Page 118 of I Don't Need Your Protection
Once I help him get settled in, Caleb and I go out on the balcony and look at the landscape. “The world is beautiful, isn’t it?” I say.
He wraps an arm around me, tucking me close to his body. “The world is beautiful and filled with beautiful people. For years I didn’t trust the world, but you made me see the good init. The good in people. If my mom was alive, she would have loved you. She would be so happy that I found you.”
“Really?” I ask.
He nods as he takes me in his arms and rubs circles on my back. “I think I buried myself in my work because I didn’t want to deal with the pain of life, but I see now that life is full of painandjoy. It’s up to us to decide whether we want to live happily or be depressed. Thanks for helping me choose to be happy.”
I snake my arms around his neck and smile at him. “Thanks for showing me what true love is like.”
We make out for a few minutes. Then I say, “I’m really looking forward to the future, Caleb. Good stuff and the bad, we can tackle them all. As long as we have each other. And our families and friends. I’m looking forward to meeting your dad. You think he’ll like me?”
He kisses the top of my head. “He’ll love you. He’s looking forward to meeting you, too.”
We stay out here and watch the sunset together, and then I quickly run to the girls’ dorm. My life has changed so much in such a short amount of time. Like I told Caleb, we’re going to have ups and downs, joy and sadness. But as long as we stay positive and surround ourselves with people we love, we can get through anything.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Carly
You know what I love most about attending Harrington Bay Academy? My best friends! It was just the three of us since freshman year—Raven Mitchell, Sophie Reed, and me, Carly Simmons—but we now have a fourth member in our group, Addie Hayes. Together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
“Oh my gosh, almost had it!” Raven groans before throwing her controller on the sofa.
We’re in the rec room after school. I’m at the dance game, Raven is at the Xbox, and Sophie is sprawled over the sofa’s armrest with her head buried in her book (like usual). It’s such a treat to have her with us because she usually has tutoring after school. And then there’s Addie with her boyfriend, Caleb Ashton.
The two of them have officially become boyfriend and girlfriend only a day ago, and they’re so freakin’ adorable. Calebused to be so serious and aloof because he didn’t want to get close to her, but now they are and it’s so fun to watch. They’re sitting next to Raven, she against his chest with his arms wrapped around her middle. Every so often, his lips brush against her temple. It looks like she melts into a puddle each time.
I’m so freakin’ happy for them. None of us have ever gotten close to having a boyfriend before, so it’s awesome that Addie is finally experiencing it. I know we’re too young and can’t know our future, but one thing I’m certain about is the two of them. They’ll be together forever.
“Anyone want to challenge the great and mighty Dance Queen Carly?” I call out to my friends. None of them respond. Sophie’s eyes are huge as she reads her book—I guess she’s in the middle of an intense scene?—Raven is yelling at the TV screen because she keeps dying, and Addie and Caleb look like they’ve been transported to Love Land.
“Come on!” I call out. “Are you guys backing out of a challenge? All of you are chicken.” I start to cluck. “Addie is a chicken,” I continue to cluck and flap my arms. “I thought you’re the competitive one?”
“I’m kind of busy here,” she says as she pushes some hair out of Caleb’s eyes.
“Staring at your boyfriend?” I tease. “You know, he’ll still be here in five minutes. In ten minutes. In an hour. In a week. In a month. In a year…” My voice trails off when my words fall on deaf ears. “What about you, Raven?” I ask. “It doesn’t look like you’re having fun with that monkey. Come dance with me.”
“I wasthisclose to passing the level,” she grumbles as she narrows her eyes at the screen and pounds the controller buttons.
I’m about to call out to Sophie, but she is now lying upside down on the sofa with her face basically glued to the book. There’s no point trying to get through to that one. She’s long gone.
“All of you are chickens!” I say as I continue to cluck and flap my arms. “Chickens, chickens, bawk, bawk!”
“This is the recreation room,” a male voice says. “Where students like to unwind and have fun. You’ll find everything here, like arcade games, video games, board games, party games, a TV, and vending machines…”
I don’t really pay attention to the people who walked in, just continue calling my friends chicken and acting like one.
“Cool,” another male voice says. “This place looks really neat. I’m sure I’ll spend every non-school hour in here.”
Wait, huh? Why does that voice sound familiar?
When I glance at the doorway, I find two guys standing there. One of them I recognize as a senior and the other is…
I freeze with my clucking and flapping my arms and stare at him. No way…no freakin’ way. This is my worst nightmare.
My number one enemy stands only a few feet away from me.
Ryder Bennett’s brown eyes scan around the area and then land on me. He’s wearing jeans and a green T-shirt that exposes his muscles and makes him look…well, sexy. Objectively, of course. Because I hate his guts.
