Endlessly Beautiful (Beautiful #1.3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

He paused just long enough to let his words sink in, and then he continued with the lesson. A girl or two sniffled a few times, but other than that, we proceeded as normal, taking notes and asking questions.
    The moment he dismissed class, I bolted for the door, jogging down the hall and out the door, running all the way to where Abby would be leaving class. She’d just stepped out of the doors, stopping when she saw me. I crashed into her, and she hooked her arm around my middle, guiding me down the steps and around the side of the building.
    “What happened?” she said, keeping her voice quiet and calm.
    My chest heaved as I gasped for breath. I shook my head, unable to answer.
    “Travis, look at me,” she said, grabbing my jaw and lifting my head until my gaze met hers. “Talk to me.”
    “They’re all dead. So many people are walking around without their friends, roommates … family members.” I pointed at my chest. “I did that.”
    “No. You didn’t.” She peeked over her shoulder, and then back at me. “You need to get it together, Maddox. If people see you like this and tell the cops?”
    “Maybe they should. Maybe I should turn myself in,” I said. No breath I took was deep enough. The more air I pulled in, the less satisfying it felt.
    “What the hell are you talking about?” she said. For the first time, she was struggling to retain her famous poker face. “Travis, you better listen to me,” she gripped my shirt. “You’re not going to leave me.”
    “You think I want to?” I spat, flustered.
    “They died, yes, and it is awful, yes, but you don’t get to leave me. You’re going to pick me over everything else; over your guilt, over your god damn morals, even over the right thing to do! If that makes me selfish or a bad person, I accept that. But they won’t understand that you didn’t mean for any of it to happen. They won’t care that you didn’t choose the building or put up the lanterns. They’ll arrest you, Trav. They’ll arrest you, and cuff you, and … take you away from me, and …”
    I pulled her into my chest, holding her as she trembled in my arms. “Baby,” I said, surprised. I’d never seen her so rattled.
    She pushed me away, keeping hold of my T-shirt in her fist. “Don’t do anything stupid, Travis. Don’t you fucking dare.” Frustrated, she tightened her free hand into a fist and hit my chest with the side—just hard enough to make a point. Her eyes glossed over. “You’re the only family I’ve got.”
    “Okay,” I said, blinking. I pulled her in again, swaying a bit, trying to comfort her the best I could. I kissed her temple, cursing myself. I knew I couldn’t leave her, even if it was to do the right thing. I’d just wanted her to tell me not to. Unloaded something on her that I knew wasn’t going to happen was a dick thing to do. “You’re right. I wasn’t … I don’t want to get arrested. I just needed to hear you say it, I guess.”
    “You want me to talk you out of it? So later you can tell yourself it was me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
    “No, baby. For fuck’s sake.”
    She lifted her chin. “Because that’s fine. I’ll take the blame. Whatever it takes, Travis. Whatever I have to do.”
    I choked down my emotions, clenching my teeth. She loved me as much as I loved her. I didn’t know that was possible. “Abby…”
    She pressed her forehead against my chest, took in a deep breath, and then nodded. She took a moment to gather herself, looking at the ground as she made the choice to trust me not to ruin her plans. She wiped her eyes, turned on her heels, and walked away in the direction of her next class. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air as she walked out of sight, leaving the ashes of my conscience in her wake.
    ******
    This story has translations in: SPANISH (Maravillosa Eternidad), CZECH (Nekonecne Krasna), GERMAN (Unendlich Schon), HUNGARIAN ( Vegtelenul Gyonyoru), PORTUGUESE (Infinitamente Belo),ITALIAN