Page 64 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“Bad. Benny hates me.” I inspect my nails to keep from crying. But the dam breaks loose when I think I have a better grip on my tear ducts. Tears pour out of my eyes. I hiccup and wipe the snot running down my nose. “He won’t pick up my calls. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to leave without making up.”

Mom opens her arms, and I throw myself at her. She rubs circles on my back while I bawl my eyes out like a kid. I don’t want Olivia to have Ben. I want to be with him. We will get married and have kids. I’ll be a successful actress, and he will succeed in whatever career he chooses.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think Ben can ever hate you,” Mom whispers into my hair. She says this because she was not there. His heart broke, and he looked at me like I was the worst person on earth. I squeeze her as hard as I wished Ben did when I informed him about my travel. “That boy loves you.”

I break away from her embrace but stay close. My vision is blurry from the tears. I hug my knees and ask, “Are you sure?” She pats the top of my hair with a nod. “But he’s not answering his phone.”

She pushes my hair out of my forehead, and her eyes hold mine in a silent plea for me to believe her. I do. “Because he’s trying to process this, Tessa. Not because he hates you. It will hurt him. He won’t get to see you again. Well, not as much as before. It’s a huge change for the two of you.”

Yes. But we can try video calls. The distance doesn’t have to be the end of us.

“Do you think he will come around before we leave?” I don’t know what I’ll do if my boyfriend ignores me tomorrow. I also need to see Asher. Mom’s lips pull into a thin line, and the embers of hope blooming in my chest die a miserable death. There is no hope for us. “Benny hates me.”

“I can talk to him if you like,” Mom offers. I wrap an arm around her torso and place my head on her shoulder. “But that will be in the morning. What do you think? If you ask me, I’ll tell you he needs time to process what you told him. It doesn’t mean he hates you. He’s just sad or upset.”

Other teens might refuse their mothers’ help, but not me. I sit up and wipe my sweaty palms on my legs, feeling half as hopeful as I did earlier. Ben will pick up if she calls him. He adores my mother.

“Don’t shout at him, okay?”

Mom chuckles. “I won’t. Ben is a good kid.”

And a wonderful boyfriend. It’s also my fault, I should have told him earlier, but it was so hard, especially with his fears. I didn’t want him to think I was leaving him. But we can work things out. We will figure it out.

“Your dad likes him. I do too. He’s good for you,” Mom mutters. And he makes my life colorful. I grin broadly. She cups my cheeks, and her face turns serious. “I need to tell you something.”

The switch in her voice sends my heart racing. I shift to create some distance between us.

“It’s about tomorrow. There has been a change of plans.” I nod for Mom to continue. Nothing beats knowing my boyfriend doesn’t want to talk to me. She takes my hands. Is it that bad? I can’t handle any more bad news. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Your dad and I have been trying to sort this out.”

Fear seeps into my voice. “Sort what out?”

She sighs so heavily that my nails dig into my palms. “The house in New York. It is not ready.”

One. Two. Three. And I am still blank. If the house is not ready, we have nowhere to stay. If we have nowhere to stay, we cannot leave tomorrow. I snort and retract my hands to cover my lips.

Mom scared me. This is not bad news. It’s great news.

“Your dad has been staying at a hotel.” That’s a lot of money, and moving already costs enough. “The hospital is paying for his accommodation, but we can’t join him yet. We have to stay here for a month or two.”

A frown appears on her lips, and my eyes dry up at the implication of her words. We are staying. I can get my boyfriend. I need to tell Ben. Mom clicks her tongue when she notes my excitement.

“So… we are not leaving?” I ask for the sake of clarity.

“Don’t get me wrong. We are still leaving,” Mom says sternly. I am bubbling with too much joy to stay put, so I drum my foot on the floor. She places a hand on my shoulder, and my heart does a double flip. I’m staying. “But not tomorrow. I have already canceled our flights. We will join your dad later.”

Relief floods me, trampling the sadness of not seeing Dad for two months. I replay her words in slow motion. We are not leaving tomorrow. It’s not the best news, but it’s good news. Ben might be upset but will get to see me for another month or two. I will also have to tell him about NYU.

“We spoke to the principal of the new school, and he’s fine with it,” Mom says. Her words nearly dampen my mood, and my teeth ground in frustration. The man should have refused. “You will have to resume after the mid-semester break. But we would have everything sorted out by then.”

I hope not. But all I do is smile. “Get some sleep, Tessa,” she says as she slides off my bed. With the adrenaline coursing through my veins, sleep is impossible. “We will call Ben tomorrow, okay?”

Mom holds me for a moment, and a feeling of loss sweeps over me when she releases me. Her hugs are warm and reassuring. I must have inherited that from her because Ben loves my hugs.

She stops at the door. “Goodnight.”

Hugging myself, I reply, “Goodnight, Mom.”

As soon as the door closes, I whip out my phone to call Ben. Switched off. I let out my breath slowly. We will talk tomorrow, and everything will be fine. Two months is a long time together. We’ll make the best of it.

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