Ride or Die {Book 1} ✔️

Chapter 29: Stop Being A Coward

Hello you guys!!!

I am back and should be back with a whole lot of faster updates! As an apology for how long I have been keeping you awesome readers waiting this chapter is officially in Evan's POV and a VERY special ending. (Don't cheat and look!) I hope you enjoy and I'll have to try and find a way to update again.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!!! YAY!!! S W E E T POTATO PIE!!!! I can't wait!!! Enjoy the story!

-Destiny~~~~

Evan's POV... ^__^

Kylie stared at me, blinking back tears that were filling her eyes. Soon her face was changing from sad and lost to anger and shocked. She opened her mouth as if to say something then closed it. I watched as she turned around and continued to untie the knots without looking. In less than seconds both my legs were untied and she moved on to my hands that were tied behind my back.

A cold fury burned deep inside of me, waiting to be able to jump up and explode through my veins. Carl, if I ever saw him after this, I was going to seriously kill him. What he did to her in those stalls, what I know he did to her, he'll pay for it. I hadn't promised anything but I owed her to at least give her my word. I'll rather kill myself. I was shocked out of my body when her heard her say those words. Then add on to the fact that I knew she'll actually do it.

Not only had she changed in these last few days, but I have to. Once before, I hadn't given a flying pig about other people in general, just going through life on the flow. Then she appears and now I want to do anything I can to make her feel safe, protected, and more than anything, happy.

What the hell was happening to me?

When my hands were untied, I stood out of the seat slowly, my bones creaking at the stretch. I felt restless and energized as I tried to think of a real plan, not just running and dodging. However, I didn't know where we was or how to get out of the place, if it was actually a place. For all I knew we could be underground. 

Kylie appeared in front of me, her eyes rimmed with red and puffy from tears. Her short hair was tangled and tousled, her now grey eyes wide with anxiousness and unexpected fear. She was petite and seemed to be slumped with no courage. I hated to admit it, but she had changed as well. When I had first met her she was quick to jump into the arms of trouble, to snap at anyone who stood in her way, but now that person seemed to have crumpled to pieces and lost their old determination.

Now she flinched away at moving shadows and pulled herself inside as if to escape life and its struggles. I didn't like it, and nor did I like how she looked at me as if I was the only one who could help her, to save her. I wasn't trying to be coldhearted but she used to be the type who'll say she could save herself and usually she did. I missed that girl.

Washing away the swirling emotions that I could no longer seem to keep under control whenever she was around, I forced an emotionless look on my face, or what I hoped showed no emotions. Then Kylie looked around the place with wide eyes as if seeing it for the first time. She looked like a scared animal that felt threatened from its surroundings, can't say I really blamed her for it.

She tried for a smile but it didn't seem to want to be on her face and she quickly stopped before speaking, "Do you think you could untie me now?"

I nodded and walked behind her, looking down at her bleeding wrists, I flinched in surprise. They were bleeding heavily, the skin pulled back and would leave noticeable scars. Her shoulders were tense and her hands as pale as snow, but otherwise she didn't seem daunted at all. I untied her as gently as I could and I found my hands lingering before gripping her elbows. I don't know why, but I held them and my brain couldn't give me a proper reason of why I was doing it.

Then I realized what I wanted to do. What I been wanting to do the entire time I had met her. Because even though I wanted to deny it more and more, it only proved to me that it was time to stop. It was time to conquer my fear. Just like when she kissed me in Starbucks that terrible night, what had been going in my head, what made me stop.

I was scared.

What if he took her away from me? What if he killed her like he did Alex? Alex, her name brought make a wash of old memories, my childhood friend I found dead in the alley after he had learned what we were planning. We had loved each other, beyond the level of friends, and we wanted a normal life. Not being trapped in the drugs, the controlling people, and just to live like all the other normal teenagers.

But he took her away, just like he would do Kylie, who reminded me so much of her. Kylie had the personality of Alex but was more tough, more determined, more everything. But I didn't think I was attracted to Kylie herself at that time, instead I had thought it was how she reminded me of Alex that was why I felt even the tiniest attraction to her. Now as I think about it, I was just denying the truth, my feelings, denying everything.

Looking at the back of her head, how she hadn't moved away from his touch. That day in the club, playing in the band, her smile, the tears, the yelling, and the anger. All our memories, since the day we bumped into each other in McDonalds, it all replayed on fast forward in my mind. She wasn't the only one who was changing, all those times I had been changing right along with her.

And so I did what I had always wanted to do. Because now I realize the inevitable truth. I wasn't goign to let anything happen to her, I was going to let her get close to me like no other, it all boiled down to me accepting that with opening up when I was already having a dangerous life, that there were risks I was going to have to take. And I'll take any risks for her. With that realization in my mind, I let go of her and walked around in front of her.

Kylie stared at me, her grey eyes troubled and swirling with so many emotions I couldn't tell what she was thinking. She seemed to be comtempalting something, but didn't know the aftereffects. She opened her mouth and said, "Evan..."

It came out cracked and hoarse but my name nonetheless. Just by the guide of my emotions, not letting other rational thoughts enter my mind though they did anyways. I could hear that little voice talking to me, telling me things that usually stopped me before.

He'll take her away. He'll kill her. Don't get close, don't let her in, don't do it. You'll regret it.

I pushed the voice out until it was fading in the background and looked at Kylie, really looked at her. Then my hand drifted up and landed on her wet cheek. She continued to stare at me, as if uncertain and nervous. My hand moved to the back of her exposed neck while the other went around the small of her back and I pulled her close, still looking her in the eyes.

"Evan..." She said again, her voice cracking with hesitation.

I stared at her and I remembered something, something she had told me and I spoke slowly, "Do you remember what you said in the nurse's office that day?"

I didn't give her time to respond, I continued to speak anyway. "You said you was going to hang out with anyone you pleased. That you wouldn't cower away from anything. That you'll live your life your own way."

Her eyes widened even larger and tears covered the surface. She blinked and they tumbled out and onto her cheeks. She averting her eyes from me and looked at the stall wall next to us.

"Kylie," I began again, grabbing her attention, "I'm going to start living my life the way I want to. I'm going to stop being a coward."

I dipped my head down just as I saw her eyes began to flutter shut. Her arms went around my neck, her hands dug into my hair as my lips made contact with hers.