Ryan Crawford pondered for a moment. "If something like this happens again, tell me in advance, okay?"
"I didn't mean to cause trouble. They just went too far, and I couldn't hold back," the young girl said, looking down and twiddling her thumbs. Her cheeks were puffed out, and her lips were slightly pursed, looking incredibly aggrieved. She looked just like a little child admitting her mistakes to the dean.
Ryan's heart softened. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulled an anklet strung with white shells from his pocket, and fastened it around her ankle. His movements were gentle and restrained.
"You can do whatever you want, Wylie. Even if you punch a hole in the sky, I'll hold it up for you."
Many years ago, the little girl liked to tilt her head when looking at people. Back then, she didn't have a name yet, so he called her Wylie. He had been calling her that ever since. It was his exclusive nickname for her.
