24
Peyton
“Do you want to talk about it?” Piper asked as she drove me to the airport.
“Not really,” I whispered.
I stared out the window, brushing the tears off of my cheeks and watching the bare cotton fields pass by.
“I wish that you were staying.”
I sucked in a deep breath. My lungs hurt. My body felt brittle. What was I even supposed to say to that after what I’d done?
“Me too,” I managed to force out.
But I didn’t want to give up ballet. I couldn’t. It was ingrained in me. And I didn’t see another option.
Piper sighed and merged onto the highway. “I’m sorry about Isaac.”
“Yeah.”
“Peyton—”
“Just…don’t, Pipes, please,” I muttered, diving into my own sorrow. “It was hard enough the first time.”
Piper nodded, reaching out and taking my hand. “Everyone else understands, you kn
