Broken by Vic Johnson (accelerated reader books txt) 📕

I wake up because the sun is shining right in my eyes. It takes me a second to realise where I am. I turn my head away from the sun and see Beth, still in my arms. This is much better then yesterday morning. I kiss her forehead and she stirs awake

‘Morning gorgeous’ I said kissing her on the lips.

‘Morning handsome’ she said back.

Just then someone clears their throat. We both sit up real fast. Jessica is sat in a chair at the end of the bed. I thought Beth would try and make some excuse but she just stares at Jessica.

‘You think you can have sex in my house’ Jessica shouts

‘We didn’t have sex’ Beth said calm as you like. ‘I would never do that with Paige here. Plus were on top of the covers with our clothes on’

‘I’m sorry Jessica we were talking and fell asleep’ I said. I already knew she hated me but by the look she gave me it was worse than I thought.

‘You need to get out of my house’ she practically spat at me.

‘Don’t speak to him like that’ Beth said grabbing my hand.

‘I told you he wasn’t allowed in the house’

‘Max invited him in for dinner last night. He knew he was here’

‘You little liar’

Beth just laughed. I was furious. ‘She’s not lying’

‘Jackson its fine’ Beth said ‘I really don’t give flying fuck what she thinks of me. Come on lets go.’ She grabbed my arm and led me out the bedroom.

Jessica followed us.

‘ELIZABETH’ she shouted ‘you are grounded, don’t you dare leave this house’ Beth just carried on walking ‘I am warning you Elizabeth’

‘IT’S BETH!’ Beth shouted back. ‘I’ll be grounded in two days when Jackson has left. Until then you are not stopping me seeing him’

‘I am your mother’ what??

‘No you’re not’ Beth said. She grabbed my arm and we were out the door. ‘Breakfast’ she said when we got in the car. Totally calm again.

We drove in silence. How did I not know Jessica was her mum? She said her mum abandoned her when she was three. Why was she living with her now?

Once we got a table and ordered I decided to ask.

‘So Bitchface is your mum?

‘Ha bitchface that’s funny’ she laughed then looked sad. ‘Unfortunately yes she is my mum’

‘Wow’ I can’t believe I never knew she had a daughter. I wonder how long my mum had known.

‘Yeah I know. She left me and my dad when I was three. Came here for a better life. A better family too I guess’ she looked at her hands ‘I’m not mad at her anymore. I used to be but I’m kinda over it. Like I don’t hate her anymore but I don’t like her either. I just don’t feel anything for her’

‘Why are you here? Living with her’

She sighed. Her eyes looked haunted. I wanted to hug her but I thought if I did she wouldn’t talk to me.

‘My dad died’ oh man. A tear ran down her face. She quickly wiped it away. ‘He did everything for me. He raised me’

‘When did he die?’

‘Two years ago’ she shook her head. ‘Jessica didn’t even come to the funeral. She didn’t even call to make sure I was ok. I’m her daughter. As soon as he died I should have been here with her. She should have looked after me. She didn’t though it was my Grandma that looked after me. I’m sure I aged her about 20 years’ she laughed.

‘How?’

‘I went completely off the rails. No parents to watch me. I did some bad things and I ended up in a youth correctional facility. Detention centre basically. I realised while I was in there that I was just been self-destructive. I had not really dealt with my grief. I had some counselling while I was in there and came out a different person. Only one school would take me but it meant repeating my last two years so I would have been older then everyone. Then my grandma suggested I come here. Go to school where I can start fresh with kids my own age. It was better than not going to school so she arranged everything with Jessica and here I am.’

‘I bet Paige was so excited when she knew you were finally coming’

‘They didn’t know, Paige and Max, Jessica didn’t tell them about me till just before I came here’

‘Are you been serious?’

‘Yeah, unfortunately I am’

We spent the whole day on the pier. She caught sun on her face and her cheeks were all rosy. She looked beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

I dropped her off at her house about four ish. I offered to go in with her but she said she would be fine. I told her to ring me if she needed me otherwise I would be back at 7 to pick her up. I was talking her on a real date. We had stopped at the mall so she could buy a dress. She wouldn’t show me it; she said she didn’t normally do dresses. I couldn’t wait to see her in it.

When I got to my house I went through the front door to the stairs

‘Jack?’ my mum shouted. Damn it I bet Jessica had phoned. I went into the kitchen and sat on one of the breakfast stools. I waited. She was making dinner. ‘Honey I don’t think it is a god idea that you see Elizabeth anymore’

‘It’s Beth, she doesn’t like Elizabeth’

‘Ok listen’

‘Mum’ I said looking her straight in the eyes ‘I am not going to stop seeing her. I don’t care what Jessica tries to do, I am not going to stop seeing her’

‘Jack what is going on? You have been a different person the last 2 weeks’

‘I have not’

‘You have. You were singing in the shower yesterday. I haven’t seen any girls coming out of that den of yours. You have only been to one party since the summer started. Something has changed’ I couldn’t help but smile. ‘Also I haven’t seen that smile in a long time’

‘Mum I’m in big trouble. She has turned my world upside down’

‘She means a lot to you?’

‘She means everything’

‘Does she feel the same?’ I thought about it for what seemed like forever.

‘I don’t know’ she looked worried ‘she told me that she had never felt this way about anyone before and I know she wants me I can tell when we kiss’ I maybe shouldn’t have shared that with my mother ‘but weather her feelings are as strong as mine then I don’t know’

‘Do you love her?’ do I? I mean she is all I think about.

‘I don’t know’

‘Then you don’t. Yet at least. Trust me you will know when you do.’

‘I can tell you this though and you can tell Jessica. She is the only thing I think about. First thing on a morning last thing on a night kinda deal. I miss her when I’m not with her and the thought of leaving her for four weeks makes me feel physically sick. When I get back she will be my girlfriend and I will do everything in my power to make that be forever’

‘That sounds like love to me. The beginning of it anyway’

‘Ok well thanks for this little chat but I have a date with the most beautiful girl in the world’

She came towards me and hugged me. ‘Just be careful ok. Jess said she has had a hard life’

‘Whose fault is that? Just out of interest how long have you known about Beth?’

‘Jess told me the first time I met her. She was really ashamed’

‘She should be. She should also stop judging me when what she did was way worse’ I left it at that and went to shower.

When I knocked on Beth’s front door I couldn’t understand why I was so nervous. We had already spent loads of time together. We had already slept together. This wasn’t our first date. I guess maybe I was worried tonight wasn’t going to be perfect.

Max answered which was a relief. He invited me in and I felt I should apologise for last night.

‘Max I’m really sorry I spent the night. We were talking and we fell asleep. Nothing happened. I would never betray your trust in me after you invited me into your home’

‘I know’ he said looking me in the eyes. ‘It can’t happen again though. If you and Beth get serious when you come back I can smooth things over with Jessica but you have to play by the rules ok?’

‘Of course. I will do whatever it takes to be with her’ he smiled.

‘Hey’ I looked up and there she was. She looked even more beautiful every time I saw her. I didn’t know how that was possible. She was wearing a deep blue dress that came just above her knees. It had one shoulder strap. Her hair was loosely curled and hanging over her shoulders. She didn’t have much make up on but she didn’t need it. She had heals on that matched the dress and she held a black bag.

‘Wow’ was all I could say as she got to me.

‘You don’t look too bad yourself’ she said smiling. I leaned forward and kissed her once on the side of her mouth.

‘Back by eleven’ Max said smiling.

We didn’t speak much on the way to the restaurant which was fine with me. I liked that we didn’t have to fill the silence, that we were that comfortable with each other.

Once we had ordered we started to talk more.

‘You look amazing tonight’ I told her. She blushed.

‘Thanks. Brooke did my hair. She left just before you got there’

‘How was Jessica?’

She shrugged ‘she apologized for going off on one. She said Max told her he had invited you but she wasn’t happy about us. I said it didn’t matter what she thought of you’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah obviously. I like you, you like me so she can’t stop us’

‘Well that’s good to know’ I said smiling

‘When you come back we will talk about us and what we’re going to do’

‘I know what I want’

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah’ our food came then so we sat again in comfortable silence while we ate.

‘You look handsome in a suit’ she said taking me by surprise. I tell her she is beautiful every day but she has never complemented me. Not that I need her to. I know she likes me.

‘Thanks’ I say blushing a bit. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

‘Sure’

‘About your dad?’

‘Oh’ she says. She doesn’t look like she wants me to but I think she will let me. ‘Ok’

‘How did he die?’

She took a deep breath. ‘Car accident’

‘I’m sorry we don’t have to talk about it’

‘It’s fine. I actually like talking to you. If I had met you two years ago I might not have needed therapy’ she said laughing. ‘I don’t want anyone else to know though. If Brooke and I stay friends then I will tell her but I don’t want people thinking I’m some delinquent’

‘I wouldn’t ever tell anyone. You can trust me’

‘I do’ wow that meant everything to me.

‘Why do you think you and Brooke won’t stay friends?’

‘When your girlfriend comes back things will change. Brooke is her best friend’

‘She’s not my girlfriend’ she smiled. She was teasing me. That was something new. ‘Brooke isn’t really like that’

‘Well we will see’.

I dropped her off at her house, kissed her good night and promised to pick her up in the morning for breakfast and to say goodbye.

Tonight had been perfect. It was my first ever real date. Me and Maddy never did anything like that.

When I got home I went to my shed to lock it up for the summer. The light was on so I went inside.

Brooke was sat on the sofa waiting.

‘Hey what’s up?’ I asked going to join her.

‘I just want to make sure you really like Beth and this