Deep (Heavy Hearts Book 2) by Sarah Duncan (reading tree txt) 📕

them, but they ignored me. It could be just me, but I think there’s something brewing between them.

Creeping silently through my house in the dark, I peer out through the windows, looking for any signs that things aren’t right. Even though everything appears as it should, nothing feels right. Something feels very wrong. When I found my pill was missing, I told Marcus, and he sent a message to someone. Probably Ayden.

It doesn’t really matter that I didn’t take my birth control pill since I’m pretty sure I won’t be having sex for a while. My cycle is all up the shit anyway from my lack of taking it when I was in Melbourne. Marcus hadn’t packed my pill the night they’d helped me escape, so I had to start again when I got back home, and now I’ll have to get another script and start all over again.

Foul mood in full swing, I know I need to try and protect myself from the world. Or maybe I should be protecting the world from me and my bad mood. When I see Rhys and Marcus waking up for the day, I decide to block everything out with music using Ayden’s blue earphones. Rhys doesn’t seem fazed by my need to do this, but Marcus looks concerned, although doesn’t bother me. I’m fairly certain I have Rhys to thank for that.

Before we leave for school, I look around the house and try to memorise where everything is, so it’s hopefully easier to spot if something is missing when I come home later. Part of me wants to stay home and catch whoever it is, but I’m also too scared, knowing deep down that the only person it could possibly be is Mike.

When we walk into school, boy pack in tow, Tasha sees me and steps towards me, ready to start shit. I dig deep for inner calm and simply shoulder her out of the way and glare at anyone who looks to challenge me.

We turn heads as we walk through the school, me up the front with Rhys and the boys following close behind. It must look ridiculous. I don’t care, though, and I doubt the guys care either. I should turn around and tell them all to back off and give me some space, but I don’t. If I’m honest with myself, I’d admit that I like their attention, but I’m in a foul mood and hating on everything today, so I ignore how much their need to protect me warms my heart and focus on how smothering it has been of late.

English is somewhat okay. I keep my headphones in, ignoring the world, and Miss Dice allows it as long as I do my work. Ayden doesn’t try to sit with me, but I feel his eyes burning a hole into the side of my head throughout the whole class.

Art is a reprieve, and even Ms Holland doesn’t ask me to remove my earphones. I throw myself into the gray-scale canvas that I’m painting of a lake with reflections of the clouds in the water. It looks okay, I guess. I’m not going to be a famous artist anytime soon, but I might get a B for this piece.

I have no appetite once again, and at recess, I make my way straight to the back of the school to meet my new friends. When I reach my gang of misfits, instead of the normally happy welcome, I’m met with glares and daggers. Frowning, I tug my earphones out.

“What?” I ask, feeling the full force of their anger.

Rhys laughs standing from the steps, and points behind me, “Your wolf pack followed you.”

My eyes widen, and I spin to see the smug as fuck faces of Marcus, Jared, Garrett, Simon, Shaun and Ayden.

“For fuck's sake! I’m fine here with these guys. You can go have a normal recess without babysitting me.” I sweep my hand in a shooing motion.

Frowns tug at their faces, all except Ayden, who walks past me to the steps where my new friends sit, and then, he introduces himself to them.

What the actual fuck!

As if they are all possessed by the same idiocy, the other boys join Ayden and introduce themselves too. No. Fucking. Way.

I glare at them as they converse, making me feel overwhelmingly stupid for some reason. I never imagined my two groups of friends mingling and talking. It was enough for me to deal with Rhys hanging out with them last night. My new friends aren’t the typical type of people the boys associate with. I’m anxious about this, but even as I look on, I see them chatting freely and even laughing. Probably at my expense.

Not wanting to join in on their invasion, I stuff the earphones back in my ears and ignore everyone as I take a seat on one of the logs on the grass and turn my back to them. It doesn’t take long for Ayden to appear in my line of sight, and he leans down to offer me a choc chip muffin. Acting as stubborn as ever, I look away and ignore him as he stands before me, looking down with a frown. Dale’s thin, lanky body comes into view, and he sits next to me on the log, offering me his joint. I mouth a thank you to him and take it.

Ayden’s frown deepens. I pretend I don’t notice as I draw the smoke in and close my eyes, savouring the feeling. When I open my eyes, I can see confusion etched across his beautiful face. I get it. He’s seeing the trashy version of me right now. He hasn’t met her until now. I bet he’s second-guessing ever taking me into his life.

With my eyes locked on his, I take another deep drag, silently challenging him to try and stop me. Apparently, I feel like playing with fire today!

Ayden takes his phone out and types something. A moment later, my phone vibrates with an incoming message.