Page 66 of Riot

“Yeah.” The lie slips so easily, so practiced, that I don’t realise I’ve said it until I pause. These aren’t strangers. These are my fucking friends, the people I should be able to talk to. IfI’d trusted them, opened up to them in the past, I might have escaped my situation with Link sooner.

I exhale, loud and weary. “No.”

“What’s going on?” Katie asks. “Tell us.”

So, I do. I open the flood gates and let the water pour out.

My nightmares…

The parts of my soul that are shredded like paper…

Fear that Link is biding his time…

My hopeless love for Riot.

When I finish, the air between us is heavy, and I fiddle with my fork, just so my hands are occupied.

This is the part where they block you and never speak to you again.

My stomach drops like I’ve stepped off a ledge into freefall, and I wait to hit the bottom.

But then Dayna reaches across the table and takes my hand in hers. I lift my gaze, expecting to see judgement, but her expression is fierce.

“How can we help?”

Tears burn my eyes, and my throat clogs with the emotion I can’t swallow down.

“I can’t believe you’ve been dealing with all this alone,” Katie adds.

“Well, not anymore.” Dayna sits back, her jaw clenched, her eyes hard. “You’re not alone.”

Fuck, don’t cry…

I don’t know why I thought they would reject me. They’re my ride or die friends, but Link’s voice is always in my head, whispering.

No one will believe you.

No one will care.

No one will save you.

“If it is Link doing this shit, do you want us to hire a hit man?” Katie asks. “I’m sure I can find someone.”

I snort and relax back into my chair. “I love you both.”

And I mean every word of that. Link made me believe no one would ever be in my corner, and that’s why I had to rely on him.

But he’s so wrong.

I have so many people who care about me.

“Good, because we love you too, Ivy.” Dayna lets go of my hand to take a drink of her coffee. It smells so strong, it could strip paint. “And we’re not letting you disappear again. So, whatever’s going on, we’re in this, okay?”

I nod. “Thanks.”

Katie sits forwards, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “We’ll dissect the Link stalking stuff in a second, but before we do… Ivy, maybe you should talk to someone about what happened to you.”

I flinch. I can’t help it. The thought of cutting my veins open and bleeding out in front of a stranger makes my stomach twist. I can’t do it.

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