Defiant Princess (Boys of Oak Park Prep #2) - Callie Rose Page 0,67
up another petty win. I hadn’t realized quite how much I’d been under her thumb when I’d been here last year—until I wasn’t anymore. She’d been so used to dictating my life in big and small ways, and I could tell it grated at her that she couldn’t do that anymore.
Well. Good.
By 9:30, my head was bobbing as I tried to stay awake. It wasn’t even that late, but it’d been a long week of studying, and I’d been sitting in a tense, quiet room for over six hours. I hadn’t spoken to Jacqueline since she first arrived, and she hadn’t spoken to me.
“You can go home.” Her voice broke the silence, making me jump. “The hospital will keep you updated.”
I noticed she hadn’t volunteered to do it, and I shook my head angrily. But she was right. I could come back tomorrow, and when the nurse had come by an hour ago to check on Philip, she’d said he was in stable condition.
“Are you staying?” I shot a glance at her out of the corner of my eye.
“I… don’t know.” The look she shot Philip made me think she probably would, and that helped solidify my decision. As much as I wanted to be here when my grandpa woke up, I really didn’t feel like having a fucking slumber party with Jacqueline.
“Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
I stood and hefted my backpack onto one shoulder. I was still wearing my Oak Park uniform, and I brushed my skirt down as I stepped up beside Philip’s bed. I kind of wanted to hug him, but I hadn’t even done that when he was conscious, so it felt weird to do it now. I settled for resting my hand over his. “See you.”
Without looking at Jacqueline, I headed for the door. The elevator dropped me off on the first floor, and I made my way toward the same door I’d come in, watching the strange night crew that populated the hospital—doctors, nurses, and people like me who were killing time waiting for news about a loved one.
As I stepped out into the cool California air, I tugged my phone from my bag and was just about to pull up the Uber app when a voice stopped me.
“Hey.”
My gaze flew up, landing on Finn. The blond football player quirked a small grin at me, his dimples flashing and disappearing.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. You ready to head out?”
I blinked. “Have you… been here all this time?”
“Well, yeah.” He shrugged. “I was your ride.”
“But you didn’t have to—I could’ve taken an Uber back.”
“I know.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed. “I just wanted to be here in case you needed anything.”
“You’ve just been hanging out in the parking lot?”
“No. Not the whole time.” Then he grinned again. “Okay, most of the time.”
“Why didn’t you come inside?”
He shrugged, stepping forward. “I dunno. I didn’t want to intrude. It’s your family. I know things are… messed up, and I didn’t want to make it worse.” His hands brushed over my shoulders before gliding up my neck to cup my face lightly. “I’m trying, Legs. I really am. I just—don’t know what to do all the time. Is it okay that I stayed?”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to let it show on my face how much his gesture meant.
It was stupid, in a way. I had money now; I could’ve easily afforded a ride back to school. Or he could’ve driven to campus and come back for me later if he really wanted to chauffeur me.
But the fact that he’d been here the whole time, lending support in the best way he knew how, right outside the doors if I needed him… It made warmth bloom in my chest that I couldn’t snuff out no matter how hard I tried.
“Yeah,” I murmured, gazing up into his bright eyes, trying not to lean into his touch. His palms were warm and large and slightly calloused, and he smelled like citrus and sunshine.
“Good.” He took one step closer to me, his hands sliding up to thread through my hair. Then he took a deep breath, pulling himself back as if it took extreme effort. “Let’s get you home.”
He led me to his car, which he’d parked in an extended stay lot, and held the door for me as I slid inside. He drove slower on the way back to campus, which only made me realize how fast he’d been