Unsteady

23. Everything Will Be Ok

Even if I don't stay
Even if I don't stay
Everything will be okay
It will be, it will be okay
Everything will be okay
I promise it will be okay
Everything will be okay
Okay, okay
-Everything Will Be OK
-G-Eazy
-Kehlani

•••••

TRIGGER WARNING:
•Mentions of abuse 

"Brandon was the most popular boy in school. He had it all, literally. The bad boy reputation, girls falling for him here and there, the leader of the strongest gang in Wintersville you name it he had it. Everyone knew he never dated, well for a long period of time anyways, so I didn't expect to be his first long term relationship," I stopped to measure Ryder's reaction.

Ryder hadn't moved from his position on the couch, staring at me with keen eyes.

"I gradually started seeing him more and more each day. One day he wasn't in my class and the next, he was in every single one of them. He'd follow me home each day, I didn't think he cared whether I noticed or didn't. One day I stopped him, I didn't want him following me, he was involved with illegal stuff and I didn't want that following me or my family. I had the most perfect home life. I had an amazing older brother named Brody, the sweetest little sister Ashleigh, an adorable younger brother Danté and two loving parents. Brandon asked me if I was lonely, it was the weirdest conversation I'd ever had. He offered me everything, a place beside him, respect, popularity all in exchange for being his girlfriend. To be honest, I was lonely...and so desperate to be wanted by the boys in my school."

"Riley you don't have to-"

"No, I want to," I said cutting Ryder off.

I shook my head at my idiocy. So many bad things had occurred just because I was too tired of being single.

"So, I agreed. Everything was like a fairytale with him. He bought me gifts, treated me like a queen, made me believe I was wanted. My family approved of him, but Brody was extremely wary of Brandon. But as time went by, the novelty of it all started to ware off and I started seeing sides of him I've never seen before."

All the memories I had kept locked up started to slowly come back to me, and I knew this wasn't the time to get scared and shut down but my breathing still started to slightly increase and my palms became slick.

Breathe Riley.

"My parents were visiting my mother's high school best friend who lived here, in Grey's Town. She took Brody with her and left me to babysit Ashleigh and Danté. After the two of them were in bed, I invited Brandon over. He was very pissed when he came over, very very pissed. I angered him further by constantly asking him what his problem was and why he was being so mean, he lost control and slapped me. That was the day I started to see through his mask."

Ryder's fist clenched the pillow on the couch, his veins straining against his tan skin. A muscle ticked in his jaw as I shivered from the memories which were resurfacing.

"After that day, Brandon never tried to control his temper around me. He took me to his gang meetings, made me watch as he brutally killed anyone who disobeyed him. I stuck with him because firstly, some part of me still loved him even though I knew he was a murderer, even through I knew he could kill me. Secondly, I thought I could change him. I thought I could be that good girl who could change the bad boy and we'd live happily ever after. Boy, was I wrong."