The Broken Girl (Lonely Girl Book 2)

by Wilson, Gracie

  “Hey, guys,” I say, happily.

  Alec comes up and hugs me tightly. “Sorry, Becca. I must of lost track of time. Let me take you right over to the dorm and get you settled in.”

  Looking over my brother’s shoulder, I see Jake and Keegan watching me. “Alec, what’s going on here?” He doesn’t say anything.

  “Becca, let’s get your stuff in Alec’s car. You must be exhausted,” Charlotte says. Drake is standing next to her and I can’t get a read on him either.

  “What is going on here, and why are you trying to rush me out of here? I get that I’m not Keegan’s biggest fan but that was five months ago. I can be an adult about this. We are all going to have to be around each other now with school and hockey season,” I say to everyone.

  “Well, I’m so glad to hear you say that, Becca.” The voice makes my hair on the back of my neck stand up. I look to Drake first and he is just looking at me with such pity. Sarah just walked in and I wish that were the only shock. Her hand is on her belly.

  “She’s pregnant,” I say.

  Sarah laughs and just shakes her head. “Well, aren’t you so smart.” Her voice makes me want to hit her and I take a step forward, but Charlotte gets in my way.

  “Becca,” she warns.

  “So, I hope this answers why they were trying to rush you out of here. They’ve been arguing for days about how to tell you this,” Sarah snickers.

  A light turns on in my head and I realize the only way her being knocked up would affect me is if it were Keegan’s. My heart plummets. I’d love to say my summer away made the love I had for him disappear, but it didn’t. This is the final nail in the coffin for him though.

  “Okay, so when I said what’s going on you were trying to figure out how to tell me Keegan knocked up Sarah. Well, it’s none of my business what goes on between them, since he’s moved on and so have I.”

  Both Keegan and Jake look to me at the same time. “You’ve done what?” They question me in unison.

  Charlotte saves their feelings. “Relax, unless she met someone in the last ten days, she didn’t mean there was actually someone else.” I wouldn’t have been so nice as to spare Jake and Keegan’s feelings. Keegan screwed up all on his own. Jake, although we barely talked in the last month, even before that, it was just small talk.

  “Well, there was her professor,” Drake adds. Charlotte elbows Drake and I glare at him.

  “Your professor?” Alec says.

  “Drake is being a little over dramatic. My professor did ask me out once after classes had finished.” I emphasize once so that my brother starts breathing again before I continue. “I said that it wasn’t the right time for me to be getting involved, but that doesn’t mean I won’t. It just meant I wasn’t ready. I worked at one of the galleries his work is in.”

  Drake starts laughing at the quietness around me. “Really if that kills the mood, let’s drop the other bomb right now, Becca. Tell them about the painting.”

  I cringe because I know this is going to be an issue. “Well, not that it’s anyone’s business but he painted a portrait of me and it became quiet an important piece to his collection. It’s being showcased in a collection that’s touring right now.” Jake and Keegan are watching me closely. Alec just looks confused until he seems to move on from this.

  Jake looks at me oddly. “What were you doing in the portrait, Becca?” Drake starting chuckling hysterically again and I make a mental note to kick him later.

  “None of your business.” What I did in Europe is no one’s business.

  Sarah is giggling and I look to see her on her phone. “Well, Becca, aren’t you the little hottie.” Everyone looks to Sarah. “What I just googled her program and they have it on here what her professor is showcasing. Then once I clicked it, I could see his work.” Keegan grabs her phone from her. When he looks, his face goes red. Jake and Alec follow suit, looking at her phone.

  “Before you three have an aneurism, you can’t tell it’s me and nothing is shown,” I say, hoping to make everyone relax.

  “You are naked,” Alec says.

  “No, my back is to the picture so you can’t see my breast or my bottom, which is covered by the sheet.” Keegan is silent and it’s a good thing because he has nothing he can say.

  “You got naked for your professor who asked you out, but you wouldn’t go on a date with him. Think you have that backwards, Becca. He should buy you dinner before you get naked for him,” Jake sneers.

  “Jake, really. I thought that out of everyone, you would understand the beauty of her portrait. It’s beautiful and I am so proud of her. You have no idea what it took for her to do this, and the fears she had to overcome,” Charlotte defends.

  “No, Charlotte, it’s fine. He’s allowed to be angry. But maybe if he had talked to me about what was actually going on in my life, instead of small talk, he’d have known,” I shoot back.

  “Alec,” I say softly. My brother needs to understand this.

  “It’s beautiful, Becca. I know you would never do something if it was of ill taste,” he says. I hug him. Alec will always be one of my biggest supporters, but he’s tied with Charlotte, of course.

  “Keegan, I know this will be awkward but if you and Sarah are happy, then that’s all that matters.” Keegan goes pale and quickly looks at Jake before looking back at me, but I still notice.

  “So no one is going to tell her,” Sarah says. I back away from them all; they all know something and are hiding it from me.

  “Bec, I’m not with Sarah.”

  My heart sinks when I look at Jake.

  “Becca, we didn’t know how to tell you. We wanted to figure everything out first.” No, not Jake.

  “You are with Sarah. What the hell! I went to Europe and came back to an alternate reality.”

  I saw his confusion. “No, I’m not with Sarah.”

  “Okay, now I’m just confused.” My heart has recovered to the shock it felt when it thought Jake and Sarah were together.

  “Bec, I could be the father,” Keegan states. I’m not shocked because I knew they had slept together.

  “Becca, I may be the father.” My brother then says.

  “What?” My brother has moved in front of me. I turn away from them right into Jake’s arms and he hugs me. If Alec is the father, I will never be rid of Sarah.

  “Oh, come on now… let’s not forget the best part, Jake,” Sarah laughs.

  My head looks right up into his eyes, begging them to tell me something.

  “Becca, I love you.” My heart seems to be dealing because those words make me hopeful.

  “I could be the father too, Becca.” Just like that, my heart is shattered on the floor by Jake’s words.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  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 supposed 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, thankfully.

  “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 shakes 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 i
n, 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.

  Chapter Twenty-Three