Page 176 of Redeemed

Maybe that’s true. They hurt her a lot, and if they truly care about her, they’ll have to acknowledge that nothing they do can really make up for years of bullying.

But…

“Love can be unpredictable,” I say slowly. “And hurting them that badly? They’ll be so angry.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t do it?”

“No, no. Go for it. The assholes deserve it. I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“I’ll be okay.” She takes my hand and squeezes. “I’ll be completely out of their reach.”

“You never know,” I say uneasily, and I scan the area behind her, suddenly paranoid. “Just because you think you’re free of someone doesn’t mean you actually are.”

“I’ll be fine, Haven. Even when they were angry at me before, they never caused me that much physical harm. The same will be true this time.”

“I hope,” I mutter, glancing behind me.

There’s no one here. Isaiah isn’t going to find you. Calm down before you freak Athelia out.

“Who are you looking for?” she asks, practically on cue.

“What? No one,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ear.

She watches me closely, her voice softening. “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”

I feel likeyou’renot telling me something,I want to say back, but I don’t. Whenever she’s ready, Athelia will come clean, and I’m not pressuring her to do it a second before that.

“My family is just…” I shake my head. “I have it handled. I don’t want you to worry.”

“Well, I am worrying. What’s going on?”

“Nothing! Seeing them just brought back a lot of memories, okay? I feel… weird. Off. But I’m sure it’ll pass.”

Her expression morphs into one of guilt. “I’m sorry, I should’ve thought of that.”

“It’s fine. It caught me off guard, too.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Fair enough.”

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, but when I look, it’s just leaves blowing across the park. My anxiety doesn’t calm down, though.

“So you’re not gonna be back at the dorm?” I ask, needing the confirmation that Athelia won’t be crossing paths with Isaiah.

“Right. I’m sorry, I’ll miss you, but—”

“No, it’s good. It’ll help with your plan. And, uh, I don’t think they’ll let you leave, anyway.”

Athelia groans. “Yeah. They’re awfully possessive.”

“Hey, at least they’re paying for your shit,” I say, nodding to her hair. “That has to be nice.”

“Kinda,” she says with a shrug.

Right.Athelia’s parents are rich. She can afford to dye her hair whenever she wants.

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