Page 100 of Every Broken Promise
My tone was serious, and Luna took notice because she instantly became more alert.
“You said you heard about what happened to me at prom…” I began to say tentatively. When she tilted her head, I kept going. “Do you think I’m being petty for not making up with Ty?”
She bit her lip as she thought it over.
“What happened was kind of fucked up. Not that you did anything wrong. You saved Collin’s life that day. Yes, it sucked prom was ruined, but that skank blaming you and everyone else being little fucking sheep didn’t make things easier for you. Teenagers are petty, and for a lot of people, that night was going to be the highlight of their lives, and instead of blaming themselves for allowing things to get that far, they blamed you.”
All I could do was nod since I had gotten to the same conclusion. High school was peak for a lot of people, especially in small towns, and to those people I was an easy villain.
“As for Tyler…” She hesitated, but her eye contact with me didn’t waver, and I knew what she would say was going to hurt. “He was stuck between his girlfriend and his best friend. With a friendship like yours, I imagine lines might have blurred. He wasa teenager, babe, and he was fucking Sam and not you. That was his girl.”
My throat got tight at her words, and my eyes stung.
Sam was his girlfriend, and I was just his friend.
“But I think the aftermath of that night is what you should take into consideration. Tyler choked that night, but he did drop Sam right after, and if the rumor is true, he gave Collin a beating as soon as he got out of the hospital.”
My eyes almost bugged out because Collin was not the fighter type. All of this was news to me, mostly because I refused to let my parents tell me anything that had to do with the Kanes after I left.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
I might not know where we stood in all of this, but if that was true, then I owed him an apology for what I said yesterday.
Since I was already out, I decided to head toward the auto shop. Even if Tyler wasn’t at work, he would be home.
Damn, Rachel, for getting her shit sorted. It left me without caffeine when I could have used some after the shitty night I had.
Once I had everything written down, I said bye to Lupe. Luna followed me, because she had to go to work soon. That’s when I realized I had spent most of the morning with her, and it was nice. By the time I left the store, I noticed quite a few people were out and about in the town square. I didn’t rush to my car like I usually would, instead I took in the rest of the shops and decided it was time I integrated myself back into this town. If I was here, it was for good, and if people still didn’t like me because I saved someone from dying, then that was their prerogative.
When I got in my car, a bittersweet feeling washed over me. I remember getting my car after graduation. Before our fight, I used to be excited that I would have my own set of wheels, so I could drive over to the Kanes’ whenever I wanted and notdepend on my parents or Mr. Kane’s truck. The only time I passed by Tyler’s house was once—on my way out of town.
What seemed like a camera flash had my head snapping up, but it must’ve been the sun caught on a shiny reflection because I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. At this point, I was probably looking for excuses not to drive over to the Kanes’.
Here went nothing.
When I pulled up, I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. My hands gripped the steering wheel as if stopping me from letting go and getting out. I knew walking through those doors would mean change—a change I had not been ready to embrace.
Change was scary, but staying stagnant would be disastrous in the long run. I didn’t want to look back once I was older and regret being too cowardly to have one conversation—a conversation that was a defining moment in my life.
Ezekiel was at the front, which was usually odd because he preferred not being around people.
“Hey.” I waved shyly.
He didn’t say much, but then his lip twitched, and his eyes did a once-over of my outfit. As he did that, I looked down at myself, and then I remembered I was a hot mess, but I was already here, so there was no turning back.
“Go easy on him,” he said instead of greeting me. “For Ty, it’s always been you.”
My throat constricted, and I felt a bit nauseous at his words. To be honest, it wasn’t something I wanted to hear. Why did he pick other girls over me if it was always me?
The answer was just on the other side of the door, and I needed to be brave enough to ask it. I waved at Ezekiel and kept pushing through.
I didn’t see Tyler at first, but I did recognize his truck. After a once-over, I saw his legs peeking out from under the vehicle.
Slowly, I made my way over, then used my foot to tap his leg. He slid out from under the truck, and we stared at one another. My pain was mirrored in his own eyes.
“Beautiful,” he said hoarsely as he quickly got up.
“I’m ready to talk.”
