Page 112 of I Don't Need Your Love

“We can drive to Pennsylvania. We can leave super early tomorrow and be back in time for classes on Monday.”

I just gape at her. “Are you serious?”

She searches my eyes. “It’s up to you if you want to do this.”

My gaze drops to the floor. “I want to have a relationship with my parents. The only question is if they want to have one with me.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“And you’re sure you want to come with me?”

She bends forward and kisses me sweetly. “Wherever you go, I go. I want to support you and be there for you.”

I give her a pained smile. “Thanks, Carly. Okay, we’ll leave tomorrow morning. Bright and early. We’ll need to get permission from the school, though, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

She rests her head on my chest, stroking my cheek to help me feel better.

My heart pounds as I think about seeing my parents after so many weeks. Will they be angry to see me? Irritated?

But I can’t let the negative thoughts consume me. I need to be positive. Maybe my parentsdowant me in their lives.

It’s those thoughts and Carly sitting beside me that calm me down and make me look forward to tomorrow.

Even if things don’t go well, the important thing is that I tried. If they don’t want me in their life, I can close this chapter and look forward to the future. A future that has this awesome girl in it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Carly

Ryder and I have packed as much food, snacks, and drinks as we can. We’re in for a long drive, but I’m glad we get to spend time together. And I’m happy to support him and be there for him. I can’t imagine how he’d feel traveling all the way to Pennsylvania alone.

We’ll be stopping off at my house first to say hi and for Ryder to gather his bearings. Then when he’s ready, he’ll make his way next door to see his parents.

We’ve been driving for about an hour, mostly keeping quiet as we listen to music. Ryder’s in the passenger seat while I’m driving my car. He mostly stares out the window, but sends me sweet smiles every so often. I clutch his hand, letting him know I am and always will be there for him. He squeezes back.

We also sing along with the music. Ryder has a nice voice, while I sound like a screeching cat. Still, it’s fun to let loose and I can see Ryder forgetting about his pain for a bit. But then the song ends and it all comes crashing down on him.

There’s some traffic, which causes us to stop every so often. I wrap my arms around my boyfriend, holding him close and letting him know he’s not alone. He buries his face between my neck and shoulder, releasing soft breaths. We stay like that until the car moves again.

“So I already started planning our next duet,” I tell him with a smile. “It needs to totally demolish our last one. We need to win first place next time.”

He chuckles softly. “My girlfriend issocompetitive.”

I laugh, too. “Only when it comes to dance.”

“Suuuure.”

“When else have I been competitive?”

“In everything else.”

“Like?”

He lifts a brow. “When you play the dance game with Addie.”

“Dude, I said something that’s not dance.”

“Hmm.”