Page 55 of The Heir

I forgot about Ryker in that moment.

“Men? Boys? We are stupid,” he finally said after a long pause.

“You said that.”

“Still true.” Then the bell rang. I jumped and clutched his shirt in my hands, placing my cheek to his chest. I wanted to stay there forever. I didn’t want to move. The electric charge that flooded through me was pulsating from where we had touched, I did not want to–but I pulled away.

“Sorry,” I said, letting go of his shirt and trying to smooth over the wrinkles my hands had made.

“Don’t say, ‘sorry,’” he said, grasping my hand. “I amnotsorry.”

I tried to clear my brain. “I have to go to class now.” I started walking, thinking of a million different things. Most of them revolved around Shad’s comforting presence and words. But, as I turned down the hall, a picture of Ryker’s sad and hurt face popped into my head, and it wouldn’t go away.

I had a hard time focusing on my classes that day. It was difficult to think of anything but the two boys who had becomemy world. Ryker was hiding things from me and was having random outbursts of anger. Then there was Shad. He sent my heart in a flutter and made my knees weak. But even more than that, he was kind and sweet, and being around him made me feel like I was circling the sun. I needed him in my life; I knew it to my very core.

At least, Math class was a high point in my day.

I wiggled my pencil while watching Shad work on a problem.

“So, Shad, what do you like to do?”

He held up a ruler he had used to make a chart as I spoke.

“I enjoy reading.” He looked at me and asked, “Why?”

“Oh, come on, there has to be something else, other than reading and roses.” I paused before continuing, “Anything you do with your guardian?”

“We should probably get to work, or we will never finish this,” he replied as he lifted up my paper and placed his hand over it.

“I want to know more about you, Shad,” I spoke softly, almost as if I didn’t want him to hear, which let’s be honest, was true.

“I want to know you, too, Emma, but during Math class, it is a hard time to divulge secrets, is it not?” he smiled.

“I just need to talk right now, if you don’t mind?” I leaned back with worry and disappointment, and then looked at my paper.

But then, Shad spoke.

“I miss my mother and my younger sister. I wish I could see them again,” he said. I looked up at his serious expression.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“They are far away from me, I can not travel there, though I wish to.”

“Could they not take care of you or something?” I asked.

“No, nothing like that—” he began and sat back, running a hand through his hair.

“I am so sorry, Shad.”

“Thank you, Emma,” he said with a sweet smile that made my stomach twist. “I’d love to share more with you. Perhaps, we should get together outside of school??”

“I would like that.”

He took my hand and rubbed it gently. “It is just a rather complicated story, and I’d rather recount it in private.” He looked at me, his eyes drenched with sadness.

“After my parents—” I whispered, wanting to ease his pain. I looked at him, “I thought I could never be really happy again. I thought I deserved to die, too, but then—” I gulped, trying to hold back tears.

“Oh, Em-ma,” his voice broke in the middle of my name as if he was in agony with me.

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