Read Rush Into You for Free Online Page B

I’d formed relationships with since moving to Charlestree were great, even if I only called a couple of them friends. They only knew what I wanted them to know about me, though. They knew the girl who was studying to be a nurse. They didn’t know the girl with a past that rivaled horror films and drama novels. How many of those smiles would turn into scowls if they learned the truth? It was the reason I didn’t share my secrets with anyone.
    My mind wandered to Ryker, like it so often had. I wondered if he had worked at Max’s since that night and learned some semblance of the truth from the patrons. Those gossip-hungry vipers were always looking for a new story, and when I was the product of their entertainment the stories were always that much better.
    Ryker had left such an impact on me because of his selflessness. He’d talked to me when no one else would, and not out of obligation or pity, but because he’d wanted to get to know me. I still thought about that night outside my apartment when Ryker denied my advances.
    He’d wanted me to respect myself.
    He hadn’t wanted me to regret him.
    He’d promised that he wasn’t done with me.
    But things had ended before we’d even had a chance. I often dreamed and wondered what could have been between us. If only I’d met Ryker when things were straight, and not at their worst.
    “Earth to Gabby,” Jay sang.
    I shook my head, forcing my memories away. “Sorry, Jay.”
    “All right, enough soft shit.” She winked, “Finish getting ready while I get dressed. We have to leave soon if we want to find some decent parking. I don’t want to walk a mile in these new heels.”
    “Why would you wear heels to a beach party?” Jay just smiled in response, then pranced through the door.
    I got dressed quickly. After tying my sneakers, I stood in front of the full length mirror and admired my makeup again before studying my clothes. I had chosen a tight, purple, v-neck top, black skinny jeans, and my black converse sneakers. I left my hair loose, my natural waves falling halfway down my back, and I wore a simple pair of gold hoops in my ears, with a tiny diamond stud in my left tragus.
    I had to admit it…I looked good.
    I wasn’t a rack of bones anymore. I had my soft curves back, and a natural glow coated my skin, replacing the sickly pallor I used to have. My hair was even healthier now than when I was in high school—my brown locks shiny and fresh with life, the greasy, dead hair gone.
    When I was discharged from the hospital after my overdose eighteen months ago, I’d left straight to detox. I spent a week of grueling withdrawal and insane cravings as I writhed in bed. I couldn’t sleep at all, but I’d had no energy to get up. The medication the nurses gave me was no match for my nasty addiction.
    Straight from detox, I moved to a thirty day holding program where I’d waited to be accepted in a halfway house. The physical withdrawal had subsided by that point, though my mind was still going a mile a minute. Every second, I’d thought about getting high. I went to the meetings, and found them useful, gathering as much information as possible so I could learn how to cope with my issues.
    The halfway house was where I’d really learned how to live. I was there for six months, but the people who ran the program helped me immensely. They got me set up in the real world again. I’d found a new waitressing job and enrolled in State. When my time at the program came to an end, I’d had enough money saved to get my own apartment right near the school.
    I worked hard to be in recovery. It’d been over a year since I got clean, but it still wasn’t easy.
    It’d never be easy.
    I still had cravings. Still had moments when I wanted to give in to my addiction.
    But I hadn’t.
    I hoped I’d never give in.
    My nightmares hadn’t left. Every night I had the same nightmare about that night . Every night, I woke up screaming. During the day, everything reminded me of