Hi everyone!! Sorry for the delay with posting chapters 26 & 27, but I’ve been busy working on both The Way We Were (which is finished and with my editor now) and started working on Love Always (which will be a great conclusion to the series and for Riana and Shawn fans!).
Chapter 26 is posted and chapter 27 will be up tomorrow. Enjoy 🙂
Jackie glanced at Dean Bradford while Britney cleared her throat. He was already suspicious of the two, so they have to figure out something to throw him off.
Before she could say anything, Monica jumped in.
“Dean Bradford, Mr. Parker was gracious enough to take time out of his schedule to go over the project for our Introduction to Education class.”
Dean Bradford raised an eyebrow at Monica and then looked at Jackie and Britney. “Oh really.”
“Yes; we all scheduled an appointment with him, but unfortunately, there was a time conflict, so he suggested we all go to lunch and discussed the project. Right, Chris.”
Chris glanced at Monica before saying anything. “Yeah.”
Dean Bradford didn’t look convinced as he stared at Jackie. “Is that true, Mr. Parker?”
“Yes, sir, it is. “
Britney’s and Monica’s phones began to go off at the same time. The two looked at each other before picking up them up. They looked at them and gasped.
“We have to go.” Monica said. She gently shoved Chris out of the way so they could exit the booth.
“Is everything okay?” Dean Bradford asked with a concerned look.
“I’m afraid not. One of our friends was shot inside the GZG house.”
“Oh no. I really hope they’re okay.” He said.
“We hope so too.” Britney said while almost in tears.
“Do you all need a ride to the hospital?” Jackie asked.
Britney quickly glanced at Dean Bradford, who was carefully studying them. She shook her head.
“No, Chris will take us to the hospital.”
Jackie nodded. “Okay. I really hope your friend is okay.”
Britney nodded and followed Monica and Chris to the door.
She looked at Monica and gave her a hug. “Thank you.”
Monica nodded and the two got into Chris’ car. Britney’s phone began to ring as she noticed it was a text. She opened the messenger and saw it was from Jackie, letting her know he will be at the hospital and he loved her. She replied back, saying thank you and loved him too.
She sighed, wishing she was leaving with him, but she knew they couldn’t, especially with the dean on to them. Although Monica saved them from this situation, she knew it was only a matter of time before they would really be exposed. When they do, no one would be able to save them.
*** Riana, Marcus, and Cheryl were in the waiting room at Penbrook Memorial, not knowing what to do or say to each other. Before arriving, Dominique was taken into custody by campus police until she is transferred by Houston Police. Although they wanted to know what she would be charged with, the only thing mattered was knowing if Shawn will be okay.
Cheryl gripped Marcus’ and Riana’s hands as she closed her eyes. She couldn’t get the image of Dominique and Marcus struggling with the gun and Shawn going in front of Riana to protect her. The entire scene was something she would had seen in the movies, not something she would had experienced in real life.
She glanced at Riana who was still in tears. She tried to get her to see a doctor to check on her and the baby, but she didn’t want to in case anyone delivered news regarding Shawn. She held her hand even tighter and sighed.
“Shawn is strong, so he will pull through this.”
She looked at Cheryl and nodded. “I want to believe that, but he lost so much blood.”
“Ri, Shawn will make it. He’s not going to leave you or his child.”
She gently rubbed her stomach and sighed. “I know.”
Cheryl looked at Marcus, who was in a daze. He’s been that way since they arrived. She put her head on his shoulder and he gave a deep sigh.
“Did you want anything? I could go to the vending machine or the cafeteria.”
He shook his head. “I just got my brother back. I can’t lose him again.”
Cheryl was on the verge of tears. She really hope Shawn pulled through this for both Riana and Marcus’ sake. They have all been through so much, so they deserved to be happy.
She looked up and saw Britney, Monica, and Chris walk into the waiting room. She stared at Monica and Chris, knowing it wasn’t the time to be upset with the two.
“Any news on Shawn?” Britney asked as she went over to Riana for a hug.
“Not yet.” Marcus said.
“How did this happen? What was he doing at the GZG house?” Chris asked.
“He was there because of us. We were confronting Dominique when she went postal and had us at gunpoint. Shawn and Marcus snuck into the house. Shawn was trying to calm her down, but she shot him when Marcus tried to restrain her.” Cheryl explained.
“Oh God! I really hope she’s locked away somewhere.” Monica said.
“All we know is that she’s in custody right now.” Cheryl said.
“Ri, is there anything we can do?” Britney asked.
Riana continued to look ahead, wondering when the doctor would come out and talk to them. They have been waiting for awhile now, so someone should know something.
Marcus looked up and saw his parents walk in. He went over to them and gave them a hug.
While explaining what happened, Mrs. Walker covered her mouth with her hand while Mr. Walker was close to tears.
“Is there something you can do about this, Marcus? Do something so she could be charged and locked away!” Mrs. Walker exclaimed.
“There’s not much I can do. We just have to wait on word from the department on whether she would be booked and arraigned.”
Mrs. Walker looked over at Riana, who was wiping tears from her eyes. She glanced at Mrs. Walker and suddenly became nervous. Deep down, she had a feeling she would blame her for this, which honestly, she was right. If she didn’t cheat on Shawn with Marcus, they would had been together and he wouldn’t had ever been with Dominique. But even if the two were together, she would had found some way to get into his life; case in point, with the internship position.
She walked over to Riana and stared at her. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do if the situation turned ugly. Mrs. Walker wrapped her arms around her, giving her a long hug. She pulled away and gave a tiny smile.
“I know about everything, Riana. Shawn called me earlier and told me.”
Riana began to cry even more at what Mrs. Walker just said. She didn’t even know Shawn called his parents, which made this situation even more difficult.
“I know we had our differences, but just know that Shawn will be there for you and for your son or daughter. I know my son; I know he will be a wonderful husband and father.”
Riana began to shake, which led Mrs. Walker to hug her again. Marcus looked at the sliding doors as a doctor was walking towards them. Everyone looked at the man approaching them, wondering what type of news he was going to deliver to them.
“Walker family?”
“Yes. How is Shawn? Is he okay?” Mr. Walker asked.
The doctor gave a look that no one was able to understand. Riana glanced at him, praying that Shawn is okay.
Please let him be okay….
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