HE HAS A HEART
Bella:
After Ryder was suspended in front of the entire school, I couldn’t pay attention to classes for the entire day.
“Turning off your emotions doesn’t affect me,” my wolf spoke, answering the question that had been bugging me all day.
The last bell went off.
Students rushed out of the class while I packed up my books, having wasted an entire day for nothing. Maybe I should have stayed back, I reasoned, but it was too late to cry over spilled milk.
“Hey, do you know what extracurricular you want to take now?” Hazel asked, and I looked up to see her never-ending smile plastered on her face.
I sighed, slapping my forehead because I had forgotten.
“You cannot be sad all the time, and you know that.”
“I’m not sad. I just feel guilty for what happened to him, and—”
“Isn’t that what you want? He bullies you,” she said, raising a brow, and I sighed again, sliding back in my seat.
I was confused.
“Yes, but—”
“It is the mate bond, and I think you are hard on yourself too. You should find Ryder and at least thank him,” she said, and my face wrinkled. “I said thank him for saving you, not apologize. He is a douchebag and deserves whatever he gets, but at least he helped. That way you can have a clear conscience.”
Hazel took me to the detention classroom, and I stood in front of it for a while, mustering the courage to walk inside.
“Just go in already,” she said, opening the door and pushing me into the classroom.
There Ryder sat with his legs crossed on the table and a book on his face. I stood still for a moment, turning to Hazel, who was still by the door. His legs moved at once, and I tried to run, but he called out to me, causing Hazel to shut the door.
He took the book off his face, then sat up, his gaze fixed on me.
“You do not have to feel sympathetic toward me for what happened today. It's not your fault I got suspended from school activities, and—”
“Thank you for what you did today,” I said, cutting him short and walking toward him.
He forced a smile.
“Yeah, sure. I guess I would do anything to protect my mate,” he said, and I took a deep breath. “You can reject me all you want, but I won’t do the same, because I can’t hurt you anymore. But I will be fine with you hurting me over and over because I was an asshole.”
When he said this, I was confused. He could have just treated me right, but now he went the extra length to get suspended, knowing fully well it would take a toll on his chances of getting into college.
“Thank you,” I managed to say, and the room fell silent.
He grabbed the book on the table and opened it.
“If you do not mind, I would like to get back to my book after a long nap,” he yawned, burying his head in the book.
Hazel’s words rang in my ears. I didn’t want to be hard on myself, but I didn’t want to loosen up so much for him, so I took deep, controlled breaths. I tried to convince myself he was being sincere and not setting up some trick.
“Are you alright?” he asked, and I stayed silent, staring at the book in his hand as he flashed it in my face.
“The Mafia King’s Obsession!” I exclaimed, as if I hadn’t noticed the book earlier. “I didn’t know you were a fan of Gigi,” I said, and his eyes widened.
“What? I’ve read this book over and over again.”
His words confused me because all I could think of was another ruse to lure me into believing he had changed.
“What is your favorite part of the book?” I asked. He opened his mouth to speak, then I decided to lay a trap. “Did you think it was right for her to end up with Bruno?” I asked, and he scoffed.
“She ended up with Farrell, and Bruno was killed by his cousin Larry. I loved Molly so much, but she made Farrell suffer so much…”
“He married her against her wish,” I cut him short, crossing my arms and wrinkling my brows.
“But he loved her wholeheartedly, and he protected her with the last of his blood. He would have given anything to protect her. Not everyone loves the same, and he made it clear to her, and he made sure he showed her every time, even if it meant putting his life on the line,” he said, and I felt a sudden urge of comfort tug at my heart. He talked for a while, and I took a seat, listening to him retell the story of a novel I had read over and over again. The more we talked, the more I felt at ease with him—not forgetting what he had done, but seeing the other part of him: the part that didn’t want to make me cry, the part that had a heart.
“Detention’s over, Mr. Ashcroft,” a teacher yelled in the hallway, causing Ryder to jump up.
“Quick, hide, or I’ll have to redo this detention,” he said, and I rushed to the back, ducking behind a locker.
The teacher walked into the class, surveyed everywhere, then left. I stood up at once while Ryder packed his books.
“I should get going,” I said, walking toward the door.
When I walked out into the hallway and walked for a while, Ryder grabbed my hand.
“Wait up. We are headed to the same place, so we might—”
“Oh, about that. Your father had people move my things, and they should be done by now,” I said in a low tone, causing his face to fall. “I’m moving into Hazel’s room because I need space, and—”
“It’s fine. I do not expect you to suddenly accept me or my friends. Take your time, and I hope you are good. I’m sorry about being an asshole my entire life, and I would be grateful if you can forgive me.”
These were his last words before he left.
Ryder hadn’t gone far when my phone beeped, and I took it out to see a blast from the Fangtastic Diaries:
“Seen: Bella and Ryder, hand in hand. And while detention might be for rule-breakers, it seems like Bella's only crime was stealing the heart of the hottest guy in school. But wait, where does this leave our reigning queen bee, Fae?”