Page 89 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
She shrugged, not meeting my eye. “None of the songs were any good.”
I heard the lie in her voice and saw it on her face. Why the fuck was she always lying to me? I grabbed her hand and dragged her down the street.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to watch the show.”
“Come on, Ridge.” She yanked her hand out of mine and stopped on the sidewalk in front of the bar. “Let’s just go home.”
“Nah. I want to hear the music he wrote for you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you being like this?”
Was she being serious right now? “I don’t know. You tell me. When did you tell him you don’t like dumb jocks? That day you saw me at the BBQ place?”
Her eyes lowered to the ground. “I didn’t know you then.”
That sounded like an admission of guilt. I huffed out a laugh. “Theonlything I’ve ever done was defend you. I have never said a bad word about you to anyone. And I sure as hell never put you down.”
She lifted her chin and looked me square in the eyes. “Inevercalled you a dumb jock. I never thought you were dumb, Ridge.”
“Sure, you didn’t.”
“I didn’t, and I don’t. Why would I have stood up for you to Delaney if I thought you were dumb?” She winced as the realization of what she’d just said hit her.
“That’s what you were talking to Delaney about. Poor Ridge. Too fucking stupid to pass English on his own. I didn’t need you standing up for me,” I gritted out.
“I never neededyouto fight for me. But you did.” She threw up her hands. “You always have.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Oh right. So you can go around beating people up, but I’m not allowed to say a word? If you’re looking for a damsel in distress, I’m sure Ainsley would be more than happy to play the part.”
“I don’t want Ainsley. I never did.”
“Oh right. Do you really expect me to believe that?”
“Believe what you want. It’s the truth.”
The door of the bar opened, and I heard Kurt the Douche’s voice. I would have loved to say that his music sucked, and his voice did too. But it didn’t. Which was why Evie didn’t want me to go inside. Not because he was bad but because he was good.
She tugged my hand. “Let’s go home, Ridge.”
“Nah.” I opened the door and went back inside. Evie followed.
If he wrote songs for her, I wanted to hear them. I wanted to hear how he saw her because, yeah, I was a masochist.
“Damage is a girl with blood-red lips and the kiss of an apocalypse…” he sang. “Lover, sinner, liar, she sets the world on fire….”
The song was for Evie. The songwasEvie.
It felt like a sucker punch to the gut.
A kick in the balls, more like it.
He’s twice the man you are.
I’d seen enough. I stalked out of the bar and strode to my truck. Evie had to jog to keep up with me, but I didn’t slow my pace.
