The Fault (Book 3 in The Deception Series)

Chapter 36: only live once

Dakota

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I get out of my car and storm into the bar where Ryder worked. I look around and see him mixing drinks up for people.

I walk up to him and he looks at me and smiles.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He smirks.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yell.

Everyone around goes quiet and looks over at us. Ryder looks around us and then back at me.

"Let's go talk outside, Dakota." He says.

"No! We can talk here!" I yell.

He sighs as he looks at me.

"Why'd you beat him up? What is your fucking problem, Ryder?" I shout.

"He's my problem." He says.

"I told you to stay away from him! I told you to stay away from me! What about that doesn't make sense to you?" I object.

"He doesn't deserve you, Dakota." He says.

"And you do? Because last time we were together, you abused me and then let my brother die!" I yell.

I hear gasps around the room, I look at Ryder's frightened face but I didn't regret anything I was saying.

"I told you I was sorry!" He yells.

"Sorry doesn't change anything, Ryder! You beat up my boyfriend!" I yell.

"So what? He's alive, isn't he?" He snaps.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't kill him the way you killed Luka!" I shout.

"It was an accident!" He shouts.

"An accident you could've fixed if you just helped him when he asked you to!" I scream.

"You don't think I know that? Huh? I can't sleep at night because everytime I close my fucking eyes all I see his face and the sound of his voice calling out for me!" He shouts.

"Then why didn't you save him?" I yell.

"Because I was an idiot, I was fucking stupid. He was my best friend too, I loved him too. I just fucked it all up!" He shouts.

I sigh as I stare at the tears running down his face. He looks at me and the people around us before he runs out of the bar and outside.

I run after him and see him sitting on the curb, holding his head in his hands, sobbing.

I sit down next to him and stare at our feet.

"That night haunts me, Dakota. I had to start taking sleeping pills because I couldn't sleep. I'd have nightmares of it, it would be me driving down that road, I'd blink and then hear the sounds and his screams." He explains.

"I didn't know." I whisper.

"How could you? I never told anyone but my parents, who stopped talking to me. They can't even look at me anymore." He cries.

I look at him and stare at his puffy red eyes.

"You don't know how sorry I am, Dakota. If I could go back in time, I would. It should've been me who died that night, not him." He says.

"Don't say that, Ryder." I say.

"It's true. He should still be alive." He whispers.

I sigh as I stare down into my lap.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all that shit. I'm sorry for all of it. And I'm sorry that I hurt Chris." He says.

I look at him and see him staring at me.