CHAPTER 45 - Hidden Danger

Lyra I lay in bed, Sally's soft snores lulling me into a state of drowsiness. As much as I tried to clear my mind, thoughts of Ryan trickled their ways into the center of my mind. He had wondered where I was, showing he cared. But before that, he had wanted to humiliate me. I could still feel the sting of his words, the way he had ordered me to shift in front of everyone. He knew I couldn't do it, knew it would make me look weak. And yet, there was a part of me that wondered if he'd done it for my own good, to push me to be better. I rolled over onto my side, staring at the wall. I had been so sure that Ryan was different, that he saw me for who I really was. But now, I wasn't so sure. He had hurt me. Humiliated me. He had wanted me to suffer. I heard it in his tone. Saw it in his deep blue eyes. But then, there was the way he had looked at me after class, the concern in his gaze. He had seemed genuinely worried, and that had caught me off guard. I had wanted to believe that he c