Page 67 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“He still loves to dance,” I quickly add to stifle the tension, and she sends me a grateful smile.

Josef also smiles. I hide a smile when he grabs Maddie’s hand in quiet solidarity. Ben notices, and his fork clatters to his plate. Fear flashes in his mom’s eyes, and she slowly eases her hand from Josef’s.

“Ben has always been a great dancer,” she says, running her fingers through Asher’s messy hair. He stares up at her in confusion but reciprocates her smile before diving into his meal. “He and this little champion here love to dance. How did you two meet?” Ben snorts, but we ignore him.

Is it a thing with parents to ask this question? I clear my throat. Ben’s hand drops to my leg. No one notices as they busy their mouths. He gives my knee a small squeeze. This is uncomfortable.

“We go to the same school,” I say. Maddie nods as if to tell me she’s aware. I have a feeling Asher volunteered that information to her. “We started talking in Drama club. He plays Romeo, and I’m Juliet.”

A familiar warmth spreads through me. It has been so long since Ben called me Juliet. Miss Jota notified us of the new schedule. Practice resumes on Monday. I can’t wait to be his Juliet again.

“Drama club?” She looks at Ben, then at me. A sad look creeps into her eyes. I hoped my answer would lighten the mood, but it did the opposite. “I didn’t know Ben had interests in drama.”

“You don’t know a lot of things about me,” Ben snaps and jumps to his feet. He slaps his napkin on the table. “Stop acting like you care because my girlfriend is around. Thank you for the food.”

Breathe. I force myself to breathe.

A pin-drop silence falls over the table. Ben’s eyes roam over everyone’s faces, as if daring them to speak back. Josef’s cheeks burn a faint pink. His mom wipes her lips with the napkin and excuses herself to get more juice. No one mentions that the jar of juice on the table is filled to the brim.

Ben taps my shoulder, and I swallow the heavy lump blocking my throat. “Babe. I’m going up. Are you coming?” I already lost my appetite, but I force more rice into my mouth. This is worse than I expected, and I’m right in the middle of it all. He squats by my chair. “Gracie, please come up.”

Josef never once looks in our direction. Asher is unusually quiet until I notice he has those new earbuds plugged in. He probably didn’t hear a word Ben said. Ben tries to take my hand under the table, but I duck. How am I supposed to follow him upstairs, knowing the mess he created?

I stare at my plate. “I think I’ll just stay here and finish my food.”

My boyfriend’s brows knot in worry. I place a kiss on his lips to stop him from arguing with me. After a moment of silence passes, he stands and wraps me in a half-hug. The contact does nothing to ease the stiffness in my joints, but I hug him back because I know he needs the reassurance.

“Where’s Benny going?” Asher asks with a pout when his big brother is out of sight.

Josef chuckles. “Upstairs.”

Asher stares at his half-eaten plate of food, at me, then at Josef. “Can I go upstairs too?”

“Sure.”

I have a feeling Josef would have refused on another day, but today is already awkward. Asher rushes up the stairs to join Ben. Tired of forcing food down my throat, I push my plate aside.

“You can join them,” he volunteers.

“It’s fine.”

We observe each other in silence. Josef looks nothing like them. He is bald, with brown eyes and slightly graying beards. The calmness surrounding him makes people want to stay in his presence and relax. Everyone but Ben. Josef takes a few more bites, pretending this isn’t bizarre.

When he can’t keep up anymore with the act, he stands. “I think I’ll go check on my wife.”

“Can I go instead?” I blurt out.

Josef eyes me. Stacking plates onto the tray, he motions to a door. “That’s the kitchen.” I offer to help him arrange the plates, but he refuses. “Tessa,” he calls out to me as I am about to leave. “I don’t know what Ben told you, but please don’t be so hard on Maddie. She’s a wonderful mom.”

I kind of believe him. I am still pondering on his words when I enter the kitchen. It’s twice the size of ours, with a big island that can accommodate ten teenagers. Maddie is by the sink, loading neat plates into the dishwasher. I cough, and she slowly turns to me. Her eyes are red, like she has been crying.

“Hi.” I raise my hand in an awkward wave. I am not sure why I’m here. Her hand goes behind her to grip the counter. “Ben is not always like this. We had a little fight yesterday. He’s still moody.”

“Oh. What about?” I frown, and she laughs. “We can talk about something else.” She wipes her hands on a towel, hops to the fridge, and pulls out a carton of yogurt. “I just got this yogurt drink. Asher loves it. Would you like some?”

No. “Yes.”

I sit by the island. She returns to my side with a plate of cookies and a glass of yogurt. “Asher says you bake,” she tells me with a smile. Running a hand up her arm, she whispers, “How’s he like?”

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