Page 138 of Unexpected Prejudice

“If you wanna go, I’m up to it.”

Turning to look at him, he stared at the display screen showing the floor numbers. His hair had grown a little, but it was still short. He didn’t dye it back to blue or pink, so the cinnamon blond was even more visible now. He was humming something to himself, immersed in his own world, before turning to look at me.

“What?” A curious smile pulled on his lips.

“Nothing… just thank you.”

“For what?”

I didn’t have a specific answer in mind. I wanted to thank him for being with me, for loving me, and for making my life so much better. I wanted to say thank you for not being mad even though I’d lied to him, and for putting his trust in me. There was so much I wanted to thank him for, but before I could, the elevator door opened, and someone stepped out.

“Sorry,” the blond guy mumbled, accidentally bumping my shoulder on his way out.

I was about to shrug it off and move on when our stare met, and I noticed who it was.

Shay-Lee’s eyes, which were bloodshot red, shone with a bit of recognition before he looked away and continued to stroll down the hall.

“Was that… Shay-Lee?” I asked, my eyes still pinned on his back.

“Looks like it was.”

“Was he crying?” A bit shocked, I turned to look at Jessie.

“Seems like it.”

Stepping into the elevator, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Weird. Don’t you think?”

Jessie shrugged next to me, and I had the feeling he knew something I didn’t. “Jessie?”

“What?” His voice came out too high and he continued to play innocent until we reached Jordan’s floor, and he stepped out.

“Tell me what you know.”

He looked around, not meeting my eyes. “I don’t know anything. What room number do we need?”

“412, and don’t lie to me.” I chuckled, trying to reach for him when he increased his steps. He was such a bad liar. “Come on, Kotik, tell me what you know!” I had a weak spot for gossip.

“Oh, here it is,” he cheered, pointing at room 412 and stopping in front of the closed door.

“Jessie.”

He sighed and rubbed his jaw. “I want to tell you, but I can’t. Please let it go?”

Now I was even more curious.

“Is it about Shay-Lee and Miles?” Why was that my first assumption?

“No,” Jessie said quickly and moved to open the door when I stopped him.

“Wait, does it have anything to do with what happened to Jordan? You think Shay-Lee’s responsible? You think he did it?”

Jessie’s eyes moved to look at the door handle he was holding, and he shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, no, he wouldn’t hurt Jordan. Not like this.”

Not like this. What did he mean by that?

Opening the door, Jessie walked in with me right behind him. Still trying to figure out what he’d said, I paused when Jordan came into my vision. Ignoring the metal pins screwed into his left leg, the cast on his left arm, the bandages around his head and his beaten face, I focused on his red eyes and the tears he tried to clean once he saw us.

“H-hey guys,” he said in a choked voice. His full lips twitched, and I thought he tried to smile but the pain was too much, and he started crying again.