Page 1 of His Fractured Girl

PROLOGUE

Sophie

“Sophie.” The whisper flutters through my mind, pulling me from the dark depths of my sleep. “Come on, Soph, open up those pretty eyes for me.” I try to lift my lids, but the weight of the alcohol is making them so heavy.

“Wake up, baby.”

They open to that word, and the room starts to spin. No one calls me baby. I’ve never been anyone’s baby. I can’t see past the darkness in front of me. For all I know, it’s my mind playing tricks on me.

“There you are.”

My vision begins to adjust, finding a set of dark eyes staring into mine.

“God, you’re so pretty.”

Or maybe I’m still dreaming because Maddock would never call me pretty. He’s dating the prettiest girl in our school. She’sthin. Beautiful. Perfect. Everyone is drawn to Presley. Me… No one even notices me when I’m not with one of the other girls. Maddock certainly doesn’t.

“I want to kiss you, Soph.”

It’s definitely a drunken fantasy invading my senses. I let myself settle back into the heavy feeling. My eyes closing as I roll to my back, wanting the dream to play out. But there’s nothing but darkness now. I can’t see his face anymore. I think I lost it. It’s probably because my mind can no longer conjure up a world even in my sleep where Maddock would be interested in me.

“Don’t go back to sleep, Sophie.”

This time there’s a heavy feeling pressing against my chest. A warmth hovering above. I pry my eyes open again and find Maddock looming over me. He’s staring down intensely. His hand softly stroking across my cheek. This feels real. Is it real?

“Am I dreaming?”

“No, gorgeous girl, but you’re probably still buzzed.”

Yeah, I can definitely still feel the alcohol running through my veins. The warmth burning in my cheeks. The most obvious tell is the mental weightlessness. My insecurities aren’t pressing at the forefront of my thoughts. I’m not worried about how thick I must feel to him. I’m not thinking about my weight at all.

“Are you going to let me kiss you, Soph?”

The tipsy feeling starts to recede as my nerves sharpen around the edges. I may not be dreaming, but he definitely is. Either that, or the alcohol is confusing him. “I’m not your girlfriend, Maddock. Presley’s over there.” We all crashed on a sea of cushions and blankets in Sarah’s basement, and it’s obvious he’s taken a wrong turn.

“I don’t want to kiss Presley. I want to kiss you. You’re so beautiful, Sophie.” His hand cups my chin, and the room suddenly feels like a furnace.

“This is the alcohol talking.” I try to shift out from under him, but it’s impossible to budge under his large frame. “You need to get off me, Maddock.” Before his girlfriend wakes up. Though, she was the first one to pass out. Her tiny frame can’t handle as many drinks as someone like me. And we all drank a lot tonight.

“It’s not the alcohol.” His deep voice rumbles across my cheek as his smooth lips slide up to my ear. I’m paralyzed in shock. I don’t know what’s happening right now. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Soph. You’re so fucking pretty.” He nibbles along the crest of my ear, and my saturated system is in overdrive. “Now that Pres and I are breaking up, I can’t deny the way I feel about you.”

Breaking up? Since when?I’ve always been told that alcohol is a truth serum, but what he’s saying has to be a lie. He and Presley have been dating for over a year. They’re so cute together. Most likely to get married. Though it did look like they were fighting earlier. I tried not to eavesdrop, but when I went to the bathroom, it sounded like he was angry with her. Something about Spencer, but that’s the only word that was clear.

“Why are you breaking up?”

“Because she knows I have feelings for someone else.”

That’s impossible to believe. There’s no way he could be ending things over me. That’s not even probable. Presley’s every guy’s fantasy. And I’m just the chubby sidekick who’s lucky enough to get to call her a friend.

“Kiss me, Soph. Show me that I’m not alone in this.”

I lean up on my forearms, looking around the room, trying to make sure I’m not hallucinating. Everyone is out cold. It looks like people literally just dropped in place and passed out. And there’s Presley. Her hair is covering her pretty face. She looks like she’s dead asleep. A steady rise and fall to her chest. Her mouth slightly parted.

“Please don’t deny me, baby.”

I turn back. His handsome face is mere inches from mine. All the smooth edges of his jawline are illuminated by the moonlight that’s shining through the sliding glass door. My system is overwhelmed. The alcohol is slowing my ability to process what’s happening. The way he’s looking at me is making my stomach flutter. Though the wings of the little butterflies are heavy and soaked with liquor. No one’s ever looked at me this way before. People treat me like their kid sister. The guys only speak to me if a teacher requires it in class. The rest of the time, I’m nonexistent. But Maddock is looking at me like I’m the one he wants. It’s the same way he looks at Presley.

Presley. Presley. Presley. My sweet friend Presley.

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