The Broken Girl (Lonely Girl Book 2) (18 page)

Keegan

Seeing her fall to pieces in front of my eyes was like a glass shard being jammed into my gut.

“No,” was all Bec said.

Charlotte and Drake stand by
, not knowing what to do or say. At this moment, I don’t think there really are any words that would give comfort.

“Becca
,” Jake begs. She backs away from him and I’m surprised to find her at my side. She looks shyly at me and I wish I could read her mind. Looking into those beautiful crystal eyes, I see the pain we have all caused her.

“Let me explain
,” Jake says.

“No, Jake
, just shut up.”

Her words cut him deep and he steps back. “Becca, I honestly don’t know what we are suppose
d to say here.” Alec tries to reach her with his words. She just looks around, lost. What have we done to her?

“Well
, looks like you all have some issues to work out now, don’t you. Becca, I’d love to say sorry but… well, I’m not.” Sarah’s words are full of sarcasm.

She did this on purpose
. I can’t prove it but I know she wanted to hurt Bec. I just never thought she’d do something like this. But I shouldn’t be that surprised by the depth this girl will go.

“Listen and listen good
, Sarah. You may be off limits now.” She takes a step towards her and Jake steps in, protecting Sarah. The hurt in Bec’s eyes at Jake’s protectiveness makes me get choked up at the life we’ve just handed her.

“I see
,” Bec says, but it doesn’t stop her. “Well, one day, Sarah. One day very soon, the baby won’t protect you. One day you will see that you are nothing more than a skank who has not only ruined her own life, but that of her child. You think you’ve won, but all you’ve done is put a big target on your back. You had better pray this child is Keegan or Jake’s. If it’s Alec’s, you will have a lifetime with me and I will make every single day of it miserable for you.” The look on Sarah’s face tells me she knows this wasn’t a threat but a promise. My heart broke when she said she’d only have to deal with Sarah if it was Alec’s baby. That means that she’s done with us.

Sarah starts crying and runs into the kitchen. “Attention seeking like always
, Sarah.” Bec says loudly enough for Sarah to still hear it.

“That’s enough
, Becca!” Jake yells at her.

Without thinking
, I put an arm protectively around Bec. “No, Jake. I think you’ve said and done enough. We just dropped a bomb on her and you expect her to do what? Say congratulations?” He looks right at me and the hate I see in his eyes doesn’t make me less angry with him.

“Don’t be mad at me that you screwed this up too. Guess Jake’s not as perfect as he pretends to be.” 

“Wrong move, Key.” Jake goes to get in my face. I see Drake move away from my side to intercept Jake, but then something crazy happens.

Bec steps from beside me where she had been and is now between Jake and I. She isn’t protecting Jake.

“That’s not going to happen,” she says, with such strength it makes me wonder who this strange creature is. Jake looks mystified at her reaction, with his fists still clenched and ready to hit me.

“Leave Keegan alone
,” Bec says, grabbing my hand while never moving from in front of me. He looks like she has just slapped him but her hand never left mine.

“This is how it’s going to be.” Jake turns and storms off into his room
, slamming the door.
Charlotte steps forward but Bec shakes her head. “Let him go,” Bec says.

Drake gets up
, grabbing his keys. “I will take Sarah home. I’m thinking she’s done enough damage.” I nod at him but Bec just stares off.

“Charlotte
, you should go with him. We know she has no idea of boundaries.” Bec’s words are laced with hate.

“I wouldn’t be that mean to Drake and make him be alone with that thing.” Charlotte smiles at Bec and leaves to the kitchen with Drake to get rid of Sarah, thank
fully.

“Becca, are you okay?” Alec looks torn and I feel for him. I doubt he thought this would be what was going to happen.

“No I’m not okay, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. Guys always take the easy route. Well now you three have a huge problem.” Quickly I squeeze her hand, hoping she won’t let go. She looks to me and I see that she understands how much I need her to just be here with me right now.

“Alec, I don’t get how you could do that with her after everything she’s done to me.”

Bec is talking in anger and I feel for her. At a time like this, I wouldn’t be as calm as she is.

“Becca
, it’s not like she tried to off you or anything. She just tried to steal Keegan from you. She wanted to take love away from you. I wasn’t her goal but I was just convenient.

“Really, she didn’t do anything to me
? What do you call drugging me at a party to get me out of the way?!” She yells this at Alec before she realizes what she’s done. She looks at me, panicking.

“What are you talking about?” He looks at me and I wish Sarah was here to deal with the wrath that’s about to happen.

“Alec, can I just say that this is a really bad time to get into this, man, but Sarah gave Bec some party favors at a party to get her out of the way. It was around the time I slept with her, when we all slept with her. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to tell your parents and Bec end up being back home alone. You know she didn’t want that.”

Alec is working through it all,
and I know he wants to be mad that he didn’t know, but he’s working on his big brothering. “Becca, I wish you had told me. I wish you thought you could tell me without me going off the deep end. She won’t get away with this. Her days of having us three running for her is done. Well, at least I’m done. Until we know who’s the father and until that baby is born, I’m not doing anything. She isn’t welcome here, Key. I know you just moved back in but she can’t be around Becca…”

I cut Alec off before he can give the same speech. “Man, trust me
, I was done with her long ago. If the baby is mine, I will do whatever I can for my child, but I won’t be around Sarah. She made this a game; I’m done playing it. Bec’s feelings and her safety mean more to me than anything,” I add, to show her that I’m serious. Nothing has changed for me.

Alec looks at me and smiles
. We’ve talked about Bec while she was gone. He knows I still love her.

“Alec, I know that I hid it from you,
and I’m really sorry. All I could think about was Becca having to leave. Funny thing is that’s all I want now.” Alec’s smile drops and I assume I have the same look of horror on my face. Leave? She can’t leave. She just got back.

“Alec
, I’m going to talk to Keegan for a bit. Then I’ll head over to the dorm.”

He walks up and gives her a hug. “I’m so glad your home
, Becca.” He walks out of the house, leaving us alone. My palms are sweating ever since she let go of my hand and said she was leaving.

“Bec. We really do need you here.” She gives a sad smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I’ve learned this is when she is trying to fake it for other
’s benefit.

“You also know how much it is
to ask me to stay. School starts tomorrow so we don’t have to worry about me leaving until the end of the school year. So, since I know you will tell me the truth, what the hell happened?”

The fact that she just told me I have
eight months to change her mind makes me want to give her the brutal truth.

“Well
, you know that I slept with Sarah the night I saw you at the bar. Your brother slept with her the day before the party we all went to. Jake hasn’t said anything about when it happened, but he said he’s a possibility too. The night before you were going to leave, I was coming to see you, and I wanted to make it right. Do something to ensure that I hadn’t lost you; you’ve become my light, Bec. If I didn’t have your friendship I’d be lost.”

She doesn’t recoil from me, this makes me happy
but it’s laced with sadness. What I really want to tell her is that I loved her before the accident and I love her now. This would only cause her further pain and push her away. I won’t risk losing her forever. This, I can do, if it means I get to keep a piece of Bec.

Bec takes my hand and holds it tightly. Her ability to know what I’ve always needed from her is amazing. “I had heard about a rumor that Jake and Sarah had something happen. Don’t kill me
. I just found out earlier that day but I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought it was Sarah causing shit. I never thought Jake would actually risk that.”

She s
hakes her head and I see tears in her eyes. “Me either,” she whispers.

“I called Jake right after she told me
, asking him if it could be his.”

Her eyes snap up to mine at what I just said. “What?” I ask.

“Jake knew before I left? You told him the night before I left? Are you sure?” Her eyes are begging me to say that he didn’t know.

“Yes. He knew
, Bec, but so did I. How could we tell you this, then have you leave? You’d have never come back.” She nods in reply and my heart crashes. “We don’t know if there could be more possibilities, Bec. We were trying to talk her into doing a paternity test now.” Looking at her, I just want to hold her and never let her go. Small steps though. “Come with me, I want to show you something.” I point to my room and she follows me.

As soon as we walk in
, she spots what I wanted her to see. Looking back at us is the painting she did of us. “I know I didn’t say anything when you told us about your portrait. Honestly, I’m surprised you’re in one and not doing them. You’re so talented, but you’re beautiful too. Of course someone would want to capture that for the rest of the world. Right now I see that you’re crying and you are still the most beautiful person I’ve every seen.” Her eyes still haven’t left the painting hanging beside my bed. She slowly backs up and sits on my bed; I sit next to her and try to steady my breathing. I know if I leaned over and kissed her right now, she wouldn’t stop me. But that would be selfish with everything going on right now. I want all of her, not just right now, but always.

“Bec
, I’m not asking you to love me or to even try to love me again. But please just tell me I haven’t lost you because it would kill me if that friendship was gone.” My voice is shaky and I just want to touch her so badly. She does the unthinkable. She turns to me and kisses me lightly on my lips. I feel the wetness from her tears. I don’t do anything to deepen the kiss. I just let her have this.

“You haven’t done anything unforgivable
and you were honest with me. That’s all I’ve ever asked. You don’t treat me as breakable and you don’t hide things from me. I know you didn’t tell me because you didn’t want me to stay away. You are right, I wouldn’t have come back.”

I nod and she brings her forehead to rest against mine. “Bec, you will never know how sorry I am for everything I’ve done to you.”

“I do know, because you choose to tell me the truth no matter the consequences. You didn’t act selfishly; you left it up to me. For that reason, Keegan, you haven’t lost me.”

Whatever happens
, I won’t ask for more from her. I will be the best friend she could ever have. The tears are coming fast down her cheeks and I feel my tears follow suit. Look what we’ve gotten into, but above all, look what I haven’t lost. As long as I still have Bec, I can get through this.

Becca

Sitting in the room with Keegan brought so many things back. The way it use
d to be between us, and how easy it would be to just got back to that. So many other things I wish were dead and buried. I don’t know why I kissed him but I just felt it was needed. He’s hurting, I’m hurting, and it brought us comfort.

“Bec, those words
…your friendship means everything to me. I won’t put it in jeopardy again. These last five months have been the worst of my life. Before you left, I was done with Sarah’s games. You are more important to me than any of this. If you are happy without me in your life. As long as you are happy I’m happy. Although I’m really hoping you’d be happier with me around because my life hasn’t been the same without you.” Keegan’s words are true. This Keegan is someone I’ve just recently begun to figure out. He protects me, puts me first. Even when his own heart is left in shambles. He is someone I will protect.

“What are you going to do about Sarah?” I ask him.

He just shakes his head and brings his hands to his face. “Am I horrible if I say I don’t want to talk about her or think about a future with her? Can I just lay here with you?” If my heart wasn’t so broken, it would melt at the sweetness of Keegan. Truthfully, it does, but I’m not ready to admit it. I nod and shuffle back into the bed, lying down. He follows me and lies down beside me. He looks uncomfortable as if he doesn’t know where to put his hands. Shifting, I bring my head and rest it over his heart. He wraps his arms around me. He needs comfort, but most of all he needs truth.