Free Promise Me Darkness by Paige Weaver

sentence, the thought too terrible.
    She offered me her Starbucks coffee, which I gladly took. The hot liquid felt wonderful going down my parched throat, warming my insides.
    “Stay away from him, Maddie. The man is psycho.”
    “I know. I’m ending it. I just have to tell him,” I mumbled, resting my head in the palm of my hand.
    “Don’t confront the bastard by yourself. Wait until Ryder’s around. He won’t let the asshole touch you again.”
    “Okay,” I agreed, wanting to end this conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Ben anymore. The less I thought of what he tried to do, the better grasp I could keep on my sanity.
    “I feel awful. Remind me never to drink again,” I said, rubbing my forehead. One night of hitting the bottle was enough to last me a lifetime.
    “So…” Eva leaned toward me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “When I got home last night, the two of you were sitting on the bathroom floor and you were draped all over Ryder.”
    I felt embarrassed, knowing I probably looked pathetic.
    “I’ve never seen him look so scared. He wouldn’t leave your side. It was romantic in a grotesque kind of way since you were puking your guts out.”
    "Eva, it was…"
    She interrupted me. “I also know he slept in your room. And this morning, he came strolling out, looking all sexy and giving me strict orders to take care of you.” She rolled her eyes. “Like I wouldn’t anyway.”
    Her eyes narrowed when she saw the blush on my face. “I want details.”
    I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There are no details. He just wanted to make sure I was okay so he stayed in my room.” I shrugged my shoulders indifferently. “You know how he is.” Ryder was always saving the day. Even my childhood was filled with him rescuing me. My own personal superhero.
    Eva sighed, probably hoping for a juicer answer. “The guy is such a badass but when it comes to you, he‘s a big baby.”
    “Where is Ryder anyway?”
    “No idea but he took your car,” she said, taking the coffee from my hand to take a sip.
    I jumped when my cell phone vibrated, emitting a low hum on the table. Before I could grab it, Eva picked it up and glanced at the screen. When she saw who it was, her back stiffened.
    “Ryder doesn’t want you to have it. But here.” She held the phone out to me like it was a ticking time bomb. “He’s been calling nonstop. Answer the damn thing and tell him to go screw himself.”
    I took the phone from her, knowing instantly who it was. Ben. Seeing his name sent a tingle of fear down my spine. I tried to ignore the feeling, knowing I would have to face him eventually. For now, I let the call go to voicemail. Scanning through the phone, I found numerous missed calls and text messages from him.
    U ok? I’m SRY.
    Acted like a fool.
    SORRY
    Call me. Plz.
    My voicemail was full of messages from him but I couldn’t bear to hear his voice. I deleted them all, wanting to erase all traces of him from my life.
    “So I guess you’re not going to tell me what happened between you and Ryder?” Eva asked.
    “No, because nothing happened.”
    She sighed with disappointment. “Fine, but if something happens, you better tell me."
    I nodded, which was a good enough answer for her. Turning back to the laptop, her fingers started typing furiously.
    “So my dad’s having a major meltdown about this war. Have you seen all the shit going on?”
    “I watched some of the news yesterday. Why? What’s happening?” I asked, half listening since my head was pounding.
    “Well, the terrorists are now threatening us with a nuclear weapon, saying they can drop it on us at any time. The Pakistanis, Afghanis, Iranians, North Koreans, and Syrians are all gathering forces so the U.S. is sending more and more troops overseas. It doesn’t look good. This war might go global,” she said, clicking between pages.
    I thought again of Ryder enlisting. How could I let him go, knowing he was going into a war