#BreakingTheRules: Book 5 of the #BestFriendsForever Series

by Vargas, Yesenia

  Tori put her arm around me. “We’re right here with you, whatever that says.” She whispered in my ear. “But between you and me, my money’s on Wes saying he likes you…as more than a friend.”

  Ella smiled. “Only one way to find out, though.”

  Lena held up her phone. “Ready?”

  * * *

  The blog post by @WaitingForBook2 already had well over a hundred comments by the time I read it.

  Apparently, Lena hadn’t been the only one stalking my blog in hopes of something new popping up.

  I couldn’t go into the cafeteria and read the thing. Instead, I told Lena to send me the link and that I’d meet her and the rest of them in the cafeteria in a few minutes. She nodded, my phone dinging with her message a minute later. Then I found a bench outside.

  The bright light from the sun hit my dark hair, warming me right up despite the chills going up and down my back.

  This was it.

  I clicked the link, and the site pulled up.

  The blog post was short. My eyes trailed across the first line, as I began taking in the words.

  Right away, my mouth pulled into a smile.

  Hey @HPWriterGirl,

  I remember the day we first met too.

  I thought your brother was cool. Then I saw you. You were drawing a dragon or something, and I thought: she doesn’t seem like your average girl.

  I liked that. And you were really pretty. I can still see your doe-like eyes, your dark hair, and tentative smile.

  It didn’t help that you became this beautiful mysterious creature over the years, but in my mind, you were always out of reach.

  Not to mention: why would you ever lay your eyes on me? The guy next door from the dysfunctional family.

  No way. The nice girl next door deserved better.

  Then you introduced me to Harry Potter :)

  Wow.

  Is it weird to admit that deep down I was happy to have a reason to hang out with you? Get to know the quiet girl who always put her thoughts to paper?

  You know the rest of the story.

  Our story.

  Like you, I only wish we’d gone about things a little differently, especially once I realized how I felt about you.

  You know more than anyone how much your brother has been there for me, and I hated that he got caught in the middle. I couldn’t believe I’d done that to my best friend.

  But you know what? He’s a better friend than I deserve because he just wants me to be happy. Even if that means giving you and me a chance.

  Right away, I closed that door. No way. It wasn’t worth it. I couldn’t risk hurting either of you again.

  But the more time goes on, the more I realize that our story isn’t finished. I want us to keep writing it.

  - W

  * * *

  P.S. Want to read Chamber of Secrets with me? ;)

  Thirty

  Harper put her hand over her chest.

  She stared back at me from my phone screen during our group chat. “Love letters via blog posts. My heart. You two can’t keep doing this to me.”

  Tori smiled. “I know. I just about passed out when I read it.”

  I held up my phone as I sat in my reading chair, still in disbelief over the whole thing.

  I was glad that Wes hadn’t given away our identities. The entire school had found out about his blog post pretty quickly, and it had been all anyone could talk about the rest of that school day.

  But I was pretty content with it being our secret. Along with the #BFFs. And my brother. And my mom.

  As far as I knew, my brother hadn’t read Wes’s big blog post, and I hoped it stayed that way. He just knew Wes and I were making up, but best of all, we were both happy that Wes was coming home.

  We weren’t sure when, but I hoped it was soon.

  I really wanted us to read Chamber of Secrets and hang out again. But more than anything, I couldn’t wait to hug him. I missed him more than ever. And I looked forward to Wes and Hugo going back to normal too.

  After a few more minutes of talking, I said goodbye to my friends so I could head downstairs for dinner.

  Then I had to talk more college stuff with my mom. There was something she really wanted to talk about, and I was wondering what it could be.

  As I made my way down the stairs, the doorbell rang.

  Who could it be?

  I swung open the door, and there stood Wes.

  “You always knock,” I blurted out in disbelief.

  He grinned. “Thought I’d try something different today.”

  I blinked back at him, a smile growing on my face.

  I stood in the doorway, and he stood on the welcome mat, his hands in his pockets.

  How did I feel both awkward and nervous and so glad to see him, all at the same time?

  I regained my composure. “I’ll go get Hugo. Do you want to come in?”

  He stayed right where he was, shifting his weight and glancing down for a second. “Actually, I’m here to see you.”

  I blinked several times, letting his answer sink in.

  He took a small step back and said, “Is it okay if we talk for a minute?”

  I nodded, joining him outside and closing the front door until just before it clicked.

  Staring back up at him, I waited for him to say something.

  He took a step toward me, until there was only an inch or two between us. His straight nose, his mouth, was right there. “I’m sorry it took me this long to write you and come back. It was just…”

  I sighed. “I get it. It must have been hard for you.”

  He bit his lip. “The truth is I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, not since Christmas and that night under the mistletoe.”

  I broke out into a smile. “Really?”

  “Yeah, I mean, like I said, I always kind of liked you, but when I kissed you at the party, I realized it went a whole lot deeper than I thought.”

  He took his hand in mine, and I squeezed it, loving the feel of his fingers against mine.

  I took a deep breath. “So…do you want to give this a try?” I asked.

  “On one condition,” he said, a smile playing on his lips.

  One condition? “What is it?” I asked, wondering what it could be.

  “Can I finally have my copy of Chamber of Secrets?” he said.

  I started laughing, and so did he. “Yes,” I said. “I’ll give it to you right now.”

  Could there be a more perfect ending to this day?

  I turned to go inside, but Wes grabbed my hand and stopped me. When I faced him again, he closed the distance between us.

  With both my hands in his, he said, “Wait,” he said. “First, I need to do this.”

  Just like that, he put his hands on my waist and leaned down toward me.

  Reaching my arms around his neck and standing up on my tip toes, I let his mouth find mine.

  My eyes closed on their own as I focused on Wes and only Wes. His smell, his touch, the way his nose pressed against my cheek.

  “Alright, alright,” I heard.

  We pulled apart to find Hugo, my parents, and my brothers just inside the house. The door was wide open. My brothers whooped while my mom clapped and cheered.

  Hugo waved us in

  My dad smiled. “That’s enough. Come give us a hug.” He put an arm around each of us. “As if you weren’t already part of the family.”

  Wes thanked him, and my mom turned to us next. “There will be rules, you two.” Then she gave me a hug. “Oh, I’m so happy for you,” she said in my ear. Then to everyone: “I need to make some of my special cookies to celebrate!”

  Hugo, Wes, and I looked at each other with a knowing smile.

  My brothers covered their mouths, and my dad said, “For now, how about we just have dinner? What do you say, Wes?”

  * * *

  I picked up a copy of Prisoner of Azkaban from the shelf at the bookstore.

  They had the version with
the new cover, the one that was dark and more artsy. It was nice, but I went for the classic.

  This one had all the memories for me, so I grabbed that one for Wes.

  In the past couple weeks, we’d flown through Chamber of Secrets, and now we couldn’t wait to read the third book together.

  Graduation was only a few days away. Once it had hit me last semester that it was closer than ever, it had been this big black scary thing, but now I was okay with it.

  My mom and I had come up with a plan for what I was going to do after high school. My friends couldn’t wait to find out, but I promised them I’d tell them as soon as I knew for sure that my plans for summer were set.

  But that had just been one part of it. Now that I knew for sure that my friendship with the #BFFs wasn’t going to fall apart from one minute to the next, a sense of peace and acceptance had replaced the anxiety and panic that had been there all year.

  I wasn’t the odd ball in the group.

  Well, I was, but that didn’t mean that everyone was going to move on without me. We were going to move on together. Maybe our paths would diverge for a while, but I knew that sooner or later, they’d merge back together. Maybe during the holidays or summer breaks. Maybe a weekend here and there, but we had made a promise. We’d never lose touch. Never stop being there for each other.

  And that meant everything to me.

  Along with having Wes in my life as more than just the boy next door.

  More than my brother’s best friend.

  My boyfriend.

  How crazy was it say that??

  Last semester of senior year, but I had finally found my somebody, just like the rest of the #BFFs.

  And the wait had been well worth it.

  I flipped through the pages of Prisoner of Azkaban, and then I went back to staring at the cover, tracing my fingers over the title.

  Maybe, if all went well, one day my name would be on the cover of a book like this.

  Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and an all too familiar voice said, “Not reading the next book without me, are you?”

  Wes’s voice tickled my ear, and I giggled. “No. Did you find anything interesting?”

  He held up a book with a space ship on the cover. “Oh yeah,” he said. Then he nodded at my book. “But first, we read this.”

  Setting his book on the shelf, Wes took Prisoner of Azkaban from me. Then he read out loud, his arms still around me as he held the book in front of both of us. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” he said quietly. “By J.K. Rowling.”

  Then carefully flipping to chapter one, he began reading the first line. Then the next, and the next, and next, until we were well into the story, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was to have Wes.

  We’d broken the rules, but somehow, here we were.

  Reading my favorite books together.

  It was true. Things had a way of working out just the way they should.

  Epilogue

  Seeing myself in a white cap and gown, with a golden tassel hanging down on the right side?

  I hardly recognized myself.

  My mom had been tearing up before we’d even left the house.

  Then I’d arrived at the venue where graduation was being held. I’d found the stage, with tons of students already milling around and chatting like it was just another normal day.

  Then I’d found the #BFFs. Seeing Tori, Lena, Ella, and Harper in their cap and gowns?

  Absolutely surreal.

  For once, words weren’t enough to capture that moment when we found each other near the back and hugged each other like it was our last time.

  Before we knew it, rehearsal was over, and it was time to find our seats. The ceremony was long and often dull, just like I remembered Hugo’s and Wes’s being last year, but this time, I was the one leaving high school for good. Officially becoming an adult.

  Despite knowing that we’d remain friends, graduation was scary anyway. Exciting. Thrilling. And terrifying, especially when it was my name that was called out.

  Walking across that stage, I hardly heard the screams and cheers. I could have sworn it wasn’t my body I was in, but someone else’s.

  Every time I shut my eyes, though, and opened them back up, there I was. Holding a diploma and wearing a cap and gown along with everyone else.

  In a way, I knew that I’d never forget the four years I’d spent Westwood High—and I was going to miss it more than anything else in my life—but somehow, I was also ready to leave.

  A few minutes ago, I thought the ceremony might never end, and then, in a flash, the whole thing was over.

  Just like that, we were done with high school, and all we had to show for it was a flimsy piece of paper which would go into a nice frame on our parents’ living room wall.

  The entire class stepped outside, chatting loudly, laughing, screaming, and waiting for the inevitable tide of family and friends who would be demanding hugs and pictures in just a matter of seconds.

  I stared around, taking it all in and wanting to memorize every single detail.

  The sounds of laughter, the smell of summer, and the silky feel of the sleeves of my gown.

  Ella came into view. She grabbed my hand and said, “Come on! Let’s find the others.”

  I spotted Lena, who saw me too and began screaming. She had Tori and Harper in tow.

  We ran until we crashed into a giant hug, our arms holding onto each other like dear sisters.

  Because that’s what we’d become in the past two years.

  True sisters.

  Lena cried out, “I’m gonna miss you guys so much. You don’t even know. I can’t imagine every day without you four.”

  “Me too,” I said, sniffling and struggling to keep it together. I’d been holding the tears back the past couple hours, but it wouldn’t be long before I just gave in to the today’s whirlwind of emotions.

  Happiness and sadness and a million other shades in between.

  Thank goodness I had my Westwood High senior mug and t-shirt to console me.

  We took a step back, and I saw my own tears reflected back in the girls’ eyes. Harper wiped one away, and I squeezed her hand. “I only wish I’d been here with you guys for all of high school. You guys means so much to me,” she said.

  Tori nodded and looked down. “I wish we’d found each other sooner.”

  Ella gave her a hug. “There’s probably not a day that goes by that I don’t think about that night of the Halloween dance and how you guys were there for me.”

  We chuckled at the memory.

  She went on. “But you know what, you guys? We have the rest of our lives to be friends.”

  I smiled. That’s why the panic was now gone. Because I knew that now. “You’re completely right. This isn’t the end.”

  Harper put her arm around me and then around Lena.

  Lena gave us all a grin, tears cascading down her cheeks. “It’s a new beginning. For each of us.”

  Tori looked around at each of us. “You guys are the best friends. You don’t even know how much I needed a true friend, and then bam, you guys showed up.”

  Lena smiled, giving her a squeeze. “We’ll never stop being thankful for Ms. Moreau.”

  I sniffed. “Before I met you guys, I was just this weird girl, too afraid to look up from her journal and experience life.” I paused, swallowing back the frog in my throat. “Now I’m the weird girl”—that got some giggles— “but you know what? I’m not afraid to put myself out there anymore. Or go after what I want. So thank you.”

  I think they knew I was talking about Wes, but there was so much more. I took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you guys.” I took a deep breath. “I decided I’m not going to college after all.”

  They stared at me, waiting for me to go on with my bombshell. “I’m going to intern with a local author this summer. I’m going to learn everything I can from her. I’m going to reach out to bloggers and vloggers, and everyon
e else I can think of because that’s what I want to be. A writer, a blogger, maybe even make my own YouTube channel. I want to share my words with the world. Guys, I’m going to start writing my first book. It’s probably going to be terrible—”

  Lena screamed. “Oh my gosh! Rey, this is AWESOME NEWS.”

  She wrapped me in a hug, and pretty soon, I could hardly breathe with all their arms wrapped around me.

  Ella pulled back, and so did the others. She took my hands. “We’re seriously so happy for you. I knew you’d find the right path.”

  I grinned. “Thanks.” I looked at them. “It definitely feels right, and I…can’t wait.”

  Harper beamed at me. “I can’t wait to read your first book. Just watch, you’re going to be a household name one day with your talent and hard work.”

  Tori smiled. “Just don’t forget us little people.”

  “Never,” I said. “Speaking of, we should go find everyone.”

  The double doors swung open and families began pouring out.

  Harper said, “One more thing.” She held up her phone. “Selfie?”

  “Oh yeah,” Tori siad.

  We squished together, and Harper held up her phone. We flashed our smiles at the camera.

  When all was said and done and Harper had sent the picture to each of us, we got ready to go find our boyfriends and families.

  Ella called out, “Remember, this isn’t the end.”

  I grinned. “It’s a new beginning.”

  * * *

  Want one to hang out with the #BFFs one more time?

  I wrote a short story just for you <3

  Tag along on the quintuple date with all 5 of the #BFFs and their boyfriends!

  Grab it now: https://www.yeseniavargas.com/quintuple

  Author’s Note

  Hey :)

  Can you believe it?

  Rey’s story is now done!

  It’s crazy to believe that released #TheRealCinderella less than a year ago (I’m writing this in April 2019).