Page 11 of Ronny

I lick my dry lips, my nerves starting to calm down. “I was scared when he told me what he wanted to do to me…” I trail off, sick at the thought of what Holden had planned.

Ronny pulls me into his lap, shocking me. I look around the office to see if anyone is going to say anything, but no one does.

The MC kids are royalty around here; they rule the school. The MC have practically funded the school over the years, so there is high security at the entrances of the school. The Devil Souls MC and the Grim Sinners practically built this school.

Ronny holds me, running his hands down my back soothingly. The glass windows show the parking lot, and I see multiple cars swerve in.

One by one the doors open, then the bikes are next. The cavalry is here. Ronny is smirking.

The door to the building is opened. Maverick runs up with Bell, holding her hand as they hurry inside of the school.

Then a couple that I recognize as Holden’s parents are bringing up the rear until my dad drives up all the way to the door, not caring about the sidewalk.

Smiley and Lane, the ex-president and current president, stroll in too. The office just got very crowded.

My dad looks panicked, until he sees me. Then he settles.

“What the fuck happened?” Maverick asks Ronny. I peek up at him to see if he is pissed, but he’s not, just wondering what the deal is.

Dad moves to stand by me, and Bell crouches in front of me. “You okay?” She runs her hands over my cheeks, and that’s when I feel the tears. I didn’t even know I was crying.

I nod. “Ronny saved me once again,” I choke out, laughing slightly, but no one joins me in the laugh.

Bell looks at her son with such pride and respect that it could take your breath away. “What happened?” she asks me, and I see the principle is standing out of his office listening. I can see into the room that there is a wall of cameras, me and Holden on one of them. I know he was watching the tape.

“For months, Holden has been interested in me. I have told him repeatedly that I was not interested. He approached me at my locker, practically attacked me, and said he was going to force himself on me. He said I was a tease.” I don’t feel like giving all of the details, not wanting to get into all of that. “Until Ronny stepped in, when he was about to hit me in the face. Ronny was defending me.” I look at the principal, not wanting Ronny to get in trouble for this.

“It seems to me that this girl here is someone who messes around with boys. In fact, she is sitting in the lap of one this very moment! My son’s football career is over, and we can’t let this stand,” Holden’s mother screeches. I flinch hard at her tone and the way she spoke about me.

As a woman, I would never ever take someone’s side if they were in the wrong. I just don’t understand—what if this happened to her? I’m sure it would be a whole different story.

“Don’t forget that boy is adopted! He needs to go back to the ghetto, where he belongs!”

That runs through me like a train. I whip around to face her, more than pissed that she dared to insult Ronny. “You need to stop blaming everyone for your son’s mistakes, that’s why he is a piece of shit! You need to take your white trash, clown-makeup-wearing, fried blonde-haired ass right out those doors before you wish it was just a broken wrist,” I hiss at her, pissed off more than I have ever been in my whole life that she would dare insult Ronny like that.

She shuts her mouth at that, glaring at me. “Bitch,” I mouth to her. She turns around and leaves with Holden’s dad right on her ass.

The second the door shuts, I notice the silence in the room. I can feel the heat of everyone’s stares on me. Nervous, I peek over to see Ronny grinning ear to ear. Hell, all of the guys are, and Bell looks like I’m the best thing ever.

“She pissed me off,” I grumble, and everyone bursts out laughing. Then they all take turns hugging me.

In that moment, I changed. I found out that when it comes to myself, I’m scared, but my protective instincts when it comes to those I care about run deep.

I held on to that and it healed a part of me. That was another step in my healing journey. It brought me and Ronny closer.

We both saw we will do whatever it takes to defend each other.

2

RONNY

Once the plane lands, the first thing I see out the window is my family waiting for me on their bikes, and right in the middle is my bike.

Dad and I spent a whole year working on this bike when I turned fifteen, it was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life to be able to build something from the ground up with him.

As soon as the door opens, I practically run out of the damn plane. I’m so damn tired of being on planes, it seems like I have lived in them the last few years traveling for hockey games.

Winning the Stanley Cup was a dream of mine. I wanted to win that and now that I have, I’m so sick and tired of not having a permanent home, to be with my family for all of the small shit and to be close with my cousins once again.

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