Perfectly Broken

(7) Betrayal's A b***h

[For Mature Audiences]

"What?" I asked.

Mom's wide eyes have been tracing me for a long minute since I entered, pausing cutting green onions in the kitchen. Alec was beside her, chopping up red peppers, fixed on not cutting himself to notice me. I ran a hand through my hair in case of gum, patted myself down like a cop, found nothing, but then—

"Oh no," I gasped, slapping a hand over my neck.

Her face shined like a star in the night sky, a smile spouting on her face. I hadn't seen her this happy since I get my period and became a 'woman.' "My baby girl got a hickey!" she exclaimed, catching Alec off guard.

"A what?!" he barked, dropping the knife on the counter.

Mom bounced like a cheerleader in glee, prying my fingers off my neck to get a good look, but I stepped away, embarrassed. "Who's the lucky boy? Oh, I thought you'd never get a boyfriend!"

"Mom!" I whined, taking another step back. Redness enflamed my cheeks, blushing, while I could see Alec's doing the same—in anger. He brushed his hands off behind mom, crossing them after with a glare directed at my concealed neck.

Mom just accepted this like it was a gift from God. "What? I thought this guy was killing off your chances of a man." She pointed at Alec with a sneaky look, trying to look like she was trying to hold her tongue.

Alec looked offended, his jaw dropping. "Linda!"

She chuckled and I rolled my eyes, finding it uncomfortable that they were now having a debate about my hickey and love-life. "Oh please, Alec, you're on my daughter twenty-four-seven, fighting off any potential suitors, yet you can have all the pretty girls you want." She smirked, daring him to say something.

He was dumbstruck, his mouth still opened but only air came out his pretty lips. She was right, I never had a boyfriend because Alec was a leech, threaten guys to back off. But he had Brooke—ha-ha, not for long. "I'm protecting her. Guys aren't easy to trust, they might try to taint her."

I scoffed, "Taint me?" at the same time mom said, "Taint her?"

Alec's looked down now regretting he said that, hiding his face beneath his dark locks of hair in shame. "I didn't mean it offensively," he muttered, averting his gaze. His brown eyes flickered up at us, hoping we weren't angry. I was still wondering how I could be tainted...besides not being a virgin...too late. "I mean, I've been protecting her from bullies since elementary school and in high school, bullies come in different forms and they might her hurt. Do you want your baby girl to come home with a broken heart?"

You're the only reason I ever have a broken heart, I wanted to snap but held back.

Mom sucked on her bottom lip a moment, eye darting between him and me before sighing. "Of course not. But you should loosen the reins, maybe she wouldn't have to date and get hickeys behind our backs."

That got Alec back on the situation at hand, the irritation returning. "About that hickey..."

Mom jumped in happily. "Who's my future 'you better take care of my daughter 'cuz mama has a gun'-in-law?"

I rolled my eyes, walking past her to grab Alec's arm. "Nobody! I just...it's not...let's just say it's not what it looks like."

She gave me a 'yeah right' expression, scoffing as she returned to cutting the green onions. "Mama Knows! And you're going to have to spill or I'll hold off on your college tuition."

I groaned, dragging Alec's upstairs, slapping his hand when he kept trying to brush my hair back to get a good look. When I pushed him into my room and closes the door behind me, more exhausted than I should have been, I caught my breath tiredly. Alec took a seat at my computer table, eyes still trained on seeing my hickey.

"So, you going to speak or am I going to have to turn Sherlock Holmes on you?" he asked scornfully.

I glowered at him, zipping my jacket up to my chin. "That's unnecessary." I sighed, composing myself, taking a deep breath, looking at him with apologetic eyes. He cringed at the drastic change. "Speaking of Sherlock Holmes, Watson has completed her mission...and you're not going to like the outcome." The color flushed from his face, gulping down a lump in his throat, and it shattered my heart to see the anticipation. I didn't want to show him knowing it would cause him so much pain, so much heartache.

Slipping out my cell phone, I walked cautiously towards him, flipping to the video. I felt a strain in my chest, a soreness in my ribs that this was happening, that I was about to hurt my best friend, but Brooke hurt him first. I was just exposing it, the awful messenger. Silently, I handed it to him, pressing play.

"Oh god, I need you...you like that, baby girl?"

"Ah, daddy, more, more."

Alec looked like he was about to hurl, his jaw clutching and his fist in tight balls, turning deep red at the pressure. He turned three shades lighter, ghostly pale during the first minute then gradually escalated to crimson, nose flaring, eyebrows arched, eyes burning in horror. I felt water swim in my eyes that this was happening. I didn't feel a slither of victory because I could see this was killing him, watching his beloved girlfriend cheat on him. I hated it! I hated that he was hurting so much! I hated Brooke, I hated Brent, I hated myself.

"...I don't want to see anymore," he chocked, pushing the cell away. Without hesitation, I tapped stop, watching him stand furiously, his fist still clenched together. His breathing was heavier, the muscle in his body tightened, yet he looked like he could break with one touch. He paced my room, pushing his hair back until his hands sunk to his shoulder blades. After a few seconds, his lethal anger was directed at me, causing me to flinch in fright. "Where'd you get that?"

My ribs caved in with a burning sensation, falling into my gut painfully at the question. Jude instructed me to say he sent it to my phone, wanting to get Brooke back considering Alec's knew his loath for her, always seeking revenge. However, it felt wrong to throw all the blame on him when it was my idea to snoop.

"I—I don't know," I lied, a tear dripping out my eye. "It came from a number I couldn't recognize." I'm a horrible friend. First, showing him something I knew would cause him excruciating pain in his heart, now lying. "I'm so sorry—"

He held up a hand, looking downwards with a hand combed through his hair. "Don't apologize; you were just doing what I ask. You caught Brooke in the act. That's all I wanted to know." His lips pressed together, his hand slipping into his pocket. "Brooke is the one who should be apologizing."

I watched the fight from my bedroom window, opening it a crack for audio. Alec was shouting at a now crying Brooke, throwing his hands in the air like a maniac, his heading resembling a red balloon about to combust. Brooke just sobbed in her hands.

"...I trusted you, Brooke!" Alec yelled, pointing a stern finger at her. "I gave you a chance despite the rumors! I mean—GOD, BROOKE—WHY?!"

I leaned against the window, watching her sob in her hands before sniffing, pushing back her hair gracefully. "A chance?" she scoffed, wiping away more tears. "How the hell do you give anyone a chance when you're always hanging out with her?" She pointed a finger at my house and I rapidly ducked beneath the window pane, hiding out of her view. I continued to listen.

"She's my best friend! Besides, I'm not the one who cheated, you are!"

"Well, if you gave me half the attention you give her then I probably wouldn't have!"

Alec chuckled bitterly and I raised myself up enough to see them, only exposing the top of my head. Brooke was now strutting to her car, leaning against it a good distance away from a scowling Alec, both crossing their arms. "You are such a b***h, Brooke! Don't blame her for your mistake. You're the one who's been spreading your legs for your own step-father!"

She gasped, her face turning into a beet red hue. "How'd you...you..." she stuttered.

"I have my ways." Alec gave her a pompous grin before gesturing for her to shoo. "Now leave. We have nothing else to discuss unless you've been screwing someone else besides him."

I swear Brooke could have replaced a tomato about to explode, racing to the driver's side, starting up the car in anger. I could feel a victorious grin on my lips, the chains of their relationship finally broken, but it quickly washed away. In her rearview mirror, she noticed my smile and whipped her head back, giving me a deadly glare. I ducked again out of instinct, feeling her disdain radiate into the room.

I was dead meat!

Sitting on the ground for a good five minutes, heart racing, and my mind envisioning what she'd do to me at school tomorrow, I jolted when Alec busted in. I stood up hastily, watching him plop on my bed, place a pillow over his head, and scream into it for a few seconds.

"Are you going to be alright?" I asked cautiously, expecting him to shout 'of course I'm not going to be alright, she was the love of my life!'

He exhaled deeply before pushing the pillow off his face and sitting up groggily. "I will be," he admitted sighing heavily. He looked so defeated, so weak, it made me want to just erase all those bad feelings with a magic eraser. He gave me a weak smile, hoping I wouldn't worry. I knew it was a façade to hide the pain, sitting next to him. I flinched when his head touched my shoulder but didn't pull away, inhaling his manly cologne.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm here," I comforted him, placing my head on his.

"I just hate myself for putting my trust in her," he admitted with a sigh. Alec had trust issues because his mom ran out on their family when he was small. His dad would also tell him he'd be back on this day then arrive a week after his appointed day. When we were kids, he had a fear his dad would run off like his mom and he'd never see him again. I'd always tell him that wouldn't happen and if it did, he could always stay with us.

That relieved his anxiety.

He looked up at me. "I'm glad I can trust you, Em." An image of Ryan flashed in my mind and I gulped the tension in my throat nervously. My diaphragm clenched while I stared into his brown eyes, forcing a tender smile.

"That's what I'm here for." Why did you have to say that? Now I was feeling guilty about Ryan although I called off—well, took a break from—our 's*x friends' relationship. I still had s*x with him a dozen times, dreaming it was Alec like a mental case.

"Emma." His voice sounded so soft and lonely.

"Yes?"

He brushed my cheek tenderly, his eyes roaming all over my face. Crimson enflamed my cheeks with his burning gaze upon me, his warm breath hitting my neck, sinking me into a placid state. "I'm so glad I have you." I couldn't respond before his lips touched mine engulfing me with passions I've only dreamed about. His hand drew me closer and I entered his arms too willingly, overwhelmed by the softness yet fervor of his mouth.

At first I was stunned thinking this was probably a sick delusion, but the way my body practically melted at his touch told me otherwise. Kissing him back, I hesitated to touch him, my body numb to his control. His wasn't kissing me hungrily or with force like Ryan, which I didn't know if I liked or disliked. All I knew was that Alec, the guy of my dreams, was kissing me and it wasn't in my head. His tongue skimmed my bottom lip and I savored the taste of him, opening my mouth to grant him entrance as I fell back on my bed with him over me.

His fingers curled a lock of my hair, our tongues doing the tango and pleasant currant flowed through me, wanting more. He was hot and delicious and his hand tracing the length of my neck left a blazing trail behind. I suppressed a moan. Eventually, my hand found its way into his thick hair, exploring its soft texture. His body pressed against mine, sending fireworks of emotion through my body as my stomach could feel the slightest hint of an erection.

I love Alec, God knows I do, but a tiny voice in my head told me this was wrong. He was grieving and he was using me as comfort. And the twisted thing is, I didn't mind. If I could take his pain away because of it, I wouldn't hesitate.

A moan ripped out my throat and against his lips, awakening him. He halted the kiss, sitting up in surprise like he didn't know how he got here, kissing me on the bed. "Oh, Emma." He scurried off the bed, looking at me sorrowfully like he was sorry for what he did—for what we did. "Emma, I'm so sorry." No, don't be sorry, I wanted to say. "I-it was the shock of Brooke," he stuttered, waving his hands over his head. I know. "My minds in a haze." I'll help you. "I didn't mean to force myself on you." It's fine, I wanted you to. "Please, forgive me."

At all the things that were roaming through my head, I couldn't utter a word. I wanted to tell him that I didn't mine, that I could be his comfort, and that I wanted to be with him. The words never came out though. Instead, silence clouded the room while he stared at me worriedly, like he hurt me by kissing me. I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

Say something.

I don't know what to say.

Tell him you love him.

He just broke up with Brooke, it'd be too weird.

Open your mouth, woman!

"Alec, I—"

"I need to go," he blurted out, opening the door. Hurt coursed through his eyes before he turned away. I jumped up to follow, not wanting him to leave because of a kiss, because of my silence. He raced down the stairs and I was on his heel by the time we were at the door.

"Alec, wait!"

He paused at the door, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry," he muttered. He opened the front door and when I was about to grab his arm, we halted, looking up surprised.

In the doorway, Alec and I both looked startled to see Ryan standing before us, raising a hand like he was about to knock on the door. Ryan looked equally stunned at us, his hazel eyes wide at our appearance. But he seemed more hastened to get composed or as composed as he could manage.

He looked at me, ignoring Alec who now looked at him questionably. "I need to talk to you."