Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,59
suddenly into eighteenth-century poetry?”
“Ronan gave it to me.” I flipped the book open to the last page and passed it to her.
She scanned the poem, putting her hand to her heart. “He wrote this? For you?”
My lips trembled as I nodded.
She looked up from the words. “He loves you.”
“Not anymore.”
She shook her head and sat on the bed, closing the book. “Guys don't just share their feelings like this, write poems for girls they don't care about. That they can just toss away.”
“But I lied to him.”
“You didn't lie,” she said. “You kept a secret.”
“That’s almost worse. Because I had all the opportunities in the world to tell him, and I still didn’t open my mouth.”
She shook her head and set the book back down. “I still think he'll come around eventually.”
“Why?” I asked, becoming frustrated at her optimism. “You don’t even know him.”
“But I know you,” she said confidently. “And I know that you're worth it.”
“Am I?” I asked, falling back into the pillows. I'd always been the confident one of our friends, lifting them up when they worried about their appearance or whether or not a guy would like them, but right now, I was feeling lower than I ever imagined I could. Why had Ronan liked me at all in the first place? “I’m just a rich girl with no original thoughts. My only goal was to get my father to change his mind, and now I don’t even have Daddy's bank account to back me up.”
“Zara,” she said harshly, “don't ever talk about yourself like that. What your dad did was wrong. He wouldn't be acting the way he is, shutting you out, if he didn't know it. You're a teenage girl, and when you should have been worrying about graduation, he was trying to force you together with an older guy you don't even like. That was wrong. And that's no reflection on you. Ever since I've known you, you've been strong and kind and supportive, and you always fight for what you want. Even if you feel a little lost right now, it doesn't mean that you're not going to find your true north eventually.”
Her words made me think of the compass on Ronan's arm, how he had always found his way. If he could, I could too, even if it was going to be hard.
I gave her a hug and held her tight. “Thank you.”
She held my cheek and said, “Thank yourself. I'm pretty sure I just regurgitated a bunch of the pep talks you've given me.”
I laughed, feeling better.
“But you know what I don't understand?” she said.
“What?”
“I've been thinking about it all night. Who told the media? Even though it's helping his career, it has to look bad for Ryde. Like even some teenage girl wouldn't want to be with him? And it has to make your dad's company look less credible, right? That he couldn’t even keep control of his daughter? Not that I think daughters should be controlled, but—well, you know where I’m going.”
I shrugged. I honestly had no clue who had told. But now that I thought about it, there was one person who had it out for me. Who’d been at the right angle to get that photo. And I was going to confront her tomorrow at school.
Thirty-Seven
“Are you sure you don't want me to give you a ride?” Jordan's mom asked us as we finished our breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten food not out of pre-packaged containers.
Jordan looked to me. “I’m fine driving, but it's up to you.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine just riding with Jordan.” Plus, I didn't want to inconvenience Mama Junco any more than I already had by sleeping in their guest room and now eating their food.
“As long as you're sure,” Mama Junco said. “I called the school this morning, and they said that they will have an escort for you to go into the building.”
She seemed sincerely worried about us, but I loved the way she respected Jordan and her wishes. “Be safe, mijas,” she said.
“We will,” Jordan promised. She stood and put her plate in the sink, and I did the same. Grabbing our backpacks, we made our way out to her car. The early spring morning was quiet, save for a few birds chirping in the courtyard trees. This complex really was beautiful. I couldn't imagine two people who deserved to live here more.