Mates 132


    Chapter 13 2


    FREDA WHITLOCK


    I walked back to the house when I was sure I wasposed enough to eak into tears in front of


    Lyra and Francisco. Lyra walked mom the living room to the kitchen where I was and watched me


    as I filled up a ss of water. I was carefully considering Cole’s words even though I didn’t want to.


    Everything hurt so much and I was not sure if I was supposed to be angry at Kaiden for making me


    lose someone that made me happy.


    I shook my head at myself. It seemed like I had made a habit of ming Kaiden for my misfortunes.


    At first, he had been to me. But now, he was not. I liked Kaiden, but he had seen right through


    me. He had seen the things I was trying so hard to hide, to bury. He read me like a book and he


    knew I was only going to end up hurting him.


    “Are you okay?” Lyra asked, watching me carefully. I set the empty ss down and looked at her.


    “Yeah, why?” I asked, licking my bottom lip. “You don’t look okay. Were you crying?” She asked with


    a concerned look on her face.


    I sighed. I did not want her to be concerned for me. Not all the damn time. I was not a child


    anymore.


    “Where’s Cole?” She asked, looking out of the window at the backyard, and I looked away from her.


    She found that suspicious. “What happened? Did something happen with him?” She asked and I


    blinked rapidly to stop the tears that filled my


    0.00%


    12:56 0


    eyes.


    “He broke things off with me,” I whispered and her eyes went wide before they got filled with


    sympathy. Maybe I did want her to be concerned for me because, in all honesty, she was the only


    one who cared and could show it to me.


    She took ep towards me and wrapped her hands around me. Limmed hugged her back. “You guys


    weren’t even a thing in the first ce,” she whispered and Iughed through my tears. “I know,” ICcontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    said, my voice breaking. “But we were getting there, you know,” I said and she only hummed in


    response.


    “Did he say why?” She asked and cleared my throat and pulled away from her, wiping my eyes. “He


    saw me leave with Kaiden,” I said and her eyes widened. “Oh no, he must have felt horrible,’ she


    said and I broke into a s**b. “I know. I feel like s**it. It’s not what he thinks and I didn’t know how to


    tell him. He was so sad, Lyra,” I said, breaking into a s**b despite my attempts to stop myself from


    crying.


    “Hey, hey,” she said, hugging me again. “It’s okay. You need to stop crying,” she said, kissing my


    forehead. “It can’t change anything. Is he mad?” She asked and I shook my head. “He was just sad.


    He said he understood how I felt about Kaiden, and he could notpete with that,” I told her, and


    she looked at me with a look that told me she was in deep contemtion.


    She said nothing. “Come on, let’s go out and get ice cream. From there, we can go see Dad. It’s


    been a while since we all saw him together,” she said and a smile instantly touched my face at the


    thought of ice cream and seeing my dad. I wiped my eyes and nodded. “Okay.”


    “I’ll get Francisco ready. Get yourself ready,” she said and I


    32.25%


    r


    12:56


    smiled at her in response.


    I walked to my room. I heard her talking to Francisco and the sound of her voice was followed by his


    excited giggles. A smile touched my face and I walked to the mirror.


    There was n which I me:


    much I needed to change. I had lovely, clear skin ously took care of, so I didn’t need much


    makeup. I applied some mascara to my eyes and some lipgloss to my lips. I took my hair out of its


    bun. It was fully dry now, sol applied a leave-in conditioner and brushed it down.


    My hair was shoulder length, but I had been contemting cutting it down to a bob. Maybe I would


    do just that. Just not


    now.


    Once I was satisfied with the look of my hair, I changed into a pair of yellow sandals that matched


    my dress. I was not willing or ready to take the dress off. I was not going to admit the reason to


    myself or anyone.


    I walked out into the living room and Lyra came out with Cisco in a pair of jeans and a ck shirt. It


    was like they had nned it and decided to leave me out in my yellow floral dress that ended just


    above my knees.


    I red at Lyra, and they smirked at me in response. “Ready?” She asked and I nodded.


    I grabbed my wallet and keys and we headed out the door to my


    car.