Broken Hill Hurt (Broken Hill High 3)

But, as he keeps telling me, a business degree isn’t going to help him rebuild an engine.

The boys finish with their congratulations the second Tyson comes down the hall and steals their attention, leaving us girls to dote on Brylee. We step out of the center of the hallway and move against Brooke’s locker as Brylee tells us all about the information pack she received.

“So, are you going to stay in the dorm rooms or get your own place nearby?

“I don’t know,” Brylee says. “I haven’t really thought about it much, but I think I’d like to do the whole dorm room thing and have the real college experience.”

“Either way, you’ll be moving away,” Court says.

Brylee gives her a sad smile and looks away. “Yeah,” she says softly. “But not yet. There’s still ages before that.”

“I guess,” Court says as her eyes begin to well with tears. “I, um… forgot something.” With that, she turns and starts heading back down the hallway with Brylee hurrying after her.

Puck looks up as Courtney walks by him and does a double take. “Shit,” he grunts before jogging after her. “Babe,” he calls. “Wait up.”

Nate looks back at me as they disappear together and raises a questioning eyebrow. I silently shake my head, letting him know everything is fine before turning back to Brooke. “You’re not about to burst into tears too, are you?”

“No,” she chuckles.

“Good, because today is supposed to be a good day.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

“Well, stop thinking about Max and it will be.”

She rolls her eyes and presses the home button on her phone to check the time. “Come on,” she says, looping her arms through mine. “We have just enough time to get a coffee.”

“I can get on board with that,” I smile, allowing her to drag me along.

We walk down to the cafeteria and it’s strange seeing it so deserted. We hardly ever come in here before school starts, but when you need a caffeine hit, you need a caffeine hit. We get ourselves a coffee and chat about college on our way back.

“Here,” Brooke says, pulling me up the junior hallway. “We’ll cut through here.”

I nod along and she tells me all about the virtual tour she took of the college campus she’s hoping to get in to, even though she’s told me this over a hundred times. It’s always been her dream to become a vet and I can guarantee she’s going to do everything in her power to make it happen. Actually, she won’t just make it happen, she’ll keep going until she’s the best. She’s a determined little firecracker.

I guess today is universal ‘talk about college’ day.

I’m busy studying the ground as we walk when Brooke yanks hard on my arm, bringing me to an immediate stop. “Hey, what gives?” I complain as I try not to spill my drink everywhere.

I look up to find her gawking at the sight before her. I can’t help but follow her gaze and the second I do, my blood runs cold. “That fucking prick,” I grunt as I take in Maxen leaning into a locker, flirting with some girl.

“I should have known,” she scoffs under her breath as the tears instantly spring to her eyes.

Her arm drops from around mine as her whole bubbly nature completely deflates. “Go,” I tell her. “You don’t want him to see you crying. He doesn’t deserve that. I’ll deal with this.”

She nods her head and turns on her heel, hopefully, to go the long way around while I storm forward. “Hey,” I call out as I get closer.

I watch as his eyes widen at the sound of my voice. His head whips in my direction and he instantly jumps on the defense like any other guilt-ridden asshole would do. His hands fly up in innocence as his head starts shaking. “I… I.”

I’ve heard enough.

I grab him by the shoulders and ram my knee up into his junk. “She deserves so much better than you,” I seethe as he doubles over.

I continue on as I hear his grunts echoing up the hallway behind me while students either cheer or gasp at what’s just happened, though not one person dares ask me for an explanation. I clench my jaw as the desperate need to go back and really let him have it sails through me. I mean, a knee to the junk is hardly enough. That douchebag needs to suffer. He needs to be torn to shreds the same way he’s been doing to my best friend.

How dare he mess around on her like that?

The fury pulsing through me has my hands shaking and I do my best to try and relieve it as I push my way back out of the junior hallway.

I round the corner and face down the senior one to find Nate still talking with Tyson and Jesse while girls flaunt themselves around them, though all three boys studiously ignore them. If I weren’t so pissed off, I’d probably even laugh about it. Instead, I storm down the hallway and shoulder check the girl trying to hang off my man’s arm as I continue on to Brooke, who’s furiously trying to grab her things out of her locker.