Page 172 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

There was a pregnant pause and then my sister said the words I dreaded most. But perhaps I needed to hear.

“Then at least you’ll know.”

I hid out in my room for the rest of the day. Aaron didn’t text or call, not that I really expected him to. He was too good at closing his feelings off, and despite everything that had happened, I knew he’d be ashamed of himself for everything that went down.

So I busied myself with homework, trash TV, and stretching. Competition season was right around the corner and I needed to be ready. Because gymnastics was my one true constant. It would never let me down or disappoint me.

It would never break my heart.

Mom and Dad checked in on me, offering sage words of advice and a batch of freshly baked muffins. But I hadn’t wanted to talk about it, no matter how good the muffins were.

So, when I heard Aaron’s voice downstairs, I almost freaked out. I slipped off my bed and quietly cracked my door open, trying to catch the odd word.

Then I remembered I was in my ratty, well-loved lounge pants; and holey tank top, and went into a panic. I didn’t want him to see me like this.

Crap.

Maybe when Dad called up to me to let me know Aaron was here, I could make him wait while I got changed. Keep him on his toes. A devious smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

But when he didn’t call up to me, my heart sank. Surely, Aaron hadn’t come by to apologize to my dad and not me.

I quickly grabbed my cell phone off the desk and texted Sofia.

Me: Did you know Aaron’s here?

Sofia: He is? I thought he was out with Cole.

Wow, okay. It was nice to know he was off hanging out with his friends while I was holed up in my room trying to think about anything but the events of last night.

Me: So you don’t know what he’s doing here?

Sofia: Coming to beg for your forgiveness I assume.

My heart squeezed. I wanted to believe that… So why the hell hadn’t Dad called me yet?

Me: I don’t think he came to see me.

Sofia called me and I hit answer, closing my door softly. “Hello,” I whispered.

“Why are we whispering?”

“Because Aaron’s downstairs and I don’t know what he’s doing here.”

“So go down and find out,” she said.

“What? No! I can’t make the first move. Besides, what if he really didn’t come to see me?”

“Poppy, are you listening to yourself? This is you and Aaron. He’s there to fix things. He wants to fix things.”

“H-he does?”

“Of course he does.” She let out a dramatic sigh. “He was a mess this morning. You two really need to sort your crap out so we can all move on with our lives.”

“And what about your crap, huh? Crap with a certain brother’s best frie—”

“Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it. I was drunk. It was the liquor talking.”

“Mm-hmm.”

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