Page 87 of Because I Liked A Boy
On my way. Five minutes. Hold on, Belle.
The words blurred as fresh tears stung my eyes. Five minutes had never felt so long. My chest heaved, sobs tearing loose despite every effort to hold them back.
When Ruby’s car finally rolled into view, relief hit so hard my body sagged. Somehow, I stood, clutching the bunny tighter, and stumbled toward the open passenger door.
Ruby’s face was pale with worry, her voice sharp. “Belle get in.”
I slid into the seat, the bunny crushed in my lap, tears still hot on my cheeks. As the door slammed shut, the weight of it all sank deep in my bones.
Hunter Hayes had broken me.
And this time, I wasn’t sure I’d survive putting the pieces back together.
Broken Pieces
Ruby hadn’t left my side. She was curled up on the other end of the couch, half-watching the reality show she’d insisted on putting on, half-watching me like she thought I might shatter if she blinked. Maybe she was right.
I was wrapped in a blanket, knees pulled to my chest, Hunter’s betrayal still a raw wound beneath my skin. I’d stopped crying hours ago, but the ache hadn’t dulled. It just sat there, heavy, pulsing, filling every breath.
Ruby shoved another handful of gummy bears into her mouth, chewing loud on purpose. “You know what the cure for heartbreak is?” she asked around the sugar.
“What?” My voice was hoarse.
“Trashing complete strangers on reality TV.” She pointed at the screen. “Look at that guy. He’s definitely cheating by episode three.”
I let out the smallest laugh, and Ruby gasped theatrically. “Oh my god, was that a laugh? Did Belle Ashbourne just laugh? Someone call the papers.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, but my lips tugged upward anyway. Ruby grinned like she’d just won a battle. “Progress.”
The comfort lasted all of three minutes.
The phone buzzed against the table, an unfamiliar number flashing across the screen.
I froze. My chest tightened, the sound already sinking claws into my nerves. Nothing good ever came from unknown numbers.
Ruby frowned, mid-bite. “Don’t answer it.”
But my gut twisted, and against my better judgment, I swiped to accept.
“Isabella.”
My stomach dropped at the sound of that voice. Smooth. Cold. I hadn’t heard it in months, but it still slithered straight through me like poison.
My father.
“What do you want?” My voice cracked, thinner than I meant.
He chuckled, dark and sharp. “Straight to the point, I see. No hello for your father? No ‘how are you?’ That’s fine. Let’s talk about your sister instead.”
My breath stopped, skin prickling like I’d been dunked in ice water. “Penny? What about her?”
“She’s fine,” he drawled, dragging the word out until it sounded like a threat. “As fine as a fifteen-year-old can be when her big sister abandons her. She’s been asking for you, Isabella. Crying for you at night. Do you know what that’s like? Listening to her beg for the sister who ran?”
The words gutted me. Because Penny wasn’t just a name anymore. I’d spent nights with her after Nathan’s funeral, letting her lean against me, listening to her chatter about school, trying to be the sister I’d never had the chanceto be before. She had looked at me like I mattered. And then I’d vanished.
“Don’t,” I whispered, gripping the phone tighter.
“Don’t what? Tell the truth? You’ve left that little girl in my house, under my roof, while you’re off fucking around with gutter trash in Maplewood.” His voice hardened, each word like a blade. “First Nathan, now Penny. You destroy everything you touch.”
