Broken Hill Hurt (Broken Hill High 3)

Mr. Miller looks up and groans to himself. “Fuck me,” he says under his breath before addressing Nate with a sigh of resignation. “Sit your ass down, Nathaniel. Page 89.”

Nate salutes him and walks by my desk. His eyes lock on mine as he places a brand new coffee down on the corner of my desk, replacing the one he realized I never returned with before. ‘thank you,’ I mouth.

He bends down and kisses me, gaining even more of Mr. Miller’s annoyance and cuts behind my chair. I expect him to take the seat behind me as he’s done since the start of senior year, except, without Brooke here, he takes the seat beside me and rests his arm across the back of my chair.

Nate turns back at Mr. Miller and nods. “Right, I’m ready.”

Chapter 8

Tora – Be ready in ten minutes. We’re picking you up whether you like it or not.

Brooke – No! Go away!

Tora – Tough shit. It’s Friday night. You’re not moping in your room all night. I’m taking you out and were having a good night. NOW GET YOUR SORRY ASS DRESSED!!!!!!

Tora – Love you.

Brooke – Fuck you! You’re a dirty swap turd!

Tora – Nasty frog fucker!

I let out a relieved sigh. Job well done. Brooke and Max officially broke up on Monday afternoon and she’s spent the last five days living in her own filth, refusing to leave her room, and drowning herself in her own bubble of depression.

I mean, no matter how hard Nate clocked Max in the jaw, it will never take away the sting he left on Brooke’s heart. He completely shattered her through and through. She had fallen hard for him and he proved us all right; he’s a no good, sleazy player.

I warned her at the beginning that he wasn’t a good guy. He’s like an older version of Jesse but then he asked her out and they were amazing together. Now, it’s all blown up in her face. She wasn’t expecting it. In fact, none of us were. He made me trust him with her and I’ll never forgive myself for that.

She deserves a guy that will give her the world, not one that will leave her alone on New Year’s Eve. It came out on Wednesday that he was actually with some girl that night, just as he’s been the whole way through their relationship. He played Brooke like a puppet. But what really makes me sick about that night is that we were sitting in the grass near the back of the property and apparently Max was in the bushes behind us, screwing some chick from Haven Falls Private. He could probably hear me and Brooke talking.

“Is she coming?” Nate asks as he pulls up out the front of my house in Jesse’s Range Rover

“Yep,” I tell him, walking around to the passenger’s side and opening the door.

Jesse looks back at me as though I’ve grown a second head. “You’re kidding right?” he grunts, refusing to give up his spot. I mean, he’s already lost the keys, now he’s about to lose the front seat entirely.

“Dead serious,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “I’m not sitting in the back of my own car.”

“Please?” I beg. “I’ll introduce you to this girl from my History class.”

He scrunches up his face. “What was her name?”

“Brittany,” I tell him. “I heard she’s double jointed and a dancer so she’s flexible.”

“And if I say no?”

Nate’s fist punches out and instantly gives Jesse a dead leg. “Then I’ll move you myself,” he warns his brother.

“Fine,” he groans. “But I want Brittany and all her friends,” he tells me as he jumps down from the front seat.

He stands before me and I reach up on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “You got yourself a deal.”

With that, he steps around me and climbs in the back as I haul myself up in the front and lean across to kiss Nate. “I’ve never heard of a Brittany,” Nate grunts as he hits the gas and drives back up my long driveway.

“I know,” I tell him before grinning back to Jesse in the back seat. “That’s because she doesn’t exist.”

“What?” he roars in outrage as he slowly shakes his head, completely devastated. “I knew it was too good to be true. A double-jointed dancer. Damn.”

A laugh comes bubbling up and I have no choice but to let it free. “I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“You owe me, big time. In fact, tonight you’re my wing woman. Everywhere I go, you go.”

“No way,” I shriek. “I’m good, but there’s no way I can keep up with you. Besides, I’ll be babysitting Brooke and making sure she doesn’t drunk dial Max.”

“You’re right. Brooke should be my wing woman.”

“What? No.”

Nate squeezes my hand. “It’s not actually a bad idea.”