Broken (28 page)

“I can't believe you betrayed me.”

“Come on. All you have, sis? You have bigger problems. Read dad's offer. Your boyfriend can't resist. I'd sell my left arm for that deal.”

“What deal?”

“Just like you—caught in the gossip, not the dollars.”

I just threw my phone down. The source of all the trouble. Everything was fine a few hours ago. I just wanted to go back to a few hours ago. Noel came over to me.

“What's wrong?” He sat next to me. I didn't know how he would react if I told him. Would he say I was different? Would he compare me to two years ago?

I just shook my head.

“Don't worry, I'm staying.”

“Forever?” I asked.

“Like marriage?”

“Like forever.” He looked away from me. Now he was shaking his head. “You've been with me for this long. I don't think I could ever let you out of my heart.” I held his hand.

“No matter what, I will be with you always. Daddy's going to try to break us apart. We can't let him. Never. Promise.”

“I won't. Not again.”

I should've been happier than ever. I was, for a few seconds. Then a clinching pain grabbed a hold of my heart. My shoulders slowly rose up to my ears.

Somehow I was able to sleep that night. The next morning, I remembered my solution. Winter. “I'm in trouble,” I texted Winter. I found a barrage of texts from Sierra, all featuring varying ways to ask if there was a secret. Apparently, she tried to pump Frenchy and turned up empty. She asked to meet ASAP for coffee.

“Can't. I might be late today.”

I kissed Noel. “I'm going to meet you back here later. Don't go anywhere,” I said. He kissed me twice.

“I'll be here.” He rolled over and went back to sleep.

I hadn't told Sierra any details yet. I had to be sure we were in total private. At school, I skipped every class I had with the enemy. Luckily Sierra texted me, otherwise I would have ditched gym for no reason. I managed to slink away from Melissa in the locker room after gym. She had started in on Cara.

“Where does she get off spreading gossip? There's a protocol to things around here,” Melissa said.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I said. I excused myself to the bathroom with my clothes. I left from the side exit.

I left study period slightly before the bell. I was one of the first people out of school. Sierra demanded over text I stop by. “Milan, you better tell me what's going on. We have to get that jerk.” I complied. I couldn't live like this.

When I reached Sierra's door, I got a text.

“Cara, the Witch of the East, is in my room,” Sierra texted. I stopped dead in my tracks.

“Send her away,” I texted.

“On it. Told Frenchy to get some fraps.”

“None for me. Don't tell Frenchy I'm here.”

“K.”

“Meet in cupboard.” I knocked lightly. The butler answered the door. He was straight out of a
Bridget Jones
movie. I smiled. I literally ran to the kitchen pantry. The kitchen pantry was the size of the guest bedroom. The twin's mom had a wall knocked down to borrow square footage from the den for the kitchen. It was like a super kitchen, complete with red and white striped walls. Everyone in this house liked stripes. The view of the Empire State Building over the kitchen sink was calming. For a few seconds.

“In pantry,” I texted.

“Did they see you?” I peeked through the cracked pantry door. No sign of Frenchy. If she saw me, she would have followed me in there. And probably would have gone ballistic because I passed her like that.

“I'm not staying long.”

“Here. I watched them walk out.” Moments later, Sierra entered the pantry.

“What happened?”

“Cara was talking about me to Melissa and Henrietta.”

“Like what?”

“I don't know.” I had an idea, though!

“Oh, my god. They couldn't tell you what she said. It must be really bad.”

“Don't say that. I haven't even thought of that. You could be right.” What if Melissa knew? “Melissa and Henrietta called Cara trashy.”

“I can't believe Henrietta took up for you.”

“I know, like is this a game?”

“Check it. I think Cara left a secret love letter for Henderson yesterday.”

“Professor Henderson?”

“Oh, my girl Doe said he picked up a note after seventh period and was completely flustered. His face went beet red. He grunted, then left the office immediately.”

“Why Cara?”

“Doe saw her put something in one of the teacher's mailboxes yesterday morning, third period. She went in just to pick up her work schedule.”

Suddenly I found myself staring hopelessly into an open box of corn starch. “Are you okay?” Sierra asked.

“No worries. Just a bathroom break.” I cracked a smile. I was too used to cracking a smile when I was blazing on the inside.

I was so angry that I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Professor Henderson had called me into his office yesterday.

I snuck into the guest bathroom at the far end of the house next to her parent's study. When I got into the bathroom, I closed the door as quickly as I could. This was way past my threshold. I was trembling and practically panting. Had Cara really done this?

I saw Professor Henderson's lips. I watched them intently, like my life depended on it. It was apparent that he was disturbed. I could tell by his disapproving looks when he answered his door. The looks in his aged eyes reminded me of the look my father gave me that last time I'd mentioned Mama. I committed a sin to speak of her.

I knew the conversation was going to stay with me. Professor Henderson was my favorite teacher from last semester. He always walked with a little slouch. His gray and white hair reminded me of my grandfather. He was always so nice to me. Sometimes I thought he knew. I didn't know how it could be possible, but he seemed understanding, like he knew.

When I sat in his office earlier, everything was different. He was brisk and curt. At one point, I stopped watching him. My mind was stuck. Was he referring to me when he said
there was a suspicion that I had cheated on my first test of the semester? Was he out of his mind? I could very well get a 98 all by myself. I thought he knew that.

“I didn't cheat! Professor, you know I've been getting 90s since last semester. I don't understand.”

“We don't want to accuse you, but we have to take these types of things seriously.”

“Well, what made you suspicious?” I asked, summoning my inner lawyer. No answers! “Why didn't you ask me this last week?” I asked.

“This is just a formality,” he said. I sat there pulling out my hair. “I have to follow school policy and ask you to take a makeup exam. Our new headmaster wants us to dot all i's and cross all t's.” He was quiet for a moment. It was like being in the
Twilight Zone
. “Between you and me, I will not count this when calculating your final grade,” he continued.

“I would never cheat in your class. I don't cheat. But I would never cheat in your class, Professor Henderson.” As if having my reputation being tainted wasn't enough, I realized I was crying when I felt the tears touch my neck. Crying in front of my teacher! The worst!

“It's okay, Milan. Don't worry. We'll set it up for next week. Understand my hands are tied.” I remembered thinking, What the heck did that mean? It was evasive, like something Daddy would say. Sometimes, even if you didn't love someone, they could break your heart.

If he only understood that I came from the airport after an all-night shoot in Miami for that test. I didn't just blow it off. I had to choose between sleeping and study for three hours on the plane. I did my best.

Cara had left a note for the headmaster that I had cheated on the exam. She's talking about me, trying to ruin me. I was just at her house! One day, I woke up and I was in a world full of frenemies. Was I supposed to pretend like things didn't hurt? Was she waiting to see me crack? I was tired of smiling. This hurt bad.

I took a long look at myself in the mirror. I was quite apprehensive about leaving. The entire time I had been standing in there, I hadn't even noticed they had redecorated. Too bad. I wanted to go home. Now!

I was so busy thinking that I accidentally bumped into Sierra's father on the way to the pantry. At the sight of me, he looked as though he had seen a ghost. “Were—were you there the entire time? The walls are so thin.” He smiled uncomfortably.

“Yes, I just had to use the restroom.”

“Okay, have a good day, Milan.” He just stood there. It was awkward. Had he expected me to say something awe-inspiring? I never knew what people wanted.

“Thank you. You too.” I didn't even try to smile.

When I got back to the pantry, Sierra was weirder than ever. “Did you see my Dad?” Her eyes stretched so large they looked as if they were going to bust!

“Yes?”

“Where did he go?”

“I don't know. I have to go,” I said.

“I'll be back.”

“I can't stay.”

“Wait!” She hurried out the pantry door.

“Home in 15,” I texted Noel.

“Sweet. Waiting,” Noel texted. My only sign of hope. I guess the world wanted something good for me. I had to remind myself, the world couldn't hate me. It had sent Noel home. Sierra rushed back in the pantry. Her aura was jarring.

“My Dad left.”

“Good.” For whom, I didn't know.

“I have to tell you something. You have to swear not to tell anyone. Frenchy doesn't know.” We were one for one.

“I'm back with boarding school boy,” I said.

“Wow!” She was disturbingly quiet for a moment. I watched her briefly slip into deep thought. I was becoming a little scared.

“That doesn't make my news any better. But I swear not to tell.”

“Don't! Otherwise, I'll disown you. At this point, you are my only ally.”

“I don't know why Frenchy likes Cara. Probably because she's like my mother.”

“Just swear not to tell and mean it.”

“I really won't.”

“Your news?”

“Wednesday. Before I get into it, my mom has my same phone. She thinks she's cute or whatever. It's candy apple and everything, just like mine. On Wednesday, before school, I couldn't find my phone. Frenchy was screaming at me about being late. She scheduled us for blowouts before first period.”

“At 8 a.m.?”

“The stylist comes in for us.”

“Why don't they come here?”

“Tell my Dad about it. He doesn't want any guys here when he's not.”

“Serious?”

“Blame it on Frenchy's hookah boyfriend. Anyway, that is not the point. I grabbed my phone off the kitchen counter. I didn't even use it until like second period. I went to text you when I realized none of the text messages were mine. The phone doesn't even have a lock. My stupid mother, who thinks she is so stealth, doesn't even have a passcode.”

“Don't say that.”

“Listening?”

“No.” I was telling the truth. Sierra rolled her eyes.

“Seventh period, I got a sext.”

“Sext?”

“Yeah. That's right. Asking if I wanted to get it in after work in my office.”

“Sort of gross.”

“It wasn't my Dad.”

“Ewu, how do you know?”

“It was signed HB.”

“Your parents work at the same firm.”

“Exactly. So does my father's partner, Herbert Briane Vanderhurst.”

“You have it wrong.”

“No, I don't. My father is not sleazy. My parents don't even get along that well. My mom is always yelling at him.”

“It could have changed.”

“It also said, ‘Keep it warm for me.'”

“Don't tell me anymore. It's creepy,” I said.

“I checked and there were no old messages. No history. If it were my Dad, she would have kept his messages. And it wasn't his cell number. Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm going to vomit.”

“What did you do with the phone?” I asked.

“I put it back on the kitchen counter.”

“Do you think she knows you had her phone?”

“I told her I lost mine. She didn't even say if she saw it or not. She told me to get a new phone. In a different color, so we wouldn't have the same phone. Can you believe that? I had that phone first!” she said.

“I have to go. They are going to come back.” I hugged Sierra.

“I sent them to the store on 81st. Don't go.”

“No way. I'm not staying another minute.”

“Take me with you,” she said.

“Noel is waiting for me at home.”

“Oh.”

“Don't tell. And if you hear anything Cara is telling other people or anything, tell me.”

“I will never let her talk about you.”

“I know,” I said. Sierra gave me a double kiss. “Go to your room and text me when it's clear.”

“I can't believe you're leaving me with them.”

“Call Cece.”

“True.” Sierra left.

It was just seconds later I received the news. “They were waiting for me in my room. Very creepy. Frenchy should know better.”

“How can I leave?” I asked.

“Service.”

“Yes, where?”

“Out kitchen, hallway on left. Door at end of hall next to den.”

We were at the arcade in Times Square. He played some games with his friends. It was my first time meeting most of them. All except the one boy from his dorm. I played my favorite games: Skeetball and basketball. And there was this Wheel of Fortune spinning
wheel that just made me feel like a winner. Every time I spun the wheel, tickets poured out. I had the touch, I guess.

“Hey, let's go,” he said. He came over to me. We maybe should've been playing together. I needed a little time by myself to think—or maybe not think. We were hiding from the usual suspects. “Yesterday, you were right. I should have come to talk to you. All this time, you were far away. Then, part of the reason I risked going to your apartment was to see you,” he said. I kissed him on the cheek. “To make up for it and start fresh. How it should have started.” He held my hand. His hand was warm and moist. He held onto my ring finger with one hand. I watched him reach in his pocket with the other.