Page 93 of Every Broken Promise
Ever since my fight with JD, it was an unspoken bro code that Astrid was off-limits. Something I did nothing to stop. Guys figured she was more trouble than she was worth because if you got her, it meant dealing with me, and no dude around here wanted the hassle, and that was fine by me. No one here was good enough for Astrid.
Would anyone ever be?
So even if I did feel some guilt for her being dateless, I knew it was better than having some date that would’ve just wanted to fuck her on prom night. Just the thought of that had my blood boiling.
Now that high school was over, and people began to move on, what hold would I have on her? Astrid wasn’t going far, whichwas great for me. Her community college was an easy commute, but that would give her new opportunities—opportunities she would never find here. What if that changed our friendship? Did it even fucking matter? Our friendship was beginning to feel like a noose that tightened with each passing day.
“It’s so embarrassing that no one asked her out.” Carrie smirked at Sam, and I snapped.
“And you think all those guys asked you out just because they wanted your company?” I bit out, and both Carrie and Sam turned to face me. “They knew you’d be an easy lay. No effort needed.”
I pushed Sam off me because even though I wanted to chew her head off, my father taught me better than that. I left the tent and walked closer to the woods, away from the crowds so that I could get some fresh air.
“Tyler!” Sam yelled after me, but I didn’t stop.
“What the hell is your problem?” she spat at me.
I stopped in my tracks, baffled that she would even ask that question “My problem? You’re the one talking shit about my best friend.”
Her perfectly made-up face morphed into an ugly snarl as soon as I said those words.
“Do you even care that I’m your girlfriend?” she questioned me, her voice losing some of the anger.
I took a deep breath as I looked at anything but her.
“What kind of stupid question is that?”
Sam let out a humorless chuckle. “I’m your date, yet I’ve found you looking at her more than once tonight.”
“I’m just?—”
“Stop with the fucking lies, Ty,” she spat at me. “I feel like a third wheel in my own relationship. No one will ever be as perfect as your fucking best friend. Do you even care about me at all?”
As angry as I was at her, I still felt like a fucking dick. When I opened my mouth to explain or deny, people started to chant.
“Drink. Drink. Drink.”
Sam rolled her eyes at me, then turned around and walked away. A part of me told me to go after her, that I needed to console her because she was my girlfriend, but the other part of me was relieved I could finally be done with this farce.
I knew I should go back, but I stayed put, looking up at the starless sky and wondering how my life had come to this.
“Mom, if you have any guidance for me, I’d appreciate it now,” I whispered into the darkness.
It had been a long time since I asked my mom for help. I used to talk to her more often when I was younger, but the more time went by, and her memory began to fade, so did our conversations. Tonight, I just needed a sign or a push in the right direction. With school coming to an end, it felt like I was at a crossroads with my friendship.
I would have stayed out there on my own longer if it wasn’t for all the shouting and booing I began to hear. I quickly made my way back to the party when I noticed the DJ had stopped playing music. Some people were already running away, while others gathered in a circle. My first thought was of Astrid, and I instantly began to scan the crowd for her.
What I found was Collin Rivers sitting down on the floor, his face red and swollen, and he was glaring at Astrid while everyone around her did the same.
“I-I-I’m fine,” he wheezed out, sounding anything but fine. “You didn’t h-have to be a m-m-meddlesome bitch.”
Astrid flinched.
Anger quickly spread through me. How dare he fucking think he could say that to her and in front of others?
Years of friendship allowed me to know all of Astrid’s tells, and I knew she was close to crying in front of everyone. I neededto make the pain stop. I needed to make this right. My Achilles’ heel had always been seeing Astrid in pain.
“Just because you couldn’t get a date, doesn’t mean you had to ruin our prom,” Sam spat at Astrid.
