looked down at his hand then back at me, his face turning into an even meaner sneer.
"What the hell is this, Ryley?" he ground out, tightening his grip on my arm to almost unbearable as he eyed my bracelet. Our bracelet. The bracelet that Liam and I made together.
I tried pulling my arm away for fear that he was going to break it, but he just held tighter.
"This." He yanked with his other hand and the bracelet went flying across the room. "Piece of shit kiddie bracelet," he growled.
I tried holding my tears in; I tried not letting him see how much he just ripped my world apart. That bracelet was the only thing I had left of my childhood, one that was rapidly dissolving into distant memories. I couldn't hold them in anymore. Gage, the boy next door that I always loved in some way, just ruined everything.
As if something snapped in his mind to tell him what he was doing was wrong, he let go and stepped back. He looked surprised at himself, at me.
"Ry, oh my God. I—" He started stuttering.
"I need to go," I said as I grabbed the CD and ran upstairs.
I was pretty sure Gram yelled for me, but I didn't wait. I ran as fast as I could across our yards and to my car. I didn't want my mom or dad to see me like that, so I couldn't go inside, but I had to listen to those songs again.
I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway, driving around the pond behind Liam's house and parking in the spot my dad used to park when we went fishing. No one would've been able to see my car from there, which meant no one would've been able to see the tears. I slid the CD into the player and waited for it to start up. I knew what to expect from the songs, but I still cried. Liam meant this CD for me, but it wasn't right. I was with his brother. I was happy with his brother. Right?
Liam shouldn't have given me the CD, even if it was just because we were 'friends'. Gage must have had way too much to drink the night before to react that way to me. He had never done that before. Why were things so difficult with those two? Maybe I should have just stepped out of their lives before I ruined their relationship with each other, but giving up my boyfriend and my best friend was scary.
The music played on and on, filling my car with songs that a man would put together for the woman he painfully loved. By the end, I was in full blown tears, blubbering like a baby in my car. A knock on the passenger window startled me and I wiped at my face furiously to get the tears away.
Liam stood there, hands in his pockets, waiting for me to say something. I turned the music down and reached over to unlock the door. He slid in and shut the door, looking at the water in front of us rather than at me.
"I'm sorry, Ry," he whispered.
"Why'd you do it, Liam? What is this anyway?"
He had to have known what I was talking about, even after all the years apart, I knew there was something between us. Maybe it was just young love, maybe it was just because he was my first love, but there was still something. I was taken, though, so for him to express it now, after Gage and I had been together almost a year, was just unfair. It pissed me off, too, that I still held hope that Liam and I would get our happily ever after, just like I'd pretend when I was a little girl, because I knew that wasn't going to happen anymore.
"I was pissed at Gage for treating you like he did last night. I just.... I wanted to cheer you up." He sighed.
"Well, it pissed Gage off."
"He listened to it?"
"Yea, forced me to let him listen to it." I didn't want to tell him about my arm, or about what Gage told me. It was only a matter of time before the bruises from Gage's fingertips darkened on my arm and I didn't think I could stay away from Liam if I tried, so he'd probably see them eventually.
"Hell, Ry. I didn't mean anything by it. I promise. I just know you like those songs so I put them on a CD for you. Promise."
"What the hell is this, Ryley?" he ground out, tightening his grip on my arm to almost unbearable as he eyed my bracelet. Our bracelet. The bracelet that Liam and I made together.
I tried pulling my arm away for fear that he was going to break it, but he just held tighter.
"This." He yanked with his other hand and the bracelet went flying across the room. "Piece of shit kiddie bracelet," he growled.
I tried holding my tears in; I tried not letting him see how much he just ripped my world apart. That bracelet was the only thing I had left of my childhood, one that was rapidly dissolving into distant memories. I couldn't hold them in anymore. Gage, the boy next door that I always loved in some way, just ruined everything.
As if something snapped in his mind to tell him what he was doing was wrong, he let go and stepped back. He looked surprised at himself, at me.
"Ry, oh my God. I—" He started stuttering.
"I need to go," I said as I grabbed the CD and ran upstairs.
I was pretty sure Gram yelled for me, but I didn't wait. I ran as fast as I could across our yards and to my car. I didn't want my mom or dad to see me like that, so I couldn't go inside, but I had to listen to those songs again.
I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway, driving around the pond behind Liam's house and parking in the spot my dad used to park when we went fishing. No one would've been able to see my car from there, which meant no one would've been able to see the tears. I slid the CD into the player and waited for it to start up. I knew what to expect from the songs, but I still cried. Liam meant this CD for me, but it wasn't right. I was with his brother. I was happy with his brother. Right?
Liam shouldn't have given me the CD, even if it was just because we were 'friends'. Gage must have had way too much to drink the night before to react that way to me. He had never done that before. Why were things so difficult with those two? Maybe I should have just stepped out of their lives before I ruined their relationship with each other, but giving up my boyfriend and my best friend was scary.
The music played on and on, filling my car with songs that a man would put together for the woman he painfully loved. By the end, I was in full blown tears, blubbering like a baby in my car. A knock on the passenger window startled me and I wiped at my face furiously to get the tears away.
Liam stood there, hands in his pockets, waiting for me to say something. I turned the music down and reached over to unlock the door. He slid in and shut the door, looking at the water in front of us rather than at me.
"I'm sorry, Ry," he whispered.
"Why'd you do it, Liam? What is this anyway?"
He had to have known what I was talking about, even after all the years apart, I knew there was something between us. Maybe it was just young love, maybe it was just because he was my first love, but there was still something. I was taken, though, so for him to express it now, after Gage and I had been together almost a year, was just unfair. It pissed me off, too, that I still held hope that Liam and I would get our happily ever after, just like I'd pretend when I was a little girl, because I knew that wasn't going to happen anymore.
"I was pissed at Gage for treating you like he did last night. I just.... I wanted to cheer you up." He sighed.
"Well, it pissed Gage off."
"He listened to it?"
"Yea, forced me to let him listen to it." I didn't want to tell him about my arm, or about what Gage told me. It was only a matter of time before the bruises from Gage's fingertips darkened on my arm and I didn't think I could stay away from Liam if I tried, so he'd probably see them eventually.
"Hell, Ry. I didn't mean anything by it. I promise. I just know you like those songs so I put them on a CD for you. Promise."
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