A Heart to Heal Read Online Free PDF

clique. There were six of them: Shayla, Devin, Tony, Jermaine, Peaches, and Roxanne. Devin, Tony, and Jermaine grew up beside each other and played football and basketball together since little league. She, Peaches, and Roxanne cheered together since junior high. High school social dynamics pulled the six together more than true friendship. She’d only considered Tasha her true friend after meeting her one summer at a cheerleading camp.
    Peaches had come to visit during her freshman year of college. It was true there were two guys interested in her at the time. But after escaping Tony and the relationship he’d forced on her, she hadn’t been interested in becoming tied to another guy.
    She wasn’t surprised Peaches lied. Their friendship had been more rivalry than anything. Each year they’d gone against each other for head cheerleader, Homecoming and Prom queen. Swapping wins every year. Peaches couldn’t stand not being the center of attention, so Shayla took pleasure in stealing some of her thunder. She’d even gone so far as to date a few guys that Peaches liked in high school. Not something she was proud of, and it didn’t help her reputation for being loose, but at the time it seemed fitting. It all seemed so silly now; being “friends” with someone you didn’t like much.
    â€œPeaches lied, I had a few guy friends, but I wasn’t doing everything she apparently led you all to believe.”
    Kenny shrugged. Her brother rarely passed judgment on others. A shrug and an “oh well” were as far as he’d go into anyone else’s drama. “You know how things go. She came back blabbing, and everyone ate it up.” He finished off his glass of milk before standing. “You can take it up with her later. Last night she and Roxanne came by looking for you.”
    She sputtered in the middle of drinking her milk. “What? Why?”
    He laughed. “Why do you think? To see you. I think they want to have a party to welcome you back.”
    She got a napkin out of the holder on the table and wiped up the milk. “Only they would have a party to welcome back someone who came home in disgrace.”
    â€œEither way, they said they were coming by again today to see you.” He leaned against the door jamb and crossed his beefy arms. “I see you already reconnected with Devin.”
    Just as she suspected, the gossips were on patrol the night before. “We didn’t reconnect. I was jogging and fell. He saw it and helped me out.”
    He looked at her foot. “So that’s why you’re limping. I wondered.”
    She raised a brow. “Why didn’t you ask?”
    â€œFigured you’d tell me eventually.” He pushed away from the door. “Tell Devin I said ‘what’s up’ when you see him.”
    â€œI won’t be seeing him.”
    â€œWhy not, the band’s back together now.” He said laughing as he turned to go down the hall. “I gotta get ready for class.”
    Shayla picked up her spoon and played with the remaining grits in the bowl. The band was back together. It’s funny how she hadn’t thought about Peaches or Roxanne in years. After Peaches’s one visit freshman year, she’d hadn’t kept in contact with her. At the time, she hadn’t wanted the visit from Peaches, who was a reminder of all she’d lost and all she wanted to get away from. After Peaches’s visit, she had reached out and called Devin, but he’d said Peaches told him she’d moved on and he hoped for her sake she knew what she was doing. She hadn’t called him again. Seeing him in Atlanta a year ago was the first time she’d laid eyes on him in years, and of course it had to be when she was with Mark.
    She put her elbows on the table and dropped her head in her hands. She was destined to always look bad in front of him. It would be so much easier to take if he’d grown