Page 37 of Every Broken Thing

“Fuck you.”

I slid my hand into his, noting the softness of his skin as our palms met, and he yanked me to my feet abruptly. As I stumbled forward from the sudden motion, my free hand landed on his sternum, and I jerked away from him like I touched a hot stove, mumbling an apology.

His face quirked in confusion, but he didn’t question my hurried withdrawal or my apology. “Will you come to the party with me?”

The change of subject jarred me. I blinked several times to center my brain away from the warmth of his skin. “What?”

Ben plucked a plain T-shirt from the floor and slipped it over his head. “Alice is throwing a party over Thanksgiving weekend, and she keeps bugging me to come. I don’t want to go alone.”

“You really think Alice wantsmeat her party?”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

I made a face. “Um, maybe because she filled my locker with glitter sophomore year? Not only did I have to walk around the entire day looking like I’d been bedazzled, but it also ruined my textbooks. At the end of the year, I paid a fine for damaging school property. I’mstillfinding glitter in my backpack, Ben. Glitter. Everywhere!”

“Why would she do that?”

I splayed my hands. “You tell me. I don’t call girls names because I’m a feminist, damn it! But for her, I’m tempted to make an exception.”

With a shake of his head, he stepped forward and reached out like he was going to embrace me. He stopped at the last second, eyeing me warily. “Can I hug you right now?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Are you cool with me hugging you?” he said again, but my brain kind of glitched.

I must have nodded or something because he was stepping toward me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. He exhaled harshly against my ear.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. No one should treat you that way.”

I thawed, hesitantly circling his waist until my hands pressed to his back. “Thanks. It sucked.”

“Just like cancer,” he said solemnly, and I snorted into his shoulder.

“Cancer sucks worse.”

“Yeah, it does.” He squeezed me tighter, and my fingers dug into his back. I couldn’t stop myself turning into his neck and inhaling his spring soap and spearmint. I could have stayed there forever.

But Ben pulled away, and I let him go. “Please come to the party with me.”

“Parties aren’t really my thing.”

“I don’t like parties much either but having you there would make it bearable.” He pulled a piece of gum out of his pocket and popped it in his mouth before offering me a stick. “Kim and the others are going.”

“No one wants me there,” I denied as I accepted the gum, my will crumbling as his puppy-dog eyes begged me.

“I want you there.” My chest flooded with crackling pleasure as he smiled at me. “I’m the DD, so I won’t be drinking. We can stick together and watch the others get drunk and do embarrassing things. Plus, you can save me from Alice’s lady boner.”

I snickered with a resigned nod. “I guess there’s safety in numbers.”

His face lit up in triumph. “It would be practically irresponsible of you not to accompany me. You’d be throwing me to the wolves alone.”

“Fine. But you better not abandon me there!”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

My glare threatened death and dismemberment, and Ben rolled his eyes with a teasing huff as he held out his pinkie. I hesitated, feeling like an eleven-year-old child as I reached out and hooked my pinkie with his, and we both snickered.

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