Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

together. “I, uh, I thought it
would be better if I stayed away.”
    “Did you even ask Ryder what he wanted? I
mean, Ivy, he was really broken up about you leaving. He missed a
ton of school and Hayden told me he was thinking about hiring a
private detective to find you. Ryder was out of his mind when you
left. I mean… even now, I don’t know if he’s any better, but he did
manage to graduate, by like the skin of his teeth.”
    Each word hit me like a physical blow. I just
wanted her to shut up and let me escape. I couldn’t take this
anymore.
    I left to protect him.
    I did what was best for him !
    “Kenna, I have to go,” I croaked. The tears
had started falling again and I knew this time I couldn’t stop
them.
    “You’re leaving again ?” She glanced
back at the stage where Ryder was just starting another song.
“Shouldn’t you at least stick around and try to talk to him?”
    “I don’t think he wants to hear anything I
have to say.”
    “You’re wrong,” she told me and the empathy
had returned to her voice. “Don’t leave him again, Ivy. Don’t
run.”
    “I’ll find him later,” I lied. “I’m in town
now. I’m back.” More lies. “This is just a really bad time for him.
I should have realized that before I showed up unannounced.”
    She nodded slowly, not looking like she
believed me at all.
    “Bye,” I called to her as I started moving
toward the door again. “I’ll talk to you later!”
    I didn’t wait for her reply; I shoved through
the doors to the outside and gasped in fresh air. I stumbled to the
side of the building and rested a minute to catch my breath. I
dropped my hands to my knees and closed my eyes. I felt a panic
attack building inside of me, but I didn’t have time for that
now.
    I had to get out of here.
    I had to-
    The doors slammed open again and his presence
crashed into me, sinking into my skin, tuning every one of my
senses and thoughts and feelings into him.
    “You’re leaving again?” he demanded in that
rough voice.
    I slowly pulled myself into standing but kept
my back against the wall. I forced myself to look at him, to face
him head on.
    I could smell his coconut oil shampoo and I
had to stomp on the urge to cry.
    In the low light of the day, he was even more
beautiful. His silver eyes flashed with emotion so strong I could
taste the bitter residue on my tongue. His guitar was slung around
his back and his fists balled at his sides.
    He was furious.
    And I was a mess.
    I didn’t know what to say to him. I couldn’t
bring myself to confirm his accusation or lie to him. I just wanted
to disappear.
    “You’ve got a lot of balls just showing up
again,” he growled. “You could have warned me you would be here or
that you were coming back or hell, Ivy, you could have warned me
that you were still alive. Do you know-” His voice broke and he ran
his hands over his face while he tried to compose himself. “Do you
know what I’ve imagined happened to you? Do you know what it’s been
like not knowing?”
    I shook my head and licked my dry lips.
“Ryder, I’m not really back…”
    “Of course you’re not,” he snapped. “It’s
probably better that you go anyway.”
    I winced, unable to hide my heartbreak.
Regret flashed across his face, but he didn’t apologize.
    “Isn’t that what you do?” he gritted out,
apparently not caring that he was obliterating whole pieces of me
at a time. “You leave when things get tough? You run just when
people need you the most?”
    “Ryder, I left because I wanted to protect
you-”
    He cut me off, “I’m not talking about
myself.”
    “Then what are you talking about?”
    “Your friends, Ivy. Exie and Sloane. They’re…
they’re in trouble and they needed you and you left them.”
    “They’re in trouble?”
    He eyed me carefully, taking in the whole of
me. His eyes swept over me from head to toe and his lips pressed
into a frown. When he spoke again, I felt his dismissal. “Find out
for yourself.