I cried halfway back to the ranch

I cried halfway back to the ranch.

Over the horizon, the sun was coming up… but I felt like everything was darker and more depressing than when we first drove to the jail. In fact, it was the worst I’d felt since those first few days after Vegas.

As he drove, Ryan opened up the center console between our seats and fished out a small package of tissues. I took them gratefully.

“Thank you.”

Ryan grimaced. “I’m sorry about back there. If I’d known that would happen, I would never have taken you.”

I wondered: if I’d known Derek would act like that and say those things, would I have still gone?

It was like an electric jolt when the answer hit me:

No. I’m through with him being a dick to me.

With that, I finally got a hold of myself. Derek had proven himself to be an absolute asshole; he didn’t deserve a single one of my tears.

“Why is he like that?!” I wondered aloud, my nose stuffy, my voice thick from crying.

Ryan thought about it for a second, then said, “I think he basically sees it a