Broken Promises

Beautifully broken.

MAXWELL'S P.O.V.

After Rylee kicked Grayson and me out of the bathroom we stood in the hallway in silence.

"Why are you here?" I scoffed at him.

"Well, I figured Rylee might want to hang out" He smiled at me. Ugh.

"She's going to dinner" I rolled my eyes.

"Well, that's okay," he said lowly.

"I'll just hang out with her later tonight" He smirked.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah" He replied leaning back on the wall.

"And she's okay with you being all over Rylee?" I asked annoyed.

"I mean, she's there I'm here, neither of us knows what the other is doing" He smirked again.

"So, you think Rylee would be open to helping you cheat on your girlfriend?" I scoffed biting my tongue.

"Not exactly. Tell me, Maxwell, why does it bug you so much when I hang out with Rylee?" he asked tilting his head.

"It doesn't," I replied as the door opened.

"Shame, you can't admit it to yourself" He smirked.

"Everything okay?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"Yeah, she's going to text us updates and share her location." Noah smiled.

"Good" I smiled relieved.

"She's not happy about it though" Jake scoffed.

"I'm not happy she's going," Jason said rolling his eyes.

"It's her life Jay," Noah said walking down the steps.

"I know, I just don't think she should be able to go to dinner alone with this guy. I mean he's not even her real uncle" Jason said.

"Yeah, but her parents trusted him enough to make him her godfather" Jake answered as we all followed behind.

"So, is there a plan to this madness?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Grayson asked.

"The plan is to wait until Rylee says she needs help or tells us there's something wrong. Until then we sit and wait to keep an eye on her location and texting her every 30 minutes for an update" Noah replies.

"Why?" Grayson asked.

"There's stuff you don't know about Rylee Grayson, it's better if it stays that way" I scoffed hitting his shoulder as I walked past.

"You didn't even know about most of it till last night," Noah said angrily.

"What Max means to say is Rylee doesn't just trust anyone." Jake corrected.

"Yeah, you have to be on her vibe level to tell you anything about her life. I'm guessing the most you know is her parents died and that's why she's here" Jason replied.

"I also know she has struggled to find a spark with anyone" he smirked.

"No, she found a spark" Max laughs.

"Yeah, it just blew up" Noah smirks.

"Listen there are things that don't concern you right now" Noah snapped at him getting closer to his face.

"And quite frankly I'm really tired of seeing Rylee cry over boys that aren't worth it" Noah sneered at him.

"So, tell me, Grayson, are you worth it?" Noah smirked.

"I feel like I am, if Rylee hangouts with me she will get a chance to be a part of her old life, one you guys cannot give her," Grayson answered.

"Man, you seriously are stupid" Noah laughed.

"How?" Grayson asked with a confused tone.

"You think that's all-Rylee cares about?" Jason scoffed.

"Money? Her life of luxury?" Jake asked.

"Money?" I scoffed.

"Well, it would make sense she hangs out with people of her status, and as I've known her before now when her parents were alive. I can give her certain ins and outs that you cannot" He answered.

"Do you think because you have money Rylee will fall in love with you?" I scoffed.

"In love? No" He laughed "I think she would make the right decision for her future though" He answered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noah asked.

"Well, college acceptances based on her family name. Hell, she could fail everything ten times over and still get into any college she wanted. The bank's name is immensely powerful, as well as the family." Grayson replied.

"Yeah? So powerful that they wouldn't even take Rylee in? And when they did---" Jason started, stopping when he got slapped by Noah.

"When they did what Jason?" Grayson taunted.

"Nothing," Jason said biting his tongue.

"Listen, Grayson, I don't know what you think you are doing but leave Rylee alone. She isn't like you. Money isn't the only thing she cares about" Jake said sternly.

"Plus" I interrupted "Don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do." Grayson answered honestly.

"So, you're trying to get with Rylee while you have a girlfriend?" Jason scoffed.

"Let me make this clear. I am not trying to get with or date Rylee, I'm trying to invest in her future." Grayson smiles as Rylee rushes down the steps.

She looks beautiful, in a nice black long-sleeved dress that curved her exactly right, little makeup with her hair curled. She ran past me quickly into the kitchen.

"Woah slow down" I laughed.

'Haha very funny" She mocked me rolling her eyes in my direction.

She jumped up on the counter putting her shoes on quickly, I caught a glimpse of a pair of black lacy underwear.

"Hey Grayson, what's up?" She asked smiling sweetly.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out?" He asked as he turned in her direction.

"I'm actually heading to dinner with my uncle but I'll be home by 9, swing by then and we can" She smiled sweetly at him, the smile I had.

"Okay" He replied happily.

"Great" she smiled as she got off the counter.

I watched as the doorbell rang and she got nervous as Jake answered it. Nervous for herself or for this guy I have no idea, I listened while Grayson stared at the side of my head.

"Got a problem?" I scoffed lowly.

"No, just funny." He laughed lowly so that only we could hear each other.

"What is?" I asked turning towards him.

"You think Rylee would ever be with you?" He asked with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" I said irritated.

"I see the way you look at her Maxwell, but the sad truth is, Rylee only goes after who has the most money," Grayson said lowly as the door closed behind Rylee.

I lunged at him, holding his throat with my arm as he smashed into the wall behind him making everyone turn to us.

"You don't know the first thing about Rylee, so don't sit here and pretend to care about her when you only care about getting in her pants" I sneered in his face before being pulled off by Jason and Jake.

"Max dude chill" Jason yelled as he was pulling me off of him.

"I'm fine" I scoffed straightening my jacket.

"It's okay, I guess I struck a nerve. I'll be back when Rylee gets home" Grayson smirked heading towards the door.

"I think it's best if you don't come back" Noah stopped him at the door.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to do that" he smirked as the door closed behind him.

"What the f**k Max?" Jason asked throwing his hands up.

"He just pissed me off" I scoffed heading downstairs.

"What did he say?" Noah asked following behind me.

"It was nothing" I replied slamming down on the couch.

"That wasn't nothing Maxwell," Jake says quickly.

"Max, what did he say?" Jason asked again, only this time his eyes pleading with me to tell them.

"He just made a stupid comment about Rylee only dating guys who have money" I replied as I ran my hands through my hair.

"You know that's not true Max" Jake answered.

"Rylee isn't that shallow. Her life goal is to help kids that are like us, broken with nowhere to go. For them to have a safe space to call theirs" Noah added.

"Why would it matter if she did only go after guys with money Max?" Jason added.

"Dude comes on" Jake started.

"No, it's okay" I answered.

"I like Rylee" I reply as my heart sinks.

"So, what you told her that and she said she didn't like you back?" Jason asked.

"She really didn't tell you guys?" I asked confused.

"No, was she supposed to?" Jake asked as I glanced at Noah, motioning to his arm and shaking his head no.

"No, I guess not, I figured you guys share everything with each other she would have told you" I answer with a chuckle.

"So, what happened?" Jason asked tilting his head to the side.

"I told her how I felt. About how I was falling for her, how I needed her, how she walked out when I got her for someone who didn't care about her, how I felt about always coming second to everyone else. I said we should just call it off before it gets any worse. She agreed, she told me that she was just rich girl Rylee who lost her parents in a tragic accident, that I deserve better than her, she told me about the s****l assault and the overdosing, that I deserve someone who can love me fully, she told me that we could spend one night together. Last night we spent cuddling, holding her as tightly as I could, and today, I had to forget she existed. I tried to explain that's not what I wanted, I tried to fight it but I couldn't. So today I went back to barely knowing she was alive, even though I checked my phone over 100 times for a text or a phone call from her." I explained as I felt my chest tighten as my heart dropped.

"Max, Rylee is going through something really hard right now, and you were there for her when no one else was but Rylee hates being seen in such a broken way. I think I'm the only one who's ever seen her truly broken in pieces. She tends to push people away who have ever seen her like that, it's just a reflex for her, it comes naturally and she does it without thinking it through. Rylee is broken in many ways." Noah explained as he sat next to me.

"Yeah but, she's beautifully broken" I reply.

"That's true, she wears it well. But you don't know all of it, you haven't seen the worst she can do yet. All of us have experienced the same thing with Rylee, exposing Jason at the party was number one. Dying her hair, I'm guessing number two, she's never done that before. Number three, well you and I know what that is. Number four is pushing everyone away or leaving for days at a time." Noah answers.

"But she's never gotten past number four, and it's been months since she was like that. She doesn't like when people see she is weak in any way." Jason said quickly.

"Broken Rylee and f****d up Rylee are two different people" Jake smiled.

"So, which is she now?" I ask hesitantly.

"Honestly" Noah pauses looking between Jay and Jake.

"Both." He continued.