Page 80 of Broken Bonds

I shrugged, brushing it off. “Now you know why I can’t go back.”

We sat outside on the bench for another hour, watching students walk, talk, and laugh as they went about their day. Nobody paid us any attention. Nobody understood the turmoil my mind was in. And that was fine. Perfect, even.

“There’s Amber. I’ll catch up with you later.” Ryan pointed out the redhead clumsily walking down the path to the parking lot, her eyes glued to her phone.

He jogged over to her with a grin on his face, and she smiled back. I sat alone for another hour, sweat forming on my hairline and running down my neck. The humidity had risen significantly since the storm, and everyone was opting for shorts and tanks, though I was wearing jeans and my regular black V-neck.

Looking up from the ground, I saw Celine making her way down the same path, swaying uneasily on her crutches. Standing up, I started to walk over to her just as someone else approached.

The guy she had teased on her first day of class.Crap.

“Where’s your boyfriend, sugar?” I heard his nasally voice instigate.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, creep,” she said, struggling on the crutches under her arms. Clearly, she didn’t remember him. But I did. Hard to forget someone you wanted to rip limb from limb.

“Oh, yes, you do, or maybe he’s just your little guard dog. I saw him hovering all over you this morning. You two looked a little cozy.”

“Let me pass, please.” Pain seeped into her voice, making me walk a little faster.

“I ain’t nobody’s guard dog, dickhead, and I sure as hell ain’t her boyfriend, so leave her alone—now,” I growled as I drew closer.

The kid backed up, his eyes going wide just as Celine looked at me with pain flashing in her eyes. Was it her legs or had I done something wrong again?

“Sorry, man. I was just admiring a beautiful girl—unlike you, it seems.” He grinned, and before I could think about what I was doing, my fist collided with his face, sending him toppling to the ground, blood spurting from his nose.

Today was just too damn much, and he was the final straw.

“Ace!” Celine screamed, almost falling over on her crutches, trying to get my attention. The kid staggered back, his hand on his red jaw, his eyes glowing with rage as he glared at me.

“Stay away from her!” I growled, hardly understanding the protective tone coming from my mouth.

The slimy punk backed up again, and this time, he turned around, walking away, holding his bleeding nose.

“Ace, what the hell were you thinking?!” Celine shouted, causing everyone in the near vicinity to stop and look at us.

“I was protecting you, baby.” I held my hands up in surrender as I turned to face her, my knuckles throbbing. Her big, blue eyes hardened into a glare.

“I don’t need your protection, Asshole!” Turning, her hair whipped across my face, tickling my nose as she tried to hobble away, grimacing in pain with each step.

“Wait—baby, let me help you.” Christ, she was a stubborn one.

“You aren’t my boyfriend, so don’t call me that.” I winced. So, Ihaddone something wrong. Again. Great.

She stopped and gritted through her clenched teeth, “And, Ace, I don’t need your help, either. Stay away from me until you know what you want.”

I stood stock-still. Her words were like a slap to my face. I watched her leave, taking slow, calculated steps until she disappeared from my sight, and I was left trying to make sense of where I went wrong.

You don’t deserve her.

Ryan’s voice echoed in my mind as I pulled out my phone and redialed the last number that’d called me. If I didn’t deserve her… well, I’d do what I could to at least try to be half the man shediddeserve.

And that started with healing myself.

“Ace?” My grandmother’s voice cracked in excitement.

I stared at my feet. “When does she get out?” I hated how devoid of emotion my voice was, but I couldn’t help it.

“Next Tuesday. Oh, I knew you would come around, dear.”

---