“How?”
“Do you really need to be here with the money? Why don’t we make a new life, away from all of this? Away from all the expectations from other people. I’m willing to take this chance with you. Won’t you take it with me?” She didn’t know why she was even suggesting this.
“Pru, if I do this, I will be completely cut off.”
“I know. Is it so bad?”
“I will have nothing.”
She felt tears fill her eyes.
“You have your parents who will be more than happy to keep you with them. I won’t have a home or anything.”
“You told me once that your parents would even try to ruin my parents.”
“They would.”
“So I wouldn’t have anywhere else either.”
“Okay, say we do this. We say screw it to my parents who have all the power back in town. I lose everything, your parents lose their jobs, and move. You’re gone then, and we can’t even have this.”
“What if we run?”
“Run?”
“You know, away together. We can graduate and then while people think we’re partying, we can run?” She couldn’t believe she was even suggesting this. It was completely crazy and stupid.
Running away wasn’t the answer. She knew that, and yet, she couldn’t help but think it would be the right decision to make.
“Pru, are you serious?”
“We can run and no one would need to know what we’re doing. Your parents can think you’re partying around the world, and in truth, we’re making a life for ourselves. We just have to get to graduation,” she said.
“You’d run away with me. Start over, even without the money.”
She rolled her eyes, which seemed to be a never-ending habit with her when he asked certain questions. “Drake, I’m not here because of the money. I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to tell you that. I’m here because I want to be with you. I know it’s shocking and scary, but you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.” She placed a hand to his chest. “You’re going to keep me around for some time.”
“You agree?” she asked. She folded her arms across her chest.
“No, I don’t agree. I’m looking for solutions for us to be together.”
She started to laugh. “Okay, then if you’re being so stubborn and refuse to see it from my side of things, think of this. What if I was the one with the money? How about my parents pick me out a handsome, sexy guy for me to marry, and you’re the one that gets to have the cushy life but knowing when I’m not with you, there’s a chance I’m with my husband and we’re having sex.”
“No!” He yelled the word.
Pru knew in that second she had won. “See, if you can’t stand the same thought, then you and I both know this is a really bad idea.”