Page 53 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“Thank you, Sweetie,” Dad says.

I shouldn’t, but I pull his cheeks, and he chortles. “No. You have to thank your boss.”

Mom must have felt left out because she bridges the gap and places a hand on my shoulder. We look up at her, and she pouts. She might be my mother, but I am not half as dramatic as her. Dad sets me down on another chair, and Mom positions herself on his lap. I knew it. Disgustingly in love.

“Your Dad already spoke to the principal of one of the schools there,” Mom says. My blood runs cold. She turns to Dad. “Honey, what’s the name of the school?” Dad doesn’t get to reply because she continues. “Anyway, the principal is an old friend of your dad, so he’s willing to have you there.”

What is she talking about? Have me where?

We have a few hospitals close to our house. Not so close, but with a car, the distance becomes shorter. Dad can come home for dinner and leave after breakfast.

“Why do I need to leave my school?” I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave Benny. I look at Dad.

“Oh, Sweetie.” She cups my face, and her thumbs brush my cheeks. “We are moving to New York.”

Twenty-Five

I love New York.It’s all I spoke about when I realized I wanted to be in the movie industry. They think they are doing the right thing for me, but it’s too soon. Ben and I are only a few weeks into our relationship.

The car behind me honks. Frowning, I glance at the driver through the side mirror. He’s pointing at the light. It has turned green. I mutter a silent apology and drive off. The excitement that’s usually present when picking up my boyfriend is absent. I stop in front of his house and honk twice without getting out of the car.

Ben comes out first and keeps the door open for Asher. Asher tells him something. They turn to me and wave. I wave back with less enthusiasm. I don’t know what Ben tells Asher, but his head bobs rapidly.

“Tessa,” Asher cries out as soon as he gets into the car. He throws his arms around me in a quick hug. The second thing he does is to put on his seatbelt because he knows I won’t leave if he doesn’t.

“Hey, Champ.” I mess up his hair. Asher tries to do the same with mine, but I’m quick to duck out of his reach. He kicks his legs out in protest. I bend my head, and he ruffles my hair. “How was your night?”

Asher beams. He tries his best to put my hair in its former style. “Great. How was yours?”

Good, until my parents happened. They have already made all the plans. Telling me was the last step. Dad spoke to his friend. He’ll take me in to start the new semester. Once it’s finalized, we will be leaving. I don’t even get to spend Valentine’s day with Ben. What about the All-Rounder? I still haven’t perfected the axe kick. What about the play? Miss Jota will be disappointed, Romeo too.

“Great too.”

“Hey,” Ben says from the backseat. He leans in for a kiss. I close my eyes briefly to soak in the warmth of his presence. Concern fleets across his face, and his gaze lingers on me. “You good?”

“Yeah.”

I pull out of their street before Ben asks further questions, but his hand stays on my shoulder throughout the drive to Asher’s school. That comforts me more than he knows, and the weight on my chest lifts. I park in front of Asher’s school. He hops out of the car, screaming his goodbyes to us.

Left alone, the nerves intensify. Ben squeezes my shoulder. “Babe. What’s up?”

He slides between the front seats and settles into the passenger seat. I bite my lip, but he doesn’t scold me. My eyes lift to meet his gaze, and I swallow the truth. I can’t tell him we only have a week together.

“Nothing. I’m nervous about our fight.”

The lie flies out easily. I must have sounded genuine or gotten better at lying because Ben coos and takes my hand between his. His thumb brushes my knuckles, and butterflies explode in my belly. He brings my hand to his lips, places a feather kiss on the heel of my palms, and another on my knuckles and wrists.

“Don’t be, okay?” I was never nervous about our fight, but saying that out loud made me jittery. We studied our opponents for the first match. We will win if we play our cards right and apply all the pointers Coach gave us. “We’ve got this, babe. We have about a week or two to prepare.”

Two weeks.

The fight is in the fourth week, on Friday night. I hope I’m still here. I nod again, and his lips split into a bigger smile. His smile elicits a grin from me. He pinches my cheek and makes kissy faces.

My hands tremble as they wrap around the steering. Ben notices. “Do you think I should drive?”

“Yes.” We swap seats. Ben grips the steering too tight and chuckles. He seems to understand my need for silence. The drive to school is quiet. Once he finds the perfect parking spot, I tell him, “Thank you.”

Chill air sweeps into the car once he opens the door without stepping out. He darts me a wary look. I look out the window to the car beside mine, and my chest deflates. We agreed on no secrets, but I don’t know if this counts as one. I place my hands on my knees as his blue eyes take in my appearance, studying me to figure out the truth.

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