Broken Hill Hurt (Broken Hill High 3)

I look away from the teachers’ stares as they start discussing what to do and pull out my phone to quickly check up on Nate.

Tora – I’m so sorry. Are you ok? I should have left it alone. The teachers have footage of the fight and you had it under control. I stormed in there and ruined it.

I lock my phone but stare down at it, willing it to light up with a reply from Nate, but it never comes. All I need is something from him letting me know he forgives me or at least an acknowledgment that he knows I’m sorry. Instead, I feel like I’m left out in the dark.

“What’s wrong?” Brooke mumbles from beside me as she watches me flip my phone around between my fingers, over and over again.

“You heard it,” I say. “Nate had it under control. He only snapped when he thought I was about to be touched. I should have stayed out of it.”

“Don’t do that to yourself,” she whispers in the quiet room with her eyes flicking around, making sure no one is listening in on our conversation. “Shit,” she mumbles under her breath beside me. “They’re coming.”

My eyes flick up to see Mrs. Kingsley and Mr. Miller walking this way. I groan to myself, watching as they put on a performance, trying to appear intimidating, hoping I’ll crack under the pressure, but I’m not the same girl I was just a few months ago. If nothing else, living with those boys taught me how to be tough.

“Tora,” Mrs. Kingsley, the drama teacher says. “You failed to mention you had such a central role in this… riot,” she says, being her usual dramatic self.

Mr. Miller rolls his eyes and steps forward, deciding to take point on this one. “What happened, Tora?” he questions, sternly.

“You saw the footage,” I remind him. “You know what happened.”

“True,” he says. “But I want your account. Jackson is a good student. Why is he getting involved with a kid like Nate?”

My mouth pops open and I fly to my feet before him. “You’re kidding me, right? Jackson Millington is not a good guy. Nate is.”

“Lower your voice,” he warns me. “Everywhere Nate goes, he brings trouble.”

“That’s bull,” I tell him. “Jackson corned him this morning. Pushed him up against the wall where he had no choice. You’re screwed up if you seriously think Jackson is the innocent party in all this.”

“I do not believe he is innocent,” Miller says. “Why’d he do it?”

I shrug my shoulders. I’m not about to tell this guy that Nate lit his car up like a bonfire. “Don’t know.”

Miller’s lips pull back. He knows I’m lying but there’s not a lot he can do about it. “Why did you feel it was appropriate to insert yourself into that? A lot of people got hurt today, Tora.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I demand. “I was trying to break it up, and it would have worked if Jackson didn’t try to get his goons to touch me.”

“Really?” he says. “You don’t think what you said had anything to do with it?” I just stare. “The bomb was already placed. You lit the fuse.” He watches me for a second before disappointment filters across his face. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, Tora, but this isn’t you. You’re a good student, but lately, your focus is slipping. You need to get yourself together, and fast.”

With that, he turns and walks away, proud of putting me in my place. I sink back down to my chair with a sigh. He’s right, though I’d already figured it out. I did light the fuse. I said things to Jackson that provoked him. Rather than trying to shut it down, I was too busy trying to shut him down. Instead, I pushed far too many buttons and because of that, a whole bunch of kids got hurt.

I hang my head but snap it back up when Mr. Miller’s voice rings out through the hall. “Sit down,” he demands.

I search for his target and find Jesse, slinking across the hall towards me. He scoffs at Miller and keeps walking until he drops down into the chair beside me. “You good?” he questions.

I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “Have you heard from Nate?”

He shakes his head and with that, we spend the next hour sitting in absolute silence.

Chapter 3

“A suspension?” I demand as I stare down Principal Watkins. “I can’t have a suspension.”

“Unfortunately, that’s the price you pay for being involved with things like this,” he says, giving me a stern look and trying to appear superior, though, it only makes him look like an asshole.

Mom slowly nods her head. She’s way out of her depth here. She’s never had to deal with this kind of thing before and to be honest, I was horrified when I realized they were going to call her. I mean, she’s putting on a good show right now but the second we get out of here, she’s going to curse me out like never before.