Page 4 of Only When It Breaks

Bella flips her hair. “It’s probably some desperate cow just trying to get your attention.”

I raise a brow, “Like you?”

Austin is now crying with laughter. “Oof, cold, brother,” he says, fist-bumping me. “Cold.”

Bella scoffs, rolling her eyes and walking away, muttering something about me being a dick. I glance at the screen again. No new texts.

“What are you going to do?” Austin asks, nudging me.

I shrug. “Play along, I guess. Get them talking and see if we can figure out who it is.”

“And what if it’s someone weird like . . .” He thinks for a second, then grins, “That freaky girl from chemistry. The one that stinks like eggs all the time.”

I’m barely listening anymore. Because the truth is, weird or not, this mystery person has my attention.

And I kind of want to see what they’ll say next.

Chapter Two

Emmie

Saturday mornings are for sleeping in. It’s an unspoken rule in every teenager’s life, right? Next to, ‘don’t trust anyone who says no offense’ and ‘never sit in the front row unless you want to be volunteered for something’.

So, when mum rocks up to my bedroom, standing over my bed like a possessed Stepford wife, at only eleven a.m., with a takeaway coffee and a chipper smile, I groan, pulling my pillow over my head.

“Get up, we’re going for a walk.”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone outdoorsy,” I mutter through the pillow.

She tosses a hoodie onto my bed. “Come on, Em. It’s a lovely day. You’ve been cooped up all week.”

“I’ve been at college all week,” I retort.

“Fresh air and vitamin D is what you need.” She pauses, “I’ll buy you a muffin.”

I crack one eye open. “Chocolate chip?”

She grins. “Double.”

Damn it.

Ten minutes later, we’re walking through the park. It’s busier than usual, and I wonder if everyone else’s mum is a crackpot like mine. She gets these wild ideas, and we have to run with them until she gets bored. This health kick one is lasting longer than I’d like.

Kids on scooters whizz past, and a couple of dogs bark in the distance. And on the far field, a group of guys are playing football.

Mum waves at someone in that direction and I follow her gaze, freezing on the spot. No. Way. Of all the people to bump into, it had to behim.

Joel Banks is standing near the edge of the pitch, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, with one eye on the game and the other on my mother. I scan the field, immediately spotting Kai. Sweaty and in the middle of some dramatic sprint.

I glance at Mum, who’s smiling like she’s in the scene of a Hallmark movie. “Maxine,” Joel greats warmly, stepping into her space and gently kissing her cheek. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” I’m like a goldfish as I watch them, open-mouthed, unable to speak. Wondering when the hell my mum and Joel Banks were on cheek-kissing terms.

“We were just out for a walk,” Mum replies, tucking her hair behind her ear in that casual, yet not so casual, way when she’sflirting. “I didn’t know you were a football dad.” Pass me the damn bucket.

“Saturday team,” he says with a shrug. “I’m just here for the shouting and emotional damage.”Mum laughs, like really laughs, and I stare down at the grass, wondering how weird it would be if I laid down and asked it to swallow me up. Joel glances back over his shoulder before adding, “The game isalmost over, actually. Why don’t you stick around for the last five minutes?”

I open my mouth to politely decline, maybe fake a sudden death in the family, but Mum is already nodding. “We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Emmie.”

Joel’s eyes finally land on me like he’s suddenly realised I’m here. I offer a weak smile. “Sure,” I mutter.

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