No sleep was to be had for Ella as she tossed and turned on her little, dirty mattress, waiting for 3:00. She had no clock in her room, save the one on her computer. In order to know the time, she had to check Rome’s phone, which was tucked beneath her pillow. She tried to stop pulling it out to look at it because she didn’t want to wear the battery down, but it was difficult. She couldn’t wait to see him.
At 2:35, the phone was at less than ten percent, so she decided to try to think about something else before it died altogether. She imagined herself climbing through that window tonight and running away, but she knew she wouldn’t do that. She was going to ask him to take her dress and the rest of the outfit Tim had given her so that her stepmother didn’t find it and know she’d lied. It
