Glass Heart Hero: A Dark High School Romance by Lindsey Iler (free ebook reader for iphone .TXT) 📕

with a reason, other than the one they’ve given her, for why her father would buy the company.

“I’m a transaction,” she whispers.

“What?” I ask.

“He said it himself. I’m a transaction. I didn’t consider he meant it literally.” Her eyes widen. “He knew, didn’t he? My father knew what was happening on campus this entire time?”

“Delaney,” Dixon warns, knowing damn well he’s going to have to tell her the truth if he knows something.

“The truth, Dixon!” she screams.

Palmer jolts at the rise of her voice. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.” It’s a solid attempt to keep pressure low in the room, but it’s useless.

“He knew,” Dixon blurts. “I’m sorry, but he knew.”

“You have proof?” I ask, needing to know this isn’t some sort of conspiracy theory.

Dixon nods in answer, remorse rolling off him towards Delaney.

“I have to go.” Delaney’s face is completely blank. No emotions. Nothing.

“No, you don’t,” I intervene, rushing to block her from getting to the door. I grab her arms, holding her in place.

“Please, let me go.” Her eyes burn into my hands.

I release my grip. “If you go, we can’t figure out what we’re doing here. We can’t help you if you run away.”

“My father, Breaker. My own fucking father!” she screams. “Now, you either take me to the dorms, or I’ll walk.”

“Running away isn’t going to help you. We can’t help you if you aren’t here. We can’t make decisions on how to fucking bury him without you!” I yell.

“Fine, I’ll walk.” She heads for the door, her bare feet and my t-shirt telling me she’s numb to reality right now.

Her slumped shoulders make her look smaller than she is. She doesn’t look around, lost inside her own head. I can’t understand what she’s going through. Every bit of her small reality has shattered at her feet.

The door rattles at her escape, and I wince at the sound.

“Go after her,” Palmer commands. “Breaker, go after her or else you’ll regret it. She needs you.”

“Dixon”—I spin—“drive her to campus, please.”

“You got it.” Dixon jogs through the living room, no questions asked.

Once the front door shuts again, I head straight to my room.

Marek rushes in behind me. “She’s going to kill you.”

“I can handle Palmer,” I lie. With a single look, Palmer can make any of us feel small. I allowed her best friend to walk out after hearing the most tragic secrets. I deserve whatever wrath she has in store for me.

Palmer grabs a glass decorative ball off my shelf and zings it at me, narrowly missing my head. It crashes into the wall, shattering into thousands of pieces.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Breaker?”

“Good luck,” Marek singsongs, running from the room.

“Real nice,” I groan. “Pussy.”

“The only pussy I see is standing right here, too afraid to acknowledge the stupidity of his own actions.” She shoves her hand into my chest, forcing me backwards until I have to sit on the bed.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Sometimes we need someone to not take our word, Breaker. Her leaving is out of fear and broken-heartedness. It’s not because she’s too afraid to let you in. It’s because she already has so much, depends on you so much, that she doesn’t want to burden you.”

“She isn’t a burden.”

“I know she isn’t, but what she found out, what we all just found out, it’s going to change things. We aren’t going quietly into the night. We’re going to fight for her, like you all did for me. We’re going to get our hands bloody if we fucking have to because that’s what we do when we love someone. And that girl?” Palmer points at the empty doorway. “She deserves the brutal kind of love we have to give. She deserves to have a boy show up, ready to fucking burn everything down for her.”

“I am.”

“Shut up and show up, then. Don’t let her wander into the darkness alone, because she’s been alone long enough. Even when you were in that room with her, fighting beside her, she was absolutely alone. Don’t let her feel that horror again.”

“This isn’t going to be pretty,” I say.

“Life rarely is. Especially not in our worlds.”

“I have to go.” I search my room for my jacket and tug it on.

“Bring her here. I don’t want her staying at the dorms.”

“I’ll carry her ass, if I need to.” I wink at Palmer, hoping she understands I haven’t given up on her best friend. I run through the house, snatching the keys off the entryway table.

On my way down the hill, Dixon’s name pops up on my screen. I tap the handheld button on the steering wheel, hearing the static in the speakers.

“I’m on my way,” I say.

“I tried to stop her, but she laced up her shoes pretty quickly,” Dixon sighs. “Do you want me to stick around until you get here? I can follow her if you need me to.”

“No, it’s all good, man.” I look both ways at the stop sign, rolling through it without touching my brakes. “What trail did she wander down?”

“Pine. And, Breaker?” Dixon says. “She looked pretty upset.”

Chapter Fourteen

Delaney

My sneakers strike the pavement like a fire to dry kindling, roaring and angry, searching for something to set ablaze. No matter how hard I push myself, relief doesn’t come.

Outside of using Breaker’s body, a demanding pace provides my sole release.

Breaker. The thought of him brings unwanted tears. Running out on him wasn’t fair. Apparently, all I do is run. Run from my problems. Run from the safety I’ve found in his arms. Run into the life of one who brings me false promises.

I press forward, thinking over every decision I’ve made since the night I followed Breaker Davenport into the woods. My chest aches with a burn I’ve never felt. As I round the corner, my feet become rooted to the spot.

“What am I doing?” I bend down and rest my hands on my knees to catch my breath. Overcome with the need to see Breaker, I spin around and head