Page 192 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

And the happy ending I never dreamed would be mine.

Sofia

Something was wrong.

I don’t know how I knew, but I did.

I tried to ignore it. Every time my head hurt or I woke up dog-tired or I fainted, I tried to brush it off as the anemia.

But I knew, deep in my soul, that there was something inherently wrong with me.

“Sofe, you okay over there?” Aaron asked me.

I forced a smile and flipped him off. “I’m still pissed at you.”

“If Eli has forgiven me, I figured you could—”

“You’re on my shit list until further notice, Brother.”

He chuckled. “Fine. But I get Poppy in the settlement.”

“Fine.” I poked my tongue out at him, fighting a smile.

I couldn’t resent him. Not when I saw them together, saw how happy they both were. It’s also why I didn’t want to worry them. They deserved this time together. Drama free time to settle into their new relationship.

Besides, I wasn’t ready to deal with whatever was happening to me. And if I told them my concerns, they’d tell Mom and Dad and then I’d be back in the hospital undergoing more tests.

It was my body. My life. And I’d deal with things when I was ready to—

…

…

…

…

“Sofia, Sofe… it’s okay,” my brother’s voice hovered on the edge of my consciousness. “I’m going to call Dad.”

“N-no,” I murmured, coming to. “Don’t, please. I’m fine.”

“Sofe, this isn’t normal.” His concerned gaze came into view. “They need to know.”

“I’m fine, Aaron. Stop babying me.”

“Babying you? You fainted again. You’re lucky you didn’t crack your head open.”

Our friends all watched on as Aaron helped me into a sitting position. Someone handed him a glass of water and he offered it up to me.

“Here.”

I took a sip, bringing a hand to the back of my head. I was going to have a nasty lump tomorrow.

“What’s that now? Five times since the first time?”

It was actually eight. But I wasn’t about to tell him that.

Only one person knew the truth and I’d sworn him to secrecy.

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