Page 11 of Loved By The Bad Boy

Imani throws an arm around Mira’s shoulders. I expect Mira to disagree, but she grins. They are different. Imani is put together in her sleek ponytail and subtle makeup, but Mira is the complete opposite. Imani rewards Mira with a kiss on her cheek, and Calum covers the gap between us.

Puffing his cheeks, he pushes his face close to my lips for his kiss. I elbow him in the ribs. “Not in your dreams,” I mutter.

“Come on, baby girl.”

Who? I ignore him and finish my burger. To Mira, I ask, “What’s the name of the band?”

“Mending Hearts,” Imani answers. “We practice every weekend. You should join us this Friday.”

Mending Hearts.

I love the sound of it, so much so that I am considering it. Mom will let me go. She will agree to anything I ask her at this point because she believes I’m depressed and an outing will do me some good. Seeing Ben will do me some good, but that is a chapter I’ve closed. We are over.

Six

“What’sthe inspiration for the band’s name?” I ask Calum. I have stopped trying to get him off my back, but he is still working on getting me to like him. Our footsteps echo throughout the empty hallway as we head to our class. He reduces his pace for me to catch up, and I offer a tiny smile of gratitude. “Did someone break your big heart or Mira’s, Imani’s, Lucas’, or Sam’s?”

“Not someone, but what,” Calum answers. My lips press into a thin line. He laughs, but it lacks some of its usual warmth. I open the door and go in first. He follows. The class is also empty. Dad leaves the house early and drops me off, so I arrive earlier than most students. I don’t know Calum’s excuse, but I am grateful for his company. “Life did. So, we are mending it ourselves.”

“Nice. Maybe you will mend mine,” I mutter as a joke, but my voice comes out flat.

Walking backward, he asks, “What’s your story, Tessa?”

My brain blanks. When I recover, my mouth goes dry. I clear my throat twice. I’ll start rambling if I don’t get myself out of this situation. Calum observes me quietly. I dip my head to avoid his gaze, but it seems to pierce me. My behavior doesn’t bother him. He sets me up with a question.

“Have you ever been heartbroken?” he asks, and I fight back the silly tears struggling to appear. There will be no one to witness my embarrassment, but I force them back. It still hurts. “A boy?”

“Yeah.” My gaze lowers to the floor. Ben is not just a boy. “Can we not talk about it?”

“Sure.” I don’t recall him stepping forward, but he slips his hand into mine. For now, we share an understanding. I let him guide me to the middle row. I usually sit behind because I don’t want to get close to him, no matter his efforts. “Do you want to sit beside me today? Don’t say no.”

“Okay.”

We sit in silence while waiting for others to arrive. Calum flattens his cheek on the desk. I mimic his pose. When he smiles, his dimple appears. He has a single dimple that adds to his allure. I tap a finger on the desk, following the same beat he makes. He is constantly creating a rhythm out of everything. I haven’t heard him sing or play the guitar yet, but they assure me I will in two days.

“Have you ever been in love?” Calum asks.

Calum’s eyes close, so he can’t gauge my reaction to his question. An image of Ben pops up in my mind. His big smile as he calls me Gracie or asks for a kiss causes my heart to flutter. This distance isn’t doing me any good. I haven’t forgotten him. I’m convinced the hurt never goes away.

“Yeah,” I finally reply. “Have you?”

“No.” Eyes still closed, he smiles like he knows I’m watching him. His brows form a natural arc and are less bushy than Ben’s. His lips are full, but his lashes are as scanty as mine. Ben is hotter. To be fair, I think Ben is hotter than everyone else. “But I want to. Mira says it’s a nice feeling.”

“It is.” I smile at my hands running in circles on my desk. Ben might have broken my heart, but the memories will always be alive. Calum opens his eyes, and I dart a glance at the board. I don’t regret returning the gifts often, but when I do, it’s harder to get rid of the feeling. I should have taken them. They were mine to keep. “Love can be really beautiful if you find the right person.”

“Did you find the right person?”

Tears well up in my eyes, and the words on the board blur. I miss my Benny. “Yeah.”

“Then what happened?” Calum’s voice is too near. He must have moved his seat closer to mine.

“He stopped being the right person, I guess.”

And now, I don’t know how to be the person I was before him. I don’t know if I want to find the right person again. It’s too exhausting. Love is beautiful, but the amount of damage that may be done to you by the same person who claims to love you can be irreversible. I love and hate love.

“Will you fall in love again?” he asks.

I sit up straight. Calum does the same. His smile no longer amuses me.

---