Broken by Vic Johnson (accelerated reader books txt) 📕

didn’t think I deserved to be fixed but in truth I think I had already started to heal. I had a hole in my heart ever since my dad died and been here with you (and Brooke too) it’s slowly started to heal. I did some bad things back home and I don’t know if I’m good enough for you and that scares me. The way you look at me when you’re telling me you love me that scares me. The fact that you love me at all is baffling. The way I feel about you scares me. I was with Preston for a long time and I didn’t feel a quarter for him what I am feeling for you. I know we could make this amazing. I know we could be together for ever if we go for it. I’m scared that I could get hurt. That I’m gonna go for it all in and everything then you’re gonna leave me. If you left me I would have nobody and that scares me’ she picked up her fork and carried on eating. I just looked at her for ages.

‘You have never spoken so much in all the time I have known you’ she just shrugged. How could she think I would leave her? She was everything to me. Just been here in this room with her I was happier than I ever thought I could be. ‘You know that day I slept at your house by mistake?’ she nodded ‘Jessica phoned my mum and she was giving me a lecture about you and saying I should stay away and I said that when I got back from camp I was gonna do everything I could to make you my girlfriend and make that last forever’

‘Really?’

‘Don’t act so surprised. I wanted you the first time I saw you in Jessica’s car’ she smiled remembering that day. ‘I thought I had ruined it with that whole Fat Frank thing in the diner’

‘I have to say I was really disappointed at all of you for that. I liked how you walked me home though even when I was rude to you. Caleb still looks at me like he is waiting for the perfect opportunity to get back at me. It worries me a little’

‘He won’t do anything. He is a wuss, that’s why he went after Frank in the first place.’

‘I’m keeping an eye on him anyway. So we didn’t come here to talk about Caleb.’

‘No we didn’t’

She took a deep breath ‘so today on the twenty something of October in this beautiful little restaurant by the lake I am officially asking you Jackson Connelly if you will be my boyfriend, finally’

I laughed ‘and I Jackson Connelly willingly accept’ she smiled the most perfect smile.

‘Take me back to your place’ she said winking at me. And I did, gladly.

Brooke

 

Oh no why did I do that? Now I have to get up and go to school. I have the hangover from hell. I’m laid in my bed with no knowledge of getting there. I have pjs on too. Beth must have brought me home. She probably rang Jack to help her. So embarrassing!

When I sit up I notice the glass of water on the bedside table that Beth must have left last night. I take a big gulp and it’s cold. Maybe Beth stayed the night and got me the water this morning. I shower quickly and dress faster, leaving my hair wet.

I go downstairs looking for her but when I get to the kitchen only my mum is there. I ignore her and get some juice out of the fridge. I’m just about to grab an apple and go when she turns around and puts scrambled egg on toast in front of me.

I look at it, then her, then back again. ‘What’s this?’ I ask.

‘Breakfast’ she replies like I have just asked her the dumbest question ever.

‘You haven’t made me breakfast since I was seven’

‘You need it with the state you were in last night’ I must have gone red. ‘I met your new friend Beth’

‘Oh yeah’ I said between a mouthful of breakfast.

‘She has no worries saying what she thinks’

I laughed ‘No she doesn’t. It’s why I love her. What did she say to you?’

‘Nothing’

‘So you’re out here playing perfect mum for no reason?’

‘It doesn’t matter what she said. But she made me think. Dinner tonight at seven. You, me and dad’

‘You think you will get him to leave the office early’

‘Leave that to me’

 

I finished my breakfast and left to go to school. My car wasn’t in the driveway so I guess I left it somewhere last night. Just as I was contemplating walking or getting the bus Jack pulled up with Beth in the passenger seat. I didn’t say anything I just climbed in the back.

‘How you feeling?’ Beth asked turning in her seat to look at me.

‘Like shit’ I said smiling. ‘By the way what the hell did you do to my mum?’

‘Nothing why?’

‘She made me breakfast’ I pulled a face ‘and she wants a family dinner tonight. I doubt my dad will make it’

‘Do you need me to have a word with him too’ she said smiling. I saw Jackson smile too.

‘Your been very quiet Jack’

‘Am I?’ He said smiling

We pulled up at the school and he let us out then went to park up. As we walked into the school everyone was staring at me.

‘They think were lovers’ Beth says laughing beside me.

‘What?’ I ask

‘Yeah apparently I broke up with Freddie because you were single and I’m in love with you’

I just laughed ‘wow’

‘Yep’ Beth said.

‘So what happened last night?’

‘When?’ Beth asked.

‘I remember playing pool with those guys then nothing’

‘Ah yes the shot guys. Every time you missed you had to do a shot. You missed a lot’

‘You didn’t do any shots?’

‘I didn’t play’

‘You must have been a little drunk though, we were out for hours’

‘I don’t drink’ that was bullshit I had seen her drink loads of times at parties and she definitely drank last night.

‘You drink all the time’

She smiled a kind of sly smile I hadn’t seen her do before ‘no you haven’t’ she said. I gave her a look to say what are you talking about. ‘Look I got into a lot of trouble because of drinking a few years ago and I haven’t had a drop since. I didn’t want you to think I was lame so at parties when you gave me a drink I would just hold it and then leave it somewhere. If I got the drinks I would get myself a coke. Last night you were too upset to notice that there was no vodka in my coke even though you drank one of them’

‘I think you’re lamer for lying’ I said smiling.

‘I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I thought you would be bothered’ just then Jack walked over.

‘Hey’ he said putting his arm around Beth’s shoulder. ‘I’ll see you at lunch’

She looked up at him in a way that made my heart hurt. I used to look at Charlie like that.

‘Yeah’ she said smiling.

He kissed her on the temple then walked off.

‘Are you two together now?’ I asked her.

‘Yeah’ she said looking embarrassed.

‘I’m really happy for you’ I meant that too but it made me feel sad.

‘We’re not going to start making out in front of anyone though. I don’t want Freddie to know that it wasn’t even 24 hours after we broke up I got with someone else you know?’

I think she was also trying to say that since I had a broken heart she wasn’t going to rub it in my face which I appreciated.

 

The first lessons of the day were horrible. Everyone was staring at me and whispering when I walked past them.

I saw Charlie when I was on my way to my last lesson before lunch. He tried to walk over to me but I looked away and walked past him. I know I would have to hear him out eventually but right now I couldn’t listen to his excuses.

After class I met Beth in the corridor and we walked to lunch. As we walked in the cafeteria there was a mass of people stood just in the entrance. They all turned and looked at us as we entered. Maddy walked out of the middle of the crowd. She didn’t look at me, just at Beth.

I saw Jack making his way over

‘We know why you’re here’ she said to Beth.

‘At school?’ Beth asked looking confused.

‘No idiot. In America’ Maddy snarled. There was so much venom in her voice. I had never seen her like this and we had been friends since we were five.

‘Oh I see’ Beth said looking amused. ‘Enlighten me then’

‘Your daddy is a murderer’ Maddy said. Everyone looked at Beth and shocked noises came from everyone. Maddy had not shared the news with them before she just told them she had news. Beth’s face never changed.

‘How did you come to this conclusion?’ Beth asked.

‘Well it was simple really’ Maddy said clearly very proud of herself. ‘I broke into the school records and got your dads name. Then I googled him’

‘Wow impressive’ Beth said obviously not impressed. I could tell Maddie was annoyed now because she was not getting any reaction. Jack was next to us now which pissed her off even more. ‘What did Google tell you?’

‘That your dad killed a woman and was doing life for it’

‘So this was in a paper I’m guessing?’

‘Yeah I printed it out so I could show everybody’

‘Can I see it?’

‘Sure’ she handed Beth a piece of paper ‘don’t bother ripping it up because I will just print more’ She said

‘Oh I’m not going to rip it up’ Beth said cool as you like. She took the paper off her and started to read it. Jack was reading it over her shoulder.

‘Jack your girlfriends dad is not a nice man’ Maddie said.

‘Your dad is sleeping with his secretary. He is not a nice man either’ Jack shot back.

Maddie went red and started to say something back when Beth said ‘have you actually read this’

‘Of course I have’ Maddie said looking worried.

‘This happened in the 50s. Before my dad was even born’ everyone looked at Maddie. ‘Also the guy in this story is black’ Beth stepped towards Maddie. ‘I’m taking this to the principle. I will also be telling him you broke into my file. Do you really wanna know why I’m here so badly? All you had to do was ask’ she walks off to a table and sits down.

Jack walks up to Maddie. The crowd has started to disperse. ‘You really are an evil bitch aren’t you?’

‘Jack please’

‘You’re twisted. You sleep with your best friend’s boyfriend then try and turn everyone against my girlfriend by making up a stupid story’

‘You have to be wondering why she is here Jack’

‘No I’m not because she told me. Months ago’ Jack walks off and I follow him not even looking at Maddie. She says my name as I pass but I’m not interested.