Page 2 of Wild Heart

“I don’t know all the details just yet, but her dad was arrested this morning, and her mom’s been drinking ever since. She has no ride to her recital, and she’s worked really hard for this, Tate. She’s already late as it is. We have to go pick her up and take her.”

There was a pleading edge in my sister’s tone, a desperation.

As much as I wanted more information, I decided it was best not to waste any additional time. Ivy and Ava were thick as thieves, so I didn’t doubt Ava would give Ivy the full story later.

Unwilling to delay our departure any longer for reasons that had nothing to do with me meeting up with my friends, I backed out of the driveway and drove toward Ava’s house. Ten minutes later, we pulled up outside, and Ava came running toward my car. When she got inside, her expression told the story that we hadn’t been given yet—she’d had a rough day already. Although she had her makeup done for her recital, I could see the puffiness and redness lingering in her sad eyes.

“I’m so sorry about this,” she murmured after she closed the door. “Thank you for picking me up.”

I glanced back at her, offered a sympathetic smile, and insisted, “It’s not a problem at all. Are you okay?”

Uneasiness washed over her. Even still, she answered quietly, “Not exactly, but I don’t think I can talk about it now before I have to perform.”

That was understandable. It was obvious she was using every bit of strength she had not to break down into a fit of tears. “Sure. We’ll get you to the recital.”

For the remainder of the drive to the theater, nobody spoke. When I pulled up outside the place, Ivy reached for the door handle and said, “Thanks for the ride.”

I gave her a nod, glanced back at Ava, and saw the appreciative look on her face. “Thank you, Tate.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck.”

The girls got out of the car, and I didn’t hesitate to pull away from the curb. But the second I glanced up in my rearview mirror, I came to an abrupt halt. Ava had all but collapsed in Ivy’s arms. Evidently, avoiding what had happened this morning at her place wasn’t going to be possible.

And as I took in the sight of the girls together, neither noticing I hadn’t left, another thought passed through me. My sister had made it clear just how hard Ava had worked to prepare herself for this dance recital. Not only had her father been arrested this morning for reasons unbeknownst to me, but she also didn’t have the support of her mother here today, either.

Ivy kept the private conversations she had with Ava between the two of them, but it wasn’t a secret Ava’s parents weren’t exactly pillars of strength and guidance in her life. How Ava turned out the way she had was a miracle.

Ava would only have my sister here to support her, and the way I saw it, that wasn’t good enough.

Having made up my mind, I drove off and made a turn into the parking garage. Maybe I hadn’t been invited to stay, but I thought Ava deserved to know she could depend on her best friend and Ivy’s family to be there for her in the way that perhaps her parents couldn’t or wouldn’t be there for her.

On the walk from the garage back to the theater, I called one of my friends to let him know something had come up and that I wouldn’t be able to make it out with them today. By the time I’d made it to the theater, I was wondering if I’d made a wise decision. It wasn’t the large number of people there that had bothered me; it was that I wasn’t sure I’d ever locate my sister or Ava in the crowd.

I’d scanned nearly the entire entrance when I felt someone’s fingers curl around my arm. “Tate? What are you doing here?”

My sister was looking up at me curiously. “I… I thought I’d stay.”

She raised a curious brow. “You want to watch this dance recital?”

I offered a half-hearted shrug. “I mean, it’s not my first choice on how to spend a Saturday, but I figured Ava might appreciate having someone else here for her. She looked devastated.”

Ivy’s expression turned solemn. “She’s a mess. But I think it’ll mean a lot to her that you stayed. It should cheer her up a bit.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Should we grab a seat, or do you need to go help her with something?”

“I already got her squared away, so we can go find a place to sit.”

With that, Ivy and I made our way inside the theater and found two unoccupied seats just off to the left of the middle, five rows back. Then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Performance after performance, the day dragged on, like we’d spent eight hours sitting in those seats instead of the ninety minutes it had been.

But finally, it happened.

Ava walked out onto the stage, and she did it alone. “Where’s everyone else?” I whispered.

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