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"Scared you?" Ryder glanced over at ht and his eyebrows pulled together in concern I wanted to be honest with hierous

"I like you," I admitted out loud and then realized what that sounded like "Shoot I mean, I like you as a friend You’re a… friend And I don’t have many of those I just don’t want to jeopardize e have here"

"Oh you ? Me either I love that," Ryder half laughed, half winced

"Yes," I set to do this with anybody else Nobody else… fights with me"

They control me Or they use me But I wasn’t about to say that either

"And e that? You knoasn’t like a love song or anything, right?" Ryder asked, his gravelly voice deep with concern

"Please, I know that You practically called e to a roo in love that song was," I rolledthe road

"So what’s the problem?"

Before I could stop myself I opened my mouth and spewed… truth "I just want to uessed, I have kind of an… f-ed up hoether, I would have to give this up Not that ould be or anything Ias we remain just friends, it doesn’t reallymore"

"Ivy, I only like you as a friend," he promised with heavy tones of sadness

"This isn’t reverse psychology, Ryder," I snapped, angry that he thought this was my plea for attention "I’ht not like me now or even ever, but I just want you to know if there is ever anything between us, Iaway fro, ever, or I will never see you again"

"Ok, yeesh I got it! It’s not soht noay," he said carefully He glanced over at ain, but I was too e now Finally, after several long minutes he asked quietly, "What about Chase?"

I took even longer to answer, digging deep for courage This would be a lie, but a necessary one "Things aren’t really working out for Chase and uy and all, but-"

Ryder fell back against his seat like I knocked the wind out of hiripped at the steering wheel angrily Finally e pulled up to the full block long circular drive in front ofRyder threw the Bronco into park and looked over atand made me shrink under their intensity He was pissed Soin his jaw and his intensity radiated off hi to have to tell him," he finally announced with deadly calm "He’s my friend And he likes you Ivy"

"You don’t understand," I uess I don’t," he grunted "Want to explain it to me?"

"I can’t," I practically whimpered

Never before had I felt this bad Well, except for Saht of the accident, until after our relationship screwed up his entire future But this had to be worse This was judgh the whole "stay away fro his distance after this conversation

"Blackheart?" he mumbled into the aard silence

"Blackheart," I confir proved that he understood, but now he got it, it would settle into whatever left over good thoughts he had about " His words were soft and sad in his voice, but dug into er

"But you weren’t," I mumbled Unwanted tears started to prick at the backs of my eyes and I willed et it He wouldn’t get it, if I was honest withon thecaused us both to jury pounding and I leaned forward so I could see around hiet our attention

"Shit," I groaned "Shit Shit Shit" Not very ladylike, I know

Ryder rolled down histo address the angryoutside "Can I help you?"

"Ivy?" Nix de in this car? Are you Ok?"

I bit back a thousand sarcastic remarks Of course a car like this would startle Nix He probably thought the driver was so to kidnap me Or he sensed the difference in Ryder froate as up

Or uy and transformed into the possessive psychopath he really was

Had he been waiting for me? Or was this a coincidence?

"Uh, Nix, this is ht," I explained insmile and willed hi ly handsome face on Ryder and his voice turned cold and authoritative Nix was just crazy enough to believe Ryder would be his competition and if I didn’t separate the contest Not really fair for an ancient douchebag to go up against an innocent-vaguely-na&iu stood in the way of as his

"Absolutely," Ryder answered "I would never intentionally hurt Ivy, Sir"

I bit back a groan and then had to sit onthe to end badly

First the song and now this? I was not sure the night could get worse

"Well, since you’re her friend, why don’t you join us upstairs for a while? Ivy’s et to know one of her school friends better Especially one she trusts to drive her ho sure in ht could definitely end worse

And as Ryder suddenly being nice to me? I so wished he would have just told me to piss off and then left me on the sidewalk

"Sure, I have a few minutes before curfew," Ryder answered with a friendly-love-entle to try to win Nix over

Cheese and rice, this was going to be a disaster

Chapter Twenty-Two