Broken by Vic Johnson (accelerated reader books txt) 📕

‘Brooke do you know what I realised today?’ She shook her head ‘I realised that I’m in love with Beth’ her eyes opened really wide. I realised this while we were at dinner. ‘You can’t tell anyone ok?’

‘Why don’t you want anyone to know?’

‘I leave tomorrow and I don’t want to say it then disappear for four weeks. When I get back I will tell her’

‘Ok I won’t say a word’

‘It’s me that should be saying this to you anyway’

She looked shocked. ‘Why?’

‘Beth thinks once Maddy is back you won’t be able to be her friend anymore’

‘She really thinks that?

‘Yeah she does. You know what Maddy is going to be like; it’s why you’re here’

‘I know but still. I will talk to Beth its fine. One more thing, I think by the time you are back Charlie and I will be official so I wanna call a truce. He is your best friend’

‘Ok that sounds good to me. I’m bored of the drama’

‘Me too’ she said smiling. We shook hands and she left.

Saying goodbye to Beth this morning was the hardest thing I had ever done.

‘Promise you will call me, everyday’ she said

‘I promise’ I kissed her ‘I’m going to miss you so much’ I kissed her again

‘I’ll miss you too’

We had held each other for what seemed like hours.

‘She will be here when you get back’ my mum said from next to me on the plane.

I smiled ‘I know. I’ve already started counting down the days’

This was going to be the longest four weeks of my life!

‘You’re going with Freddie?’ I asked. I couldn’t believe it.

‘Yeah why not?’ Beth answered.

‘What happened Beth?’

‘What do you mean?’ she said walking to put another stone around the bonfire.

‘When Jack left you sulked for days. When I finally got you out the house you told me you missed him so bad and now your less than 24 hours from seeing him and you’re going to the bonfire with Freddie’ she shrugged ‘you know Jack will be there don’t you? Looking for you’

‘He promised me he would ring me every day’

‘So what if he missed a few’

‘He missed them all. He didn’t call me once’

‘Seriously?’ that didn’t seem likely considering he told me he loved her.

‘Here’ she said throwing me her phone ‘see for yourself’ she was right. There were no texts or phone calls. ‘Also you made me join Facebook and you added him to my friends list and he hasn’t accepted. Out of sight out of mind I guess’

‘So how did you end up with Freddie?’ I was intrigued.

‘You introduced us at that party last week. He walked me home, we kissed, we went to the cinema on Wednesday and kissed again then he asked me to come to this thing with him tomorrow’

‘It’s not just a thing it’s the end of summer bonfire. It’s been happening for the last 50 years or so’

‘oooo’ she said laughing.

Beth and I had spent a lot of time together over the last four weeks. I now considered her a really good friend. Now she had opened up a bit more I knew her personality. She was really outgoing, pretty much up for anything. She was funny too; she had Charlie and me in stitches. She was a bit sarcastic too when she wasn’t in a good mood and one time when we had a rude waitress Beth put her right in her place.

‘BROOKE’ I heard from behind me. I turned around and running towards me was Maddy. I was so happy to see her. When she got to me we hugged. I saw Beth walk away to find more stones.

‘When did you get back?’

‘About an hour ago, I went to Jacks first but his dad told me he wasn’t back from camp yet’

‘Why did you go to Jacks?’

‘To see him! I’m getting him back’

‘He moved on while you were gone. Sorry’ I know that Jack will never give her the time of day again. She will be heartbroken when she finds out he is in love.

‘We will see’ she said shrugging ‘who’s that?’ she asked pointing to Beth.

‘Hey Beth come here’ I shouted. She put the stone she was holding round the fire then walked to meet us.

‘She is pretty’ Maddy said to me. Your ex thought so too I thought.

‘Hey’ Beth said when she got to us.

‘Beth this is Maddy, Maddy this is Beth’

‘Nice to meet you’ Beth said.

‘English?’ Maddy asked. Beth nodded. ‘Are you here for the summer?’

‘No I’m here to go to school’

‘I was asked to show Beth around before school starts and we ended up becoming friends’.

‘So you’re coming with us to the bonfire tomorrow?’

‘No she is going with Freddie’

‘Wow really? He is quite the catch’ Beth smiled. ‘Just us then?’

‘Actually I’m going with Charlie’ Me and Charlie had been official for two weeks now and it was amazing.

‘Really? We always go together’

‘Sorry’

‘Fine I’ll go with Jack then’ I looked at beth who was looking at the floor.

‘Let’s get this fire finished’ I said clapping my hands.

The next night Charlie and I were on our way to the bonfire. He had gone to visit his Grandma yesterday so I hadn’t seen him.

‘So how did it go yesterday? Did you get everything set up ok?’ he asked me.

I filled him in on my day. When I told him about Maddy wanting Jack back he laughed.

‘Did you tell her about Beth?’

‘No because Beth is going to the bonfire with Freddie’

He jumped in front of me so I had to stop walking. ‘Are you joking?’

‘I wish I was’

‘He is going to be crushed’

‘Did he contact you at all while he was away?’

‘No’ we started walking again ‘I figured he was spending all his free time talking to Beth’

‘Apparently not. He didn’t contact her once. That’s why she is so pissed. She knows this will hurt him but he hurt her’ it was a bit childish really and I told her it was when I dropped her off at home yesterday but she did not seem that bothered.

We had been at the bonfire about an hour when I saw Jack. He walked over to us smiling. He looked so happy. He was about to get a shock. He hugged Charlie and nodded at me. I smiled.

‘Hey how was it?’ Charlie asked. He was a little bit jealous of Jack getting into the camp.

‘Amazing dude so much fun. I missed everyone though. Is Beth here?’

‘Mate we gotta talk’ Charlie said

‘What?’ he looked worried

‘I don’t know how to say this’

‘Just spit it out’

I held Charlie’s hand offering him support.

‘Beth has a boyfriend’ Jacks entire face dropped.

‘No she doesn’t’ he looked like he couldn’t process the information. ‘She can’t’

‘She is behind you’

We all turned to look. She was stood near the fire with Freddie. He had his arm around her shoulders and she was laughing. She looked happy. Jackson on the other hand did not. He started to walk over to them

‘We should go with him in case he gets angry’ I said.

‘Ok but not too close’

We followed him but stood back a little. When he got to them Beth looked him straight in the face.

‘Can I talk to you a minute?’ Jack asked.

‘Ok’ Beth replied. She looked up at Freddie.

‘I’ll go get some drinks’ He said and walked away.

‘What’s going on?’ Jack asked her

‘What?’ she said shrugging her shoulders

‘Really? This is how you want it to play out?’

‘How was camp?’ she asked really sweetly.

‘Fine I guess. I missed you’

‘Really?’

‘Of course I did. More than you missed me I guess’

‘Don’t do that it’s not fair’

‘What’s not fair?’

‘You never called. I waited and waited and waited and you never called so yeah I moved on’ she was really mad. Jack took a step back. ‘Please just leave me alone’

‘Everything ok here?’ Freddie asked as he got back.

Beth grabbed his face and kissed him full on in front of all of us. I’m pretty sure my mouth fell open.

‘Fine’ Beth said smiling at him

‘Ok’ Jack said. He turned around and walked away. Beth watched him leave while I watched her. I don’t get it. You could tell by her face she didn’t want to do that. She was just as hurt.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Freddie

‘What the hell?’ I said.

‘What?’ she said.

‘You know what. You didn’t have to do that with Freddie you could have got your point across without doing that’

‘Seeing him changed things’ she suddenly looked so sad I hugged her.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought I was over him. Nothing really happened anyway so when he didn’t call I just guessed he changed his mind. Seeing him then brought back every feeling I had for him. I forgot about the way he looked at me, like I was the only girl in the world. When he looked at me like that I wanted to jump in his arms. But he hurt me and I can’t just forgive that.’

‘What about Freddie?’

‘I like Freddie, I’m going to keep seeing him and we will see what happens’

‘Ok’

‘I’m not saying no to Jackson I’m just not saying now’

‘That’s not really fair on Freddie you know’ I said frowning

‘That’s not what I mean. I’m taking it seriously with Freddie. I promise I’m not going to hurt him’

I don’t know if I believed her or not but I was more worried about what Jack was going to do. I went back over to Charlie.

‘I’m going to make sure Jack is ok’ I said.

‘You? Really?’ he asked surprised

‘Yeah. We had a chat before he left and I think he might talk to me’

‘Ok, hurry back’ he kissed me and I left.

When I got to Jacks I could hear shouting coming from the den. It was him and Maddy. I listened at the door.

‘I told you to leave’ He shouted.

‘Why won’t you take me back?’ she begged. I winced, she sounded so pathetic.

‘You really wanna know?’

‘Yeah I do’

‘I met someone else and I am in love with her’

There was silence.

‘You’re in love with her?’

‘Yeah I am and you will be happy to know she very recently broke my heart’ I felt so sorry for him.

Just then the door flew open and Maddy went running out the garden. There was a loud bang that made me jump then I heard screaming coming from inside the den.

‘ARGHHHHHHHHH’ bang.

He was trashing the place.

I walked in and he looked crazy. His eyes were wide and his face was red and crunched up. I watched him for a few minutes then he sank to the floor and put his head in his hands.

‘They took my phone Brooke. As soon as I got there they took my phone. They said we didn’t need them to train. I only got it back this morning. I swear I wanted to talk to her, I missed her so much’

‘Why did you not tell her that?’ I asked sitting beside him.

‘Did you see the way she kissed him? I couldn’t say much after that’

‘Look I don’t see her and Freddie been a