Saving The Bad Boy

Give Me Another Chance

- ( T H I R T E E N ) -

Ryder's POV

When Izzy yelled at me this morning, I literally felt my heart drop. It was the worst feeling ever but it got what she was trying to tell me through my thick head. At least she agreed to meet me here today. I was sitting in the cafe she told me to meet her at after school. To say I was a little bit nervous would be an underestimate. When I got here, I made sure to find a seat away from everyone else. Just so we could have a little bit more privacy when we talked about the things I was sure were gonna come up.

"Ryder!" The barista called out from behind the counter.

"Thank you." I mumbled, picking up my dark black coffee and Izzy's hot chocolate with whipped cream. She once told me she didn't like coffee at all. Which was weird to me because I love coffee. It had to be in my system all day or else I wouldn't function correctly.

Six minutes went by after that with me just staring at the wooden table in front of me. I started to wonder if she just stood me up. But it didn't seem like something Izzy would do. It wasn't in here really. "Is that for me?" My eyes darted up in front of me to see Izzy standing above me. Her face was kept stone cold and composed. Like she didn't want me to know what she was thinking.

"What? Oh- ya. It's hot chocolate." I stumbled over my words, pushing the warm cup towards her side as she sat down.

"Thanks." She mumbled softly, picking up the cup and taking a sip. A small smile made its way to her face as she closed her eyes and let the warm liquid fall down her throat. "It's delicious."

"You're welcome." I chuckled quietly, scratching my left arm nervously. The mood in the air went from light to heavy real quick after that. Like we both remembered why we were here in the first place.

"So, are you close to paying off Dionte?" She asked me, putting a frown on my face. I didn't want her worrying about that stuff.

But she had a right to know. Even if I didn't want her to. "Ya, I won a fight Saturday and got $5,000."

"That's great. I wish I could help you guys-"

"What? No, don't worry about it. Andrea doesn't even want you involved in this stuff." I quickly cut her off. She suddenly became quiet as she leaned back in to her seat. Her face held something sad. It made me sad too. "What's wrong?"

"So, are you and Andrea spending a lot of time together?" She asked me, not really looking me in the eyes. Heck, not even in my direction.

"Not really. I mean, I have to spend a little time with her but she didn't go to my fight. She is going to my next one this weekend though. If I win, I get $10,000." Izzy's blue eyes widened with surprise. It probably looked exactly how mine did when Felix told me this.

"Woah, that's a lot." She chocked out, taking a drink from her hot chocolate. "So, why didn't Andrea go with you Saturday?"

I shrugged, tapping my thumb over the rim of my cup. "She wasn't really feeling well. Spent the whole day at home. She's been doing bad lately. At least every time I see her, she's doped up."

"I can't believe I never even knew. What kind of friend doesn't know their best friend is high on crack?" I knew it was a serious moment, but something about Izzy saying 'crack' made me wanna laugh. "It's not funny, Ryder."

"No, no it's not." I coughed, shaking my head at myself. "It's not your fault by the way. You just never expected it from her. She wasn't doing it as much as she is now. So it was probably not noticeable back then." She nodded her head, seeming to be more calm.

"How is she? I mean, I know she isn't good. But, like, has she said anything about me?"

"She's sad that you guys aren't talking anymore. Sometimes she asks me how you're doing. And if you're still mad about the whole me and her thing that happened." I told her, watching as a sad smile settled on her face.

"I'm not really mad anymore. Just really sad? I don't know. It's just weird that you guys did it. Plus, I'm kinda mad at her for doing those drugs in the first place and now becoming addicted. And people always told me I was a goody goody just for having basic common sense. Don't do drugs- you'll get addicted, I told them. No one ever believes you though." She scoffed, shaking her head.

"I use to do those drugs..." She looked up at me and nodded.

"Ya, I know. I'm just glad you don't anymore. I was kinda upset when you told me, but you made a mistake. And you fixed it." I smiled, glad she didn't hold it against me. She was right, it was in my past and I could forget about it now. I fixed it and now I can move on.

"Does this mean you'll give me another chance?" I quietly asked her, looking down at my hands. She didn't say anything right away which made my chest feel tight. But then I felt her warm hand on mine.

"Maybe. Maybe after this whole Dionte thing is over?" I didn't know when this would be over. But if she said one day, then I'd wait for that one day. That was all I needed from her.

"I knew you still had the hots for me, Richards." I smirked, watching as she rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You wish, Stone." She giggled, leaning back in her seat with a shake of her head. "Maybe I can watch your next fight this weekend. When is it?Saturday?"

"No you can't come." I told her flat out. Izzy furrowed her eyebrows at me and put her hot chocolate back down on the table.

"What? Why?" She asked me, looking kinda hurt. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend time with her. It was just that I didn't want to spend time with her watching me beat the shit out of some dude. Or me getting the shit beaten out of me.

"Because it's too dangerous. Plus, Andrea wouldn't want you there. She'd feel bad about putting you in risk." I explained, not willing to let Izzy get hurt.

"Well, Andrea doesn't really have a say does she? Funny, because last time I remembered, she's the one that put you in risk, dragging you in to her mess." Izzy said angrily, looking away. "I don't want you to get hurt, Ryder." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper as she spoke. Her eyes were turned away from me, glazed over with a glassy finish.

I sighed, reaching over to grab her hand in mine. "Izzy, look at me. Nothing is gonna happen to me. And I volunteered to help, Andrea. She's your best friend, don't you want her to get better?"

She scoffed, wiping the tear under her eyes with her free hand. "Of course I do, stupid." I rolled my eyes and smiled. "But I also know that you don't know what's gonna happen to you. So don't say nothing will, because you don't know that."

"Come here." I whispered, moving over to the other side of the booth next to her. She wrapped her arms around my waist and tucked her head in to my chest. "It's gonna be okay. It'll all be over soon enough."

At least that's what I hoped.

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Woah, chapter thirteen already?! I'm on a roll.