Ride Or Die | Book #1 ✓

Chapter 27

My eyes fluttered open as I heard the repeating sound of my alarm clock blaring through the silence of my room. I groaned as I forced my body up from my mattress and moved my hand around before hitting the silence on the alarm clock. The blaring soon ended and I rubbed my tired eyes with my hands in hopes to wake myself up somewhat. I had been up all night, a total mess after what had happened at the Gunner family dinner. 

My eyes flickered over to my other side where I saw Pierce's half-naked body dead asleep in my bed. My heart skipped a beat when I thought back to everything that had happened last night with Pierce and me. He insisted on staying with me through the night and was the friend I needed more than ever after reliving the memories that I tried so hard to erase over the years. I hadn't talked to anyone about Cayde in years, especially after I lost the case in court.

Pierce looked so peaceful when he was asleep. His eyelids were shut softly, his lips pressed together, and the sun that peaked through my curtains blared down onto his smooth skin. After last night I was left just as confused as ever about Pierce, he was once the guy I feared the most but now the one who I found peace in comfort in. No matter what my feelings had been about Pierce, I knew I was strictly just some girl at most to him. 

"Pierce." I placed my arm on his shoulder, shaking his body slightly "Pierce it's 6:30, we have to go to school." I earned no response from Pierce except a groan before he turned his body to the side, his back facing me while he held onto the pillow beside him. Letting out a sigh, I had known I was not about to win this fight with him and after many morning car rides with him; he was most definitely not a morning person. 

Pushing the comforter off my body, I forced myself out of bed and continued to grab out my clothes for today. "Maybe you should just go to school like that." Pierce's voice spoke up, making me whirl around to face him. I rolled my eyes at him in response before getting dressed. "What clothes are you going to wear to school? I mean since you only have the tux from last night.." I trailed off, knowing Pierce would rather be dead than be seen in a suit at school.

"I probably have clothes in my car." His voice was held with raspiness as he sat up and rubbed his face in his hands. My eyes flickered over his body that was covered with nothing but underwear before averting my eyes quickly as Pierce stood up, approaching closer to me. He placed an index finger underneath my chin, forcing my eyes to look up to his. 

"You know Ambrosia if you're going to check me out you need to be more subtle about it." Pierce's lips instantly tugged up to a smirk as his eyes narrowed down at me. "W-what?" I stuttered, not knowing how to come back at him "You wish I was checking you out, Gunner." 

"Uh-huh." Pierce grabbed his keys off my nightstand "Can you grab my clothes? They should be in the trunk, I'd go out but don't want to give your neighbors a show." With that said, I grabbed Pierce's keys and didn't say anything else; knowing he'd turn into something to blow up his ego. I headed out to Pierce's challenger, popping the trunk with the key and looking around for some clothes. The trunk wasn't filled but it had a few items here and there.  

Gathering his clothes together, a piece of paper fell out that was wrapped up in the pair of jeans I held in my arm. Picking up the envelope, it was addressed to Pierce and the return address went to the name Deliah Moyer. My eyes scanned over the envelope and I knew it was from Pierce's aunt that had raped him when he was young. My lips parted as I stared at the envelope before looking into the trunk and pushing a blanket to the side where many other envelopes were hidden all from Deliah. 

What was this? Why was she writing to Pierce? And why were there so many? Not wanting to snoop through Pierce's personal things. I placed them all back underneath the blanket before shutting the trunk and heading inside. I knew how distraught Pierce had been over his Aunt Deliah, anyone would be if they had gone through that. I couldn't imagine the audacity to write to him after the trauma she had put him through, I mean it was obvious why Pierce was the way he was. He numbed everything with sex, drinking, and smoking and always felt the need to not put on any type of emotion cause he saw it as a sign of weakness.