Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart

by Ashley Andrews

  Lucas nodded.

  Mallory continued, "Do you remember the things I said about Sicily back then?"

  Lucas didn't need more than a minute to look back into the past since he distinctly remembered Mallory telling him that Sicily took drugs, slept around, and had apparently made sex-tapes. Out-of-nowhere, he felt a burning desire to curse Mallory since he knew something was coming up. Something both of them were going to regret.

  "Yeah, she took drugs and made sex tapes, right?" Lucas said casually although on the inside, his rage was starting to build up. "What are you hiding, Mal?"

  Mallory wanted to tell Lucas, but if she did, she knew he was going to hate her forever. She’d kept everything inside of her for so long. Of course, Adriana knew what she’d done, since she had helped Mallory ruin Sicily Carmichael's reputation for all the students at the middle school, and for everyone at Marina. Sicily had to go to school out of their district. But Lucas, Zack, Tanner and the rest of the school didn’t know the whole story. They were oblivious to the more essential parts.

  "I made up everything I told you, and everyone else," Mallory confessed quickly.

  Lucas could only stare in amazement at the girl standing beside him. He knew Mallory was one of the bitchiest people he had ever crossed paths with, but he would never have believed her to be such a big liar. He had no idea that people would go to extremes. Even he wouldn't that.

  "Why the fuck did you do that?" he asked, his voice low, soft and serious. "There must have been a reason."

  "Just ask her."

  "No. You tell me now."

  "You're going to hate me," Mallory said, keeping a firm stature even though her heart was breaking. At the moment she just felt like locking herself in a room and crying.

  "I already do."

  Mallory knew that he was going to find out the truth anyway, so she decided to just get it all out, no holding back, no hesitations. She would just tell him everything. "We both liked you during that time, and I knew that I was way out of her league," she said, stepping closer to Lucas. "She was prettier, smarter, sexier, more attractive, more liked. She was the perfect girl, the perfect girlfriend. It was safe to say that you guys were going to like or even fall in love with each other."

  "And so you made up all that stuff about her?" he asked, trying to control his temper. "So you could have me all to yourself?"

  "That was the plan."

  "And you succeeded," Lucas answered. "I hated her with a passion, the way she acted. She thought she was above everyone else, and I thought that she was worse than all of the bimbos I knew combined."

  Mallory, stupider than what other people thought her to be, even had hope that Lucas was still going to forgive her, but that was because she didn't let him finish. He still wasn't done letting out all of his emotions to her. He was going to clear things up today with Mallory and even with Sicily later on.

  "But now," he said. "It seems like were the bimbo."

  "Lucas, no…"

  "You made her life a living hell. She had to change schools, friends, get therapy for crap sake. Jesus, Mallory!" Lucas wanted to hit something.

  "Didn't she make yours worse?" she then tried. "You're injured. You can't play the one sport you love. You can't do the things you used to do anymore. When you're out, people look at you weirdly. Isn't that like hell itself?"

  "Are you seriously comparing and injury that will take a few months to heal to what you did to her? Seriously? Mallory you are despicable. And Sicily has been beside me all the way. Who helped Sicily through the hell you put her through?" But he knew the answer to that question. Zane. And maybe Bailey. That is the connection that he’d sensed between those friends, the closeness and the willingness to go through hell together. In a much smaller way, it was what Sicily was doing for him, for his injury, and his parents. He then replied venomously. "Sicily has been the one with me on this trip through hell."

  Chapter 13: Trespassing Territories

  The clock's hands were like turtles in an ongoing race, slow and annoying, and it was making Sicily sleepy to say the least. AP Physics was making her eyes close, not only that, but her teacher was talking a mile an hour. Leaning forward on the desk and resting her head over her crossed arms, she decided to take a short nap. After a few minutes though, the ear-splitting sound of the dismissal bell rang throughout the building.

  She made her way towards her locker, and to her surprise, she saw Bryce leaning on it. She watched him turn his head until he saw her. He abruptly straightened up and pulled on his white Abercrombie and Fitch cotton polo before he dug his hands into the pockets of his washed out jeans.

  "Hey," he said meekly, watching her shove her book into her locker. "You look stressed with school."

  Sicily looked at him and could only stare. He had no idea. "Not only with school."

  Bryce knew what she meant. He was stressing her out with the pregnancy talk, and he hadn't meant to go off at her at Starbucks, but he was dead tired thinking about the future. He was afraid to tell his parents, afraid that when he did that they would turn their back on him. He wanted to apologize and get it over with.

  "I'm sorry about a while ago," he said, looking away from her. "I didn't mean what I said."

  "Right," Sicily replied, rolling her eyes. "You were just being funny?"

  "No, I was being an ass." Bryce shook his head before he put an arm around Sicily's shoulders and led her out of the building. They headed over to the gym since that was where they usually met up with the rest of the group whenever there was basketball practice. He tightened his grip on her and tried to tell her through actions that he was being honest. He just wanted his apology to be accepted, but apparently Sicily thought differently.

  "Why are you holding me so tightly?" Sicily asked grinning. "Last time I updated my MySpace profile I put myself in the Single category."

  Bryce couldn't help but laugh. He let go of her and said, "I'm just really sorry. I didn't mean it when I told you to shut up."

  "How about the, calling-me-a-bitch, part? Or did you forget that?"

  Bryce smirked. "I'm not denying that," he answered winking. "You know you're a bitch."

  "Damn right I am," was her reply, and in return, he squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

  They smiled at each other in a way friends would when they had a certain mutual understanding that didn't need any words. After a few moments though, Bryce let go of Sicily's shoulder.

  "Are you going to impregnate her too?"

  Sicily and Bryce turned around and noticed the familiar tall, dark, and mysterious figure of Lucas Mercer. His face was void of emotion, and his presence at their school was a total surprise. They showed their shock by opening and closing their mouths, nothing was coming out, and they didn’t know what to say. Sicily felt like a fish. What was he doing here?

  "Why are you here?" Sicily asked in disbelief and confusion.

  "I want to talk to him," Lucas answered, pointing towards Bryce. "Your girlfriend came to see me a while ago."

  "Mischa's not my girlfriend,” was Bryce's automatic and regrettable reply.

  Lucas shook his head before he curved his lips up and smirked to himself. This was unbelievable, he thought. Who knew the brain-dead population of Florida went to Sun Coast instead of his school? "You do know that what you just said made the whole situation worse, right?"

  Bryce decided to defend himself. "Hey, man, don't play the Virgin Mary here. Last time I heard you broke a million hearts yourself."

  "Thanks for the compliment," Lucas returned, smiling in mockery. "But you do know that Africa's populace is already inflicted with the HIV virus? Don't add to the global issue, keep your STDs to yourself."

  "I will when you finally decide to mind your own business."

  "Mischa's my business."

  "And Sicily is too?"

  Sicily turned her attention to them when she heard her name being used. What was Bryce up to, she thought. She couldn't believe it. Lucas was actually at her school a
nd was talking to her friends. Well, maybe talking wasn’t quite the word for it, but still, she never expected him to step foot at Sun Coast.

  "What the hell does that mean? We were talking about you and Mischa."

  "I know what you're planning to do with Sicily," Bryce added, and this statement of his intrigued the person being talked about.

  "I don't even know my own plans, so it would be great if you could enlighten me."

  "Don't play me, man," Bryce said. "Or, her either. You're just using her by staying at her place."

  "Sorry, but I can't understand the language spoken by bastards," Lucas said, rapidly getting irritated with his exchange with Bryce.

  What did Mallory and Mischa find in this jackass? Bryce thought. And worse, why would Sicily want to be friends with someone like him?

  "I knew you were uncultured."

  "No," Lucas quickly said. "I just don't lower myself to be able to communicate with primitive assholes like you."

  "Now that's original."

  "And I bet it hurt your manly pride," Lucas said, letting out a laugh which annoyed Bryce all the more.

  Sicily could literally feel the tension rolling off the two guys. For the past few minutes, she had carefully watched the verbal sparing, but if they were going to go for each other’s throats, well, she needed to intervene. She stood up from the bleachers she had been sitting on and stepped between the two guys. She reached her arms out to her sides and rested a hand on each of the guys' chests. She could feel their uneven breathing. More so, she couldn't stop thinking about having Lucas' shirt against her hand. His chest was going up-and-down, up-and-down, and it was a touch she wouldn't mind feeling again.

  "You've brainwashed her," Bryce said in a tone that sounded like he was blaming Lucas for something. "Get your chest away from her hand."

  "Go to an ophthalmologist and get your eyes checked," Lucas retorted. "She placed her hand on my chest."

  "Whatever," Bryce said rolling his eyes. "Why did you come here? Bored of your school now?"

  Lucas flashed his signature smirk, the one that made every girl believe in love-at-first-sight, before he thinned his lips. He then looked down at Sicily who was staring back at him as well. She was trying to tell him something he couldn't comprehend. He wasn't a girl. He couldn't understand those telepathic messages chicks sent to one another.

  "Bryce, stop it," Sicily said in a forceful tone. "Now."

  "Why the hell are you siding with him?"

  Sicily stiffened before she let out a grunt. Zane and the rest of her group, Bryce and Lucas excluded, were by the bleachers, discreetly listening to the argument. She could feel their intense gazes.

  "I'm not siding with anyone," was her defensive reply. "Just stop and shake hands."

  "Over my dead body," Bryce sputtered.

  "Thanks for trying to help solve overpopulation," Lucas interjected, smirking to Bryce's further annoyance.

  Sicily saw Bryce curl his fist up into a ball and before he could do anything drastic, she took Lucas by the arm and pulled him away from the other guy. She then turned to Bailey and the rest of the group who were currently laughing at some inside joke she hadn’t heard.

  "Bailey," Sicily said, letting go of her grip on Lucas. "Practice. Field. Now."

  "But I thought practice today was here at the gym."

  Sicily's lips formed a thin line, and she could only stare at Bailey because of her momentary idiocy. Even after a few seconds, Bailey still didn't understand what her friend meant, and so, Sicily had to ditch the discreet approach and say, "Unless you want cheerleading to be cancelled for the entire year, due to a probable death match if we stayed here, I suggest you gather everyone and bring them to the field."

  "It's muddy," Bailey said in response as she swept her strawberry blonde hair off her shoulders. "I'm wearing shorts."

  "Come on. The soccer team's practicing," Sicily reported.

  "You can stare at their abs or something," said Vanessa.

  Despite the ongoing talk and suspicious whispers about Lucas, he still bent down to whisper something into Sicily's ear. With his breath hot on her skin, she stayed silent to keep herself from saying anything stupid.

  "Your friends are amusing," he said, his voice barely audible. "And so are you."

  The group whispered among themselves, and at Lucas’ actions their shared conversation got louder and more heated. Sicily still couldn’t hear it, but she had no doubt as to the topic of conversation. She placed a firm grip on Lucas' wrist to tell him to stay away. Unfortunately, he got the wrong impression, and in return, rested his good hand on one of her shoulders.

  "Don't touch me," she said, looking away.

  "Why? Because of the whispering?"

  She only nodded in return.

  He leaned in, almost taking her in his arms, so he could do some whispering of his own, "I know what Mallory did to you."

  Sicily stiffened and Lucas felt the reaction against his chest. She tried to maintain her placid stature, but with everyone's eyes trained on the two, she was starting to lose it. She could handle gossip about her, no matter the severity, but not with Lucas around to hear what was happening.

  "Which time?"

  Mallory did a lot of things, so she didn't know what he was talking about. She only hoped that he didn't know about what happened during their Middle School years. That was a part of her life she wanted to completely forget about, but was of course impossible to leave behind.

  "She told me about th-"

  "I thought you wanted to talk to Bryce," she butted in when she got the feeling that she was going to regret something if ever she let Lucas talk. "That's what you came here for, right? For Mischa?"

  "Partly," he answered tersely. "But I also want to talk to you-"

  "Then what are you waiting for?"

  Before he could figure out a way to keep her talking, she had turned around, and was dragging him back towards her group of friends. They all looked up expectantly.

  The girls giggled in interest while the guys smirked in arrogance since Lucas was in their territory.

  "Bryce, you two have to talk," Sicily said, trying her best not to roll her eyes. "And I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

  "What else is there to talk about besides the pregnancy?" he said, standing up and leaving a pack of blonde-haired and big-breasted cheerleaders. "Let's get this over with."

  Bryce started walking towards the gym exit, and surprisingly, Lucas followed without protest. After a while, their figures completely disappeared from Sicily's view. She let out a sigh of relief before she clapped her hands and told everyone to start practicing.

  "Go to the field now!" she shouted. "No excuses!"

  * * * * *

  Cheerleading practice was worse than all the other practices she had ever held, combined. For some reason they just couldn’t pull the pyramid together. At this pace it would take a week or more to pull everything together and competitions would start soon.

  In addition, some of the members of her squad were starting to complain, telling her that the soil was rough on their knees and that they didn't have enough energy to run through the whole routine. She wanted to shout at them, except that she couldn't. Why? Because Lucas Mercer, with a smirk on his face, was watching her squad as it suffered under the sun. He was beaming at her, and in acknowledgment, she gave him the middle finger. He let out a laugh.

  "Ass," she said, rolling her eyes in irritation. "Who knew this is what I would get just for breaking someone's arm."

  She then kicked the dirt beneath her shoes before she looked up and told everyone to try the pyramid again. After a while, a friend of hers walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Oh, come on," Lily, a red-headed and petite woman, said to her. "He's damn hot. I'm sure he's not so bad. Actually, he's not bad at all."

  "Wait until he opens his mouth."

  "Oh, why? Bad kisser?"

  Sicily had to stop herself from laughing hysterically.
Either Lily was acting dumb or she’d been born stupid. She preferred the former thought.

  "That's not what I mean, Hun."

  "Then what?"

  "Just figure it out for yourself," she said, not wanting to have to explain during practice.

  An hour passed and almost everyone was cursing because Sicily made the squad dance the routine a million times. She would have given them a break and let them rest, but they truly sucked. They were off today, unsynchronized, and their facials were pathetic. Only Bailey, Vanessa, Lily, Lacy, a few of the male cheerleaders, and Sicily were correctly doing the routines.

  The rest of the squad, as much as she didn't want to admit, was shitty. After a final run through, she dismissed all of them. Without staying around to chat, all the girls ran to the locker rooms, while the guys got their duffels bags and headed to their showers.

  Lucas waited patiently for Sicily to come to him, but when she didn't, he called her name. “Sicily!”

  "Need something?" she asked without turning.

  "I'll meet you at the car."

  She turned and frowned at him. "And who said you could ride with me?"

  Lucas smirked that ever-knowing and forever arrogant smirk of his before he said, "Your punishment for breaking my arm is far from over."

  Sicily rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me."

  She left him and ran to the locker rooms. She showered, dressed, fixed her hair, and put on all her make-up, before heading to the parking area. As expected, she saw Lucas leaning on the hood of her car. He brightened up the moment he saw her and she instinctively smiled in return.

  "Took you long enough," he said, waiting for her to unlock the car, and when she did, they opened their doors and sat on their respective seats.

  "I meant to make you wait," she teased as she turned the engine of her car on. "So what did you and Bryce talk about?"

  "We didn't."

  She looked at him. “What?”

  "We didn't talk," was his reply.

  In protest she said, "But I saw you two leave the gym together!"

  "And then we separated when you couldn't see us anymore," he said, his smile shining like the sun.