Free Bayward Street by Addison Jane

party into the night and go home to their soft beds and warm blankets.
    “He looks at you differently,” Kyle murmured as we walked side by side. “He wants something from you.”
    The kiss flashed into my mind, how gentle Heath had been yet how he had controlled my movements and taken the lead. I licked my lips, the memory of how he felt against me excited my body.
    “Heath, Braydon, and their friends, saved our fucking asses the other night. They could have walked straight past us and not even taken a second glance, but they didn’t. They stood up and helped us out.” I stopped suddenly, Kyle stopping with me. His eyes were filled with frustration, and I was beginning to understand why.
    For almost the last two years, I had relied on Kyle for almost everything. I’d gone to him when I was feeling down, I’d looked to him to keep me safe. And when I needed to feel someone’s touch of comfort, he’d been more than willing to offer it. He’d taught us all how to live and survive, and for the most part, we all saw him as the person to keep us all together and alive.
    But we’d never had someone come in from the outside and challenge him. And while that was never Heath or Braydon’s intention, it was happening. I felt comfortable around them despite our differences, and Heath’s attempt to protect me from even his own people made me feel as though I was safe when I was with him.
    Maybe Kyle was scared I’d figure out that there were other people out there, other than the group of people I now called my family, that might actually give a fuck about me.
    Maybe he should be scared, because what I was beginning to feel for Heath was nothing I’d ever experienced before.
    Maybe I should be scared too.

Chapter Ten
     

     
    I went straight to Eazy’s tent when we got back. Kyle sat outside with Sketch and Coop, answering their questions about the party with false enthusiasm.
    “Hey Fay,” Eazy croaked as I scooted up beside him and lay my head on his pillow. We’d spent some of the money we’d made from busking on getting some herbal shit for E after he’d refused any type of pain medication. He was determined never to fall back there again, but I couldn’t tell if they were working. He seemed to be in constant pain and didn’t spend long outside his tent.
    “How you feeling?” I asked softly, brushing the hair on his forehead. It was slick with sweat.
    “Better,” he answered simply. “How was the party?”
    Sighing, I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. The light material flapped in the soft breeze. “Did you know that Heath and Braydon’s dad owned Parkens Hotel?”
    I couldn’t see it, but I could just feel his smile. “Yeah. I’ve been to a party there before.”
    “You knew they would be there?” I half accused, half laughed.
    “I suspected they might be.”
    I rolled toward him again. “But you just decided to leave that out?”
    “Because you deserved to have some fun,” he answered without any kind of reservation or guilt. “I was close with Bray at school, people didn’t get close to Heath without being a crazy kind of special. But I saw the way he watched you.”
    Swallowing tight, I asked softly, “Why didn’t you say something?”
    “Because I knew they could show you a different side to life,” he replied. “I know that there’s something better out there, I’ve had better. But you’ve never been treated right. You’re strong, Fay. This place is dangerous and scary, but no matter what it throws at you, you’ll fight through it and survive.”
    “You say it likes it’s a bad thing.”
    Eazy sighed, it was followed by a painful groan as he pushed to talk, “Because sometimes we need to know that there’s something better out there in order for us to fight for it.” E never complained or moaned about the situation he was now in. I think he realized that he’d been lucky, and he’d made a horrible decision and ruined it all.
    I frowned. “Eazy, those kids