Chapter 34: Chapter 34

"I'm sorry, you're both right. I'm being an idiot," Tobias mumbles, forking the last of his food in his mouth. Jake and I glance at each other briefly, giving one another the look.

"We were wondering how long it would take before you snapped out of the attitude," I joke with him, finishing off the last of my hot chocolate.

"I'm having a rough time dealing with this. I can't believe Jane cheated on me," Tobias responds sadly, his voice dropping to a hushed tone. I instantly feel bad for him, watching as his eyes fill with pain.

"You deserve someone better Tobias," I tell him quietly. Jake nods his head in agreement —

"She isn't worth it, you need to move on."

Tobias nods once at our words but I know by his pained reaction that it'll take some time for him to heal. He's struggling to come to terms with his break up and now has to deal with the police on the hunt for him.

"I think you both need some sleep," I say firmly, glancing between the both of them. The life in both of their eyes is faded, dull and the dark circles beneath them show their obvious lack of sleep.

"We need to find Ivory first." Jake mumbles, standing to his feet. He runs a hand over his face, using one of the chairs to hold himself up.

"Jake, you're exhausted. You both are. Neither of you are any use to Ivory when you both look like you belong in a zombie apocalypse. A few hours of sleep isn't going to cause any harm and I'll ask around in the meantime." I persuade him the best I can and he pauses for a few moments, thinking hard. His shoulders finally slump in defeat and he nods weakly, giving me a small smile in return.

"I'm down if you are." Tobias says, looking over at Jake.

"We don't have anywhere to go, I don't trust anyone," Jake sighs heavily. I stand up, grabbing my phone off the table and putting it in the back pocket of my jeans.

"I'll sneak you guys back in the house." I tell them, already having a plan in action.

They both look at me in disbelief, unable to believe I can pull it off whilst the police patrol the house. As we head home, I let them in on my plan, unsure whether it'll work or not.

*****

"Michelle? Myra? I'm home!" I yell loudly, slamming the front door shut. The kitchen door immediately flies open and Myra storms out, followed by a male police officer I've never seen before.

"Miss Wentworth? We've been looking for you since this morning." The officer says firmly, eyes narrowing in my direction. I frown deeply, the lines in my forehead creasing as I put my plan into action.

"Oh, is this about the statement I was supposed to give?" I act dumb, twirling a piece of my hair around my fingers. The officer's eyebrow shoots up and he sighs heavily, mumbling into his police radio over my sudden appearance.

"I'm so sorry about that! I didn't know I had to do it straight away. One of my girlfriends called me and she's only just broke up with her boyfriend of five years. She's heartbroken officer, bawling her eyes out to me over the phone! Oh my gosh, it was so upsetting. I came home as soon as I could to do the statement." I smile at him sweetly, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

I silently pray my 'typical teenage girl drama' works as an excuse. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Myra frowning at me, her eyes watching me closely. I maintain eye contact with the officer, looking as innocent and truthful as I possibly can.

"My colleague said you never came back downstairs, how did you leave the house?" The officer questions me. I can tell by his tone he's unsure whether to believe me or not. I frown deeper, innocence filling my eyes.

"I left by the back door, the officer must have been in the living room and didn't see or hear me leave. . . I honestly didn't think it would be a problem."

The officer remains silent as he studies me, eyes flickering over my body. Okay Emily, time for Plan B. . .

I release a small gasp, clutching my stomach and wincing. "Ooh, that hurts." I murmur, introducing the pain factor.

"Are you okay?" The officer asks me in bewilderment, his voice wavering.

"Oh, the pain." I hiss, watching as Myra's eyes widen with panic. The officer stands back, appearing startled and I groan further, leaning back against the wall. I breathe out deeply, one hand placed on my stomach, clutching it protectively.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Myra asks me, running towards me with her hands outstretched. I let out several exaggerated deep breaths before replying —

"I'm having pregnancy pains. It's really bad." I breathe deeply, gritting my teeth. Best actress of the year award goes to yours truly, Emily Wentworth.

"Do you need to go to the hospital? I knew this would put a strain on the baby!" Myra says angrily, turning towards the police officer and scowling. His eyes widen and he holds up a hand —

"I wasn't informed you were pregnant, would you like some help?" He asks me uneasily, taking a step closer. I pause, breathing out heavily before nodding, my head bobbing up and down.

"I need to lie down, could you help me into the living room please?" I plead, my eyes wide. The officer nods and instantly hurries to my side, his hand snaking around my waist. As he hobbles with me towards the living room, I turn around and give Myra a sly wink.

Her mouth instantly drops open in realisation, approval flashing through her eyes as she understands my plan. On cue, I hear the back door open and I groan louder, masking the noise.

"Oh god, the pain!" I yell dramatically, closing the door over as we enter the living room.

"I think we should take you to the hospital Miss Wentworth," the officer panics, showing his lack of police experience. He doesn't seem very confident, experienced or happy to be left with the night shift that nobody else wants.

"No, I really do just have to lie down." I explain, hearing muffled whispers coming from outside the door. I cough loudly, bringing my hand to my mouth and groaning in fake discomfort. The officer places me down onto the couch and I give him a grateful smile, clutching my stomach.

"Thank you so much, you're so kind officer." I tell him, batting my eyelashes at him.

"N-no problem. Once you're feeling up to it, I'll take your statement." He responds before clearing his throat. I nod back at him —

"That sounds perfect, do you have any idea where Jake and Tobias are yet?" I act dumb, acting worried about them. The officer shakes his head.

"My team are on it now," he says bluntly before taking a few steps back, scanning the room. I remember I'm supposed to be in pain and so I groan again, rubbing my stomach soothingly.

Little does the police know Jake and Tobias are sneaking through the back door at this very moment, running up the stairs. A small smirk plays on my lips and I mentally give myself a pat on the back. . .

Mission complete.