Cheyenne Read Online Free PDF

needs to see me get my diploma? Anyone who was important in my life can’t be here.” I stared at the freshly waxed gym floor. It was becoming easier not to cry.
    “ Maybe I want to see you walk. Maybe you’re doing this for me, instead of you.” I made the mistake of looking up, and I saw the firm resolve in his baby blue eyes. I knew I wouldn’t get out of it. “Do it for me, Cheyenne. It’s important.” I had no choice but to give in.
    I lowered my head again. “Just don’t expect me to go to any parties.” I knew he had received several invitations; I only received them because of my acquaintance with him.
    “ Thank you,” I said quietly. He drew me into a hug, and I found security in the warmth of his strong arms.
    After graduation, Colt forced me to follow him around as we found our friends and wished them luck. They took the time to ask me about my future plans, and I tried to answer as best I could, but I really hadn’t thought that far ahead. I was supposed to be traveling with my parents, but then the accident happened. I was merely surviving, and the thought of leaving and going someplace where Colt wouldn’t be around was unsettling. I was trying to distance myself, but it wasn’t easy.
    Colt walked me to the car and placed his arm around my shoulder, making me feel slight and small. “How about if I take you out to dinner? We could catch a movie afterwards,” he thoughtfully asked, knowing what an especially hard day I’d had.
    “ I appreciate the offer, but I think that I need to go home and be alone.”
    Sympathy creased his brow. “I understand. If you change your mind, call me.”
    “ I will,” I promised.
    As I drove home, my thoughts turned to Colt. The way he made me smile, bringing happiness to my day. He would catch me twirling my ring on my index finger and running my fingers over the etched design. Most times, he would stop me by putting his hand over mine and running his finger over it instead. He would urge me to vent my feelings and try to calm me when I got worked up. We both knew he couldn’t solve all my problems—there was nothing he could do to bring my parents back—but his comfort helped take the edge off and make each day bearable.
    The wind blew my hair around, and immediately I thought of my mom. She loved my long, blonde, wavy hair. She said it looked like the sun kissed it during the summer months. I would get naturally lighter highlights running from my crown to the tips. She told me the curls and waves made her think of finger curls. That was what they used to call it when she was a child. It made me smile.
    I came home to an empty house, but the solitude was what I wanted. It was what I needed. So much had changed, and I needed to sort through my feelings. Colt had done an excellent job of not letting me be alone and not letting my thoughts wander too far. It was time to face them; school was over, and I wouldn’t have that distraction anymore. I had to deal with the new reality of my life head on. I needed to move forward.
    Sitting in the living room, I stared at the piano. My parents loved to hear me play. I cherished my music—I needed to play to release my never-ending stream of thoughts. I pushed myself up, and sat on the bench with my hands shaking as I looked at the keyboard.
    I gazed at the ring on my right index finger. It was the ring my mom had given me when I was about six years old. I always wore it. It was funny, I realized only now, that it had never been resized. It remained on the same hand and same finger and yet continued to fit perfectly.
    I allowed my thumb to drift over it, feeling each curve and every etched symbol. Closing my eyes, I let my music begin to fill my mind. It was never anything else but what I created, at the moment I needed it. My music would take me to my happy place, a safe place. It would help me find some peace.
    The music flowed softly, and I allowed it to glide over my heart. I caressed each shattered piece with