"Veronica?" a male voice speaks.

I instantly recognize who called my name and I quickly put the teddy bear back inside and close the cardboard box.

"You," I state annoyed while pointing at Dominic.

He seems confused but I walk to him.

"You are looking through her-" I interrupt him.

"You lied to me, I lost track of how many times I asked you, I begged you to tell me the truth-" I stop myself to take a breath and gather my emotions. "You looked at me straight in the eyes, and lied."

The disappointment is clear in my voice and Dominic sees it, but quickly composes himself.

"What are you talking about?" he asks, obviously lying.

"You visited Derek, you talked to him, didn't you?" I fight back the tears.

"I- I didn't. He ignored my visits too. How can I make you believe me?"

"You are lying!" I yell at him and he sighs.

"I'm not, I don't know anything about him, I promise."

I just don't know if I can believe him anymore.

"Then how did you know I'm still sending letters to Derek? I never told you." He raises his right eyebrow and I know he does that when he's nervous.

I wait impatiently for him to come up with another fucking excuse.

"Shanice told me," he admits and I look at him, analyzing if he is actually telling the truth.

"Shanice sees him?" I try to hide my disappointment but I fail miserably.

Of course, Derek doesn't reject her visits. How stupid could I be to think otherwise?

"You need to move on," Dominic says and I look at him baffled, he was always the one encouraging us, now he wants me to forget that I am in love with Derek?

Just like it meant nothing? That all he did for me was in vain, and our moments, memories... never mattered.

"He risked his life... his future for me."

Nicole enters right as Dominic is about to speak and I quietly roll my eyes, I needed to talk about it more but she has her problems already.

"Woah, what happened here?" Nicole asks as she notices our beaten-up expressions.

I shrug and I grab my phone from her bed.

"See you tomorrow, Nicole," I mutter, completely ignoring Dominic and I walk past them without looking back.

~ Thirteen months ago ~

29th July 2020

Dear Derek,

I am writing because I've been denied to visit you, I'm not sure if it's because you don't want to see me or they aren't letting you... I just hope it's the latter. But if it's the first, please, give me a chance to explain! That cocaine wasn't mine, I would have never lied about that. Someone framed us! You shouldn't have taken the blame for me, even if you believed it was mine, I am so so sorry, Derek, I miss you so much. I didn't treat you right, I didn't deserve you but I want to be someone who deserves you, please give me a chance to make it right. You shouldn't be locked up, it was my responsibility and I will do anything I can to get you out of there even if it means I'll take your place.
Please, send me a letter back as soon as you can.

Take care.

Veronica

~ Today ~

I park my red small car in front of Shanice's house and I close the door abruptly. I got my driver's license only two months ago.

It's probably a mistake coming here but I'll have to assume this risk.

I look around and I try to ignore the melancholic effect this house gives me. I know my problems started here but it wasn't always bad...

I walk to her door and I look behind me. I still remember the day I saw Derek come out of his light blue car, all happy to see me while I was there to ask for drugs.

Fuck, how could I have been so dumb and blind? He was always there for me, even when he barely knew me.

I knock on Shanice's door and I wait until she opens up.

But she doesn't. I knock a second time but more hurriedly and I pace around for a few minutes.

When ten minutes pass I realize she isn't home or she is ignoring me. I haven't talked to her since last year. She was livid when she saw me, she called me all kinds of names for putting Derek in prison and I just couldn't even defend myself.

She was right. She is right.

I look around and I notice her yard is cleaner than ever, everything looks almost too tidy. Then I take a glance at the windows and they are all completely shut down.

I walk back to my car but not before I take a last glance at her house... then I notice the sign hidden behind some bushes.

"Home for sale, contact 229-555-xxxx if interested."

"Fuck," I curse under my breath and I get in the car, annoyed.

I don't even know how to find her. Did she move? When did this happen?

I could ask Dominic for her number but he would one hundred percent tell me to move on.

Sometimes I miss our friendship, it took me so long to understand he had a good influence on me, despite the drugs.

I quickly shut down this thought as I realize he might still be lying to me about Derek.

I back away from her street and I drive around mindlessly. Where should I even go now?

Tomorrow I'm starting college and I still feel like shit.

My phone starts ringing, and it brings me out of the trance.

I answer it, "Alexander!"

He was on a trip to Europe the entire summer but he came back for college.

He was there for me when I was suffering because of Derek's arrest — although I never told him that I was also scared of my rapist coming after me — he never questioned me when I asked him to come with me to certain places.

We got so close, I told him James and Olivia framed us, I'm sure it was them and Alex agreed with me.

Despite his confession that he likes me, he never brought it up again.

"I'm glad to hear your voice," Alex says and I smile as I stop my car to talk to him.

"It's been only two months," I shrug.

"How are you, Ronny?" At least he bothers to ask me, unlike others.

"Things could be better..."

"Don't worry, tomorrow we are both starting college. You will love it."

"Hmh-" I nod, "Alex, I need to ask you something." I change the subject and I realize I've been waiting to ask him this question for months.

"Do you know anything about James and Olivia? Haven't heard of them since they fucked us up."

"I don't know if Olivia is coming back to college but I suppose so. I don't know anything about James."

I sigh, I hate knowing that they got away with it.

I tell him about my fight with Dominic and I ask about Shanice, but he doesn't know anything about her only that I will see her in college.

"Maybe he is just done with you?" Alex suggests and my heart sinks to my stomach. I thought about that countless times but I refuse to believe Derek would give up on me after everything we've been through.

"You need to move on," he continues.

It hurts, it's what everyone tells me at this point. Even my mother, when she found out I was trying to visit a "prisoner", she was livid, she tried to stop me from sending letters but it never worked.

She never thanked him for saving my life, my future. He did it all for me, and my mom treated him like he was worth nothing.

What if I went to the police and confessed it was mine? As long as Derek will be out...

But then his sacrifice would have meant nothing, a year wasted to no avail. Like Dominic said a year ago, they would just put both of us in prison.

"Yeah," I finally speak and I agree to move on, I will stop bringing up Derek to anyone, but I won't stop trying to write him letters or visit him.

I can't give up on him, he never gave up on me.

And even if I could, I'm not trying only because he saved me...

But because he loves me too.