Page 43 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“For what?”

“You know what,” he retorts.

My head moves left, then right. “No, Noah. I don’t. I would like to hear it,” I say. He holds my stare head-on, but I don’t back down. If he wants to apologize, he must do it properly. We might be pen pals, but it doesn’t excuse his past behavior. My hands drop to my sides. “I’m waiting.”

“Halloween night wasn’t supposed to end that way. We took it too far,” he says. The only thing they did right that day was attack me when they did. A minute too early or late, and I might have missed Ben and walked the long distance to my house on foot. “I just came here to say I’m sorry, okay? And err… I hope we can be cool?” It comes off as a question. I shake my head. “Really?”

He laughs. Again? Jesus. “Thanks for the half-ass apology. I was better without it, anyway.”

“It was sincere,” he says. He places a hand over his chest. “It came from here.”

My shoulders sag in defeat. New year, new shit, right? I guess I can give him this last chance because of what I know now. As if reading my thoughts, Noah offers me a tiny smile, but I don’t reciprocate it. He looks much better without that scowl. Why am I admiring a guy that’s not my boyfriend? Wait, did Ben ask him to apologize? He will need to do more to earn my forgiveness.

I try to leave for class, but he blocks my path. “Anything else?”

“Nope,” he says with a stress on the p.

Anger melts into my bones. He went silent on me during the whole holiday, only to show up now and pretend we are best friends making up after a fight. To be fair, I didn’t text him either. What would I have said knowing Lett is the guy who connived with Olivia to make my life hell? Noah gives a mock salute, and I roll my eyes at his retreating figure. He can choke on his silly apology.

“What did Noah want?”

“Jesus!” flies out of my lips.

My heart jumps to my throat. Taking a deep breath, I turn to my boyfriend. His blue eyes lack warmth, and it throws me off balance. Where is the love for his babe? Yeah, no love for me since he has Olivia. I recover from the shock of his presence and school my face into a similar mask.

“You have to stop sneaking up on me like that,” I say, pushing the strap of my bag up a shoulder. A part of me hopes for Ben to pull me into a hug, apologize, or tickle me. “I… I don’t like it.”

Ben grunts. An unusual air of awkwardness settles over us. It feels like we are at the beginning stage of our relationship again. He doesn’t offer to take my bag like he would normally do. No sign of my notes either. Not like I’m reaching into my backpack for his puzzle. I didn’t bring any.

“Sorry,” he mutters.

There’s no trace of remorse on Ben’s face. No attempt to call me by a pet name. No gushing over the girl he hasn’t seen in about two weeks. He doesn’t try to kiss me. He doesn’t even smile. The least he can do is pretend to be excited to see his bland girlfriend. Well, the feeling is mutual. He can go on as many family dinners as he wants with Olivia. They are more compatible andjust friends.Hiding my hurt, I push away from my locker, but Ben drags me back by my backpack.

A startled gasp tunnels out of my mouth as my back connects to my locker door. I wince, and Ben’s expression softens. What is going on with him? His hands come on both sides of my head, successfully caging me between himself and my locker. All rational thoughts flee my mind, my heart slows its beat, and I look up to him with fear-stricken eyes. My boyfriend is scaring me.

“Benny,” I whisper, my tone lowered by the fear.

Ben closes his eyes and exhales. This is not my Benny. This Ben look-alike is acting strange. “We were not done talking,” he breathes out. “Please don’t walk out on me when we are still talking.”

His eyes hold mine. The raw, intense emotions in them startle me.

Why is he angry? I am the one who should be mad. He lied to me. A lie of omission is still a lie.

Forcing a cheeriness into my voice, I stick out my tongue. “What werewe,” I murmur, putting emphasis on the last word, “saying?” His head jerks up, but his frown remains on his lips like a trademark. My patience wears off fast. He is so annoying. I cross my hands. “Please remind me.”

Ben leans forward. His lips hover over my ear, and a shiver rakes down my back. I missed this electrifying feeling that rattles my entire being when he’s in proximity. “What did Noah want?”

I delay my answer so I can feel his body against mine a little longer. Ben lifts a brow. His fingers graze the shell of my ear, and I clear my throat. I missed this. “To apologize for being a jerk.”

“Why now?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. Maybe I do, but he doesn’t need to hear that. My heart sinks to my belly when he stops me from placing my hands on his chest. “How are you, Benny? I missed you.”

“Right.” I blink. That’s all he has to say? Alright, two can play this game. I try to walk past him, but he’s a wall of muscles keeping me from my class. My lips part in a silent protest. He places a finger on my lips, and my mind blanks. “I was at your house this morning. But you already left.”

Because I rushed to the school to avoid him. I shrug. Ben’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t speak.

“Had to leave early,” I say. The right thing would have been to inform him. “Sorry about that.”

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