Page 12 of Only When It Breaks

“So did you,” Henry reminds me. “Add that to your little speech.”

“Like I said, I didn’t post it. Besides, it’s doing good for me, have you read the comments on TikTok?” I ask, grinning.

“Meanwhile, I’m practically being hung, drawn and quartered.”

“Yeah, you could still remove the post,” adds Henry.

I could. But I have a sneaky suspicion that somewhere, Emmie is probably sipping tea like she just dethroned the entire monarchy. And a part of me feels proud.

“Who are you right now?” snaps Austin, bringing me from my thoughts. “Are you so desperate for attention, you’re gonna leave those posts up?”

I shrug. “I haven’t decided. Anyway, I’ve got stuff to do, so . . .” I nod towards the door.

Austin grabs the door handle, face twisted with betrayal. “Good luck getting back in the group chat.”

“Oh no,” I deadpan. “How will I cope.”

They storm off, and I shut the door, leaning my head against it with a sigh.

Me: Ouch. You’ve gotten me into some trouble.

Stalker: Define trouble, because from what I see, you’re a hero.

Me: My friends disagree.

Stalker: Your friends are dicks. Do better.

Me: You could do my rep some serious damage. I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Stalker: You’re enjoying it. If you weren’t, you’d be angry I still have your phone. Andrather than flirt with me over text message, you’d report me to the police or your dad.

Me: So you know my dad’s an officer, and you still don’t care. You’re handling stolen property.Little Rebel.

I smile, changing the name in my contacts.

Little Rebel: How did it make you feel, seeing that girl upset after your friend mocked her?

I think over her words.

Me: I didn’t give it much thought. But, in hindsight, it was wrong. It was a dick move.

I wait a beat before adding.

Me: Now, can I get my phone back before you do any more damage?

Chapter Five

Emmie

Ava is staring at me with wide eyes. She’s the only girl our age without social media, but for once, I’m glad.“That’s why people are whispering,” she hisses, glancing around.

I grab her hand and force her to look at me. “They’re laughing athim, not you.”

“Are you going to give Kai his phone back now?”

I shake my head. I didn’t reply to him last night. He deserves to wait. But when I do answer, it’ll be a firmno. There are still so many lessons he needs to learn, and I’m enjoying teaching him.

Then, the tension shifts. A hush falls over the corridor like a wave, and clapping starts. Girls start cheering as Kai strolls in. My mouth falls open.

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