Page 89 of Broken By the Bad Boy

Forty-Three

Ben pecked me.

In the play, Romeo kisses Juliet on her lips. No one questioned that because we were a couple, so we didn’t think it would be a big deal. The standing ovation, the cheers. I remember it all too clearly.

They liked it. But I didn’t. I wanted a proper kiss. I also want to stop thinking about Ben. Argh. I collapse onto the bed and give the ceiling my middle finger. Why are things falling apart for me?

Next week, I’ll be at Broadway Heights. Tuesday is the last day of my suspension. The principal extended it by an extra day because I was in school yesterday for the play. Tomorrow is our final match. I am nervous. It shows in the way my arms shake when I reach for my laptop on the nightstand.

We haven’t practiced together in more than a week. Our third match was okay, but the opponents for tomorrow are trickier. They have Ben’s height and stature. It will be tough. I tap on the keyboard, and my laptop screen comes to life.

I have become obsessed with the BGC site since getting suspended. I keep checking for some sort of news, anything about Ben. I don’t like asking Noah. He gives me these pitiful, monotone replies. I hate it.

There’s a new video on the site. I don’t think before hitting play and sliding under the cover. The screen is black for the first six seconds, then Asher’s face takes over. What is he doing in our school’s auditorium? I was there yesterday but it looks different without the stage designs.

Asher is not alone. He’s on the stage with Ben on the left and Olivia on the right. As always, her face is perfect. My lips curl in a half-smile. Beneath the makeup, there are a lot of scars. How many students have gotten good at hiding their scars? I know about Noah’s. But I want to know about Ben’s. Why does he feel so alone?

I unmute the video, and Asher’s voice pierces the silence of my room. “Good day, everyone. My name is Asher Jason Carter.” He nudges Ben with his elbow. “And this is my brother, Benny.”

The crowd laughs, and Asher frowns at them like he is not the only kid in the hall.

“I’m the only one allowed to call him Benny.”

Me and him.

Sitting cross-legged, I place the laptop on my legs. “Today, I want to talk about Vitiligo.” My heart quietens. He raises his shirt to reveal his stomach. There’s barely an inch of skin that isn’t covered with big, white patches. It’s worse than mine. “It’s not contagious. It’s a superpower.”

I push my fist into my mouth to keep from sobbing, but my eyes water as he delivers a speech on my skin condition. I laugh a little when he hugs Ben to buttress his point about it not being contagious. He’s doing a great job, and if I were there, I would scream that. My mouth dries up when Olivia takes over from him. If she knew these things, then why was she always teasing me?

Olivia ends her speech with an apology. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less of yourself,” she says while looking directly into the camera. I have a feeling it is directed at me. Stupid girl.

Why can’t she apologize to my face? My chest weighs less. I am not angry at her. I just want my Benny.

Ben concludes with a note about being more accepting of people and their differences and how different can be good. I hold a hand to my chest and another to my stomach. He is right. If we were all the same, the world would be boring. I am different, so what? It’s okay to be different.

Different can be good.

Different is okay.

The auditorium erupts in a cheer, and everyone stands to clap as the three of them exit the stage. Someone whistles. The principal comes on stage, and the hall falls quiet. Everyone sits. He is talking about the effects of bullying and the consequences for the culprits when I close the laptop.

I jump out of bed. I need to speak to Ben.

The ride to his house is the shortest one ever. His bike is outside. I inhale feverishly to calm my nerves and step out of the car. I knock twice without a response. He can’t be mad at me after that video.

Shuffling from behind the door stops me from leaving. The door opens to reveal Asher. He is in pajama bottoms only. His hair shoots in all directions like he just rolled out of bed. I force myself to smile, but my heart beats faster. Why didn’t Ben open the door? Is he still mad?

He blinks. I take a step forward. “Tessa? I’ve missed you,” he says into my neck when I crouch for him to hug him. I’ve missed him too, more than I will ever know it. “Where have you been?”

“Home. I wasn’t feeling too good.” His eyes narrow. I hop on one foot, then the other. I flex my arms to show my invisible biceps, and he laughs. “But I feel much better now. Where’s Benny?”

Asher hesitates. He looks behind him like Ben is somewhere inside and might jump him if he gives out his location. I try to peek inside, but he steps outside and shuts the door to prevent that.

“He’s not here.” His innocent smile is the reason I believe him. “Are you and Benny fighting?”

I swipe my sweaty palms over my shirt, and my head bobs slowly. “Yeah. Kind of.”

“Have you broken up?” I don’t know how to answer that, so I keep staring at him. Tears rush to his eyes, and my chest constricts. “Don’t break up with Benny. I like seeing both of you together.”

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