Bittersweet Symphony (Bittersweet #4)(13)

Kennedy is standing in what is supposed to be Rex’s place. She’s biting on her pink, plump bottom lip as if she was hesitant to knock on the door to begin with. Her dark, blue eyes brim with tears that look as if they will fall at any second.

I can’t help what I do next. It’s imbedded in me to protect her, to be her warrior, her defender. I reach out, wrapping my arms around her, bringing her warm body into mine. She doesn’t hesitate or turn away, just buries her face in my chest and lets out a ragged sob. I don’t have the words at the moment to ask her what the problem is, all I want to do is hold her and soothe away her pain.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, and I don’t really have any other friends, well, except you, if we’re even friends…” She is rambling, and had she not been crying, it would be adorable.

“I… I shouldn’t have come here. This was a huge mistake…” she says, trying to pull out of my arms. What she doesn’t know is that I won’t be letting her go until she tells me what happened. Even after that, though, I’m not sure if I can let her go. She’s digging a part of herself into my heart, even if she doesn’t know it.

“What happened, Blondie?” I ask, my voice soft. I don’t want to scare her or make her think she can’t talk to me. I want her to be comfortable, more than comfortable.

“I just don’t know who to talk to… and I’m scared and I don’t know what to do. I’m not weak, Ryder. EVER. I’m just me. Kennedy. And I thought all these things went away. I thought the bullying and hate, the hurtful words and anger, had diminished, but here I am bawling my eyes out again.” A deep sadness is etched into her facial features. Whatever is going on is on the verge of breaking her. I have been there; I have seen the pain that comes with that kind of sadness.

I hold her tighter to me, slamming the door shut as I pull her over to the couch. I want to comfort her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, but that isn’t me. Even if I want her, it’s obvious that I am the last person she ever needs to get involved with. When one’s life is spiraling out of control, you don’t add something else to the mix that could cause it all to spiral even more erratically. I am uncontrollable, and Kennedy needs stability.

Her fingers dig into my chest as small whimpers escape her. What happened to the strong, undefeated girl I had just seen?

I reach down, gripping her chin gently to bring her eyes up to mine. She scowls, but allows me to continue touching her.

“What happened? Who did this to you?” I am concerned and scared for her. I have never been scared for anyone but myself; so to have fear for someone else, to be unable to control someone else’s fate, is… well, it’s terrifying.

“I… I don’t know if I want to talk about it. This is stupid. Why did I even come here? I shouldn’t be bothering you.” Her question is more directed at herself as she pulls out of my grip then settles herself into a seat.

“You’re not leaving until you tell me what happened.” My voice is cool and calm even though I’m burning under the surface for answers.

“You can’t keep me here,” she states, a determined look on her face. Oh look, the strong willed girl is back. That sends just enough cold water onto my short fuse to settle me.

“Wanna bet?” I question, raising my eyebrow up at her. Does she think she can win with me? There is no winner, other than myself.

“Not really. It’s not worth betting in a losing game,” she mutters under her breath. A smile forms on my face. Damn, this girl has me smiling so much, my God damn cheeks are going to start hurting soon.

“Smart thinking. Now, tell me what happened,” I stare at her, watching the emotions I know all too well flicker across her face. She lets out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes. Her defiance is so strong. Such a broken, beautiful individual.

“Sam. Remember him?” she asks, not really speaking to me but more so the wall. The second his name leaves her mouth, I feel the deep anger I try to hide from everyone coming to the surface.

“What about him?” I try to sound as if I don’t care about him, but when it comes to K, well, I care about anything that she cares about.

“He…” Tears well up in her eyes again, and her body shakes as the sob releases from her. Watching her cry is the hardest thing ever.

“Shhh… tell me, K… What happened?” I know when she tells me it’s going to take everything in me to stay in place, to not go wherever this dickhead lives and rip him a new one, to not pound his face so far into the pavement that I can send him back to hell.

She wipes at the tears furiously, as if she’s disappointed to even have them on her face.

“I… I have to start at the beginning,” she whispers, biting at her lip. Her hair is a wild, blonde, tangled mess. Her mascara is running and she looks like a bad mess.

“Who am I kidding? Why am I even here? We hardly know each other, Ryder. You shouldn’t have to console me.” She throws her hands in the air, frustrated at the world I’m sure.

“I know enough about you to know that you need someone. You don’t have to know someone to be able to get to know them, to be someone’s friend.” Friend is not the word I was f*cking looking for but whatever.

“Since when are you friends with girls?” she demands. I look at her, challenging her question.