Broken Hill High (Broken Hill High 1)

“Home,” I tell him as I shrug out of his grip and try to ignore the way my body is screaming to get closer to him.

Nate doesn’t respond and Jesse steals my attention. “You cleaned our house,” he says in confusion.

“Observant,” I mutter with a sarcastic grin.

“Why?” he questions.

“Because I had a feeling you idiots were going to sleep in,” I say before turning back around and heading down the stairs.

They hurry down behind me and Nate takes my elbow again. “Wait,” he says. “We’ll make you lunch.”

“Nate,” I groan. “I’ve already eaten. I’ve hardly slept and all I want to do is go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“You’ve eaten?” he questions in disbelief.

“Yes. I’ve eaten,” I confirm with a roll of my eyes. “I’ll see you guys at school.”

With that, I walk out the door and leave them behind. I keep myself walking for twenty minutes, wishing I had my car with me. I get all the way home and the second I push through the door, I drag my feet up to my room and collapse down into my bed.

I don’t remember falling asleep but a few hours later, my phone buzzing with an incoming text has me groaning into the late afternoon. I reach over and grab the phone before snuggling back into my bed.

I bring up the message and grin at my idiot best friend.

Brooke – Holy crap, Torz. WHAT A GREAT NIGHT! Can you believe it? It was incredible! I mean, HE was incredible. I tell ya, Torz. It was ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!!!!

Tora – STOP!!!! You’re making me laugh too hard, it hurts. Believe me, I know it was all night long because I had to sleep in Nate’s bed!

Brooke – Oh shit! Sorry. I didn’t even think about that.

Tora – I figured.

Brooke – We have so much to talk about tomorrow. I can’t wait.

Brooke – Oh, and btw, apparently, Miss Pom-Pom is on the warpath! She’s coming after you. I still can’t believe I missed you bitch slap her.

Tora – Tell her to bring it!

Chapter 12

After checking in with mom and dad and saying a quick hello to Nanna, I get myself up and ready for Monday morning at school. I can’t believe it’s only the start of week two. It feels like I’ve done enough living to last me a lifetime over the past seven days.

I’ve made out with the quarterback and gotten rid of him, declared war on the cheerleaders, started living with two teenage boys, been the reason for one major heartbreak, rekindled my friendship with Jesse, and managed to have a half decent conversation with Nate Ryder during the middle of a spontaneous pool party.

This is ridiculous. This isn’t what my life is, but over the past seven days, it’s quickly becoming my new reality.

I drive into the Broken Hill High parking lot and search for a spot that’s far away from everybody in the hopes that no one sees just how bad I am at driving this hunk of metal. I mean, so far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job, considering I taught myself from reading up on google, but it’s not a smooth drive at all. Every gear change comes with a jump and I’ve slammed on the brakes more than I care to admit.

As I bring the car to a stop, I instantly find myself looking around for his car, only I never get a chance to actually find it as the warning bell is already ringing. “Shit,” I grunt. It must have taken me longer to get my ass here than I had thought.

I hurry up to the school and find Brooke just about to head to class. “Hey,” I call out, prompting her to turn around. “Wait up.”

She rolls her eyes and makes her way over to my locker before unlocking it for me to help quicken things up. I jam my stuff into it before we dash off to our class together. “What’s going on?” she questions as my eyes scan the room. I let out a breath. He’s not here, though I shouldn’t be surprised, skipping class isn’t exactly taboo for him. “You’re never late.”

“I know,” I tell her as I slide in behind my desk. “I drove the Audi, or at least, I tried to.”

“Shit,” she laughs. “Was it really that bad?”

“Yeah,” I grin. “I had to park in the furthest spot away because I’m too chicken to reverse out with cars beside me.”

“You’re such an idiot,” she laughs before quickly glancing at the people around us and making sure no one is listening in on our conversation. “So,” she says in a whisper. “I swear, Saturday night was the best night of my life.”

“Really?” I ask. “Was he as good as they all say he is?”

“Better,” she says with a flush creeping into her cheeks. “He lived up to his reputation… three times.”