When I return to my room, I find Sophie making a list of movies to choose for tonight. Since she loves romance, she always picks the most epic love stories in the world. I don’t have the heart to tell her I’m not in the mood for a romance, especially because she’s on Planet Love now, and all she wants to do is watch romance movies and read romance books.
“Raven! You’re back a little early. Did something go wrong? You didn’t chew his head off, did you?”
I toss my backpack onto my bed. “There was no need to chew his head off. But I survived.”
“Are you okay? You seem bothered.”
I drop down on my bed. “Just a lot of confusing emotions. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but…”
She sits down next to me. “He still hurt you. Maybe you should talk to him about it. Tell him how you feel.”
“Tell him I’m still not over what happened when he doesn’t seem affected by it at all? Forget it. I’d rather jump into the jungle with gorillas.”
She holds up her hands. “Okay, okay. You don’t have to spill your heart to him if you don’t want to. It’s just that in so many of the romance books I read, a lot of heartache could be avoided if the hero and heroine just told each other how they felt—”
“I know you found your perfect romance, Sophie, but real life isn’t like books. My life is definitely not like a book. Maybe in books, a girl can confess her feelings to a guy and it will be reciprocated, but that doesn’t happen in real life. In real life, most feelings aren’t reciprocated, and the person’s heart is shattered into a million little pieces. I’m not strong, Soph. I won’t be able to handle it if he…” I hiccup and realize I’m battling tears.
“Oh, Raven.” She flings her arms around me. “I’m sorry. You’re right that life doesn’t always work out like in books. I’m sorry for making you feel bad. You’re obviously still very hurt over what happened, and being stuck as Kylen’s partner is clearly making you feel worse.”
“I’ll survive,” I say with a brave smile as I pull out of the hug. “Don’t worry. I just need to get past it and then everything will be okay.”
She slides her hand into mine and squeezes it. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I told you that all I need is you guys and I’ll be okay.”
She smiles as she hugs me again. “And we’ll do everything we can to make you feel better.”
Chapter Ten
Kylen
The guys and I are going to meet in the music room later to practice for the band. It’s Saturday and I’ve been trying to video call my grandparents. They’re not great with technology, and I tried to show them how it works before I left. Grandpa seemed to get the hang of it, but Grandma was completely lost. I hope they’ll figure it out because I want to see their faces. It feels like forever since we’ve seen each other in person.
They basically raised me, since my mom and dad died when I was a baby. It was a freak car accident that killed them instantly while they were driving home from a friend’s party. My grandparents were babysitting me that night. They’ve been with me for the past sixteen years, providing me with everything I need.
Beck and the others left a short while ago, probably to the rec room. Even though Beck’s my best bud and I’m happy we’re roomies, I’m glad I have the room to myself for a bit.
Finally, Grandpa figures out how to press the video call button and I smile when their faces pop up on the screen. They look good and well. I was worried about leaving them alone—who’d take care of the house repairs and drive them everywhere they need to go?—but I’m happy to see they’re managing fine.
Grandma beams at me, her gray curls bouncing against her chin. “There’s my handsome grandson!”
“Grandma…”
Grandpa bends close. “Everything going well? Is the school what you expected?”
An understatement. The school, sure. A certain blonde-haired beauty? Not so much. “Yep. All good.”
Now Grandma bends so close she goes off screen. “Something’s bothering you, Kylen, and I want to know what it is.”
Dad was their only child, so I don’t blame them for being overprotective of me. I’m the only family they have and they’re the only ones I have, since Mom’s parents died many years ago.
“Are the kids being nice to you?” Grandpa asks.
Sometimes they treat me like a little kid, but I know they love me like crazy, so it’s cool.
“The kids pretty much ignore me, but that’s fine. I’ve got the guys and I’m good. Beck’s my roommate. We share many classes together, too. You don’t have to worry about me being alone. Everything is fine.”
“So what’s bothering my sweet grandson?” Grandma demands.
