waist, and he pulls me out the front door and away from everyone.
I go because I need to speak to him.
His hand is tight on my arm, and I shake it off once we get outside.
I look up, then take a step back.
“You have a little something right there.” I tap the side of my mouth. “Lipstick.” I smirk. “Thank you so very much for making this easier. Don’t contact me anymore. I’m telling my parents I have called it off. This…” I wave between us, “… is off.” I watch as he takes my words in. His face changes from confused to shocked, and finally to anger. His eyebrows are pinched, and his lips pursed as he stares at me with furious eyes.
“You don’t get to call that.”
“I do.” I step back again.
The front door opens and a girl steps out. Her hand goes to her belly. She’s the same girl who was standing next to him when I arrived. “Your new flavor of the month is searching for you,” I say, glaring at him.
He steps forward, grabs hold of my arm again, and holds it tight. “Rylee, you don’t get to choose. Haven’t you figured that out since I first cheated on you? It’s a weekly event. Don’t act like it’s affecting you now,” he snarls while his fingers dig deeper into my arm. I know it’s going to bruise, and I’ll have to hide them too.
“Get…” I say silently, “your hands off of me.” I raise my voice for that last part. “Before I scream,” I say when he doesn’t drop them.
Finally, he does, and I step farther back.
“Rylee, you can’t escape me. We are destined.”
“Bullshit! Now lose my number,” I say as I rush away and get into my car, only checking back once to see if he’s following me. Thankfully, the other girl is keeping him occupied.
Driving away, my hands shake on the steering wheel. As soon as I see a park, I pull over to give my shaking hands and beating heart a chance to rest.
My phone starts ringing, but I ignore it. Clenching my hands, I try to stop the shaking that is taking over my entire body from what I just did.
I just ended something that has been a part of my life since high school.
It was well overdue, but that doesn’t make doing it any easier.
It’s hard.
But necessary.
Anderson, despite being the cheating prick he is, and the abusive asshole he’s become, was there for me for many years. Yes, he may have shown sympathy in times of need for his own agenda, but he was there for me.
A part of me loved him. It’s why I stayed so long when I really should have walked away years ago.
My phone blares again, and when I pick it up to check, I see it’s my sister.
“Ry, gosh, where are you?”
“Driving.”
“Okay, well, drive your ass here, would ya?”
It’s where I was going anyway since home is not an option right now. And Anderson wouldn’t dare come near me around Rhianna. He knows she will not take his shit.
Managing to catch my breath and stop my shaking hands, I drive to Rhianna’s to see her already at the front door. Her hands are crossed, and she is in her pajamas as she stands there waiting for me.
Closing the car door, I make my way to her.
“Anderson tried calling me. And we all know the only reason that would be is because you finally broke it off with him,” she says with a gigantic smirk. “I’m glad. Really happy for you, Ry.”
I rub my hand up my arm where he grabbed hold. It’s hurting badly. “It was long overdue.”
“Yes, very much so. Now come… let’s go and kick Noah out of my bed, and you can tell me how your week has been.” She hooks her arm through mine as we step inside.
“I can’t kick your boyfriend out of your bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” I say quietly, so we don’t wake Noah.
“Nah, he won’t care. And he knows you’re always first, Ry, no matter what. Do you get that?”
Her bedroom door opens, and Noah rushes out dressed in only boxers, rubbing his eyes when he sees us.
After looking straight at Rhianna, he says, “I’ll take the couch.” We watch as he goes back in, grabs a pillow, then lies down on the couch with no hesitation.
“Told you,” she says as she pulls me to her bedroom. It’s where I sleep when I stay. We