Page 18 of The Way We Are

She waits for me to acknowledge her statement with a nod before pulling open the trap door of our treehouse. While cradling her box with one hand, she uses the other to scale the ladder on her right.

Once the lower half of her body is lost in darkness, she returns her eyes to mine. "I would never, ever do anything unless I believed in it."

The truth in her eyes as she recites one of River Phoenix's favorite quotes packs more punch than her actual words. They reveal I'm not the only one feeling the familiarity buzzing in the air—the sense of home. They also show one man doesn't own her. She's as free as the wildness reflected in her eyes.

"You need to trust me, Ryan. I'm still the same Savannah you remember; I just went down a wrong track a couple of years ago. I'll find my way back home, because no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget my roots." She ends her comment with a smile I’ve missed seeing the past five years.

"Savannah," I say, halting her departure mere seconds before the dark night shadows her.

“Yes,” she replies, flicking her eyes upwards.

I smile to ensure she sees the sincerity in my words. “Happy birthday.”

She smiles a wicked grin that does stupid things to my insides before whispering, "I knew that too."

6

Ryan

I wait for the rumble of Savannah's engine to fade into the distance before climbing down from the treehouse. While sitting at the base of a maple tree that's older than me, I remove the tape from my hands. The events of my night roll through my head, but instead of starting at the beginning, they start at the end and work their way backward.

It was so surreal seeing Savannah here, inourtreehouse, the last place we kissed. It's also bizarre she left with the box I never intended to give her. I can only hope she was honest when she said she understood my objective, or I may wake up to more than a nasty hangover in the morning.

While the events of my night continue playing through my head like a movie, I trek through the back entrance of my house. As suspected, my father has fallen asleep in front of the TV, wearing a stained wife-beater shirt and a pair of old shorts from his college days. The nearly empty bottle of whiskey tipped at his side reveals he isn't asleep; he's stone cold drunk.

My family relishes this time of night, as it's the only time we are guaranteed peace from his malicious taunts and even more vicious hands. That's the reason the broken AC hasn't been fixed since it died three years ago. Keeping my dad fueled with whiskey is more important than my mom living in comfort. It's one of the many sacrifices she has made during their nearly twenty-year marriage.

Not wanting my mom to clean another brown stain from the carpet in the morning, I head toward my dad instead of my bedroom. The grunt he releases when I pry the bottle from his grip freezes my heart. He doesn't usually make a sound when he's passed out. Not a fucking peep. I don't know how many times I pressed my fingers to his neck to check for a pulse during middle school. He constantly had one—unfortunately.

The liquor spilled over the rim smears onto my hand when I screw the cap onto the bottle and set it on the coffee table his feet are resting on. The scent is strong, nearly as potent as the one leeching from Axel's pores earlier tonight. He stank like a distillery, making me believe he had more than his fair share of celebratory drinks.

Suddenly, my mind spirals when my play-by-play rundown of tonight’s events jumps forward in the timeline. It stops at the section where Axel threatened retribution for the sneaky glances Savannah gave me all night, the one where he guaranteed Col’s slap wouldn’t be Savannah’s first taste of violence.

Fuck!

I charge out my front door before my brain even registers my legs are moving. My feet thump the floorboards of my front porch so hard, I awaken my father. He yells my name three times before I’m even halfway down the cracked sidewalk, but I don’t stop.I can’t stop.

The pledge of protection I made tonight wasn’t my first. We were only eight the first time I promised to protect Savannah. At the time, I assumed my oath would center around keeping her sheltered from my father's antics. I had no clue it would be from a man peopleassumeshe loves.

I know Savannah doesn't love Axel. I just wish everyone else knew it.

It takes me scanning my nearly isolated street three times before I remember my truck is parked at Bob’s Burgers. While grumbling a string of curse words under my breath, I push off my feet, my fast pace spurred on by the anger stripping my veins of oxygen.

Dogs howl when I race down the alley separating my half of Ravenshoe from Savannah’s fancier side. My lungs hunt desperately for air as I continue sprinting through the eerily quiet streets, but nothing slows me down.

The panic burning my throat eases when I spot Savannah's car parked at the front of her six-car garage. The driver's side door of her little hatchback is hanging open, and the bright security lights ensuring her family mansion can be seen from space halos her honey-colored hair.

I slow my pace as I round the curve in her driveway, giving my tired body a chance to appreciate the air I'm gulping in. I'm a runner, but sprinting over four miles at a sprinting speed has taken its toll on my body. I’m sweating profusely, and my muscles are burning like I’m standing directly on the sun. Although nothing would have stopped me reaching Savannah, seeing her safe and untouched allows me a small moment of reprieve.

The air I’ve only just guzzled sucks out of my lungs in a brutal grunt when Savannah’s comes into full sight. It isn’t just the way the moonlight captures her hair that has me recoiling; it's the fact she isn’t alone.

Axel’s arms are curled around her midsection, and his head is burrowed into her stomach. If it weren’t for the angry red lines streaming down his cheeks, I would have read the situation entirely wrong. He isn’t sampling a part of Savannah’s body I have no doubt tastes as sweet as the color of her hair. He’s on his knees, pleading for forgiveness.

“I didn’t see him strike you, babe. If I did, I would have stopped him. You know I’ll always protect you.”

My fists firm at his blatant lie. He saw Col slap Savannah—he even added to the taunt by saying it wouldn’t be the last time she gets hit. He’s a fucking liar.

“Please, babe. You know I’m telling the truth. I’d never lie to you. It’s you and me, babe. Always and forever. Remember?”

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