Page 99 of Broken Bonds

“Let go; you’re hurting me.” His hand loosened a little, but I was still trapped against his hard chest.

“Answer me, Celine,” he practically growled.

“I don’t know what to believe. You haven’t been answering me!” I shouted, panicking now.

“I can’t believe this. You are so pathetically gullible to believe those stupid bimbos over me.” The words slapped me in the face, and I flinched.Did he just…?“Whatever. I’ll see you in class tomorrow, babe. Don’t talk to me unless you believe me. I’ve dealt with enough crap from you.”

Finally, his grip loosened as he stepped away. I was left shell-shocked on the front step of my house, watching his retreating form.

He never answered my question.

He didn’t text me all night, and I checked multiple times. Then, I fell into a dark hole, resorting to snooping through his Instagram to see who he followed, and every cheerleader from the squad was there. He had liked all their half-naked pictures, and suddenly, I was the one feeling insecure.

What if he had cheated?

I wasn’t ready to sleep with him—or anyone for that fact—and he had calmed me numerous times saying he cared about me, that he could wait. Yet, his reputation spoke volumes about my naivety. What was stopping him from sleeping with the whole squad if he wanted to? The familiar ache settled in my stomach as I kept scrolling, feeling sicker with every picture he liked.

I couldn’t fall asleep because every time I closed my eyes, I saw him sleeping with a blonde, heard him talking about how pathetic I was. Amber was fast asleep next to me when I started to cry, silent tears that eventually turned into violent sobs.

Her arms suddenly wrapped around me, and she held me to her body. “I’m here, Cece.Shh, I’m here.” I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, so I just cried until I eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, it hurt to open my swollen eyes. Amber was still snoring away when I quietly slipped out of bed and made my way into the shower. I noticed a giant bruise on my waist where Julian had been holding me yesterday, and I cried again. Staring into the mirror a few minutes longer, I pondered hiding the dark circles under my puffy eyes and caved into the vanity that coursed through my veins. I couldn’t let him see the damage he caused.

Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom looking fresh, whole, and complete, even though I felt like an empty shell of the girl I had become over the last few months. Amber yawned and stood from the bed, her green eyes taking me in. “You okay?” she asked, her eyebrow raising.

“I will be.” She didn’t seem convinced but nodded anyway and stepped into the bathroom, turning the shower on before closing the door.

“You don’t need a man to be happy, Celine,” she said, poking her head around the door. “Never forget that.”

I stood outside the classroom door, wondering if it was worth it to get my heart broken publicly or if I could miss class today and postpone the heartbreak.

“Hey, babe.” His lips were suddenly on my cheek, his hand around my bruised waist. I barely resisted flinching. “Sorry about yesterday. I just got so mad—hope you can forgive me.” Then, he pulled us into the classroom, giving me no chance to answer him.

The professor decided today that he wanted to play a documentary, and Julian lazily draped his arm around myshoulders as the lights were turned off. I tensed, trepidation filling my veins.

“Please avoid conversation. There will be a quiz on this tomorrow,” the aging professor remarked as he stepped out of the room, phone in hand.

“Julian, we need to talk,” I whispered, my lips almost brushing his cold ear.

“Shh, babe. Watch the movie.”

I clenched my jaw. “Julian, I’m serious.”

His arm dropped from my shoulders, and he turned his glare on me. It was so… angry it made me move back from him some.

“Shut up, or I’m going to embarrass you in front of the whole class, Celine. We can talk about it later.” Crossing his arms, he turned his attention back to the projector screen.

What just happened?

At the end of class, the professor walked back in and paused the documentary, reminding us of the quiz, and then, we were dismissed. Julian abruptly stood up and left, jogging to catch up with one of his other friends, not even bothering to wait for me as I packed my things into my bag. Once outside the room, I was surprised to see him leaning against the wall, eyes glued to his phone. Rage consumed me, and I couldn’t help what I said next. “Looking at another half-naked girl, Jules?”

He looked up, surprised, and tucked his phone into his jeans pocket. “No, answering a text from Coach. Why do you think I’m looking at naked girls, babe?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, hating when his eyes dropped to my breasts. “We need to talk, Julian.”

I sighed when he shook his head. “I’m happy with you. Are you happy with me?”

“Yeah, but?—”

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