Page 74 of Broken By the Bad Boy

I pick up my backpack in an attempt to leave the hall, but Ben doesn’t flinch or move an inch. I take the first step in the direction of the door and stop. If he doesn’t come after me, I don’t know if I will be able to handle it. Slowly, I spin to face him. He is staring at me, gaze so tender and sad it makes my heart hurt. He stands, and I gulp hard. His stare is so intense, so sad, so heartbreaking.

Ben halts in front of me. I roll my lip between my teeth and tilt my head toward him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I don’t know what part of our conversation hurt him, but I suspect it was the mention of Josef. He hugs me, and my arms hook around his waist. I pout, blinking so fast until he laughs. “Don’t be mad at me, babe. I was only trying to help, but I guess I did it wrong.”

“I’m sorry too. Don’t be mad at me.”

Even if I tried, I could never be mad at him.

Smiling, Ben takes my hand. We walk into the parking lot holding hands. I am his ride home today. The lot is empty except for my car. Once we are inside the car, he pulls me onto his lap.

“If NYU is what you want, go for it,” he whispers. “I’ll always support you.”

“Thank you.”

Thirty-Five

We winour second match on our second month anniversary. Double celebration.

My boyfriend grins as the referee raises our hands to declare us tonight’s winner. With my mask, I can’t do much but nod when the audience renders an ear-splitting scream. We must have made many people happy, especially those who gambled at the beginning of the match. After the first round, there’s an option to withdraw a lower amount than the original. Most people never take it.

Ben throws an arm around my shoulders. We skip through the dim corridor, no longer concerned about people’s opinions. Coach joins us shortly, his grin so big and proud that I can’t help smiling.

“Made you two thousand bucks,” he says as he slaps a wad of cash on Ben’s chest. My mouth opens and closes. Ben whistles. It was his idea for us to place a bet on us, and Coach helped. We might have been willing to bet, but we didn’t expect this magic. “Good game, kiddos.”

Coach claps Ben on his back and leaves the room. He knows we are dating. After arranging the hundred-dollar bills, Ben kisses a note and winks at me. This is the laziest money I’ve ever made.

Ben connects his phone to a speaker on the table, and music filters into the room. He spins me in a circle and ends it with a dip. I laugh as we dance to an unfamiliar song. I don’t know what we are celebrating. Our anniversary or our win? But I am more than glad to be his dance partner.

There are two more fights tonight. The winner will fight us in the next match.

Ben nuzzles my neck. His hands wrap around my waist. “That right hook was…” He raises my hand to his lips and places a feather-like kiss on my swollen knuckles. “It was awesome, babe.”

“Yeah?” I whisper. I was the one who landed the winning punch in the third round.

He grins like he’s too pleased with me. I am pleased with myself. “You’re the best.”

My lips pucker, and he pecks me. A yawn escapes me. “You did good, too,” I tell him. I’m tired, but I don’t want tonight to end.

“Not as good as you,” he answers.

Ben carries me to the couch. I sit on his lap. We need a bath and a change of clothes, but we are both tired. Coach made us come earlier to watch the first match of tonight. That was his idea of a pre-match motivation.

“Babe, I applied to SAS,” Ben says. He stares at me with a soft smile, and I hide my face in the curve of his shoulder. I don’t know what to say. “Miss Jota wrote me a recommendation letter.”

Me too, but I’m yet to apply. Ben isn’t aware, and I’m not sure I’ll tell him soon. I don’t want to get his hopes high. NYU remains my first choice. My SAT results came out great, a little above two thousand. Dad knows people who know people who can help me. I stand a good chance. Miss Jota asked me to try SAS. I might, so I don’t have to lie to her whenever she asks about it.

“I’m sure you will get in,” I tell him.

Lines appear on his forehead. “I hope so.”

I shake my head. “I know so, Benny.”

On my feet, I pull him up so we can get rid of our filthy clothes. We agree to meet in the car after cleaning up. Ben leaves the room, but I’m the first one outside. Minutes later, my boyfriend joins me. He gets into the front seat and fastens his seatbelt while I drum my fingers on the steering.

A hand runs through his damp hair, which appears darker than they are. “Where to?” I ask.

He hasn’t mentioned our anniversary. I wait for him to hint at it, but he says, “The park.”

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