Broken by Vic Johnson (accelerated reader books txt) 📕

There was only one other place. Jacksons.

The lights were on his den which was good. As I got close I couldn’t stop the tears. I started to sob. I couldn’t catch my breath.

I walked in and he was sat on the bed reading a book. I would have laughed if I wasn’t so devastated. He jumped up when he saw me and ran over. I collapsed on the floor. He put his arms around me and we sat like that for I don’t know how long.

After a while I got up and wiped my face. Jackson went to get me some water from the house. I looked at the book he was reading. A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks.

When Jackson came back in I held it up ‘Why are you reading this?’

He went red. ‘It’s Beth’s favourite book’

‘So you’re reading it’

‘Yeah. I want to know everything about her’

‘That’s sweet. You really love her’

‘Yeah I do’

‘So you’re not going to have sex with her best friend?’ I asked.

He looked shocked. ‘No never. Anyway you’re her best friend and we don’t even like each other’ he smiled. He was trying to cheer me up but it didn’t work. ‘Why do you ask that?’

‘Charlie had sex with Maddie’

He didn’t say anything for a while. ‘No’ he said laughing. When I didn’t laugh he stopped. ‘How do you know?’

‘We had a fight. After talking to Beth she convinced me to go speak to him and sort things out. When I got to his house they were both in bed, asleep, naked’

‘He wouldn’t do that to you. He would do that to me. There is a code. She’s my ex you don’t do that’

‘There’s a girl code too and she just smashed it to smithereens’ he looked hurt. ‘I wish I was wrong. I love him so much. You were devastated when Beth got with Freddie and you weren’t even dating so imagine how hard this is for me’

He walked over to me and gave me a hug. ‘Do you want to stay here?’

‘No it’s freezing in here’

‘You can stay up in my room and I’ll stay in here if you want?’

‘Are you sure?’

‘JACK OPEN THE DOOR’ it was Charlie

‘I don’t want to see him’ I said panicking

‘Under the bed’ Jack whispered.

I crawled under and listened.

Jackson opened the door and I heard Charlie come in.

‘Who were you talking to?’ he asked

‘I was on the phone to Beth’

‘Have you seen Brooke?’ he said really upset. I thought I was going to cry.

‘After everything you said to me this afternoon about Beth and Freddie you go and do that. I didn’t even cheat and we only kissed’

‘It was a mistake’

‘You broke the code and Brooke’s heart. I think you should leave’

‘Jack please I’m so sorry. We had a fight and I got wasted and Maddie came over, I don’t even know why. When I woke up the necklace I gave Brooke was on my bed stand. She saw’

‘I know. She’s devastated. Does Maddie know that Brooke knows?’ Jackson asked.

‘She had gone before I saw the necklace. Mate I’m so sorry I never meant to hurt anyone’

‘I’m not your mate’ there was silence for a long time then the door closed. ‘He’s gone’ Jackson said. I climbed out and looked at him.

‘You were a bit harsh’ I said ‘I know he deserves it but he is your best friend’

‘We will be fine but he has to know what he did is seriously fucked up’ he sighed. ‘Go up to the house and get in my bed. I’ll sleep in here’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah I’m gonna phone Beth before bed. Am I ok to tell her or do you want to?’

‘No tell her its fine’ I kissed his cheek ‘thank you’

I left the den and went up to Jacks room. Once I was in bed I cried. I cried thinking about how long it had taken us to get to where we were. I cried about all those lost moments while we were both been stupid and not admitting our feeling for each other. I cried remembering all the good time we had shared in the last two and a half years and I cried because he did the one thing he promised me he would not do. Cheat! I don’t know how I was going to deal with all this tomorrow at school but I had to decide if I could forgive him or not. Right now I’m thinking not!!

Damn im late. How did I not hear my alarm this morning? I don’t think I have ever got ready so fast. I really hope Max hasn’t left yet and can take me to school. When I get to the bottom of the stairs Freddie is waiting.

‘Hey sleepy head’ he says pulling me into his arms. ‘I’ve missed you’

‘What are you doing here?’

‘We won. Easy too. Nobody could overtake us so the competition finished a few days early’

‘Wow congrats’ he bent in to kiss me and I moved so he got my cheek.

‘What’s the matter?’ he looked worried. I felt incredibly guilty but now was not the time.

‘Nothing. We’re going to be late come on.’ We left the house and got in the car.

‘I tried to phone you this morning but your cell is off’

‘What?’ I said looking in my bag for my phone. ‘I didn’t look at it this morning I just threw it in here.’ When I found it I turned in on. No wonder my alarm didn’t go off. ‘Jackson phoned me. Three times last night and twice this morning’

‘Why is he phoning you? Freddie asked clearly mad.

‘I dunno’ I tried to say casually ‘I didn’t answer it’

When we entered the school Freddie came with me to my locker which he had never done before. I knew it was in case Jackson was there. I was relieved to find that he wasn’t. I got all the things I needed and then we started to walk to class.

‘Beth’ someone shouted. I knew who it was so I pretended I didn’t hear it. Jackson grabbed my shoulder. ‘Beth have you seen Brooke?’ He looked worried.

‘There are hundreds of other people you could have asked. Why her?’

‘Shush ok this is important’

‘Guys come on stop it’

‘Beth we have to find Brooke’ I was a bit worried now

‘What’s going on?’

‘Good morning everyone’ came Brookes voice over the school tanoy system

‘Shit’ Jackson said beside me

‘What’s going on?’ I asked as Brooke carried on.

‘Just a few announcements to make this morning’ everyone was silent. I looked to my left and Maddie was throwing daggers at me because I was stood next to Jackson.

‘This is not good’ Jackson whispered to me. He had grabbed my hand when we first heard Brooke and he was still holding it.

‘Firstly the school scholastic team smashed it this week and won so easily they came back two days early. Well done guys’ there was a big cheer and lots of clapping. I pulled my hand out of Jacksons so I could join in. ‘Secondly after many petitions and a lot of talks with the principle that I made personally, they are finally going to start serving healthier options in the cafeteria’ and even bigger cheer happened this time. I couldn’t help but smile.

‘That has been going on for years’ Jackson whispered to me.

‘And thirdly I would just like to let you all know that my boyfriend Charlie Stubbs is a lying, cheating man whore who had sex with my so called best friend Maddison Tyler who is also a lying cheating whore’ silence!!! Nobody knew what to do. I looked at Maddie and she was as shocked as anyone. ‘Thanks for listening.’

I walked over to Maddie with Freddie and Jackson at either side of me.

‘Did you really have sex with Charlie?’ I asked her

‘How did she know?’ She asked. I was just about to say I didn’t know when Jackson spoke

‘She went back to his house after speaking to Beth. She wanted to make things right after the fight they had. She saw you two when she got there. She came to my house after because she didn’t know where else to go.’

‘Why didn’t she come to me?’ I asked.

‘It was late and she didn’t want to wake up Paige. She was pretty distraught. I tried to phone you’

‘I can’t believe you did that to her. She is your best friend’ I said facing Maddie again.

‘Like you’re such a saint’ she snapped at me.

‘This is not about me. I didn’t screw my best friend’s boyfriend’

‘No but your screwed mine’

‘Ok number 1, that was months ago. Number 2 he wasn’t your boyfriend and number 3 I didn’t even know you then’

‘You had sex with Jack?’

‘Freddie now is really not the time’

‘Were we dating?’

‘Of course you weren’t she isn’t like that’ Jackson said.

‘Oh my god’ I said. ‘Jackson go to class ill find Brooke. Freddie you too. We will talk later. As for you’ I say turning to look at Maddie ‘you should maybe stay out of Brookes way today’

‘Don’t tell me what to do’ she said. She came right up to my face. Our noses were nearly touching.

‘Seriously step back’

‘Ooooo I’m not scared of you’

‘You should be’ she started laughing and went to grab me. I grabbed her first by the throat and pushed her as far as I could so she was up against the lockers behind her. ‘You do not want to mess with me bitch’ I growled at her. Next thing I knew someone had grabbed me round the waist and was pulling me away. I tried to protest but they had a good hold on me. They took me into the nearest room.

When they put me down I spun around. It was Jackson he was locking the door. We were in the boys toilets.

‘Why did you do that?’ I asked

‘You would have been expelled. There is a zero tolerance policy when it comes to violence’

‘She could tell the principle anyway’

‘She won’t she will be too embarrassed’ he walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. It felt good to be there but I pulled away.

‘Freddie is right outside’ he backed away from me.

‘I can’t do this anymore Beth’

‘Do what?’ my heart leapt into my mouth.

‘This’ he said pointing to me then himself ‘I want all or nothing’ he walked towards the door and put his hand on the lock. ‘I love you’ he said not looking at me ‘if you’re going to stay with Freddie then fine but if it’s me you want then dump him but please just make a decision and soon’ he unlocked the door and left.

I left straight after so nobody saw me in there on my own.

I was going to be late for my first lesson. I glanced out of the main entrance as I passed it and noticed Freddie sat on the quad by himself. Since I was already late for class I walked out the doors towards him. I sat opposite him on the bench. He didn’t look at me.

‘Hi’ I said

‘I saw you’ I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what he was referring to. He looked me in the eyes. ‘At the beach when you were asked what would