Breaking Hearts (B-boy #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  “Wow, tell me how you really feel,” I said in a strained voice.

  “You wanted me to help you, right?” he asked in a soft tone.

  I wanted to tell him it was his idea to begin with and that his fear of that stupid jinx was still at play, but the sincerity in his expression rendered me speechless.

  I gulped. “I just don’t think there’s anything wrong with what I’m doing. Don’t fix what isn’t—”

  “Broken, I know.” His waves bounced as he tilted his head back and forth, as if he were trying to think of something else to say. “Maybe we’re not fixing it per se, but making it better.”

  “Same thing.” Had I said it out loud? I couldn’t tell. I was too entranced with the way the spotlight above reflected off his normally dark brown eyes, making them appear more bronze in color.

  I shifted awkwardly, tearing my gaze away from him. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right?”

  “Judging by the fact that you had two new photos on that fridge, I’d say you’re already learning.” Shit, why did he have to look so cute whenever he teased me?

  “I know I definitely learned never to have another one-night stand.” I saw an opportunity and I took it…then again, maybe I shouldn’t have.

  “Oh? And why is that?” he asked, curiosity dripping from his tone.

  “They never do turn out how you think they will, right? In the movies I would have jumped a cab and been done with it.” I pushed my hair back and sighed. “Who would have thought that weeks later, I’d be sitting here with you dissecting what I’m doing wrong with my number one passion?”

  “Life isn’t the movies, Mallory.” His pupils dilated and I swear his stare was physically burning into me.

  “Are you going to say it’s even better? Because you do know at this point in a movie, we’d be running from some supernatural creature and probably scrambling for wands.”

  Asher’s chest rose and fell in a hypnotic rhythm. His breaths seemed quicker and deeper. “Did you know that you have a few speckles of green inside your iris? I noticed it the night…uh…” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “Anyway, I just never got a chance to let you know I thought it was pretty.”

  Pretty.

  It was ridiculous how just one compliment from Asher could turn me into a thirteen-year-old again. Biting back a giggle, I replied, “It’s funny. I was just thinking of your eyes too.”

  “Oh?” He arched an eyebrow in interest. “What about them?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. They just seem brighter today.”

  In my head I imagined him saying something cheesy like, it’s because I’m with you. But even I knew that was just plain ridiculous.

  Asher reached out and grabbed a stray lock of my hair, which had fallen across my face. He pushed it back, murmuring something about it blocking my eyes, but I couldn’t pay attention to any of that. I knew deep down that he was going to try to kiss me again and this time he would succeed!

  My breath hitched in anticipation. I felt my body being pulled into his by some unseen force. His gaze dropped, eyeing my lips with a hunger I could only imagine was as strong as mine. When our lips were must mere centimeters away…

  “Oh! I didn’t know there was anyone in here.”

  Like a vinyl record screeching to a stop, the moment was completely ruined. We pulled away like two kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. I was sure both our faces were identical masks of embarrassment as we turned and found Sarah and Damien staring at us.

  They were definitely not amused.

  I quickly turned to jump off the bench, accidentally elbowing Asher in the temple with a thump. I heard him groan, but was too mortified that my professor had nearly seen me get my groove on to apologize.

  Sarah turned toward Damien, placing a hand on his forearm and made a crack, “And we wonder why her playing is choppy. Her attention is definitely elsewhere.”

  Damien whispered something to her that I couldn’t hear, which caused the smile to wipe off her face. I just wanted the moment to be over and didn’t even want to ask what he said, even though I was a bit curious. Nothing ever got rid of Sarah’s snarl. At least it never had before.

  “I…I’m sorry. We were just leaving.” In a full rush of adrenaline, I grabbed onto the back of Asher’s arm and pulled, nearly knocking him off the bench and onto the floor. In an impressive move that I could only chalk up to him being a b-boy, he twisted mid-air and landed gracefully on his feet. I kept my head down, skipping down the steps of the stage when Damien’s voice cut me off.

  “Miss Carmichael.”

  I skidded to a stop. “Yes?”

  “The sanctity of this music hall does not condone such frivolously perverted behavior, do you understand me?” He glanced over at Sarah, whose face seemed to lack its usual bitchiness. “If you take that passion and chemistry I saw up there and place it into your music, then I think you would have been a contender for that solo spot.”

  “But you’re not,” Sarah interjected reminding me that the bitch didn’t go so far after all.

  I looked down at my feet and nodded. I hated being scolded and reprimanded, especially in front of Asher. Maybe this was how he felt every time he lost a battle. No wonder he was desperate to break the jinx.

  “Hey, Mallory is plenty passionate about her music, and I would bet good money that she’s even better than your plaything over there,” Asher barked from beside me.

  If there was a hole I could crawl into…

  “Asher,” I hissed, glancing at Damien in fear. “What are you doing?”

  I was pretty sure my knees were knocking really loudly at this point, but Asher didn’t seem to notice, or in the very least, care. Nor did he seem to notice the look of pure horror etched on my face. “I think that if you gave Mallory another shot, she’d blow you out of the water.”

  “She’d blow something all right,” Sarah muttered, loud enough for us to hear. Though Damien tried to hide it, I could make out the twitch in his upper lip.

  “If you really want to talk about blowing something, you really don’t have to look too far, am I right? I’m sure Sarah is the ultimate teacher’s pet.” Asher narrowed his eyes at Damien, causing Sarah to suck in her breath loudly.

  I shut my eyes, mortified beyond belief. Asher may be able to walk away from SDU easily, but I was still a student.

  “Asher, what are you doing?” I whispered through chattering teeth.

  “All this shit talking is every day in my life, baby. I know how to handle it,” he whispered back.

  Baby.

  I was too scared of Damien’s reaction to even notice his sly use of the word.

  I gulped. “I’m sorry, Damien. We’re leaving.”

  “You do know that accusations of student/teacher relationships are very serious, right?” Damien was fuming to the point that I thought I could see smoke coming out of his ears.

  “Lucky for you I’m not making that accusation, am I? A bit presumptuous of you to even assume so…unless you’re guilty of something.” Though I refused to look Asher in the face, I could almost hear the smirk in his tone. He was definitely smug, but at what price?

  “Son, what is your name?” Damien snapped angrily.

  “Son? You’re like only, what? Ten years older than me?” Asher threw back his head and laughed. “Are you sending me to the Dean’s office or what? Sorry, but I don’t even go here.”

  “Don’t go here?” Damien placed his hands firmly on his hips and tapped his toes. “Then son, you are trespassing. I can call security and—”

  “Like I said before, we’re leaving.” I shot Asher an angry look. “We are definitely walking out that door.”

  “Wait,” Asher interjected.

  I shut my eyes and threw my head back. “Seriously?”

  “Look, I don’t handle shit talking well, excuse my French.” He flashed a pointed look in Sarah’s direction. “If you want to deal it out, then be prepared to suck it back.�
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  I knew he was throwing innuendos in there on purpose and I wanted to punch him so hard for it. Sarah appeared as if she didn’t know who to throw daggers at; her gaze bounced between us repeatedly. Asher bit back a chuckle and lifted his chin. “Mallory is working hard, and she has an awesome original piece that I think you should hear.”

  My eyes widened in horror. What the hell was he doing?

  Begrudgingly, Damien looked over at me suspiciously. “Original piece?”

  I remained silent but Asher pushed me forward and hissed, “Now’s the time you should talk.”

  “Shut up,” I growled at him.

  “There’s my girl.”

  Once again, I was too mad to even notice the term of endearment.

  I swallowed, with a sudden intake of breath. “Uh, yeah. I’ve been working on it on my own. Away from class, I mean.”

  “Wasting time so that her piece for orchestra sucks,” Sarah interrupted.

  Maybe it was Asher rubbing off on me, but I was so sick of Sarah’s bullshit. Like that mean girl in high school, she was only as strong as her clique, and I’m sorry, but Damien was about to go down as well.

  I pulled away from Asher and growled at her. “I’ll have you know that I do not waste time when it comes to piano. I have worked hard, and unlike you, I have the creative aptitude to compose my own original pieces. If Damien gives me to time to play it for him, I’m sure your solo would be mine.”

  A beat went by before I heard Asher clapping softly behind me.

  He would.

  Damien’s angry expression softened before turning into manic amusement. “Oh? You really think it’s that good to be the main solo? You do know my reputation rides on that solo. This whole spring performance is my baby, after all.”

  Sarah stiffened. “What are you doing, Damien?” she asked cautiously.

  “Though I doubt you’ll impress me as much as you’d hope, I’m willing to listen to that piece.” He lifted a scrawny finger and pointed toward the piano. “Shall we do it now?”

  “Damien!” Sarah cried out in shock.

  Before I could reply, Asher stepped forward, waving him off. “We were still practicing.”

  “So she needs another week? Another month?” Damien exchanged a quick glance with Sarah, once again allowing her to relax into her usual snarky self.

  “Give her a few days. We'll be ready.”

  “We?” Damien grunted and shook his head. “And who are you again?”

  “Asher,” he replied curtly.

  “Pianist? Violinist? Conductor?”

  “B-boy.” He puffed out his chest and smirked.

  “B-boy?” Damien replied slowly. “What the hell is a b-boy?”

  Sarah broke out into laughter. “He dances, sir.”

  Sir? I wondered if she called him ‘daddy’ behind closed doors.

  “I know music, sir.” Apparently Asher’s mind was going in the same direction. He grinned. “Give us a few days and just wait and see.”

  Damien paused for a second and then nodded. “Fine.”

  “Fine?” Sarah gasped loudly. “She’s playing for my part and you say, fine?”

  “I always like the competitive nature in music, and I’m curious what Asher thinks he can teach Mallory that I can’t.” He looked down at Sarah and gave her a confident wink. “Which right now I think is nothing.”

  Asher stepped forward, but I pushed him back and shook my head. Luckily, for once he listened and stood down.

  “You have three days.”

  “I can work with three days,” Asher replied confidently. “Especially since she’s near perfect.”

  Did he really think I was good? Or was he just mad at Damien?

  “You have until Thursday. And oh, Asher,” Damien called out.

  “What?”

  “Don’t step foot in my building again until then if you know what’s good for you.” With that, he and Sarah turned toward the door and walked out, their angry whispers echoing behind them.

  Chapter 26

  Asher

  She was pissed—pissed off beyond all rational belief.

  I couldn’t help myself. Where did that prick, Damien, have the right to put her down like that? Especially since that bitchy girl, Sarah, obviously had pulled some trick to get where she was. She was nothing but a second rate wannabe who stole Mallory’s chance for the spotlight.

  Mallory walked silently beside me as we wove through the crowd of students toward the parking lot. From between the campus’ trees, rays of sunlight trickled in, intermittently flashing light against her smooth, albeit flushed, skin as we passed by them. Braving a glance in her direction, I couldn’t help but kick myself for not kissing her earlier.

  We were so close. We were just about to lock lips, and instead I froze up, and by the time I realized my mistake, we were rudely interrupted.

  Shit.

  “So are we going to talk about what happened in there?” Mallory barked, snapping me back to reality.

  “I…” I sighed. “I’m sorry. I just get so mad when people take advantage of others like that.”

  “Take advantage?” she repeated incredulously. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s obvious that Damien and Sarah took advantage of your unwillingness to speak up, and that’s why Sarah’s name is going to be front and center on that program and you’re not.”

  “Hey! I’ve spoken up before,” she exclaimed.

  “Is that why you were going to run away so easily?”

  “I…I was just embarrassed because…because…”

  “Because we were going to kiss?” I asked bluntly, eyes darkening.

  She visibly gulped. “Well, yeah…”

  “And that was bad because?” I asked incredulously.

  She came to a halt and threw me a shocked look. “For obvious reasons!”

  “Obvious reasons?” I repeated, feeling hurt and irritation creeping through my veins.

  “Yeah, I mean…it was mortifying.” She shuddered as if to make her point.

  “Then it’s a good thing we didn’t kiss, huh?” I snapped, fueled by rage and embarrassment.

  “Wait, what?” Her head snapped in my direction. Where did she come off looking all hurt when she was the one who was just saying how mortifying it was to kiss me?

  My jaw clenched as I replied through gritted teeth, “No use adding to the jinx, right?”

  Mallory was the human version of those ellipses people use in text messages. I waited patiently for her to speak again, only to wish I’d just walked away when she finally said, “Seriously? You’re back at that again? I thought we were finally done with this stupid jinx idea.”

  “I was never off of it!” I lied, letting my pride get to me. “That’s why I was helping you out, remember? To cure it?”

  She grunted. “You should just go back to Bria, then. Throw some more of your stupid Hollywood money in her direction.”

  I flinched. She really knew how to hit below the belt.

  “Do you really mean all that?” I asked cautiously.

  “If you’re trying to train me or whatever it is you’re doing to be more confident and win this pseudo-piano battle, forget about it. I’ll do it on my own.”

  “And how are you supposed to do that? I’m the one who signed you up for that contest.”

  “Exactly!” she shot back. “I am so mad at you right now…why would you think I’d want to spend any more time with you when you just ruined my life?”

  “The same way you ruined mine, right?” I said with a huff.

  “Jinxes are fake!” she screamed. “When are you finally going to get it in that head of yours that there is no such thing as jinxes?”

  By this point an audience of nosy college students had gathered around, filming us and snickering. I was astounded that Mallory hadn’t noticed, or if she did, she was too wound up to care. Maybe that was the secret to her getting over her stage fright. She needed to be angry.

  “Mallory,
” I said as calmly as I could, despite still feeling the pangs of rejection. “I got you into this mess and I’ll get you out of it. We will train, if not for you, and not for me, for us. Okay?”

  Mallory looked around, and as if she had just noticed the growing crowd, she blushed and began huffing off.

  “Mallory, wait!” I pushed past the crowd, who were undoubtedly thinking up new hashtags for us.

  #AsherSucksBalls was a good one.

  She turned abruptly and shot me a death glare. “Are you sure you can stand being near me? Given that I’m a jinx and all.”

  If only she knew I wanted nothing more than to have slammed down the top of that grand piano so that I could have thrown her over it. I’d take her right there, right in the middle of that auditorium. We’d make our own music.

  My cock twitched, but now was definitely not the time. Especially since she looked as if she could poison me with one look.

  “Mallory,” I said as gently as possible. “I’m sorry for what I did back there, but I only want to help you out. Please…let me help you.”

  She pushed her bottom jaw forward and bared her teeth. “Fine. Only because I want you to suffer as much as I am right now.”

  Too late for that.

  I straightened my shoulders. “Sounds good to me.”

  ***

  Gerald had taken his car that day, so I had gotten to SDU by cab. However, after my whole blow up with Mallory, I felt as if I needed some time to think. Opting to walk home, which was a good hour trek easily, I meandered the streets, and as cliché as it sounded, I contemplated my life. Speaking of which, when did my life come to resemble a bad music video?

  The seagull’s caws reverberated around me, and as proof of how off I felt, I didn’t even care if its shit landed on me once again. Though the dry evening sun beat down on my shoulders, the California breeze was oddly still that day, allowing the stench of dried grass, mulch, and hot dirt to fester around me. But once again I noticed none of these things, all I could focus on was a certain blonde haired paradox.

  Blunt, but soft spoken, shy but headstrong, Mallory was a person I have come to terms with never figuring out. It was hard to believe I’d just met her a little under a month before when I felt as if I’d known her forever.