《The Player》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    Brielle


    7:24 AM


    Beethoven''s symphony number five red through the speakers as I leaped across the stage,nding


    gracefully. All spotlights were on me as I danced, the audience seeming to extend on forever. I spun,


    leapt, and glided across the tform before final finishing in my ending pose. My chin was held high as


    reassurance flooded through my body; I knew that I had done well. However, no one was pping.


    The audience''s eyes were wide. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.


    "p!" I yelled franticly from the stage. "p for me!"


    I held my stomach in agony, tears running down my face. It wasn''t until my hand touched my abdomen


    that I realized it was bare. Looking down at my body, I realized that I waspletely naked.


    Suddenly, the room went from dead silent to loud, filled with theughs of the audience. Tomatoes were


    being hurled at me.


    "No!" I shouted, a lump in my throat. "This can''t be happening to me!"


    The room began to shake as theughs grew in intensity.


    "No!"


    The room shook even more, until I could no longer stand up.


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    "No...no...no..."


    "For the love of God wake up Brielle!"


    I shot up, nowying on my bed in my room. I quickly touched my stomach and felt my pajamas, letting


    out a sigh of relief. My older brother, Scott, leaned over me, his face contorted in annoyance.


    "Your rm has been on for twenty minutes," he told me, a hint of attitude in his voice. "I had to shake


    you awake for five minutes while you kept screaming no."


    "I don''t know what you dream about, but you may need to see someone about it. Seems serious."


    I ignored hismentary, still in my sleepy haze. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock, and then let


    out a long string of curse words. It read 7:25, and I had to be at the dance studio for rehearsal at 7:30.


    With a newfound sense of urgency, I pushed my brother out of the way before sprinting to my


    bathroom. I brushed my teeth before I threw on my leotard, tights, and ballet ts on before securing


    my tight coils in a bun and chucking my pointe shoes in my dance bag.


    Nearly tripping down the stairs, I dashed to my car, hightailing it to school in an attempt to be somewhat


    on time.


    School didn''t start for another week, but I was taking dance lessons during the summer to prepare for


    my showcase in October, and it seemed that I waste to them nearly every day. For thest week, my


    instructor was getting more and more pissed, and I just hoped that today was not her breaking point.


    She was an amazing dancer in her day, but she had an injury to her knee that cut her career short.


    Ever since, she''s spent her time teaching dance, in hopes of giving dancers the career that she couldn''t


    have. Because of this, she was always hard on us for not reaching our full potential.


    Thanks to Los Angeles traffic, I arrived at my school, Vista Valley, thirty minuteste. As I ran to my


    school''s dance wing I prepared myself for Ms. Riley''s wrath.


    I was not disappointed.


    "Where the hell were you! I have another kid to teach in five minutes! I get that a schedule might have


    just been a suggestion at your old studio, but actually professionals stick by it!"


    While she seemed pretty riled up, I heard this speech every day for thest week. I let out a sigh of


    relief, knowing that her anger wasn''t as bad as it could have been.


    "And from our time together, you have shown time and time again that you are not a professional. So,


    I''m taking your solo for the On-Pointe showcase and giving it to Crystal."


    Wait what?


    My jaw dropped, as tears welled up in my eyes. The showcase in October was the most important


    event in my entire career. Julliard scouts were going to be in the audience, and if I impressed them with


    my solo, I would have a chance to go to the school I''ve been dreaming of ever since I was five.


    "You can''t do this!" I pleaded. "Please, this means so much to me, I will do anything to get the solo


    back. Please let me prove to you that I am a professional!"


    "I gave you plenty of chances to prove yourself Brielle, and sadly you disappointed me every time. It''s


    just unfortunate, because all of your talent is wasted on someone who doesn''t have the determination


    to do something with it."


    "Please!" I choked out. "I''ll do anything."


    Just at that moment, Christopher Russel walked into the studio. His 6''5" and football yer build


    contrasted against the modern and clean dance room. He held a wrinkled paper, looking lost, like a fish


    out of water.


    Christopher Russel was the king of or school. He was the star quarterback, three-time homing


    king, and a colossal douche. He was just another rich kid who walked around the school like he owned


    the ce. And he might as well have, because everyone worshiped the ground he walked on,


    especially the girls.


    Knowing this, he made it his mission to date any girl that he could, before discarding them for


    something better.


    What an asshole.


    "This is studio two, right? I''m here for my... "He inspected the paper more closely." ...introduction to


    dance ss? They said that I had toe here before school started."


    I scoffed. The idea of him dancing wasughable in the least.


    Both instructor Riley and Christopher looked up at me, making me realize that my scoff may not have


    been as discreet as I thought it was. Embarrassment washed over me as I wished that my hair was


    down so I that I could hide behind it.


    At that moment Instructor Riley''s eyes danced between me and Christopher, before a conniving smile


    formed on her lips, and her eyes developed a dangerous sparkle.


    "You said you''ll do anything?" She asked me, the hint of a smile still on her lips.


    "Yes!" I replied, "Anything."


    "Then you can dance at the showcase."


    "Thank you so much!" I gushed. "I promise I''ll make you prou- "


    "Not so fast," she cut me off. "You can dance a duet, with Christopher. If you are truly a professional,


    then you can teach him enough ballet to do a routine that will get you into Julliard."


    My eyes darted to Christopher. With his broad shoulders and bulky build, I felt the hope of attending my


    dream school slipping from my grasp.


    "Well, you''re screwed." He said with a smirk on his lips, before walking right back out of the studio.


    You can say that again.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Brielle


    8:03


    "Christopher, wait!" I yelled down the hallway, nearly out of breath. I practically had to run in order to


    keep up with his long strides. "Where are you going?"


    With his back still turned to me, he replied "I''m leaving. If you think that I''m doing ballet in front of the


    entire school you''re crazy."


    I shook my head, frustrated at myself for thinking that he would even want to help me out. He was just


    another rich kid who only looked out for himself, and refused to help anyone else. He never knew the


    feeling of having to put hours into something that he truly wanted, instead of it being handed to him. My


    face grew hot as all of my pent-up anger built up, before I had no choice but to say something.


    "Look, I get that you have never had to work for anything in your life, but some of us actually have to. I


    have dedicated too much time and effort to dance to let some arrogant, entitled, rich kid screw it all up


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    for me! So, can you for please, for once, focus on someone other than yourself, and help me!"


    He stopped dead in his tracks, before spinning on his heels and marching towards me, anger seething


    on his face.


    As he came closer to me, I took two steps back, suddenly aware that screaming at a guy I barely knew


    may not have been the smartest move.


    "Don''t you ever, for a single second, act like you know a single thing about me. You have no clue about


    what my life is like." His face was almost touching mine.


    I crossed my arms and locked my eyes onto his, suddenly getting a boost of confidence. "Well then


    prove me wrong, and help me."


    He scanned me up and down, before taking a second to mill the idea around in his head. After what


    seemed like an eternity he finally answered.


    "No."


    And with that, he turned back around and walked out of the school, taking my dreams of Julliard with


    him.


    _


    "No!" Sam yelled, snatching the remote from my hands. "We''re not watching How to Lose a Guy in Ten


    Days again!"


    Me and my best friend Sam were currently in her bedroom,ying on her bed, trying to decide which


    rom from the 2000s to watch. Sam and I had been best friends ever since fourth grade, where we


    bonded over our love of Jenga and One Direction. She was one of the smartest people I knew, and


    with her deep, brown skin and beautiful, curly hair, she was one of the most beautiful too.


    "Please!" I pleaded. "You know that I have a soft spot for fetus Matthew onaughey."


    Her face stayed stern, not giving up. "We''ve watched that movie nearly everyday for the past two


    weeks. We might as well call it how to lose a friend in ten days."


    I pouted, shing her my best puppy dog eyes. "I''m just really stressed out about Christopher and this


    movie would make me feel better." I batted my eyshes at her.


    "Are you trying to guilt trip me?" She used, raising one of her eyebrows.


    "Is it working?"


    She huffed, cing her hands on her hips, before finally conceding. "This is thest time," she warned,


    putting it on the TV.


    "Thank you!" I did a little dance on her bed, until her death re stopped me in my tracks.


    "You know you love me," I teased, drawing out the O in love. She stared at me grumpily, her death


    re still unaffected.


    "Yea, yea," she mumbled under her breath.


    After ten minutes of watching the movie, I turned to Sam, unable to focus with the Christopher situation


    on my mind.


    "I''m telling you Sam, he was a total asshole. I don''t think that he will ever budge, so I''m practically


    screwed." I shoved my spoon back into my Ben and Jerry''s pint, trying to shovel as much ice cream


    into my mouth as I could.


    "Seriously Sam," I whined. "What should I do!"


    Her face contorted in concentration, as I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.


    "Why was he even in the studio anyway?"


    "Some school requirement or something." I replied, licking my spoon clean and throwing my empty pint


    into her trash basket. "I think that he needed to fill his fine arts requirement."


    Her eyes lit up as she shot up from herying position, now sitting crisscross in front of me.


    "What!" I asked. "What is it?"


    "I remember my friend saying that she had music ss with him this year, and he always ditched the


    ss to make out with Mnie Stuart in his car!"


    "And...?" I asked, still wondering how Christopher''s love life had anything to do with me.


    "So," Sam said, rolling her eyes. Apparently, it was supposed to be obvious to connect the dots. "He


    failed music ss, and therefore didn''t get the needed fine arts credit for his sophomore year. If he


    doesn''t pass this ss, then he doesn''t have all of his credits and can''t y football."


    My eyes grew wide as I finally understood what she meant.


    "So, he needs to do the showcase just as much as I do!" She nodded her head in agreement as we


    both got up and jumped on the bed. Maybe Julliard wasn''t so out of reach.


    There was just one issue: Finding a way to reach him so that I could convince him one more time.


    But that could wait. For now, Iid back down onto Sam''s bed and snuggled deeper into her nkets.


    Enjoying not only the movie, but my renewed sense of hope.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    Brielle


    12:32pm


    Hurry up!


    Football practice was supposed to be out twenty minutes ago, and I had been waiting outside the boy''s


    locker room for them toe in from the football field. My eyes nced to my watch as my foot began


    to tap, growing impatient with the team''s tardiness.


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    Now I know how instructor Riley feels.


    My ears perked up in attention, hearing the familiar sound ofughing and stomping associated with a


    football team. Trying to catch Christopher''s attention in the crowd, I began waving at him.


    "Christopher!" I yelled, before finally making eye contact with him. His eyes grew wide as he looked


    side to side at his teammates, then began to run towards me.


    "Christopher, I need to talk to you about the balle- "


    Before I could finish, he cut me off by cing his hand over my mouth. My eyes grew wide as I let out


    muffled protests into his hand. The hallway got quieter as the football yers stared at us, confused at


    what was happening.


    "Why would you talk about ballet in front of my team," he harshly whispered. My protests grew louder


    as I began to make a scene. "For the love of God Brielle, be quiet!"


    "No!" I tried to get out against his hand. "Let me go!"


    Panic showed in his eyes as the hallway grew dead silent, all eyes on us. What he did next, I would


    have never imagined in a million years.


    He kissed me.


    Before I could even react, he dragged me into the nearby janitor''s closet, his mouth still on mine. The


    sound of ps and wolf whistles could be heard from in the closet as the yers returned to their


    conversations.


    He took his lips off mine, running his hands through his hair. "Brielle- "


    Before he could even finish his statement, I lifted my hand and pped him across the face. Hard.


    "Ow, geez what the heck Brielle!" he clutched his cheek, a red hand still imprinted on his skin.


    "I think I should be asking you, jerk. Why the hell would you kiss me!"


    "Oh rx, it''s just a kiss." He shifted his weight onto the door, suddenly bing bored with his


    conversation.


    "Yeah, to you," I whispered under my breath, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear.


    "What does that mean?" he asked, apparently hearing me, as his brows knitted in confusion. His eyes


    locked to mine. "Wait, was that your first kiss?"


    I looked down, breaking eye contact as my face grew hot. Apparently, that was all the answer he


    needed.


    "Well then your wee," he said. "Few people are able to have such a skilled kisser as their first


    time."


    I gasped, this guy really thought that highly of himself? His ego might as well have been a balloon with


    how inted it was.


    "But seriously, you''re sixteen and have never been kissed? What are you a nun?"


    "I don''t want to talk about it!" I shouted, bing defensive. I tried to regain myself before continuing,


    not wanting him to have the satisfaction of getting to me. "I''m here to talk about the showcase."


    "And you''re wasting your time," he responded, turning around to open the door.


    "Wait!" I couldn''t let him leave. "If you don''t do the showcase then you can''t y football!"


    He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Says who?"


    "Says the handbook. If you don''t have all the necessary credits from each year, then you can''t


    participate in sports. So, if you don''t do the duet with me you''ll fail your dance ss, and won''t be able


    to y." I crossed my arms, finally feeling in charge.


    "I''d rather not y then run around with a tutu onstage." He responded, getting ready to leave. "But if


    you ever need someone to help you stretch out, feel free to call me." He winked at me, only setting me


    over the edge.


    "Have fun warming the bench you jerk!" I spat out. "I wonder how many girls would want to be the


    water boy?"


    He took an audible deep breath in, before spinning towards me onest time, frustration evident on his


    face.


    "If I do it, I have three rules." He continued.


    "Anything." I responded, desperation evident on my face.


    "One, I''m not wearing a tutu."


    "Guys don''t even wear those!" I eximed. "And if they did, you not wearing one would only be doing


    my eyes a favor."


    "Don''t lie to yourself darling," he said, his eyes locked on me. "I look good in anything."


    "Just continue," I groaned, tired of dealing with his arrogance.


    "Two, no one can know about this until the showcase."


    I nodded my head in agreement. I was willing to do anything to make this work.


    "And three," A smirk formed on his lips. "I know that this will be hard for you, but try not to get feelings


    for me. That always makes things awkward."


    "Oh, trust me, that won''t be a problem." I said, not surprised at how full of himself he was.


    "We''ll see about that."

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Brielle


    12:46 PM


    "What is wrong with you!" I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration. We were still in the


    janitor''s closet, because Christopher''s genius idea was to push us in without having the keys needed to


    get us out. I currently sat on the floor, already surrendered to the fact that we were stuck.


    He continued to jiggle the door handle, somehow thinking that after five minutes of trying, it would


    magically open.


    "Jiggling the door know won''t do anything but break it," I reminded him, even though he continued


    anyway.


    "Well at least I''m trying to do something." He said. "But don''t worry, you sitting on your a$s is doing


    wonders to help us." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "So, unless you have a better idea, just keep


    sitting there and looking pretty. Preferably with your mouth shut."


    "So you think that I''m pretty?" I asked, teasingly. "Be careful, I wouldn''t want you to get feelings for me."


    "A big head doesn''t look good on you," he said, still jiggling at the door knob.


    "Yours already takes up way too much room anyway." I replied, rolling my eyes.


    "There''s other big things about me if you want to find out." he wiggled his eyebrows, insinuating


    something that I did not want to think about.


    Ignoring his crude remark, I rubbed my temples, hoping that it would help me clear my head.


    He seemed to have given up on the door, as he turned around and slid down the door with his back


    against it, now facing towards me. He ced his head in between his legs, before sitting up straight


    and pushing his hair back with his hand.


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    From this angle, I had a chance to get a good look at him. No matter how much I despised him, I


    couldn''t help but admit that he was attractive. He had light brown hair and piercing green eyes that


    always made the girls swoon. He had thick eyebrows, a very muscr build, and a crooked nose that


    was broken multiple times from football. His lips were pink and from the kiss that we had previously, I


    could say first hand that they were very soft. Like a baby''s bottom kind of soft if you know what I mea-


    Mid-way through my thought, Christopher let out a cough, aware of the fact that I was checking him


    out.


    "Like what you see?" He asked, his lips pulled up in a smirk.


    I cringed at the thought that I added to his already inted ego, and knew that I had to knock him down


    a peg.


    "No, I was just staring at your nose. It''s a wonder that you can even breath with how crooked that thing


    is. It''s practically a beak. You should really see if there are any openings to be the face of fruit loops


    because you and toucan Sam have an uncanny resemnce. You know I can make a call if you''d lik- "


    "Ok that''s enough," he said, trying to hide a smile on his face. "What is your issue with me anyway?"


    "I don''t have an issue with you." I crossed my arms, knowing that was a lie.


    "BS." Apparently, he could tell too. "You hate me but you don''t even know me."


    I rolled my eyes. "But that''s the thing Christopher, I don''t need to know you. I know guys like you. I''ve


    even dated a guy like you, and you''re all the same. You''re just entitled rich kids who are used to


    everything being given to you, so you don''t even know how to work hard for anything. You treat girls


    like objects, because they are objects to you. And you practically believe that you own the ce, and


    walk around the halls with everyone kissing the ground that you walk on because they believe it too."


    "So, if having an issue with you means that I don''t treat like you''re royalty or that you''re somehow


    better than everyone else, then yes, Christopher Russel, I have an issue with you."


    I stared at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but his face looked stone cold. Either what I said had no


    effect on him, or he was good at hiding his emotions.


    "So, it all makes sense now." he said nodding his head.


    My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What makes sense."


    "Your whole "I hate guys like you" rant. Some guy broke your heart, probably cheated on you because


    of how hurt you are, and now your bitter and taking it out on me because you don''t have the balls to


    take it out on the guy who actually hurt you."


    I stayed silent and looked away, embarrassed at the fact that he was able to figure out all of that about


    my ex just from what I said.


    God am I that transparent?


    He continued talking, taking my silence as confirmation that he was right.


    "So, save your self-righteousness for the next guy, because I see right through you."


    I felt tears well up in my eyes, as memories of my ex, Derrick, resurfaced. I stared at the ceiling trying


    to keep them from falling down my face, but it didn''t work.


    "Crap Brielle, are you ok?" He asked, suddenly noticing my state. "I didn''t mean-"


    Just then, the door opened, as the janitor locked eyes with us in confusion. I quickly got up, briskly


    wiping off my tears before practically running out the door. Before I could leave, his hand locked onto


    my arm, pulling me towards him.


    "Seriously," He said, concern riddled in his eyes. "I''m sorr- "


    "It''s fine." I quickly responded, shaking my arm out from his grasp. "Just be at the studio at nine


    tomorrow."


    I turned around and headed out the door, now letting the tears fall freely from my face. The memories


    that I tried so hard to bury deep inside my head now resurfacing.


    "You really think that you can do better than me?" Derrick said.


    Stop thinking about him. I reminded myself, now sprinting to my car. Stop.


    "You''re nothing but trash."


    I now reached my car, cing my head on the steering wheel, as I allowed my sobs to overtake me.


    "You''re worthless."

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Brielle


    10:32 PM


    "Do it again!" I yelled, trying to be heard over the sting music. Christopher and I had been practicing


    for about an hour and a half, and we had gotten absolutely nowhere. Today was supposed to be easy


    for him, since I was just teaching the fundamentals. However, with how much he was currently


    struggling, I was hopeless that he would be able to do an entire routine for the showcase in just two


    months.


    "Honestly, how many times were you hit in the head? I''ve been teaching you the five basic positions for


    over an hour and you still don''t remember them!"


    Stepping away from Christopher, who was currently trying, and failing, at the ballet barre, I swigged


    from my water bottle. All the yelling that I was doing was breaking me into a sweat.


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    "I don''t think that yelling at me counts as teaching," Heined back, groaning in the process. He


    stepped away from the barre, seemingly giving up, and sat down with his back against the mirrored


    wall. He ran his hands through his hair, obviously frustrated with himself.


    Seeing him in this state, distraught and beaten down, couldn''t help but make me smile. Just a few days


    earlier, he was THE Christopher Russel, untouchable and perfect in everyone''s eyes. But now he sat in


    front of me, worn down after only an hour of dance taught by yours truly.


    "Why are you smiling?" He asked, in between pants. His eyes were squinted in an attempt to keep the


    sweat out of them, and his face was actually contorted in pain from how bad his body already ached.


    And this is our star quarterback? I''m surprised we''ve ever won.


    "Nothing," I said, a smile on my lips. "I just think it''s funny that Vista Valley''s star athlete can''t handle a


    little ballet."


    He scoffed, "Oh and you think that doing football is easy?" Nowughing he continued. "I bet you five


    bucks that you couldn''t even make a field goal if you tried twenty times."


    "Oh please," I rolled my eyes. "I could do it on my first." I don''t know why I lied, because I knew that I


    couldn''t make it if I had a hundred tries, but I just wanted to wipe that smug little smirk off his face.


    "Prove it." He said. "Let''s go right now."


    Crap.


    "No, we can''t because..." I scrambled for an excuse, my face now turning red. "...we have to finish


    practicing." I let out a deep breath, thanking god that I came up with a reason.


    "If I take a break I''ll be more focused." He now began to stand up, waiting for me to do the same.


    "The football field is locked!"


    "I have a way in."


    "I don''t have any gym shoes!" I said, scrambling for anything at this point.


    "They''re right over there..." He said, confused, pointing to my Nikes in the corner.


    Traitors.


    "Wait a second, you''re scared that you''re going to lose, aren''t you? Are you afraid of a little bet?" He


    mocked, having too much fun at my expense.


    Seeing that I had no choice at this point, I gave up trying to prevent the inevitable.


    "No, I just wanted to save you the embarrassment of losing." I got up, switching out my ballet ts for


    my gym shoes. "Let''s go."


    ~~~


    "You know on second thought, I don''t think that this was a good idea."


    Christopher and I now stood in front of the field goal, which looked much bigger on the field than it did


    in the bleachers. It was pitch ck outside, and Christopher''s way of getting into the stadium was


    climbing over the ten-foot locked fence.


    "Seriously, what if we get caught?" Christopher may be used to breaking the rules, but I tried to be a


    good student. I couldn''t afford to get any marks on my record.


    "Oh rx." He said brushing me off. "Now do this field goal that you were bragging about."


    "You know the wind is a little off so I don''t thin- "


    "If this is your way of forfeiting then I can take my five dors now." He stuck his hand out, waiting for


    me to give it to him.


    I pped his hand away from me. "You wish."


    I rediverted my attention to the field goal, praying that by some miracle I would be able to make it. I


    tried to bring back all the memories of football I had, which was just a few super bowls and high school


    matches. Darn my hate for sports.


    Taking a deep breath, I prepared to make aplete fool of myself.


    "One," I said, trying to line my foot up with the ball.


    "Two," My eyes began to close as I brought my leg back, preparing to kick. Even my body didn''t want


    to see this disaster.


    "Thre- "


    Before I could kick the ball, the florescent lights in the stadium shed on, causing me and Christopher


    to cover our eyes.


    "Who''s there?" a deep voice asked. The culprit of the voice was soon identified as a security guard


    came running towards us. I looked back at Christopher, to see that he was already booking it out of the


    stadium.


    "Come on Brielle, move!" He yelled, looking back at me. My mind screamed at me to run, but I was


    paralyzed, stuck watching the security guard reach closer and closer to me.


    Move Brielle!


    Move!


    Christopher took another look back, and saw that I had still yet to move. Groaning he yelled, "For the


    love of God!" and turned around, running back towards me. Without saying a word, he picked me up,


    and slung me over his shoulder before sprinting at full speed out of the field.


    What in the world is happening!


    When we reached the parking lot, the security guard was still behind us, but was falling further and


    further behind. Christopher''s ability to run that fast while carrying me was shocking to say the least. He


    stopped at a car, which I assumed to be his, before putting me down by the passenger door.


    "Get in!" he yelled, already in the driver''s seat. I quickly snapped out of my trance, before jumping into


    the passenger seat next to him. Before I could even close my door, he pulled out of the parking lot, his


    tires screeching the process.


    "What the heck was that!" He yelled, driving away from the school. "You just stood there like a deer in


    headlights!"


    "I don''t know, OK," I said, a smile on my face. "I just had a dyed reaction!"


    "No, missing a catch is a dyed reaction, you looked like you were attacked by Frozone from the


    Incredibles." Throwing my head back, Iughed so hard that my stomach began to hurt. He took his


    attention off the road as I did, his eyes bright with amusement. Once I stoppedughing he began to


    talk.


    "Look at how much fun you have when you''re not a goodie-too-shoes all the time."


    "I am not a goodie-too-shoes!" I cried, punching him in the arm. "I live life on the edge."


    "Oh really," he smirked. "Prove it."


    Feeling brave, I unbuckled my seat belt and opened his sun roof. I stepped onto his armrest before


    sticking my body through the opening, loving the feeling of the cold, night wind nipping at my skin. My


    hair whipped in the wind as I let out the loudest scream that I possibly could, before sitting back down


    in my seat.


    "I was thinking more along the lines of shing me." Christopher said, his arrogance returning once


    more. "But that works too."


    "Hey!" I huffed, offended at yet another one of his crude remarks. Before, I could scold him, he pulled


    into my neighborhood.


    "Oh, here''s my house." I pointed to the small red brick house in front of us, pulling into my driveway, he


    parked.


    "I would say thank you for the ride, but with the amount of therapy that I''m going to need, you should be


    apologizing to me." I said, opening the car door.


    "Anytime, darling." He shed one of his signature smiles, which did nothing for my attitude.


    "Just be at the studio tomorrow at seven."


    Before I could even close the door, my older brother Scott came storming out of my house, his face


    contorted in anger. I walked up to him, trying to understand what he was mad about. However, once I


    reached him, he rushed right past me and straight to Christopher.


    "What are you doing with my sister?" Scott yelled, grabbing Christopher by the cor and dragging him


    out of the car. "Stay away from her!"


    I ran up to them, trying to pull them apart, but it was of no use.


    "Nothing happened!" I attempted to shout to Scott. But before I could finish, Christopher cut me off.


    "What''s the issue?" he said shoving Scott away from him. "We were just ying around at my house,


    nothing that I haven''t done before." My face grew hot as I grew angrier. He was using me to get under


    my brother''s skin, even though we didn''t do anything.


    Upon hearing this information, Scott lifted his fist and punched Christopher in the face. Christopher spat


    on the ground and wiped his mouth, getting ready to punch back. I knew that if I wanted to stop this, I


    would have to do something, and fast.


    "Stop!" I yelled, jumping in-between the two of them. "Please."


    Scott''s eyes softened as they looked at me. However, once he nced up at Christopher''s face, they


    hardened again instantly.


    "Go inside Brielle." He spat, pushing me out of the way. "I''ll deal with youter."


    "She didn''t seem so submissive a few hours ago." Christopher butt in, only making the situation worse.


    "God stop it!" I screamed finally reaching my breaking point. "Christopher, you know that none of that


    happened, and for the love of God Scott stop treating me like I''m five! I''m sixteen and smart enough to


    make my own choices!"


    "If you were smart enough to make your own choices, you wouldn''t being home with him at eleven


    at night." He clenched his fists as a vein popped out of his neck. "Get inside the house, and don''t make


    me say it again."


    "You can''t tell me what to do!"


    "Watch me."


    He did this all the time, always taking on the role of my dad when I didn''t ask him. An overprotective


    brother was useful when I was young and needed protecting, but I was a teenager now. And while I


    never im that I know it all, I was certainly old enough to make my own decisions. It was frustrating


    that he constantly tried to tell me what to do, and I couldn''t take it anymore. I needed to show him that


    he couldn''t control me anymore, and that I was my own person.


    I took a deep breath and braced myself to the most stupid thing that I''ve ever done. I spun on my heels,


    walked past both of them, and hopped into the passenger seat of Christopher''s car.


    I waved at Scott from inside the car, relishing in his astonishment, before turning my attention to


    Christopher.


    "Are youing or not?"

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Brielle


    11:04 PM


    "You''re a horrible person, you know that right?" I told Christopher, now speeding down my street. "You


    im that you''re not a jerk and then you lie to my brother just to get a rise out of him?"


    He stayed silent, his focus still on the road. His knuckles were clenching the steering wheel so tight that


    they had turned white.


    "So you have nothing to say for yourself?" I rolled my eyes.


    The nerve of this guy!


    Huffing in anger, I crossed my arms and diverted my attention to the passing scenery. Just when I


    thought that I may have judged him prematurely, he does something like this to remind me exactly who


    he is. Just when the silence became unbearable, he broke it.


    "I don''t want to talk about it."


    I scoffed, my anger returning to me once more. "Considering that you basically told my brother that we


    slept together, you don''t get to say when or when we don''t talk about it."


    "I just wanted to get a rise out of him." He said, turning his attention to me. A sh of regret shone in


    his eyes, before being reced by his usual mischievous one.


    "But honestly you should be thinking me. Most girls would love for me to say that I''ve slept with them,"


    a smug smile now sat on his face. "So you''re wee."


    "Excuse me! I should wipe that smile right off your face you little piece of- "


    I cut myself off, looking for the nearest thing to me that I could hurt him with. Settling on my ballet ts,


    I grabbed one and whacked him repeatedly on the arm as hard as I could.


    He began tough, seemingly unaffected by blows.


    Darn his muscr arms.


    "All jokes aside though," he said, his features softening. "I am sorry."


    "It''s ok," I said. Even though I was still pissed, I had no clue how long I was going to be with him


    tonight. It would be exhausting to be mad at him the entire time.


    "Just where are you taking me?"


    We had been on the road for about ten minutes, and this side of town was unfamiliar to me. He ignored


    my question, only answering with silence. I tried to nag him, hoping that it would make him talk.


    "Are we going to the beach?" I asked. "Because I really like the beach. I like the ocean too. I swim


    there all the time. One time when I was a kid I almost drowned in a pool. It was very traumatic for me. I


    should probably see a therapist."


    I saw a slight tick in his jaw, showing that my annoyance tactics were working.


    "Are we going to the movies? I really like movies. But not action movies like Star Wars. I don''t know


    how people even watch Star Wars to be honest. Are we going to the park? Are we going camping? Are


    you going to murder me in the woods?"


    "I wish," he said underneath his breath.


    "Hey I heard that!"


    "We''re going back to my house." He finally told me.


    Unbelievable.


    I don''t know what he meant by that, but if he was trying to insinuate me hooking up with him, then he


    was mistaken.


    "If you think that I''m going to do anything with you, you''re wrong." I warned him. "So unless my house


    is code for IHOP, you can drop me off."


    "IHOP?" he asked,pletely missing the point. "You do know that it''s eleven at night right?"


    I huffed, getting frustrated. Even though hepletely dodged my question, I still felt the need to


    defend my favorite pancake house.


    "It''s never tote for pancakes," I replied matter-of-factly. "It''s called brinner."


    "Brinner?" He choked out, trying to hold back hisugh.


    "Jesus, how many times have you hit your head?" I threw my hands up in the air exasperatedly. "It''s


    when you eat breakfast for dinner. Since breakfast and lunch is brunch, breakfast and dinner is brinner.


    That''s simple math."


    "I don''t think that''s math."


    "That''s not the point!" I shook my head, trying to shake off the conversation. "Just tell me why are you


    taking me to your house before I walk back home!"


    "Calm down, it''s just a party at my house."


    I let out a deep breath. I really didn''t want to have to go back home and face Scott.


    "Since we only have two more days of summer, Mnie made me throw one."


    I shivered at the mention of her. Mnie Stuart is Christopher''s only consistent girlfriend. They are on


    and off, but when they are off, Christopher makes sure to be with as many girls he can. When he gets


    tired of it, he gets back together with her and repeats the cycle over and over again. She always made


    sure to make all of Christopher''s conquests lives'' miserable as a way of revenge. It never made sense


    to me to take it out on the girls, and not your own boyfriend, but Mnie was not known for being the


    sharpest tool in the shed.


    "If it''s at your house then why are you here?" I wondered. While I may not go to many parties, I was


    pretty sure that the host being there was a keyponent. "Shouldn''t you be there?"


    "My sister has it under control," He responded. "And I''m not going to babysit you all night, so when we


    get there, just go up to my room and wait. I''lle and drop you back off at your house in a few hours."


    "Wait, why can''t I go the party!" I protested. There was no way that I was going to spend my first high


    school party locked in some guys bedroom.


    "Have you ever been to one?" He asked.


    "Yeah, plenty," I lied. I guess that I was too embarrassed to tell the biggest partier in the entire school


    that I had never been to one. I try not to care about what people thought about me, but with


    Christopher, it was different. And I hated it.


    "I go to ragers like every weekend." I added on, hoping that saying more would make my story more


    credible.


    Heughed under his breath, before looking at me.


    "No one who actually goes to parties calls it a rager."


    Crap.


    Considering that I spent most of my time dancing and watching movies from two decades ago, I wasn''t


    very well versed on modern day lingo. What did they even call a party these days?


    "Just stay in my room."


    "You''re a bigger pain in the butt than my brother," I mumbled, turning away from him.


    "I heard that."


    ~~~


    Fifteen minutester, we stopped in front of Christopher''s house. It was massive, with huge white


    columns, a gate, and a courtyard with a marble water fountain in the center. There were cars parked in


    front, and the loud music could even be heard from in our car.


    Even with the substantial amount of teen movies that I''ve watched, nothing could have prepared me for


    what I saw when we walked in. The house was absolutely packed, and the music was so loud that I


    thought my ear drums were going to burst. But for some reason, I loved it. The energy in the air was so


    contagious that I didn''t want to leave.


    "The stairs are over there," Christopher shouted in my ear, trying to be heard over the ring music.


    He pointed his hand to a grand staircase to my left. "My room is the first door on the right."


    When I did reach his room, I was surprised. It was nothing like I would have assumed. Instead of


    having a dirty, cluttered room with posters nearly everywhere like my brother and nearly every other


    teenage boy, his room was pristine. It had light blue walls with white wood detailing. The room


    contained minimal furniture, with only a white bed frame with matching white covers, and a desk


    pushed to the corner.


    I walked over to it, a picture frame catching my eye. It was a young Christopher, maybe six, with a girl


    that I presumed to be his sister. They were at the beach, in front of a pretty impressive sand castle. I


    picked it up, trying to get a better look. Christopher looked so innocent in the photo, his smile stretching


    from ear to ear.


    What happened to that little boy?


    "What are you doing?" A voice asked from behind me.


    Frightened, I threw the picture in the air and let out a high-pitched shriek. I fumbled with the frame,


    trying to catch it, before finally regaining control and quickly setting it back on the desk.


    I turned around, now face to face with a girl, and leaned my body against the desk awkwardly, trying to


    seem less flustered than I was.


    "Nothing." I said, tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear, my face still a bright red. "Christopher just


    told me to wait here until he can drop me back off at home."


    "Well, I''m Nicole, Chris''s older sister." She was beautiful, with light brown hair and bright green eyes.


    She smiled at me, making me feel at ease. "And you are...?"


    Brielle." I responded. "Me and your brother are just friends."


    Sheughed. "Trust me, I know. If Chris had brought a girl to his party Mnie would have actually


    killed him."


    I cursed under my breath, realizing that Mnie might have seen me enter with Christopher. If she


    even had a suspicion that something was going on between us, she would make my life miserable.


    I must have voice my concern out loud, because Nicole responded, trying tofort me.


    "Don''t worry, I''m still scared of her. When I told Chris that I didn''t approve of her, she cornered me at


    school and told me that I looked like if Shego from Kim Possible and the naked mole rat had a baby."


    She shuddered at the thought.


    "Oh my god that''s awful," I said, covering my mouth with my hand in shock.


    "Don''t worry," she said, brushing it off. "Two dayster I poured a red slushy over her head at lunch."


    "That''s brilliant," I said, letting out a billowingugh.


    She shrugged. "I had just binged watched a season of Glee and got inspired."


    She refocused her attention to the matter at hand. "Why aren''t you down there?" she questioned.


    After I told her the whole story, she got up, now excited. "Come on!" she said, getting off of


    Christopher''s bed and walking towards the door. "You''re going to the party."


    "I can''t, I''m not dressed right." I looked down at my leggings and baggy grey sweatshirt. "I actually look


    homeless."


    She yfully rolled her eyes, before grabbing my hand. "I know, that''s why I''m so excited. I love


    makeovers!"


    I nodded, giving her my approval, and tried not to take offense to what she said. I knew that I didn''t look


    great at the moment, but I didn''t know that I was full-fledged makeover bad.


    Forty minutester, we were finished. I was wearing one of Nicole''s tight, strappy dresses with a pair of


    her chunky heels. She had pulled off a miracle, making my once dull, brown hair fall down my back in


    long, shiny waves. Staring in her full-length mirror, I felt like a different person.


    "You look hot!" Nicole said, hyping me up. "Now go have fun!" She made shooing motions with her


    hands, pushing me out of her doorframe.


    After saying a quick thank you, I left, going back down the staircase and into the party. It was in full


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    swing, with people dancing with one another everywhere. I made a beeline for the kitchen, assuming


    that the drinks would be there. I had never drunk before, but since I wasn''t friends with anyone at the


    party, I knew that having a little alcohol would help ease my nerves.


    When I reached the kitchen, couples were kissing everywhere. I nudged one that was blocking the


    punch to the side before pouring myself a ss. Not tasting a lot of alcohol in it, I chugged the rest of


    my cup before downing a second one as well.


    The drink was much stronger than I anticipated, because I soon began to feel woozy. Now feeling more


    courageous, I made my way to the dance floor. But before I could reach it, a hand grabbed onto my


    arm, and a strong voice from behind me shouted in my ear.


    "What the heck are you doing here?"

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    Brielle


    12:07 AM


    "What are you doing here?" A voice behind me asked. I braced myself, expecting to receive a scolding


    from Christopher, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be Sam.


    I threw myself at her, wrapping my arms around her in a hug. I couldn''t tell if I was handsy due to the


    fact that I was happy to see her, or because I was a little tipsy.


    "Daniel dragged me here," she said, annoyance in her voice.


    Daniel was Sam''s stepbrother. They were in the same grade, butpletely different. Daniel loved to


    party and drink, and Sam did anything but. Despite their differences however, they were really close.


    While Sam hated the idea of her mom remarrying at first, their rtionship brought her the brother that


    she always wanted.


    Her eyes looked zed over, seeming to not be focused on mepletely. Judging from the way that


    she was swaying as well, I could tell that I wasn''t the only one who underestimated the punch.


    "Let''s go dance," I yelled atop the music, motioning for her to follow me. When we finally reached the


    dance floor, it was absolute chaos. Bodies were everywhere, moving against one another, with a DJ at


    the center. Making our way through the crowd, we settled in a less crowded spot, swaying our hips to


    the music.


    I was always dancing as a kid, so I was good at it, but I never had the courage to do it in front of


    people. With ballet, it was easy. There were certain rules to follow, and if you did, you would do good.


    But when dancing in settings like this, there weren''t any guidelines. You just had to let go and feel the


    music, and that scared me.


    I seriously began to curse the amount of alcohol that I consumed as the room started to spin more and


    more, until I felt light and free. My body felt like it was in a haze, going through the motions, but not truly


    processing what was going on.


    "I''m going to go get another drink," I told Sam, stumbling my way off the dance floor, unable to even


    walk straight. On my way to the kitchen, I saw something catch my eye, which made me stop dead in


    my tracks.


    A table.


    Thinking that it would work well as a makeshift stage, I made my way over there. When I finally


    reached it, I nted my hands on top of it, trying, and failing, to pull myself up. After what felt like the


    hundredth time, I finallyunched myself on top of the table, nearly falling off once I stood up.


    After a few seconds of wobbling, I finally regained my bnce somewhat, nting my feet on the table


    top. I began to dance, letting the beat run through my body and overtake me. I heard someone cheer


    me on, only fueling me as I danced harder to music.


    More and more people began to cheer, as I became a spectacle.


    I''m famous. I thought. I have fans!


    The cheers slowly started to morph into the word strip, as the chant became louder and louder and


    louder.


    "Strip! Strip! Strip! Strip!"


    Well I can''t let my fans down now. I sighed, being famous was such a burden.


    I slowly lowered my strap off my shoulder, attempting to look somewhat sexy. I had never done it


    before, so the only reference that I had were from movies, which weren''t very credible. I grabbed the


    bottom hemline of my dress, getting ready to take it off over my head. But before I could lift it, a strong


    pair of arms hooked around my legs and lifted me up, throwing me over their shoulder.


    "Hey!" I yelled, pounding the unknown person in the back. "I still had the grand finale left you jerk!"


    After protesting to no avail, I gave up, limp on this person''s shoulder. I surveyed his body, noticing his


    tall build and muscr frame.


    "You have a nice butt." I blurted out, not being able to hold it in. "Can I touch it?"


    Without waiting for confirmation, I poked it, trying to see how hard it was.


    "It''s really firm," I said, angling my head to the side to get a better look. "I''d rate it a solid 8.5."


    "Shut up." The voice yelled, cutting off mymentary.


    "Fine," I grumbled, looking away. It wasn''t until then did I realize that this person could literally be


    kidnapping me.


    y it cool, I reminded myself. Don''t panic.


    I scoured my head, trying to remember some karate moves from the ss I took when I was six. I


    groaned in frustration, my head to foggy to remember anything. I settled on just kicking him where the


    sun doesn''t shine and making a break for it. Before I could enact my n, he set me down in a car.


    I looked up at him, realizing that it was Christopher.


    "Hey," Iughed nervously, "Just forget what I said about your butt."


    Hepletely ignored me, his jaw clenched.


    Wait, was he mad?


    "I would have given you a nine but one was bigger than the other!" I told him, trying to defend myself.


    "Why did you leave my room?" he said angrily,pletely ignoring what I had said previously.


    So that''s what he was mad about, I thought. That makes a lot more sense.


    "You really just expected me to stay locked up in there like Rapunzel!" I eximed, throwing my hands


    up in the air.


    "Yes," he replied. "But you couldn''t even do that."


    "Well news sh, you''re not the boss of me, I can take care of myself."


    "Obviously not, because had to save you out there. And now I''m babysitting, just like I said I would," he


    spat out.


    "Why do you even care?" I questioned.


    "Because I had to leave a fun party to take care of you." he barked, gripping the steering wheel tighter.


    "I didn''t ask you to help me!"


    "Sorry for trying to be nice."


    "Well you''re not my friend!" I shouted, getting carried away in the heat of the moment. "I don''t like you,


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    so stop trying to do me favors and be nice to me. So unless we''re dancing, just leave me alone!"


    His face was stone cold, as he stared at the road.


    "My pleasure."


    ***


    The next two days were rough. I woke up after Christopher''s party with a massive hangover and a


    pissed brother. To be honest, I didn''t know which one was worse. Scott refused to even talk to me, and


    while I understand that me leaving with Christopher made him mad, I still didn''t understand why he


    hated him so much.


    After Christopher and I''s conversation in his car, things had been very awkward between us. During our


    dance practice, we didn''t say a word to each other. I cringed just thinking about it. So when the first day


    of school came, I was more than happy to put a close to the summer.


    "Brielle, Sam''s here," my mom yelled from downstairs, gaining my attention. I quickly grabbed my


    backpack off my chair and went downstairs, knowing that Sam hated waiting for people. I usually rode


    to school with Scott since he had a car. However, with our current state, I didn''t think that I couldst


    the ten-minute car ride. Luckily, Sam''s parents bought her and Daniel a car to share, so she was able


    to drive me to school this year.


    "Thanks for the ride," I said to Sam while opening the car door. Noticing that Dan was in the back seat,


    I turned around, waving to him.


    "Don''t thank me so soon," she began. "You''re going to be the one paying for gas money."


    "What!" I cried out, surprised at how cut-throat she was. "How is that fair?"


    "You''re just lucky that I''m not charging you an uber fair."


    "My house is right down the street from yours," I cried out. "I''m literally on your way to school."


    "Don''t hate the yer," she shrugged. "Hate the game."


    I rolled my eyes at her, knowing that she wasn''t actually going to charge me. Or at least I hoped.


    When we finally pulled up to the school, Daniel quickly hopped out, not even stopping to say goodbye


    first. I looked to Sam questioningly.


    "He doesn''t want to be seen with us," she told me. "He said something about his reputation." I rolled my


    eyes. Boys.


    Grabbing our backpacks, me and Sam exited the car. I was somewhat nervous for the first day of


    school. We were starting junior year, and I was really nervous about my course load. I was talking all


    honors and AP sses, while still dancing every day. I cleared my head, trying not to get stressed


    already.


    We walked into the school, the familiar smell of sweat and lemon cleaner hitting my nose. However, the


    school was much quieter than I thought it would be. Everyone in the hallway was talking in hushed


    whispers, as if they were telling a secret that they didn''t want anyone else to hear.


    I made eye contact with a girl before she looked away, whispering furiously to her friends once more. It


    wasn''t until I looked around that I realized that multiple people''s eyes were on me.


    Wait a second, was I the one they were taking about?


    I looked at Sam, confusion written on her face as well.


    What in the world was going on?

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Brielle


    6:53 AM


    Sam and I made our ways to our lockers, trying to ignore what everyone was talking about. However, it


    only got worse as we continued, with people tantly staring and pointing at us. When we passed a


    group of football yers, they let out a group of loud whistles, pping each other on the back in


    approval andughing. Without looking back, I flipped them my middle finger, before continuing down


    the halls. When we finally reached our lockers, Sam turned towards me.


    "I think I might know why people are acting weird," she said, biting her lip nervously. "Do you remember


    anything about that party two nights ago?"


    I shook my head no. The only thing that I remembered from that night was drinking way too much


    punch, and me and Christopher screaming at each other in his car. Everything else was just one big


    blur.


    "Well," she dragged on, trying to stall. "You may or may not have danced on top of Christopher''s dining


    room table before attempting to give a strip tease to the entire school."


    My face turned ashen as my jaw dropped in disbelief. "You''re joking, right?"


    She shook her head remorsefully, looking at me with sympathetic eyes. "Sorry."


    I banged my head on my locker, just wanting the day to be over. I groaned in agony, wishing that I was


    on my bed and eating while watching Gossip Girl.


    "This day can''t get any worse."


    Just then, Mnie Stuart came strutting down the hall, her eyes locked on me. I flinched involuntarily,


    already anticipating her wrath. Mnie had only looked at me once before, and afterwards I stayed


    home from school for two days, crying and eating my feelings on my couch. To this day, I still shudder


    when I eat a Krispy Kreme donut.


    She finally stopped in front of me. "Hey Brielle!" she said excitedly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.


    "Hey...?" I questioned, confused on why she was being nice to me. Either we had a serious kumbaya


    moment at Christopher''s party, or she was up to something.


    "Well," she gushed, a wide smile on her face. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what


    happened to your outfit."


    "What happened t-"


    Before I could finish, Mnie reached into her bag, pulled out a purple Gatorade, and poured the cold


    liquid on top of my head. The hallway became silent as I stood, frozen, in shock. Mnie and her


    friends cackled as they high-fived each other, apparently content with their work.


    My T-shirt was soaked, now revealing my red bra underneath. The stickiness of the drink began to set


    in as my fingers stuck together. Now I was seriously confused. What did me dancing on a table have to


    do with Mnie?


    "What was that for?" I yelled, now snapped out of trance.


    She stared at me with dark eyes, her previous nice-girl act nowhere to be found. "Did you really think


    that I wouldn''t know that you left the party with Christopher?"


    My eyes grew wide as the realization hit me. Everyone was whispering about me because they thought


    that I had slept with Christopher, not because I was dancing on a table. To be honest, I didn''t know if


    that should make me feel better or worse.


    "Save the innocence act, Christopher already confessed that you slept together. He felt so guilty that


    he told me."


    What?


    I knew that I didn''t remember much from that night, but I could vividly recall Christopher dropping me


    off at my house after our argument in the car. So why would Christopher lie to her?


    "Nothing happened," I pleaded, trying everything in my power to not be on Mnie''s bad side. "I


    swear."


    Her eyes scanned my soaked body up and down before flipping her hair and sneering at me. "Just


    keep your hands off my boyfriend."


    Her and her friends spun on their heels before walking back down the hallway. Sam turned towards


    me, her facial features soft.


    "Is that true?" she asked. "I don''t judge, but why didn''t you tell me?" I sighed, even my best friend


    believed it.


    "No Sam, if I did you know that I would tell you."


    A smile returned to her face, her usually perky attitude back. "Good, because I hate secrets, especially


    after the dating crisis of 2017."


    We both shuddered, remembering when Sam hid her boyfriend that I didn''t approve of from me. She


    ended up with two eyebrow piercings and a terrible tattoo infection. After the amount of ointment that I


    had to apply on her, we promised to never keep things from each other again.


    She continued. "But if it wasn''t true, why did Christopher lie to her?"


    Anger filled my body, as I remembered that Christopher was the reason for all of this. Determination


    filled my face. "I''m going to find out."


    I stormed down the hallway, my eyesser focused on finding Christopher. No longer caring about what


    people thought of me, I made sure to tell the first person I saw whispering about me where exactly they


    could shove it. I smiled, the look of shock on the freshman''s face was priceless. By the time I finally


    found Christopher and his friends leaning against some lockers, I was seeing red.


    Before I could give Christopher a piece of my mind, I was interrupted by his gang of football yers.


    They began hooting and whistling, pping Christopher on the back for a job well done. It wasn''t until I


    looked down and saw that my bra was still showing through my T-shirt.


    "Seriously," I snapped, annoyed with their constant cat-calling. "Is that all that you dogs are trained to


    do other than p each other''s butts?"


    The insult seemed to have no effect on the boys, as one of them shouted. "You can train me to do


    whatever you want."


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I rolled my eyes. Nothing seemed to phase them!


    It wasn''t until Christopher told them to go that I could final speak my mind.


    "Why did you tell Mnie that we slept together?" I cried, throwing my hands up in the air. "She poured


    a drink over my head because of you." I shoved my finger in his chest, emphasizing my point.


    "I have no clue what you''re talking about." He said, a smirk on his face. "But if you ever want to have


    another go at it, just call me."


    "What is wrong with you!" I was so angry that I could barely get the words out of my mouth. "You know


    that''s a lie!"


    He suddenly got quiet, darting his eyes across the hallway before speaking.


    "I have a reputation to up hold," he whispered, hoping that no one would hear. "Don''t take it personally."


    My face grew hot, rage building up inside of me.


    How dare he!


    I reached into my backpack before finally grabbing hold of what I was looking for. "Don''t worry," I said


    sweetly, trying my hardest to ster a smile on my face. "I won''t."


    At that moment, I took my water bottle out from my backpack and poured the icy liquid over his head.


    "Doesn''t feel too nice, does it?"


    Just then the bell rang, signifying the start of first period. I walked away from him, quickly throwing on


    my Julliard sweatshirt, before making my walking into my first period ss. Sam sat down next to me,


    setting her backpack down on her desk.


    "Did you really throw water over Christopher''s head?" she asked, her eyes a little too excited for my


    liking.


    "Have you been watching reality TV?" I questioned. "Because we agreed that you would stop after you


    pretended to be a real housewife of Beverly hills for two weeks." During that phase, she insisted on


    wearing sunsses inside and only drank her water out of martini sses.


    "I was just practicing just in case I married rich!" she cried. "And no, I haven''t been watching it." I


    looked at her with knowing eyes.


    "Ok I have but only on Thursdays," she confessed. "But you never answered my question."


    I sighed. "Yes, I did pour water on him, but he deserved it."


    "I wish I could have seen it," she gushed. "How did he react? Did he yell?"


    "Sam," I warned. "Control yourself."


    "I know, I know," she said disappointedly, facing forward as the teacher entered the room. Mr. Brown,


    my chemistry teacher, took a slip out of his pocket and read it aloud in a deep, monotone voice.


    Well I''m most definitely sleeping in this ss.


    "Brielle Miller, you are wanted in the principal''s office immediately."


    My face went pale, as I started to regret dosing Christopher in water. I slowly got up, making my way to


    the front of the now quiet ss. I passed by Mnie on my way, my eyes locking with hers.


    "Slut," she coughed, smiling. Everyone erupted inughter, making Mr. Brown tell them to settle down. I


    nervously walked to the principal''s office, preparing myself for the trouble that I was going to face. If


    Julliard found out about it, I could kiss my dreams goodbye.


    When I finally arrived at his office, I was surprised to see a scowling Christopher already sitting in front


    of him.


    "Sit down," Mr. Wilson, our principal, bellowed. "It hase to our attention that you two broke into our


    football stadium a few days ago."


    I shot a re at Christopher, angry that I had allowed him to convince me to do it. He stared straight,


    seemingly unfazed by us being caught.


    "That kind of behavior will not be tolerated this year," he continued. "So, as punishment," he reached


    under his desk, pulling out a bucket with two metal scrapers inside. "You two will be forced to scrape all


    off all of the gum from under the bleachers every day until the entire stadium is cleaned."


    My jaw dropped, those bleachers hadn''t been cleaned for years! "But-" I protested, not willing to ept


    that punishment.


    "End of discussion," he cut me off. "You''re dismissed."


    I grabbed my bag, shooting Christopher onest re, before storming out of his office. On my way


    out, I ran into a hard body. Their hands quickly grabbed on to my shoulders, steadying me. I looked up,


    about to apologize, before I realized that it was my brother Scott.


    "I never thought that I would see the day that Brielle Miller was in the principal''s office," he teased,


    seeming to enjoy my demise.


    At least he was talking to me.


    Before I could respond, Christopher walked out of the office, his jaw going tight as he spotted my


    brother.


    "What are you doing with my sister!" he demanded, his fists tight.


    I rolled my eyes. Here we go again.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Brielle


    7:04 AM


    I ced both of my hands on Scott''s chest, trying to push him away from Christopher, but to no avail.


    The two stared at each other, their jaws tight, waiting for the other to make the first move. Before that


    could happen, I butted in.


    "Please, don''t do this. I''ve had a bad enough day as it is," I pleaded to Scott, my eyes round. He grew


    hesitant as his re softened, not knowing whether to listen to me or not. I assumed he chose the


    I grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. "Please, just be my brother and listen to me." I let my


    eyes be vulnerable, and express all of the hurt that I had experienced today already.


    "Please," I whispered.


    He gave me a small nod before turning towards Christopher, his finger now pointed at his chest.


    "If you ever get near my sister again, by the time I''m through with you, you''re going to wish you were


    dead." I figured that then wasn''t the right time to tell him about me and Christopher''s joint punishment.


    He wrapped his arm around me,forting me, while we left the principal''s office. Once we were a


    good distance away, I stopped, turning towards him.


    "Why do you and Christopher hate each other?" I questioned. This question had been bugging me ever


    since the incident in my driveway. "Shouldn''t you guys be friends since you''re both on the football


    team?"


    His face grew pale, his eyes quickly shing an emotion that I couldn''t quite decipher.


    "Drop it." He clipped, turning away from me. I would usually just let it go, but whatever happened was


    important enough for him to punch Christopher in the face. And whether I liked Christopher or not,


    between practicing for the showcase and scraping the gum off the bleachers, I was going to be


    spending a lot of time with him.


    "No," I demanded, moving in front of him. "You always shut me out, but not with this. Not when


    whatever is going on between you two affects me. I deserve to know." I crossed my arms, standing my


    ground.


    "I said," he spat out, his voice basically dripping with venom, "Drop it." He stormed down the hallway,


    leaving me standing there alone.


    "Fine." I mumbled under my breath, turning around and heading for my second period ss. His


    suddenly moodiness was only the cherry on top of an already bad day.


    I huffed. If all of Junior year was going to be like this, then it was going to be one rocky ride.


    *****


    "Can you pass the spray?"


    Christopher and I were currently scraping the gum out from under the bleachers. I nearly gagged when


    I saw how much ground there was to cover. I didn''t think that the punishment could get any worse, but


    after I took one look under the seats, I was proven wrong. All the metal underneath was hidden,


    covered by ayer of multi-colored gum.


    I took the spray from by my feet and threw it at Christopher. It was immature of me, but considering that


    he was nearly a foot taller than me, it was the best I could do to let out my frustration.


    "Are you seriously mad at me?" he questioned, picking up the bottle and spraying the hardened gum.


    My head whipped in his direction, shocked that he would actually have the nerve to ask me that.


    "Yes Christopher," I fumed. "I am mad at you. Anyone would be after all the crap that you put me


    through." I began scraping more viciously, imagining the dried paste as Christopher''s face.


    He stopped scraping, now turning his attention towards me. "But you poured water on me, so now


    we''re even."


    Are you kidding me?


    I threw my scraper into the bucket, making a loud ng. I was so mad that I couldn''t even focus on the


    task at hand.


    "You lied that we slept together twice, once to my own brother, the entire school was talking about me


    the whole day, your evil girlfriend poured Gatorade over my head, and you think that me pouring water


    on you makes us even?" His eyes grew wide as I continued to speak, apparently detecting the anger in


    my voice.


    "Well when you put it like that I guess not." He scratched the back of his head, looking guilty for what


    he out me through. "Look, I''m sorry."


    "No."


    He looked at me confused, baffled that anyone would turn down one of his rare apologies. "What do


    you mean no?"


    "I mean no. You can''t do awful things and then expect an apology to magically fix it."


    "Well at least I''m trying," he huffed, frustration evident on his face. "Doesn''t that count for something?"


    "Well try harder!" I spat out. "You have no clue what you put me through today! I was miserable


    because of you." Tears welled up in my eyes. I pushed them back, not wanting to cry. "Why would you


    even put me through that?"


    He was quiet, seeming to soak up what I said. By how long he took to speak I expected him to have a


    profound response. Instead he said, "Because I''m an ass."


    I rolled my eyes at him. "Is that really the best excuse that you have?" He recoiled back, somewhat hurt


    by my statement.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m going to need a little more than that. Are you mad because your parents won''t give you your trust


    fund? Or did you only get a red BMW instead of the ck one you wanted and now yourshing out."


    He stayed silent, avoiding my eyes.


    "Oh yeah, I forgot that you have a perfect little life. You have everything that you could ever want


    handed to you on a silver tter. Since you''ve never had to go through anything in your life, maybe the


    only true excuse for why you''re an awful person is because you truly, deep-down are an ass." I picked


    back up my scraper, trying to finish and get away from his as quickly as I could.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw him sit down in the bleachers, his head in-between his legs. He


    stayed that way for a while, not uttering a word. When he finally looked up, his eyes were red.


    "My parents are dead."


    I froze where I was, my blood running cold.


    "My oldest sister Bianca took custody of me and Nicole when she was 18, then moved across the


    country for college, leaving us here alone." He sucked in a sharp breath of air, the story hard for him to


    say. He fiddled with his hands, trying to distract himself.


    "Tomorrow is the second anniversary of their death, and I-I..." he stuttered, not able to find the right way


    to describe it.


    "I guess I always act out when ites near." He looked up at the sky before focusing on his hands


    again. "I''m sorry that I dragged you into it."


    My heart sank for him. In that moment he looked so vulnerable. He reminded me of the boy on the


    beach I saw in the picture on his desk. It wasn''t until then that I realized what arge part of him was


    changed by what had happened.


    "I just know that if they saw what I was like right now they would be so disappointed in me." His voice


    cracked on thest word, causing something inside me to break.


    "I''m so sorry," I reached for his hand, but he quickly pulled them back, his eyes hardening.


    "I don''t need your pity. This whole time you have been judging me and my life without knowing anything


    about me." He picked back up his scraper, bing guarded once more. "Don''t think that just


    because I told you about my parents that what you said is erased."


    We worked in silence for the rest of the time, both of us in our thoughts. I was ashamed of how I had


    misjudged him. Every time that I called him a spoiled rich kid, it was just another reminder of what had


    happened to his parents. I couldn''t help but wonder if his arrogance was just a cover to hide how he


    really felt.


    Even though he said those horrible things about me, I couldn''t help but forgive him a little. I couldn''t


    understand in the slightest what he must be going through. Although his methods of coping weren''t the


    best, I couldn''t stand to hold it against him.


    After an hour of work, we got up, figuring that we could do the rest tomorrow. I turned towards him,


    brushing my hair behind my ear. But before I could get a word out, he walked towards his car, leaving


    me alone.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    Brielle


    2:12 PM


    "Should we watch Clueless or Mean Girls tonight? Because Clueless is so iconic but mean girls is


    hrious."


    Sam stood by my locker as I got out my things, trying to get me to decide on a movie. I knew that I


    should be paying attention to what she was saying, but my mind was elsewhere. I was still thinking


    about what Christopher had told me yesterday. Today was the anniversary of his parent''s death, and I


    couldn''t imagine what he was going through.


    My eyes scanned down the hallway, hoping to catch a nce of him. He wasn''t at school today, but


    something inside me hoped that I would see him and know he was alright.


    I let out a yawn, rubbing my eyes in the process. If someone had told me two weeks ago that I would


    care about Christopher''s feelings, I would haveughed in their face. But even though we weren''t


    friends, I just couldn''t help it.


    "Hello?" Sam said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to Brielle."


    My attention refocused on her as I shut my locker. "Any movie is fine with me."


    She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I just listed the pros and cons of both movies for five minutes just for


    you to say that you don''t care?"


    I shrugged my shoulders, making my way to the parking lot with her.


    "I''m sorry," I apologized. "I was thinking about something else."


    "You''ve been sidetracked the entire day," she squinted her eyes, inspecting me. "Is everything OK with


    you?"


    "Yes," I said, brushing her off. "Everything''s fin- "


    I cut myself off, my eyes growing wide. "Crap, sorry Sam but I have to clean the bleachers today!"


    Since Christopher wasn''t here today, I would have to do double the amount of work. If I didn''t get


    started soon, I would be there forever. I turned away from her car, doing a slow jog towards the


    stadium.


    "I knew you were side tracked!" she called after me, shaking her head in amusement. I turned around


    and blew her a kiss before booking it to the field.


    When I did arrive, I was surprised to see Christopher there, already scraping at the benches. He kept


    his head down as he worked, his back muscles rippling in the process. I silently grabbed my scraper


    from the bucket beside him as I got to work. Every now and then, I would sneak a peek at his face,


    trying to catch a glimpse of an emotion. But his face was stone cold, his feelings masked from the


    outside world.


    We went on like this for an hour. Me, secretly looking, and him,pletely oblivious. When he put his


    spat in the bucket and got up, I followed suit, wanting to talk to him. After we had put the tools away,


    I headed with him to the parking lot, despite my ns to walk home. Once we were halfway there, I


    finally mustered up the courage to say something.


    "I noticed that you weren''t here today." As soon as I spoke I mentally face palmed myself, realizing that


    I sounded like a stalker. "Not that I was looking for you or anything. I was just curious on where you


    were. But you''re here which is good. Unless it''s not good, which is good too I guess."


    I took a deep breath in, trying to stop my rambling. "What I meant to say is why are you here if you


    weren''t at school?" My face was red, embarrassment flowing through my body.


    He smiled at me, amused at how flustered I was. Even though it was at my expense, I was happy that I


    could cheer him up.


    "I got a call from my coach saying that if I didn''te he would be forced to bench me."


    I nodded my head, stuffing my hands into my jean pockets.


    "So," I dragged on, not sure how to approach the topic of today''s significance. "What are you nning


    to do today?"


    He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes now concentrated on the ground in front of him.


    "Come on," I urged. I knew that I was overstepping my boundaries, but I really wanted to help. "You


    have to be doing something."


    "I''ll probably just sleep," he mumbled softly.


    After hearing the pain and hurt in his voice, I knew that I couldn''t let him get in his car and drive home.


    Even if I was being annoying, I knew that I had to try to help him get through the day. Although we


    weren''t friends, for some strange reason that I have a hard time admitting, I care about him.


    I care about him.


    "Nope," I said, suddenly chipper. "I''m not letting you spend tonight alone." We had finally reached his


    car, and I jumped into his passenger seat before he could protest.


    "Seriously Brielle, I''m fine," he groaned, hopping into the driver''s side. I crossed my arms, leaning back


    in my seat.


    "You have no choice. If you want me to get out of your car you''re going to have to drag me out."


    His eyes scanned me up and down, seeming to mill the idea over in his head. Before he could reach a


    conclusion that resulted in me sitting on the asphalt, I quickly butted in.


    "It''s going to be fine, I promise," I pleaded with him, wanting so bad for him to say yes. "Trust me."


    After a moment of hesitation, he let out a deep sigh before putting the key in the ignition. A victory smile


    spread on my face as we pulled out of the parking lot.


    "You won''t regret it," I grinned, fiddling with the knobs on the radio.


    "I already do," he mumbled.


    ****


    After half an hour of driving via my subpar directional skills, we were parked in front of a carnival. The


    rollercoasters and booths all had their lights on, but no one was there. It would have been a good


    setting for a horror movie with how deserted it was.


    We got out of the car before walking up to the tall gate in front of us. A heavy iron padlock sealed it


    shut. Christopher turned towards me, a look of confusion on his face.


    "You brought me here so that we could sneak in? Because if so, I''m in."


    "Yes," I responded dryly. "I made us drive thirty minutes so that we could get arrested for breaking-and-


    entering."


    "Wow goodie-two-shoes, I didn''t think you had it in you."


    I let out an exaggerated huff, blowing a strand of hair away from my face in the process. "I''m just going


    to act like I don''t hear that."


    Just then, a man in a ck uniform came walking towards us from inside the carnival.


    "Brielle!" he shouted, now approaching the gate.


    "Hey Uncle Tim!" I called out, now face to face with him through the iron gate. "How''s Anna doing?"


    "She just lost her first tooth and is now demandingrge sums of money from the tooth fairy." He shook


    his head in disappointment. "They start off young I tell ya."


    I turned towards Christopher, realizing how confused he must be in the situation. "This is my Uncle Tim.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He guards the carnival when it''s closed during the week so he always lets mee in while he''s


    working and ride the rides."


    My uncle reached into his pocket, pulling out a key and unlocking the fence. As he held it open for us,


    he locked eyes with Christopher, sending him a warning re. "Don''t go starting no trouble."


    Christopher took an audible gulp before nodding his head profusely. "Yes sir." He barked as we walked


    away. Once there was a good distance between him and my uncle, I turned towards Christopher,


    unable to hold back myughs.


    "Yes sir?" I said in between my giggles.


    "Hey," he said defensively. "I saw a taser in his belt."


    "That was his phone."


    "You can never be too sure."


    I rolled my eyes. "Yea, yea."


    My eyes lit up as I quickly grabbed his hand, spotting my favorite carnival booth. "Come on!" I yelled,


    nearly dragging him behind me. "Let''s go!"


    *****


    We had been at the carnival for nearly three hours, and although Christopher would never admit it, I


    knew that he had fun. After I dragged, and schooled him, at ring toss, he insisted that we went to the


    basketball shooting booth. Besides being a star football yer, he was apparently an excellent


    basketball yer as well. He took a little too much joy in outscoring me two-to-sixteen. Throughout the


    entire time, he seemed to be having a genuinely good time. For the first time today, the smile on his


    face seemed to finally reach his eyes.


    After hitting all the booths and rides, we decided to end the night on the Ferris wheel. The sky was


    ck as we were lifted higher into the air, the wind slightly whipping my hair. We sat quietly, as


    Christopher stared up at the stars.


    "I''m really sorry about what I did to you yesterday," he whispered, locking eyes with me. I tried to tell


    him that it was OK, but he wouldn''t hear it.


    "It wasn''t OK. I promise to tell everyone that it wasn''t true." He diverted his eyes away from mine,


    ridden with guilt.


    "You don''t have to."


    "But I want to." He replied.


    We sat in a silence,fortable without saying anything. Crickets chirped in the distance as we


    approached the exit tform. I was about to get off until he sent an unreadable look my way. Even


    though I had no clue what it meant, my gut was telling me to stay on the ride. As we set off a second


    time, he began to talk.


    "My parents used to take us to the carnival every year." He said, his eyes still focused on the sky.


    "Bianca and Nicole would always drag us on the tea cups. Even though I protested every time, I


    secretly wanted to ride them too. All five of us would be packed in the tiny cart, justughing our heads


    off." He averted his attention to his hands.


    "My mom''s favorite ride was the Ferris wheel. It was always thest thing that we rode." He chuckled to


    himself, seeming to remember something.


    "She would always let me sit in her car because she felt bad that my sisters were always upying her


    time. She called it the sister curse."


    "What was she like?" I asked softly.


    "She was selfless and kind," a hint of a smile formed on his face. "And somehow really good at pool. I


    could never beat her." Iughed softly as he joined in.


    "She was my biggest fan." His eyes seemed to gloss over as he fidgeted with his fingers.


    "What about your dad?"


    "He wasn''t a man of many words," he let out a quietugh. "But once you got him started on football he


    couldn''t stop. Every Sunday we would sit on the couch, just me and him, watching games."


    "Football united my entire family. Despite my mom''sck of interest in sports, she was there right


    beside my dad, cheering me on at all of my games. After every game, win or lose, my dad would drive


    us to this cliff with the best view of downtown L.A. My mom would always pack her famous oatmeal


    cookies with her. I kick myself every time I wake up for never paying attention on how to get there."


    The car rocked softly in the air, calming me. We locked eyes again before I asked my final question.


    "Do you miss them?"


    He spoke without hesitation, his voice cracking in the process.


    "Every day."


    ****


    "Where are you taking me?" he asked for the fifth time, my hands covering his eyes. After our talk on


    the Ferris wheel, I knew the perfect ce to bring him.


    "Calm down, we''re almost there."


    I put him into position before finally removing my hands from his eyes. Thick trees surrounded us


    except for one side. He opened his eyes, the distinct L.A. skyline in front of him. All the lights reflected


    off his eyes, casting a whimsical glow upon him.


    "I know that it''s not the ce that your family would take you after your games, but Ie to this cliff a


    lot to think and it has a pretty great view." I chewed my lip nervously, hoping that he would like it. He


    stayed silent for a long while consumed in his own thoughts, before finally speaking.


    "It''s perfect."


    I wrapped my arm around his waist as he draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer to him.


    Our eyes were glued to the scene in front of us; the view too beautiful to look away even for a second. I


    couldn''t quite put my finger on it, but something between us had shifted.


    Something changed.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    Brielle


    5:54 PM


    "Five, six, seven, eight!" I shouted, trying to be heard over the sting music.


    It had been nearly a week since Christopher and I had went to the carnival. Ever since then, we were


    awkward around each other, not really knowing what to say to one another. We used to be able to hide


    behind our bickering, but ever since then we couldn''t. After that night, I knew that something had


    changed between us, but I didn''t know that it would happen in this way. Our usual banter was reced


    by total silence.


    We were in the dance studio, practicing our routine for the showcase. We finished scraping the gum


    from under the bleachers, so now myplete focus was on this dance. Christopher knew the basic


    choreography of our routine, but his technique still needed to be improved tremendously. I knew that


    we still had a long way to go. He struggled the most with the lifts in the routine. Although he was strong,


    he had no idea how to execute them, and how to make them look graceful. Because of this, I was too


    scared to practice them with him.


    When we got to the most difficult lift, I held my breath, not wanting him to drop me. He threw me up in


    the air sessfully, but when it came time to catch me, his hand slipped from my waist. My eyes


    widened, as the floor became closer and closer and closer until...


    Thud.


    Hot, white pain coursed through my body as Inded on the floor. In an effort to break my fall, I fell on


    my left foot, causing my ankle to roll in the process. I curled in a ball on the studio floor, grabbing my


    ankle and rolling back and forth in pain. Christopher quickly kneeled beside me, his faceced with


    concern.


    "Are you okay Brielle?" He asked franticly, running his fingers through his hair. "Do you need


    anything?"


    I shook my head no as I bit my lip to hold in the pain.


    "I''m fine," I squeaked out, using all my energy to sound remotely okay. I held in my tears, wanting to


    stay strong.


    He offered a hand towards me. "Are you okay getting up?"


    I nodded my head yes as I grabbed onto his hand, using my good leg to help me get up. Once I put


    down my bad leg, however, the pain returned. The intensity was so great that I nearly fainted. I fell on


    my butt in agony, all my resolve now gone.


    I let the tears roll down my face as I sobbed into my hands. If I couldn''t even walk, there was no way


    that I could do ballet. Thest thing that I needed was some ankle injury two months away from the


    showcase. I had no clue how long I would have to sit out of dance.


    Two hands scoop around me as I was swept off the floor. I looked up to see Christopher carrying me


    bridal style out of the room. He nimbly navigated the hallways as if I weighed nothing.


    "Where are we going?" I choked out in between sobs


    "We''re going to the athletic trainer. She always helps when one of the yers gets injured."


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I nodded my head, not wanting to talk more than I needed to. The throbbing in my ankle intensified as it


    began to turn red and swollen. I buried my head in his shirt, wetting it with my tears. When we finally


    reached the athletic trainer''s office, his shirt had arge wet patch on it.


    "Sorry," I said sheepishly when he put me down, spotting the stain on his shirt.


    We walked into the office only to find that it was empty. He set me down on the stic bed, grabbing an


    icepack from the fridge and an ankle wrap from a cab. He moved swiftly through the office, seeming


    to know where everything was.


    "Do youe here a lot?" I questioned, curious on why he was so familiar with theyout.


    He shrugged nonchntly. "My teammates get injured all the time. I always watched the trainer help


    them so I pretty much know what to do."


    He kneeled beside me, cing the icepack on my ankle. I shuddered, the pressure of the bag causing


    a sharp pain to shoot up my leg.


    "Ow!" I winced, cing my hand on my forehead as I squeezed my eyes shut. He grabbed a bandage


    from beside him and began gently wrapping my foot. Despite his efforts, it still hurt like hell.


    "Say something to distract me," I spat out.


    "I don''t know what to say."


    "Just say anything!" I opened my eyes at him, staring expectantly.


    "OK, fine," he said, a look of deep concentration on his face. Suddenly, a blush crept up on his cheeks.


    "Promise that you won''t tell anyone?"


    I was too preupied on his red face toprehend what he just said. "Are you blushing?"


    "Never mind," he grumbled, looking away.


    "No, no I was kidding," I said, trying to contain myughs. "Come on, tell me!"


    He paused a moment before he mumbled something iprehensible under his breath.


    "What was that?" I asked.


    He mumbled again, this time I could only make out a few words.


    "You have to speak up. You know that I have tiny ears."


    He took a deep breath before he shouted out, "I want to be a stunt double!"


    At that point, I couldn''t contain myughs. The idea of Christopher jumping out of buildings was almost


    tooical to bear.


    "Don''tugh," he said, in-betweenughing himself. "I know it sounds ridiculous but I''ve been in karate


    ever since I was a kid. I''ve always been pretty reckless and an adrenaline junkie, so I thought it would


    be the perfect job for me."


    As much as I thought it was funny, I could kind of see it. He was always doing crazy things, and he was


    probably one of the most fearless people I knew. If there was anyone that I would expect to put


    themselves in dangerous positions on purpose and enjoy it, it would be him.


    "So, if you''ve taken karate for over a decade why in the world are you so bad at dance?"


    "Dance is so different it''s not even funny."


    He looked at me, his eyes growing serious. "But you promise not to tell anyone?"


    "I promise," I said, zipping my mouth closed with my hand. "My lips are sealed."


    I was so distracted that I didn''t even notice that he had finished wrapping my foot. He pushed himself


    off of the floor, now towering above me as he inspected his handy work.


    "You probably just rolled it. Just keep it elevated and don''t walk on it and you should be fine." He


    grabbed my leg that was dangling over the side of the bed and rested it on top. "We should probably


    wait for the trainer just to be sure."


    I nodded my head, surprised at how much he seemed to know about this stuff. The room grew quiet as


    we had nothing left to say.


    "So why don''t you want to be a professional athlete?" I asked, trying to break the silence. He shrugged


    his shoulders, looking anywhere but at me.


    "I like ying football because it''s fun, but I feel like doing it as a job will take that away. I don''t want it


    to ever feel like a chore."


    While I understood what he was saying, I couldn''t rte. Dancing was my everything. If I could dance


    every minute of every day for the rest of my life, I would be the happiest girl on Earth. The thought of


    not doing it every day was unimaginable.


    "What would you do if you couldn''t dance?" He asked, seeming to read my thoughts.


    I chewed on my lip, trying to think of anything, but my mind seemed to go nk. "I have no clue."


    He scoffed at me, rolling his eyes. "You''re telling me that even if you could join the circus or be a


    famous singer you still wouldn''t want to do anything but dance?"


    I racked my brain, trying to think of anything before it finally hit me.


    "If I had to choose I would do something in the water." I smiled at the idea. "Every week me and my dad


    wake up early and go swimming in the ocean. Besides dancing, it''s the only time that everything else in


    my life just seems to disappear."


    I closed my eyes, remembering the cold water and crisp air. Thatbined with the sunrise and the


    only quality time that me and my dad spend together makes it one of the highlights of my week.


    "Have you ever gone surfing?" he asked.


    "No way. Knowing my luck, I would get bitten by a shark or something."


    "You know that never really happens."


    "I''m not taking any chances."


    He looked at me smugly. "I didn''t take you for a chicken."


    I knew that he was just trying to egg me on, but my pride couldn''t take being called a chicken.


    "I am not!"


    "Then prove it, once your ankle goes down, we''re going surfing."


    "Fine."


    Once it left my mouth, I wished that I could take it back. Ever since I watched Soul Surfer, the idea of


    even touching a surf board made me anxious.


    Why did I always seem to agree to things I don''t want to do when I''m around him?


    At that moment, the athletic trainer walked in. She shook her head once she spotted my foot.


    "Christopher, what did I tell you about treating other students by yourself. Especially afterst time."


    "What happenedst time?" I questioned, genuinely curious. She gave Christopher a scolding nce


    before answering my question.


    "He diagnosed his teammates broken leg as a muscle cramp and told him to, and I quote," she made


    air quotes with her fingers, "Walk it off."


    I winced, imagining the pain of walking on a broken bone.


    Christopher put his hands up in the air, as if he was surrendering. "In my defense, when I asked what


    his pain was on a scale of one-to-ten he said a five."


    "When I talked to him after he said that you asked on a scale of one-to-five, not one-to-ten."


    He paused for a moment, cocking his head to the side.


    "That makes a lot more sense."


    I shook my head at him in frustration. "Why in the world would you touch my foot after that!"


    "Rx, I knew it was just a sprained ankle, and I watched five seasons of Grey''s Anatomy since then


    so I''m much more qualified."


    I scoffed at him. "Are you serious?"


    Before he could respond, the trainer answered for him. "Sadly, he is."


    She knelt by my foot, inspecting Christopher''s work. After a few seconds, she sighed, getting back up.


    "The bad news is that he actually did a good job."


    "How is that a bad thing?" Christopher protested.


    "Because now you''re going to go around and misdiagnose more injuries."


    She walked towards the cabs, her back now facing away from us as she ruffled through them.


    Christopher sat on the bed beside me so that our knees were touching. I leaned closer to him,


    whispering in his ear.


    "You really don''t care, do you?"


    His brows knitted in confusion. "About what?"


    "Consequences. You just do whatever you want whenever regardless of what happens because of it."


    His face was just inches away from mine, our noses almost touching. He nced down towards my lips


    before locking eyes with me again. The rest of the room seemed to fade away as all that I could focus


    on was him. The air stood still as the moment seemed to stretch on forever.


    He suddenly backed away from me, quickly ncing away. He let out a sigh, running his hands through


    his hair.


    "I wish."

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    Brielle


    12:47 PM


    "Would you rather go to jail for five years or get punched hard in the face every hour of every day for


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    five years?"


    I scratched my head, trying to decide. Each had their own pros and cons.


    "I think I would rather get punched every hour," I responded, dipping my fry into ketchup.


    Christopher and I were currently in his car, on the way to my house. Since I hurt my ankle, my n of


    walking home was a no go. He must have felt really bad, because he insisted on giving me a ride


    instead of me just waiting for Sam to pick me up. I was surprised when we walked up to a cherry red


    convertible, instead of his usual ck sedan. The car was looked like an antique. I could imagine riding


    in it to a drive-in movie in the 60s.


    He had insisted that we yed a game of would you rather as we drove to get my mind off the pain I


    was feeling. Right as I was about to protest, a sharp pain ran up my leg, reminding me that a distraction


    might not be so bad after all. He had stopped at the Chick-Fil-a by the school and bought me food as a


    way of apologizing. After I took one bite into my chicken sandwich, all was forgiven.


    "ording to my calctions that would be a total of 43,801 punches," he slurped loudly from his now


    empty drink. "You''re going to be brain dead after that."


    "Settle down Einstein," I mocked, throwing my crumpled-up napkin at him.


    My mind wandered to what happened in the Athletic trainer''s office, how close his face was to mine,


    and how in that brief moment, I was hoping that he would do something. In the back of my mind, I think


    that I wanted him to kiss me, but I keep that idea as repressed as possible. Even if that was what I


    wanted, it was probably just injury-induced craziness. Nothing more.


    "You''re just dodging what I said because you know I''m right," I snapped out of my thoughts, looking up


    to see a smug look on his face. I refocused myself, brushing off what I was thinking beforehand.


    "I know myself. I wouldn''tst a single day in jail. I have no clue how to make a shank and the only fight


    I''ve been in was in a bouncy house when I was nine."


    He smiled in amusement. "What in the world were you fighting about?"


    "Don''t ask."


    In the fourth grade, I punched my ssmate Jason during Sam''s fourth grade birthday party for saying


    that I looked like a Christmas tree without a star. I wasn''t exactly sure what that meant, but it seemed


    worthy of a fight to me.


    "Ok my turn!" I pped my hands together in excitement. "Would you rather swim in poop or eat dead


    bodies?"


    He shot me a look, his face turning a light green color. I decided that maybe right now wasn''t the best


    time to ask that question.


    "Never mind," Iughed, finding humor in Christopher''s nausea. "Would you rather be handsome and


    poor or ugly and rich."


    He shed a smile at me. "I''m already handsome and rich." I rolled my eyes at him.


    The nerve of this boy!


    "Come on," I whined," Seriously, you have to pick."


    "Then I would rather be ugly and rich. Then you can get all the stic surgery in the world."


    I nodded my head. "Exactly! It''s much easier to make yourself pretty with money than to make yourself


    rich with looks." I was surprised that we thought the same way.


    Over thest week, I learned that me and Christopher had a lot more inmon than I thought.


    Besides having extreme passions for dance and football, we also both liked English, hated math, and


    had a minor obsession with the Jonas brothers when we were younger, which I had to pry out of him.


    We pulled up in front of my house and I quickly grabbed my backpack before hobbling out of the car.


    "You should probably leave before my brother sees you here."


    "I''m not afraid of your brother."


    I eyed him up and down. Christopher was muscr in a lean way. However, Scott was much bigger. He


    had gotten into weight lifting about a year ago, and ever since he looked like he could y Thor in a


    superhero movie. If the Christopher and Scott battled it out, my money would most definitely be on my


    brother.


    "Whatever you say," I teased, turning around and heading for my door.


    "I''m not!" he yelled, before driving off.


    When I reached my front door, I pulled my key out from my backpack. Right as I was about to insert it


    into the lock, the door swung open. Sam stood there, her hands crossed over her torso.


    "You''re twenty minuteste!" She groaned, walking into my living room as I trailed behind her. "I was


    starving and was waiting for you so that we could order food."


    Just then, her eyes zeroed in on the crumpled-up Chick-Fil-A bag in my hand.


    "You sneaky wrench!"


    I choked, which caused me to cough for a few seconds. When I gained myposure, I couldn''t


    control myughter.


    "Did you just call me a wrench?" Iughed, my eyes filling with tears.


    "My mom said that if I kept cussing she would take my phone away." She squinted at me. "And I don''t


    appreciate your judgement."


    I limped over to my couch, before plopping down, elevating my foot on the table. Sam''s eyes softened


    as she spotted my ankle.


    "What happened?" She questioned, concern evident in her voice.


    I exined everything to her, including the moment that me and Christopher shared in the trainer''s


    office. After hearing all of it, she stayed silent for a little, thinking, before finally responding to me.


    "How do you feel about Christopher?"


    I scratched my chin, confused at she''d ask. "I feel like he''s somewhat a friend..." I trailed off. "What is


    the point of this question?''


    She studied my face. "After seven years of knowing you I can tell when you''re lying, even when you''re


    lying to yourself."


    "And..."


    It was her turn to scratch her chin as she studied my face. "I''m still deciding."


    I threw a pillow at her head as I let out a huff. "You''re no help. And trust me, I only think of Christopher


    as a friend. That''s all."


    "Then how do you exin what happened." She crossed her hands over her chest expectantly.


    "I don''t know, injury-induced craziness?" I had decided in the car that thiswas the official reason. I


    heard stories of mothers lifting cars that weigh thousands of pounds to save their kids. That''s kind of


    the same thing, right?


    She popped her lips. "I''ve decided. You definitely like him." My jaw dropped as I grabbed another pillow


    near me and chucked it at her.


    "I do not!"


    She stared at me knowingly. "You developed a crush over Tommy Fuller just because he gave you a


    gran bar when you forgot your lunch." I spent the first half of seventh grade trying to get him to


    notice me, but with no luck.


    "You just can''t help it, you get crushes too easily."


    I grabbed thest pillow on my couch and smashed my face into it. I''m certain that I don''t like


    Christopher. Well, I was about ny percent sure. And even if I did, it would never work. He was too


    obsessed with Mnie to ever like me back, and I had vowed to never date anyone in high school after


    what happened between me and myst boyfriend.


    I groaned one more time into the pillow for good measure, cursing my stupid teenage hormones. Sam


    came up to me, patting me on the back sarcastically. "It''s okay Brielle, we''ll get through this together."


    I refused to ept that anything was going on between me and Christopher. If I even allowed myself to


    think that for a second, then I knew that I would start to develop a crush. I turned towards Sam,


    "I''m telling you, I have no feelings towards him whatsoever." She gave me a pity nod, which only made


    me more persistent.


    "No, I''m serious. I could never like him. He''s dating Mnie for Pete''s sake! He literally can''t dance if


    his life depended on it." At this point, I didn''t know if I was trying to convince Sam or myself.


    "And when we were driving home today, I told him that going forty-five miles per hour when the speed


    limit is thirty is illegal, and he called me a grandma. Who does that!"


    I didn''t know if my tangent actually convinced Sam, or if she decided that it would be better if we left the


    topic alone, because she changed the subject to how much she''s going to hate her calculus teacher. I


    tried to listen to her, but all I could think of was Christopher, and how Sam had made me think about


    feelings that I never thought about beforehand.


    I shook my head, somehow thinking that it would shake the thought out of my mind. When I had no luck


    with that, I tried instead to refocus my attention on Sam''s story. There was no need to fester over


    feelings that weren''t even there.


    Right?

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Brielle


    6:23 AM


    "Get out of the car!"


    I rubbed my eyes, staying put. "I''m too tired to get up. Why did you insist that we get here this early?"


    He opened my door, reaching over me and unbuckling my seatbelt. Despite my efforts of clinging onto


    the car seat, Christopher managed to rip me out from his convertible.


    "For the fifth time, the waves are better in the morning."


    Now that my ankle had gotten better, Christopher insisted that the first thing I did was learn how to surf,


    like I promised. I tried my hardest to talk my way out of it, but he was persistent.


    "Why are you so gung-ho over me surfing with you?"


    He walked to the backseat of the car, picking out two surfboards and a bag from his trunk. "First, no


    one says gung-ho anymore."


    Really?


    "And two, surfing is actually fun when you get the hang of it. I bet you that by the time you learn you''re


    going to like it more than me."


    "I highly doubt that."


    He didn''t respond after that. Instead, he started making his way towards the shore. He had parked near


    the beach, and it was deserted due to the time of day. There were only a few surfers littered in the


    ocean. We had juste at sunrise, and the view took my breath away. The sky was a mix of orange


    and pink hues, all forming together into one beautiful sky. We walked in silence, each of us taking it in.


    When we reached the shore he reached into his bag and threw an article of clothing at my chest. "Put


    this on."


    I held it up in front of me, inspecting it. It looked like a waterproof, skintight, onesie. He must have seen


    the confusion on my face, because he exined what it was.


    "That''s a wetsuit. You''re supposed to put it over your swimsuit to keep you warm." I nodded my head


    as he took off his shirt, before slipping his legs into his own suit. I managed to get a good look at his


    bare upper body, and nearly choked when I saw his defined abs. I quickly looked away, afraid that he


    would spot me.


    I turned away from him, taking off my t-shirt and jean shorts to reveal my bikini underneath. All that I


    had were one-piece bathing suits, so Sam leant me one of hers. I told her that I was fine with my own,


    but ording to her I looked like a grandma going to water aerobics.


    Sam was much smaller than me, so the bathing suit was way too tight. I blushed, quickly putting my


    legs into the wet suit. I left the top part of the suit off, like he did, so that the sleeves were dangling from


    my waist and my upper body was exposed. When I turned around to face him, I noticed that his eyes


    were on me. He quickly looked away, but not before I caught it.


    "Okay," he said, coughing. "Here''s your first lesson." He picked up the surfboard next to him andid it


    on the sand. He then threw a piece of wax to me. I fumbled with it before finally catching it. "Wax the


    board."


    "Why?"


    He let out a huff. "Just do it."


    "I didn''t know that Nike had a new spokesperson," I mumbled underneath my breath.


    "I heard that."


    Once I had finished rubbing the wax on the surfboard, I turned towards him, waiting for him to tell me


    what to do next.


    "Nowy on your stomach on the board." I did what he said as he stood over me. "You have to arch


    you back off it."


    "Like this?" He shook his head, before kneeling beside me. He ced his hand on the small of my


    back, his cold hand against my warm skin causing me to shiver.


    "You have to keep this part of your back pressed down," he then ced his hand on my shoulder,


    gently lifting it. "And keep your chest lifted. Like that."


    I let in a ragged breath, hoping that he didn''t notice. Just contact from him was enough to make my


    heart beat faster.


    Get it together Brielle.


    "You''re going to paddle in this position, and then when the time is right, pop yourself up and stand." He


    showed me how to do it, before making me do it for what felt like a hundred times. When my arms felt


    like spaghetti, he finally let me in the water.


    We both got on a surfboard as we paddled into the ocean, waiting for a wave to form. To pass the time,


    I turned towards him. "So why did you start surfing?"


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He looked behind us, checking to see if a wave wasing. "Surfing was always my oldest sister


    Bianca''s thing. She dragged me one day and after that I really liked it."


    "Yea, well don''t expect that to happen with me."


    "Don''t worry," he shed me an award-winning smile. It wasn''t fair how white his teeth were. "It will."


    Just then, a wave started to form behind us. He began paddling, before pushing himself off his board


    until he was standing, riding the wave. It was almost mesmerizing. He lookedpletely at peace,


    gliding through water. The sight alone made me excited to learn, even though I would never tell him


    that. When he returned to me, he shook out his hair, sshing me with water.


    "Your turn."


    ****


    Two hours and many failed attemptster, I was pretty much ready to give up. I didn''t know how


    Christopher made it look so easy, but it wasn''t. At all. Christopher seemed to have given up on me too,


    because he had returned his surfboard back to his car and was now sitting on the shore. Whenever I


    wanted to quit, he would force me back out, iming that he wanted to give up when he first started


    too.


    One bad wipeoutter, I had finally reached my breaking point. "I''m not kidding Christopher I give up!" I


    yelled trying to get him to hear me.


    "Just one more!" He shouted. I rolled my eyes. If one more stupid wave was going to allow him to let


    me quit, then it was worth it. I began paddling towards the wave before pushing myself up.


    However, this time, it felt different, like everything had aligned perfectly. As I stood up, I felt one with the


    ocean, soaring across the water. The wave crashed on the other side of me, causing me to be encased


    in a tube of water.


    What was probably seconds felt like forever as I held onto the moment, not wanting to let it go. When I


    finally jumped off my surfboard, I looked to the shore to see Christopher jumping up and down,


    cheering for me. An adrenaline rush hit me as I paddled towards the shore, discarding my surfboard


    once I reached it.


    I ran up to him, a big smile on my face. He held his arms out to me, and I jumped into them, wrapping


    my legs around his waist as he spun me in a circle. After our excitement had subsided, I realized what I


    was doing.


    I''m straddling Christopher!


    He must have had the same realization because his eyes grew wide. I quickly jumped off him, my


    cheeks flushing with red.


    "Sorry, I was just really excited," I rambled on. "I really shouldn''t have jumped on you like that. And your


    dating Mnie, so it especially isn''t cool and-"


    I stopped talking once I spotted the giant smile on his face. "You''re cute when you''re flustered."


    Did he just call me cute?


    Before I could react, he kept going. "Mnie isn''t an issue. She and I broke up."


    I rolled my eyes. Mnie and Christopher broke up and got back together every other day. "I give this


    breakup a week."


    He began to speak, his voice full of conviction, "I''m not kidding this time. She''s differenttely. She''s


    been acting really-"


    I cut him off. "Crazy, insane, psychotic?"


    Heughed. "I was going to say jealous."


    I scoffed. Mnie was the most popr girl in school and her parents were loaded. "Who in the world


    is she jealous of?"


    "You."


    "Me?" I sputtered, dumbfounded. "Why would she be jealous of me?"


    He scratched the back of his neck. "She thinks that we spend too much time together. I tried to tell her


    that we''re just friends but she wouldn''t listen."


    For some reason there was a pang in my chest once I heard that word. Friends. That''s what I wanted


    us to be. So why did it hurt so much leaving from his mouth?


    "I tried to tell her that I don''t think of you like that. You''re not my type."


    I tried not to be offended as the pang in my chest returned. "Why is that?"


    "You''re just different."


    No girl wants to be called different or not someone''s type. It made me feel like some gross, ugly sea


    creature that had un-dateable stamped on its forehead. Even if I didn''t want to date Christopher, the


    fact that he feels this way about me was still hurtful.


    He must have read my facial expression because he quickly corrected himself.


    "Different in a good way. You don''t care about all the things that most girls do like fashion and drama.


    All you care about is your family and dance." He wiped his hair from over his eyes. "I''m kind of jealous


    of that. You don''t care about all the stupid stuff that the rest of us do."


    "So why don''t you just stop caring?"


    He looked off towards the ocean as the waves crashed against the shore. "I wish it was that easy."


    "You wish for a lot of things."


    He locked eyes with me. "What''s your point?"


    "Not to be blunt, but stop wishing for things and just do them, you know?" He seemed to be deep in


    thought after I said that. I tried to lighten the mood, hoping that I didn''t upset him.


    "I would say that you''re different from all the guys I''ve met but that would be a lie." I joked.


    A hint of a yful smile formed on his lips. "Take that back."


    "Make me."


    Before I could turn around and run he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. He lifted his hand


    up to my armpit and began tickling me.


    "Stop!" I yelled in betweenughs. "Put me down!"


    "Take what you said back."


    I was about to put up a fight, but my stomach was so sore fromughing that I gave up. "You''re


    different! Are you happy now!"


    He continued tickling me. "I''m still not convinced."


    I wasughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. I didn''t know if it was possible to die


    fromughing, but if so, I imagined that it would be something like this.


    "Okay, fine! You are the most different person that I''ve ever met. No one in the world canpare to


    you. On a scale of one to one-of-a-kind you''re up there. Now put me down!"


    That seemed to be good enough for him because he finally set me down. He had a smirk on his face,


    happy with his victory. I wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug look off his face.


    I put my hands over my eyes as I shook my shoulders, pretending to cry. Peeking through my fingers, I


    saw a genuine look of concern in his eyes.


    Sucker.


    "Are you okay Brielle? I was just joking."


    I uncovered my face, the tears I had fromughing now looked like tears of sadness. "Yea, I''m fine." I


    wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand.


    A smile suddenly broke onto my face as I reached into the back pocket of his shorts, pulling out his car


    keys. I took off towards the parking lot, yelling at him over my shoulders.


    "I just wanted to drive your convertible home without you!"


    "You''re dead, Brielle!" he called out, grabbing my surfboard from the beach and sprinting towards me. I


    was nearly at the car, and almost screamed when I looked back and saw that he was right behind me. I


    reached for the door, but before I could open it he ced a hand on either side of my head, pinning me


    against the car.


    I turned around to face him, his face just inches away from mine. He moved in closer to me, his body


    nearly pressing against mine.


    In between his panting, he huskily whispered, "Game over." However, my attention was no longer on


    his stolen car keys.


    The moment that my eyes locked onto his, the realization hit me like a truck. No matter how much I


    tried to convince myself otherwise, I now knew.


    I was hopelessly, undoubtedly crushing on Christopher Russel.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Brielle


    9:30 AM


    I fiddled with my hands nervously as we sat in his convertible. An awkward silence filled the car around


    us. Now that I realized how I felt, I couldn''t act the same around him. I couldn''t bicker with him without


    turning beet red, and whenever he touched me even a little, I jumped in surprise. He had tried to make


    conversation, but I had given him short answers, afraid that I would say something embarrassing. I was


    second guessing everything that I did, and I hated it.


    "Do you want to get something to eat?" he asked, taking his attention off the road for a second to


    nce at me. I silently nodded my head yes, my face getting flushed once more. He shot me a weird


    nce before turning towards the road again.


    I settled on looking out the window instead, not wanting to embarrass myself anymore. I zoned out so


    much that I didn''t realize that we were at the restaurant until Christopher opened my car door for me,


    waiting for me to get out.


    I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, making eye contact with him before quickly looking down at


    the ground. "You didn''t have to do that."


    He shed me a pearly white smile that nearly took my breath away. "I know, but I like to act nice every


    once in a while. Keep you on your toes."


    Instead of doing my signature eye roll, I just nodded my head and began walking towards the entrance


    of the restaurant.


    It wasn''t fair. He had never opened the door for me before, and now that I had decided that I liked him,


    he wanted to be even more charming than usual?


    His quick strides allowed him to get ahead of me and hold the door open. He ced his hand on the


    small of my back, guiding me inside. It felt as if his hand was burning a hole into my skin, until I had no


    other option but to brush his hand off me.


    A look of hurt shed across his face. However, before he could say anything, a waitress walked up to


    us, interrupting him. She was a leggy blonde with tinum blonde hair and an impressive amount of


    cleavage.


    "Hey, how can I help you today?" she purred. While the question was supposed to be geared towards


    the both of us, she seemed to only be asking Christopher.


    "Just two," Christopher responded, shing her a smile that made my heart sink. This was just one of


    the many reasons why I shouldn''t like Christopher. I couldpare to any of the girls that were


    constantly flirting with him. He dated girls like Mnie and the waitress, not girls like me. Based on his


    previous ex''s, I was willing to guess that my dull brown hair and murky brown eyes weren''t exactly his


    ideal type.


    The waitress seemed to just realize that I was there, because she shed me a dirty look before


    leading us to a booth. She practically threw a menu at me before carefully cing one in front of


    Christopher. As she did it, she bent down in front of him, practically shoving her chest into his face.


    She leaned into his ear, whispering. "So what do you want to drink?"


    My face grew hot. Even though me and Christopher weren''t together, she didn''t know that. I didn''t


    deserve to be treated like dirt just so that she could hit on him.


    "I''ll have a water," I interjected. Her head snapped towards me, annoyed. "And judging on how thirsty


    you''re acting, you might want one as well."


    She cast me a shocked look before looking towards Christopher for support. He avoided her gaze,


    looking anywhere but at her. His hand scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.


    She let out a huff, sending me onest re, before stomping away from us. Once she was out of


    earshot, we busted outughing. As I sifted through the menu, I looked up at him to see that he was


    staring at me.


    "What?" I giggled.


    He raised an eyebrow at me. "I was just wondering if you were jealous."


    A blush quickly crept up my cheeks. "I was not jealous!" I protested defensively. If he thought that I was


    jealous, then he would know that I had feelings for him, which could never happen.


    He looked at me knowingly. "Then why did you snap on her like that?"


    I crossed my arms over my chest. "I just didn''t appreciate being ignored."


    "If you say so."


    A new waiter came up to us with two sses of water and set them down on our table. The previous


    waitress must have made him switch with her, because he was now taking out order. When I handed


    Christopher my menu to give to him after we were done ordering, our hands brushed against each


    other''s. I had never felt the sparks that people had described, but if I had to guess, I would imagine that


    it felt like the jolt of electricity that shot up my arm as our hands connected.


    I quickly recoiled my arm away from his. In my rush, my hand knocked over the ss of water in front


    of me, spilling ice-cold water onto my white shirt. I let a sharp breath in, my body shocked at the


    freezing water.


    "This seems to always keep happening to you." He joked, trying to cheer me up. His attempts only


    made me more annoyed, because they made me crush on him even harder.


    "I know right," I nervouslyughed, getting up and wringing my shirt. "I''m just going to use the


    bathroom." I quickly scrambled to the restroom, keeping my head down as I went.


    Thankfully, when I entered it was empty. I leaned my head against the cold mirror, cooling down my


    flushed face.


    Calm down Brielle.


    I quickly sshed some water on my face before addressing therge spill on my shirt. I stood under


    one of the blow dryers, allowing it to dry up the spill. While I waited I typed in Sam''s number, hoping


    that she would pick up.


    After the fourth ring she answered. The background was noisy to the point where I could barely hear


    her. After a while the background noise became softer and softer until she began to speak.


    "Hey, what''s up?" she questioned.


    I tucked my hair behind my ears, before resting my forehead in the palm of my hand. "You were right," I


    admitted, letting out a sigh. "I have a crush on Christopher."


    A fit of squealing busted out from her side of the line followed by a round of ps. "I knew it, I knew it."


    She said in a sing-sing voice. "You should tell him!"


    "Are you serious, Sam? I had a crush on Tommy for six months and I never told him. There is no way


    that I''m saying a word." I sat down on the floor, the damp patch on my shirt now forgotten.


    "It doesn''t matter anyway because I''m can''t date him. Especially not after Derrick." Sam let out an


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    audible sigh on the other end of the phone.


    "Brielle, I get that he was your ex and he hurt you, but you have to stop letting what happened between


    you two affect you now. He doesn''t deserve to have that much power over you."


    "That''s easy for you to say. You didn''t have to listen to someone tear you down time after time again."


    My voice cracked, as all the raw emotions I tried to repress rose back up. I quickly pushed them back


    down before continuing. "I just can''t go through that again."


    "But do you really think that Christopher would do that to you?"


    The truth is, I didn''t know. If you asked me this a month ago, I would have said yes. But the Christopher


    around me was always sweet and funny, and I could never imagine him being anything like Derrick. But


    that voice in the back of my head kept on reminding me that guys like Derrick always seemed that way,


    until they weren''t.


    "I didn''t think that Derrick would do that either but look what happened."


    "Brielle." She said sternly. "You and I both know that Christopher wouldn''t do that to you. He really likes


    you."


    My voice grew quiet. "As a friend."


    "You don''t know that."


    "He literally said that he only though of me as a friend earlier today after he told me that him and


    Mnie broke up because of me."


    She paused for a second. "So, let me get this straight, he broke up with his girlfriend over you and you


    seriously still think that he doesn''t like you?"


    "Well..." I trailed off, not really knowing how to respond. I didn''t really think of it like that.


    "You''re so clueless sometimes." She groaned. "Has anything else weird between you two happened


    today?"


    "Well," I said, racking my brain for anything useful. "He kept on holding open doors for me, and he


    totally ignored this desperate waitress." My voice began to trail off. "And I may or may not have


    straddled him today."


    She paused for a second. "And after all of this you still think that he doesn''t like you?"


    "But what if he doesn''t. I don''t think that I could handle being rejected."


    "Well then we''ll make sure that he likes you without Christopher knowing that you like him."


    "And how do you n to do this?"


    I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the phone.


    "Duh, you''re going to seduce him."

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Brielle


    7:42 PM


    "Sam, I look ridiculous," I said, staring into the mirror. After my minor breakdown in the restaurant


    bathroom, Sam had forced me toe to her house. She was dead set on the idea of me seducing


    Christopher, but I wasn''t so sure. I was a lot of things, but sexy was definitely not one of them. With my


    luck, I wouldpletely embarrass myself. My face grew hot just thinking about it.


    Sam must have sensed my growing panic, because she got up from her bed and ced her hands on


    my shoulder. "Take a deep breath," she reassured me. "You''ll be fine."


    I nodded my head, wanting to believe her. At this point, I didn''t care if he had feelings for me or not, but


    I just needed to know. I was driving myself crazy guessing.


    She picked up clothes on the bed and threw it at me. "Now try this on."


    I picked them up, inspecting each piece. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw what she had picked out.


    "Sam, what the hell is this?" I eximed, holding up a ck pushup sports bra and ck booty shorts.


    "Do you expect me to wear this to school?"


    Sheughed at me, making a shooing motion with her hand. "Of course not! You''re going to try to


    seduce him tomorrow at your dance practice."


    My face contorted in disgust. "Sam this will barely cover my body."


    She winked. "That''s the point. Now put it on!" She shooed me out of the room and into her bathroom.


    When I finally emerged, she began pping.


    "This is the one."


    "Sam-" I protested. Before I could finish, she cut me off.


    "Shh! I don''t need your negativity." She stared at me in concentration. "Now let''s go over what I taught


    you."


    I tugged down on the shorts, not feelingfortable with how high they came up. "Sam, I really don''t


    feelfortable."


    She let out a frustrated huff. "Just do it."


    "Fine." I grumbled.


    "Ok, pretend I''m Christopher, what are you going to do?" I rolled my eyes before ying along. I took a


    piece of my hair off my shoulder, before twirling it with my finger.


    "Hey Christopher," I whispered.


    "Hey Brielle," Sam said in a deep voice, causing me to burst outughing.


    "Brielle," Sam said, snapping. "Focus!"


    "Ok, ok!" I giggled. I took a pause, getting back into character and pretending Sam was Christopher. I


    walked up to her, getting close.


    "I was thinking that we should add a kiss to the end of the dance," I flipped my hair over my shoulder,


    leaning in closer. "What do you think?" My eyes locked onto Sam''s.


    She jumped up, suddenly giddy. "You''re ready! I thought that you were a serious lost cause but


    somehow I have pulled off another miracle!"


    I smiled, happy that I hadn''t made aplete full of myself. "Wait, you said that you believed I could do


    it?"


    She plopped back onto the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. "A good friend always lies."


    ****


    You got this Brielle. You won''t make a fool of yourself.


    I repeated this over and over in the school''s bathroom mirror. Christopher was waiting in the dance


    room for our practice, but I just couldn''t muster up the courage to meet him. This whole n was a bad


    idea, but it hadn''t hit me how bad it was until now.


    You can do this.


    I took a deep breath in before summoning the courage to leave. If I didn''t go now, I never would. When


    I reached the studio, Christopher was already in the middle of the room, stretching.


    "What took you so long?" he joked, his usual smile on his face.


    I tried to reply to him, but my breath caught in my throat, making it nearly impossible. Instead of saying


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    an actual word, a weird grunt came out from me instead. My face turned a bright red as I quickly turned


    away from him, setting my bag down in the corner.


    I took off my sweatpants and sweatshirt to reveal the outfit that Sam had picked for me underneath. I


    gave myself onest short pep talk before putting my game face on.


    "I was just finding something in my locker," I responded huskily, sauntering towards him. His eyes grew


    wide as he scanned me up and down. I was so focused on his facial expression that I didn''t notice his


    gym shoe on the floor and tripped over it, nearly falling before regaining my bnce. My face grew a


    bright red.


    How embarrassing!


    "Are you okay?" he asked, worry evident on his face.


    "I''m good," I announced, trying not to die of shame. I just needed to shake it off and get my head back


    in the game.


    I grabbed a piece of my hair and began twirling it in between my fingers as I continued towards him.


    "I was thinking about our routine and how we should add a kiss to the end for dramatic effect."


    My finger got caught in a knot, causing it to be stuck in my hair. I yanked at it a few times before it


    finally became free, but not before creating a loud ripping noise. I smoothed out my hair before trying to


    continue.


    "What do you think about adding it?" I finished. I ced my hand on his bicep and leaned in close to


    him as I waited for his response. However, my hand was so sweaty that it slipped right off of his arm,


    leaving a wet trail behind it.


    He stared at me with a look that I could only imagine was a mix between confusion and disgust before


    asking me again, "Are you sure you''re okay?"


    My eyes brimmed with tears as I realized that I had just made apletely fool of myself. If it was


    Mnie she would have had no problem seducing Christopher, but I couldn''t be sexy if my life


    depended on it. All that I wanted to do was hide under a rock and never get out from under it.


    His eyes looked concerned as he stared into mine. "Seriously Brielle, what''s wrong?"


    Although he was trying to help, that question only set me over the edge, I quickly turned away from him


    as tears spilled down my face.


    "I have to go," I responded before grabbing my dance bag and clothes. I ran out of the studio and


    towards the parking lot, trying to get to my house as quickly as I could. All that I wanted to do was go


    home and acted like this never happened.


    I just felt so stupid. Not only for thinking that I could ever pull this off, but for thinking that there was any


    chance that Christopher could like me. He could have his pick of any girl in the school, and for some


    strange reason I thought that he would want me?


    I briskly walked towards my neighborhood, trying to put as much distance between me and Christopher


    as possible. However, when I looked over my shoulder, I saw him running towards me.


    I picked up my pace as I wiped away my tears, not wanting him to see me like this. Despite my efforts


    he quickly reached me, and easily fell in pace with my quick strides.


    "You''ve been acting really weird today Brielle," he stated, staring at me. "What''s wrong?"


    I couldn''t even bring myself to look at him, let alone respond. I just settled on telling him to go away


    before quickening my pace.


    He grabbed onto my arm, stopping me in my tracks and bringing us face to face. I stared down at my


    feet until he ced his hand under my chin pulling it up so that I was looking at him.


    He looked at me with warm eyes. "You can tell me."


    I wanted to. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I just couldn''t. I couldn''t let myself be vulnerable. And


    even if I wanted to tell him, whenever I tried to say the words my brain automatically stopped me.


    "I can''t." My voice cracked on thest word.


    He ced his hand on the back of my head, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "You can tell me


    anything."


    I wanted to believe that. I wanted to believe him, but I knew that everything would change. If he


    rejected me, everything would be awkward and I didn''t know if I could handle it.


    But as I looked into his eyes, something in them made me want to change my mind and take the risk.


    Something in them made me want to tell him how I felt and trust him with my heart. I didn''t know how to


    articte how I felt about him without tripping over my words, so I did the first thing that came to my


    mind.


    I kissed him.


    I pressed my lips to his, hoping and praying that he would do something. Anything. His lips stayed


    frozen against mine. My heart dropped.


    He isn''t kissing me back.


    Right as I was about to pull away, his other hand grabbed onto the back of my head as he pulled my


    face towards his, our mouths moving against one another''s in sync. The world seemed to fade away as


    it was just me and him in the moment.


    I had never believed in fireworks. But standing here with Christopher, with goosebumps all over my


    body and my heart racing, I was a full believer. Time seemed to freeze as I was unaware if we were


    kissing for seconds or hours. When we finally pulled away, we were both breathless.


    A smile stretched upon my face, but his eyes quickly became dark and unreadable. Before I had the


    chance to ask him what was wrong, he dropped both of his hands from my face and looked away.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t do this."


    And with that, he ran away.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Christopher


    7:40 PM


    What is wrong with me?


    That seemed to be question that I asked myself a lot recently.


    The walk away from Brielle seemed like forever, but I knew that I couldn''t stay there with her, no matter


    how much I wanted to. When I finally reached my car, I got into the driver''s seat, running my hands


    through my hair in frustration.


    The problem wasn''t that I regretted kissing her, it was that I didn''t.


    This wasn''t supposed to happen. None of it was. I wasn''t supposed to get feelings for her. I was


    supposed to stay focused on the n.


    Reel her in. Make her like me. Then break her heart.


    That was always the goal. After I found out that she was Scott''s little sister, and how much that bugged


    him, I knew that it had to be done. He needed to understand what it was like to see someone close to


    you wear away. To not even recognize who they were. To see someone that had been nothing but


    happy have their entire life fall apart in front of your eyes.


    He deserved it.


    But she didn''t.


    When I first saw her, with her chocte-colored hair and deep brown eyes, she was the most beautiful


    girl that I ever saw. Not in the same way that Mnie and the waitress were. She was beautiful in a


    way that didn''t require effort. She didn''t need to try, or be something that she wasn''t. There was


    something about the way that nothing seemed to faze her that wrapped me in, that I didn''t know at the


    time.


    I snapped out of my thoughts, putting the key into the ignition and starting the car. I just needed to get


    home and clear my head of what just happened. By the time that I got to my house, I was mentally


    exhausted. I copsed onto the couch, closing my eyes, trying to fall asleep.


    "Where were you?" Nicole said, plopping down next to me on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her hand.


    I groaned as my eyes fluttered open, my potential nap now ruined.


    "Did you not see that I was sleeping?" I grumbled.


    "I did, I just chose to ignore it." She grabbed the remote off the table and turned on the TV. "What were


    you doing anyway. We were supposed to watch a movie after school today."


    "Nothing," I mumbled, closing my eyes again. I wasn''t in the mood to be interrogated by my sister.


    She punched me hard in the arm, causing me to clutch the area in pain. I shot her a re. "What was


    that for?"


    "To get your attention." She popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "And now that I have it, I demand


    that you to tell me what''s wrong."


    My eyebrows raised in amusement. "You demand me?"


    "Correct."


    I rolled my eyes. "Well sorry to tell you but there is nothing to say."


    She looked at me with knowing eyes. "Chris, I have known you for nearly 17 years. I have bathed with


    you, lied for you, and potty trained you."


    "You did not," I interjected. "You were like five at the time, you were barely potty trained yourself."


    She waved her hand dismissively. "That''s not the point. The point is that I know you, and I know when


    something''s wrong. You''ve been acting weird around me for weeks, and I haven''t said anything, but


    you''re really starting to worry me, so please just tell me."


    She locked eyes with me, cing her hand on my shoulder. "Just be honest, are you on drugs?"


    My eyes grew wide as I swiped her hand off my shoulders. "Are you actually asking me that?"


    She let out a sigh of relief, the worry melting off her face. "Okay, then tell me what is wrong! You can


    trust me."


    I let out a deep breath. I wanted to tell her. Ever since our parents died and our oldest sister Bianca


    moved away, me and Nicole were all that each other had. But I just couldn''t do it. I couldn''t stand how


    she would look at me if she knew, and what that would do to her. But as much as I wanted to keep it


    from her, I just couldn''t.


    "Promise that you won''t get pissed at me?" I looked at her with imploring eyes. She offered her pinkie


    out to me.


    "I promise." I hooked my pinkie around hers before continuing. "It''s about Scott."


    Her face grew pale as she stared at me. "Chris, what did you do?" She prodded.


    My jaw began tick at the thought of him. "Nothing that he didn''t deserve."


    Her face became stern. "I''m serious Chris, what did you do."


    "Do you remember his little sister Brielle?"


    "Yeah," she nodded. "I talked to her at the party. She was really nice."


    "I know," I trailed off, raking my hand through my hair. "And I''m aplete asshole." She looked at me


    with curious eyes, urging me to continue.


    "You know how I had to take that dance ss this year." She nodded her head. "Well the only way that


    I could pass the ss and stay on the football team was if I did a dance with Brielle at the ballet


    showcase." I paused before continuing.


    "One day when I took her home Scott saw me. He was so mad at the sight of me and her together that


    it gave me an idea. I just wanted him to feel exactly what he made you and I feel."


    Her eyebrows bunched together, causing her forehead to wrinkle. "Chris, what did you do?" She


    questioned, her voiceced with worry.


    I took a deep breath, deciding that there was no easy way to say it. "I wanted to make her fall in love


    with me and break her heart. The same way that Scott did to you."


    Her face contorted in shock before setting on a look of anger. "Why would you do that!" she cried out,


    her volume raising. "She doesn''t deserve that, no one does."


    "You think that I don''t know that! You have no idea how guilty I feel. But he deserves it for what he did


    to you."


    "You have to let that go. I''ve made peace with it, and so should you."


    I mmed my fist down on the armrest, unable to control my frustration. "I don''t want to let it go! He


    hurt you because of what was going on between me and him. He deserves to have the same thing


    happen to him."


    Her voice grew quiet as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "He''s still a good guy."


    "That''s the problem Nicole. You still have feelings for the guy despite everything put you through. He


    broke up with you a day after our parents died because of some stupid fight over me getting


    quarterback! He knew that you needed him most and he abandoned you."


    "Chris, everyone deserves a second chance."


    I could feel the anger in me rising. "Stop being so na?ve and open your eyes! You were depressed for


    two years over him!"


    She recoiled back, her eyes shing a wounded look. I didn''t want to hurt her, but she was always


    defending him, despite all the things that he did to her. Even after two years she still wasn''t over him.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She said that she was, but if he wanted her, I wouldn''t be surprised if she took him back. I cared about


    her too much to see her go through it again.


    I took a deep breath, allowing myself to calm down before continuing. "You still have a soft spot for him.


    I know that you say you don''t but you do. I just thought that if he felt just a little of what you went


    through, he would leave you alone. But I messed up, Nicole. I like her, and now I don''t know what to


    do. And when she kissed me today, I panicked and ran off."


    I put my head in my hands. "I just screwed up."


    "Well we can both agree on that." She shifted her gaze away from me and towards the TV. "Does she


    have any clue about what your initial n was?"


    I hoped not. It would break her if she found out. "I don''t think so."


    "And you genuinely like her?"


    That was one thing that I was sure of. She was stubborn and judgmental and uptight, but she was also


    fun and surprising. She was interested in things that I would never expect and I felt like I could actually


    be myself when I talked to her. I didn''t have to be Christopher Russel the quarterback or Christopher


    Russel the Homing King, I could just be me. I''ve never felt that way about anyone besides my


    family. I didn''t know when I came to this realization, but Mnie seemed to figure it out before I did.


    So, while I wasn''t sure of muchtely, I was sure of this.


    "Yes," I replied. "I genuinely like her."


    She let out a sigh. "Then apologize to her and hope that she never finds out."


    I nodded my head as I leaned back on the couch, attempting to take another nap. I didn''t know how I


    was supposed to deal with this guilt, but I did now one thing for sure:


    Brielle could never find out.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Brielle


    8:09 PM


    Sam and I sat at our favorite diner, Randy''s Shack. Whenever any of us were stressed out or needed


    to eat our feelings, we always order two double chocte shakes and onion rings to split. Today, I


    needed them more than ever.


    When Christopher first ditched me on the sidewalk after our kiss, I was shocked. I couldn''t wrap my


    brain around the fact that one moment his lips were pressed against mine, and then the next, he was


    gone.


    But after the initial shock wore off, I just grew angry. How dare he leave me there after that! I


    immediately called Sam in my need to vent, and we have been here ever since.


    "You know what really pisses me off?" I asked Sam, rhetorically of course. "The fact that he gave me


    no reason and just ran, like who does that?" I took a long slurp of my shake before catching my breath.


    "And to be honest, he''s not even that cute anymore. He''s one of those guys that look good from afar,


    but when you look at them up close they just look worse and worse. He''s basically a catfish."


    I looked up at Sam for confirmation but was only answered with a slight nod of her head and a soft


    murmur. Her eyes seemed to have zed over, staring at the Beatles poster hung on the wall.


    "Sam!" I pped my hands in front of her face, causing her eyes to snap towards mine. She looked


    disheveled for a second before finally returning to reality.


    "I was listening!" she said in a high-pitched voice, lying straight through her teeth. She spotted my


    knowing nce before finally confessing.


    "Okay fine, I wasn''t, but can you me me? You''ve been talking about how much you hate him for like


    two hours." She yed with the straw in her empty cup. "A friend can only take so much."


    I rubbed my eyes, resting my forehead on the cool table. "I know," I groaned, looking back at her. "It''s


    just that he''s stuck in my head, you know? And no matter how much I try to shake him I can''t stop


    Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    thinking about him."


    I rubbed my temples with my fingers, feeling a head acheing on. "It''s just so frustrating."


    "I know," Sam said, looking at me with sympathetic eyes. "That''s why I texted him to meet us."


    "What!" My jaw dropped as my eyes grew wide.


    "I had to!" she eximed, quickly defending herself. "You''ve been saying the same thing over and over


    for the past thirty minutes. If I didn''t do something, I was going to go insane."


    A look of hurt was stered on my face. I couldn''t help feeling a little betrayed. I just wanted someone


    to vent to, I wasn''t ready to confront Christopher.


    She must have sensed this because her tone grew softer, her eyes locked onto mine.


    "I don''t know what''s going on between you to, but you deserve to know. It hurts me to see you


    distraught like this. Whether you guys get together or not, you deserve closure."


    I bit my lip, nodding my head in agreement. I wanted to know why he ran, but the thought of even


    talking to him made my heart race in nervousness. What if it wasn''t a crazy reason at all, and he just


    ran away because he decided that he didn''t like me, or he wanted to be with Mnie more.


    The sound of the bell attached to the door of the restaurant interrupted my thoughts. Before even


    looking, I knew it was him. I quickly opened a menu, trying to hide my face behind it.


    "We need to go." I angrily whispered at Sam. "Now." I peeked over the top of the menu, spotting


    Christopher scanning the room for where we might be.


    paused for a second, before picking up her purse from the table and standing up. I let out a sigh of


    relief, hoping that we would be able to make a clean get away.


    Instead, however, she mouthed the word sorry before turning towards Christopher.


    "Christopher we''re over here!"


    My heart sank.


    He was almost at our table when she whispered to me, "This is for your own good." She quickly walked


    away, leaving me and Christopher alone.


    "You know that you don''t have to hide behind the menu anymore," he joked, causing my face to turn


    red. I set the menu down, bing the usual shy, nervous wreck that I was around him. However,


    something about the way he smiled brought me back to our kiss, and the way that he ditched me


    afterwards. The thought of it reced my nervousness with anger.


    "What do you want," I snipped. He flinched, seeming to be taken aback by my sudden attitude.


    "I just wanted to say that I''m sorry," he responded, scanning my face for any hint of what I was feeling. I


    tried my hardest to be expressionless, because under all my anger, I was hurt, and I didn''t want him to


    know.


    "Well, I ept your apology." I sped my hands together and set them on the table. "Are we done


    now?"


    "Brielle," he said, cing his hand on top of mine. I yanked my hand out from under his, cutting him off


    before he could finish what he was saying.


    "Don''t touch me." My voice cracked. I felt my angry resolve start to crumble, until all that was left was


    the raw hurt that he caused me. I felt tears well up in the back of my eyes, and I tried to my hardest to


    push them back.


    "I put myself out there for you, something that I never do, and you have the nerve to kiss me and then


    run away without any exnation?" A tear rolled down my cheek, and I angrily brushed it away.


    "Well, guess what Christopher? Screw you. Because sorry doesn''t cut it." I quickly stood up from my


    chair and made my way out of the diner, not even bothering to look back. The tears began to fall down


    my face all at once, to the point where there was no controlling them.


    I was halfway through the parking lot before someone grabbed onto my wrist and spun me around. His


    face softened when he spotted the tears falling down my cheeks.


    "Let go of me," I ordered, trying to yank my wrist from his grasp.


    "Please," he pleaded. "Just hear me out." I let out a deep huff before I stopped resisting, making him


    drop my wrist.


    "I just want to know why you did it. Why you ran away."


    He paused, a pained expressioning over his face. He hesitated, trying to speak, before giving up


    and looking away.


    "That''s what I thought." I wiped thest of my tears. I was done crying over him. I turned and began to


    walk away from him. However, once he began to speak I stopped dead in my tracks.


    "I ran because I was scared. I''ve never felt this way about anyone before." He took a deep breath


    before continuing. "After what happened with my parents, I don''t like to let people get close to me,


    because the more people that you care about, the more chances you have of being hurt. I was scared


    that if I let you in and we didn''t work out, it would break me."


    He was now behind me. I spun around to face him, our noses almost touching.


    "But I''m not afraid anymore."


    I thought about how easy it would be to kiss him, to forget everything that happened between us and


    move forward.


    But I couldn''t.


    I stepped away from him, not being able to meet his gaze. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and


    looked anywhere but at him. "I should probably go."


    I looked up at him, his eyes shing with hurt before bing unreadable. "At least let me drive you


    home."


    I nodded my head silently before following him to his car. My house had never felt farther away as we


    drove in silence, each of us consumed in our own thoughts. No matter how much I wanted to kiss him


    back there, I knew that I couldn''t.


    Ever since I''ve had a crush on him, I''ve be someone that I don''t recognize. Someone who tries to


    wear revealing clothes just to get a guy''s attention, someone who cries for hours and talks their friends


    ear off over a boy. Everything that I prided myself on not being, I was bing. And the only thing


    scarier than getting my heart broken by Christopher, was losing sight of who I was.


    When we pulled up in front of my house, something stopped me from getting out immediately. Just like


    I wanted an exnation from him, he deserved an exnation from me.


    "I feel like I''m losing myself." I said still looking out the car window. "I was once that girl who cried over


    guys, and I promised myself that I would never be that girl again, and that scares me."


    I began fiddling with my fingers before finally mustering up the courage to look up at him. "I just feel like


    I''m changing myself, and I don''t want to."


    He paused for a moment before responding. "I don''t want you to change either, because you''re perfect


    the way you are."


    "I like the Brielle that broke into the football field despite not knowing how to kick a field goal, the Brielle


    who gave me hell for kissing you in front of all the football yers, and the Brielle that woke up at five


    in the morning just to surf with me."


    "So, I don''t want you to feel like you ever have to change for me, because I wouldn''t change a thing


    about you."


    "Really?" I asked, surprised that he felt that way about me.


    He stuck out his pinkie. "I promise." I wrapped my finger around his, a smile on my face.


    We sat in afortable silence for a few moments before I broke it. "I should probably go inside, if


    Scottes out he''ll freak." I opened the car door and made my way to the porch. I was on my front


    step when he yelled out behind me.


    "Wait!" he called, jumping out of the car and running up to me. "I need to do something first."


    I was going to ask him what it was, but before I could speak, his mouth was on mine. I leaned into the


    kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. He pulled away too quickly, leaving my lips feeling bare.


    "Come out with me on Friday," he breathily half-asked, half-demanded.


    "Like a date?"


    He shed me smile, "You already know the answer to that. Are you in?"


    I paused, pretending to think about it while biting my lip.


    "I''m in."

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    Brielle


    6:52 PM


    "What. Is. Going. On."


    Sam walked into my room, her eyes wide. My once somewhat tidy space was now littered with clothes.


    Iid face down in the center, on top of a pile of them. Christopher was supposed to pick me up in thirty


    minutes for my date, and I still had nothing to wear.


    In a moment of desperation, I 9-1-1 texted Sam, causing her to im the stomach flu to get out of her


    family''s mandatory family dinner. That was the one thing that her mother never budged on, so only an


    emergency would cause Sam to skip out.


    "Brielle," Sam said, slightly kicking me with her foot as if to check if I was still alive. "He''s going to be


    here in half an hour!"


    I rolled over to face her, groaning in the process. "I know, don''t remind me."


    As my eyes skimmed over my room, and at the mess that epassed me, I buried my face in the


    clothes once more.


    "You know what, I think I''m just going to tell him not toe. It''s hopeless." Although I couldn''t see her,


    I already knew that Sam was rolling her eyes at me.


    "Come on," she said grabbing my arm and dragging my body upright. "Pull yourself together!"


    I let out an incoherent mumble before finally sitting up, pushing my frizzy hair out of my face.


    Sam let out a loud sigh before cracking her knuckles and tying her hair back. "Ok, let''s get down to


    business. What are you guys going to do?"


    I looked down at my phone, still opened on hisst text. "He didn''t say, he just sent me this." I held my


    phone up to her face, showing her the message.


    Wear somethingfortable. Be there at 7 ? ¨C Christopher


    Upon reading it, I flopped back on my floor in frustration.


    "You''re useless," Sam mumbled, pushing me off the pile of clothes and sifting through the pieces


    underneath me. After a few minutes she emerged with a pair of ripped jeans and a heather grey crop


    top.


    "Here you go," she said throwing the articles directly at my face. "Now put them on. Chop chop!"


    I quickly threw them on, before turning towards my mirror. I couldn''t lie, Sam''s outfit was the perfect mix


    of casual and cute that I was looking for.


    Sam popped up behind me, admiring her work. "God, what would you do without me?"


    "I have no clue."


    She steered me away from the mirror before quickly styling my hair into waves as I did light makeup on


    my face. I was applying a finishing coat of lip gloss when the doorbell rang. My heart skipped a beat


    knowing, it was Christopher.


    Before I could stand up, I heard Scott yell from downstairs, "I''ll get the door!"


    My eyes, grew wide. I hadn''t told Scott that me and Christopher were still talking. If he found out that he


    was taking me out on a date, he would kill me and Christopher.


    Sam must have thought the same thing because she jumped up and sprinted out of my room with me


    right at her heels.


    "We got it!" we yelled in unison, as we hopped down the stairs. Scott, stopped, his hand on the


    doorknob, ready to open it.


    "It''s fine," he said twisting the door knob open. "I''m already here."


    "No!" I shrieked, causing him to recoil in shock. I casually walked over to him, lowering my octave as I


    did so. "Don''t worry about it, I know how badly you want to go back to ying your video games." I


    brushed his hand off the door.


    His eyes scanned from me, to Sam, and back to me again. After a few moments, he seemed to have


    given up trying to figure out what was happening.


    "Girls," he mumbled underneath his breath before walking into the kitchen, which was out of sight of the


    front door.


    I let out a deep breath that I didn''t even realize I was holding before finally twisting open the door. I


    came face to face with Christopher. His eyes were rested on his shoes. Opening the door seemed to


    catch him off-guard as his eyes snapped towards me, his face turning the slightest shade of red.


    I took the moment to look him over. He wore a white button-down shirt with a pair of faded jeans and


    white converse. His hands rested in his pockets shing me a contagious smile that made me smile as


    well.


    "You look really nice," he said, the nervousness audible in his voice. I let out a softugh. I couldn''t help


    but find itical to see the usual confident Christopher transformed into someone shy and quiet.


    "Thanks," I grinned, stepping out of my house and closing it behind me. "You don''t look too bad


    yourself."


    His usual arrogant self returned. "You and I both know that I look a lot better than that."


    I yfully rolled my eyes. As much as I pretended to hate how cocky he could be, deep down I liked it.


    He opened his car door for me before running over to the driver''s seat and starting the car. As we


    pulled out of the driveway, I turned towards him.


    "Where are we going?" I questioned him. He responded with augh and zipped his lips with his hand.


    "C''mon, can I at least have a hint!"


    He shook his head at me, and from the smile on his face I could tell that he was enjoying this a little too


    much. I let out a dramatic huff before fiddling with the radio.


    When I finally settled on a station that we both agreed on, we sat and talked about what seemed like


    everything and nothing. I learned about his childhood best friends, how close he was with each of his


    sisters, and his obsession with Pok¨¦mon cards in the fourth grade.


    The time passed quickly, so I had no clue that we had been on the road for forty minutes when we


    finally pulled to a stop. We got out at a forested area with seemingly no one around for miles.


    "You know this would be a perfect ce for a horror movie," I joked as I got out of the car and followed


    him down the nature trail. "Did you bring me out here to kill me?"


    "If I wanted to kill you I would have done it a long time ago."


    "What is that supposed to mean?" I cried, feigning hurt.


    "It means that you annoy the heck out of me," he said, wrapping his arm over my shoulder and pulling


    me closer as we walked. "But I like you anyway."


    A blush crept up my cheeks as I rested my head on his shoulder, enjoying thefort of his embrace.


    After a few minutes, arge wooden house came into view. I turned towards him, shocked. "Is this


    yours?"


    He nodded his head yes. "It''s myke house."


    My heart began to beat faster. Christopher bringing us to an empty house made me question what his


    intentions were. I knew that he wouldn''t expect that from me, but I couldn''t shake the voice in my head


    that reminded me of his past track record with girls.


    He seemed to sense my concerns because he said, "I brought you here because this is where we keep


    our dirt bikes."


    All my thoughts melted away as I felt my excitement grow. "We''re going dirt biking!"


    I had always wanted to try it, but I had never had the chance. I could barely hide my enthusiasm as I


    started to jump in ce. His eyes rested on me, his smile growing as he saw how happy I was.


    "What are we waiting around for!" I called, taking off towards the house. He let out a throatyugh


    before running after me, quickly catching up.


    When he passed me, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder before continuing to run,


    causing me to let out a high-pitched shriek. When we quickly reached his house, he opened the


    garage, revealing a navy blue dirty bike and two bright pink ones.


    He instinctively walked towards the navy blue one, but I ran up behind him, jumping on the seat before


    he had the chance to.


    "I guess you have to ride the pink one," I mocked, waiting to see his reaction.


    To say I felt disappointed was an understatement when he responded, "Jokes on you, that was the one


    I wanted."


    "Whatever you say Ken."


    He threw me a helmet before giving me quick lesson on how to ride the bike. After ten minutes, he


    mounted the pink bike and we pulled out of the drive way. I followed him down a trail, the sun just


    beginning to set.


    The cool wind whipped around me as we raced thought the forest. I could feel the adrenaline in my


    veins as we rode, and I never wanted the moment to end. A smile was stered on my face the entire


    time, and when we returned to theke house after over an hour and a half of riding, it still felt too soon.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Christopher started the firece in the living room as I made us two cups of hot chocte in the


    kitchen. When I returned, the room was littered with id pillows and warm, fuzzy nkets, all


    surrounding the firece.


    I handed him a cup as I sat next to him, both of us content with just listened to the crackling of the fire.


    "I had a lot of fun," I said, snuggling my head into his shoulder and letting out a yawn.


    "Me too," he said, running his finger through my hair. "If you told me two months ago that I would be


    sitting here like this with you right now, I wouldn''t have believed you."


    "Why, because you would have been cuddled up with Mnie?"


    His gaze locked onto mine, his eyes suddenly serious. "No, because I was so intimidated by you that I


    thought I had no chance."


    I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah right."


    "I''m not kidding! You''re probably the most beautiful girl in the school, and you walked around like all this


    stupid high school stuff means nothing to you. No matter how popr or cool people thought I was, I


    knew that it wouldn''t matter to you."


    His focus shifted to the fire in front of him. "You would be surprised at how many people would try to


    date you if they thought there was a chance."


    To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. I had never thought that Christopher, or any


    boy for that matter, would be intimidated by me. The thought of it made me very confused, and, as


    much as I hated to admit it, just a little bit proud.


    He continued. "And now that I know how funny and kind you are, I know that I was right to be


    intimidated."


    I yfully pped him on his arm. "Now you''re just lying to make me feel better."


    "I swear I''m not," heughed, dodging another one of my punches. After a few minutes of silence, he


    turned towards me again.


    "Hey, can I ask you something?" He asked. I nodded my head, snuggling myself closer to him as I felt


    myself begin to drift off.


    "Will you be my girlfriend?"


    A smile spread across my face as I looked up at him. "I would love to."


    I felt myself began to drift off, and when I woke upter in his car as he pulled up in front of my house,


    the scene kept reying over and over in my head.


    And that night when Iid down on my bed, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    Brielle


    3:15 PM


    "Are you excited for your dance showcase in a few weeks?" Sam asked, sinking her teeth into her


    mom''s homemade carrot cupcake.


    Sam and I sat on the rusted swings in her backyard, trying not to break the old swing-set. Christopher


    had just asked me out yesterday, and I was dying to tell her.


    "I''m a mix of both excited and really nervous." I dipped my fingers into the cream cheese icing on my


    cupcake before licking it off. With all the Christopher drama, the uing showcase hadpletely


    slipped my mind.


    "Christopher has surprisingly learned a lot, and I feel like I''m ready. But the Joffrey scout is going to be


    there and if I don''t nail it I''m totally screwed." I needed to impress him. If I didn''t I could kiss my dreams


    of going to the Joffrey School of Ballet goodbye.


    "Well, I know you''ll be amazing," Sam reassured me. I took a deep-breath, trying to keep my stress at


    bay. "I sure hope so."


    I angled my body towards her, a smile reaching across my face. "I actually came here because I have


    something really exciting to tell you."


    She began to bounce on her swing, the joy evident on her face. "What is it? Did you get a car? Did you


    win the lottery? Did you buy the whole season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on DVD for


    me?"


    My brows furrowed in confusion. "No, no, and what did I tell you about watching reality TV?" She


    dismissively waved her hand at me.


    "The news is that on our date yesterday, Christopher asked me to be his girlfriend."


    Sam let out a high-pitched squeal before jumping out of her seat and wrapping me in a tight hug. "I''m


    so happy for you!" she cried.


    "Thank you, but..." I bit on my lip nervously. "I don''t know, I feel like we might be rushing things."


    Her eyes grew concerned. "But I thought that you wanted him to ask you out?"


    "I did!" I said quickly. "It''s just that I was sitting down today and realized that we''ve only been on one


    date, and I don''t really know that much about him."


    Sam looked at me with confusion. "You guys have been spending so much time together that I highly


    doubt that you don''t know him."


    "Well we spend most of the time bickering," I diverted my attention to my feet before looking up at her


    again. "I feel like I know all of the big things about him but none of the little stuff."


    She paused, lost in her thoughts, before finally replying to me. "I just think that you should be honest


    with him and tell him how you fell."


    I let out a big huff. "That''s easier said than done."


    "You''re telling me. I''ve been trying to tell my mom that her carrot cake is dry for years."


    My jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me, your mom makes the best carrot cake!"


    "You need to focus," shemanded. "Now text him before you chicken out."


    I took in a deep breath before taking out my phone. After typing, I quickly clicked send, not wanting to


    second guess myself.


    Come over. We need to talk. -B


    ~~~


    Iid face down on my sofa, waiting for Christopher to get here. In the meantime, I entertained myself


    by reading The Hunger Games. It was my third time reading the series, and I still didn''t know if I was


    Team Peta or Team Gale. When the doorbell finally rang it took me by surprise, snapping me out of


    concentration.


    I quickly looked myself over and made sure that I looked presentable before making my way to the


    door. When I opened it, I was weed by a disgruntled Christopher.


    His shirt was wrinkled, and he raked his hands through his sandy blondehair. By how unkept it was, I


    knew it wasn''t the first time he had done it. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts because it took


    him a few moments to finally notice me in front of him.


    After recovering from the shock of seeing him so un-put together, I began to talk. "Hey I wanted to talk


    to you abou-"


    Before I could finish, he quickly cut me off. "Look, I don''t know why you want to break up, but I just


    want you to know that I can change whatever you need me to in order to make us work." He grabbed


    both of my hands from my sides. "Just don''t give up."


    I looked at him, my brows furrowed in confusion. Breaking up? "What are you talking about?"


    "The text you sent me." Sensing the confusion on my face, he further exined. "The one where you


    said that we needed to talk?"


    It took me a few more moments before a wave of realization hit me. He must have misinterpreted my


    text. "I just meant that I wanted to talk to you, not that I wanted to break up."


    He looked at me, his face dropping in the process. "Brielle, you don''t send someone "we need to talk" if


    you don''t want to break up!"


    "Ok, well how was I supposed to know that?" I said defensively, crossing my arms.


    "Everyone knows that!"


    Crap, I thought, as the memories of those being the universal words for breaking up came flooding


    back. I didn''t mean to scare him, but I could see how it came across.


    "Well, I''m sorry. And I promise that next time we have to talk I won''t actually say: "we have to talk."


    "I appreciate it," he said, his usual boyish grin returning. "Now can Ie inside, it''s freezing out here."


    "It''s nearly eighty degrees." I deadpanned.


    "Yeah, I know, I just wanted an excuse toe in." I rolled my eyes and opened the door wider for him,


    allowing him to enter.


    "Your house is really nice," hemented, surveying the room. I rolled my eyes,pared to his


    mansion, I highly doubt that my house was anywhere close to nice.


    "Has anyone ever told you that you''re a really good liar?"


    He grinned. "I mean it. Sometimes my house just feels so lonely and empty sometimes. It''s almost too


    big. Do you know what I mean?"


    I looked at him, my face void of expression. "That is the richest thing I''ve ever heard." He let out a


    He plopped down on my couch and grabbed the remote, putting on a football game with teams I''ve


    never heard of. "Now what did you want to talk to me about?"


    I let out a deep breath. I always found it difficult to tell people how I feel, but if I wanted to have a good


    rtionship with him, I was going to have to express my worries.


    "I just feel as though we may have moved a little too fast."


    His brows furrowed. "What do you mean? Do you regret saying yes to me yesterday?"


    I vigorously shook my head no. "Not at all! It''s just that," I struggled to find a way to exin it. "I really


    like you, and it feels like it was just yesterday that I was hating your guts while scraping gum off the


    bleachers."


    He ced a hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt. "Ouch."


    "Shut up," I said yfully punching him in the arm. "What I mean is that my feelings for you are new,


    and I don''t want to rush into a rtionship with you. I really want us to work."


    He nodded his head in agreement. "So, what do you need for it to feel like we didn''t rush into this?"


    I scratched the back of my neck. "I don''t know? Maybe more time to get to know each other? And not


    just the big things, but the little things as well. Like your favorite color or pizza shop."


    "Green and Pizza Hut. Are we good now?"


    "Come on, I''m serious!" I said, midugh. "I just really don''t want to mess this up."


    "So, what I''m getting from this is that you want me to take you on more dates so that we can get to


    know each other more?"


    I nodded my head. "Basically."


    He jumped up to his feet, facing me. "Well consider this our first date post-dating." My forehead


    wrinkled in confusion. "Look, I''ll figure out the wordingter, but right now let''s go! Chop, chop!"


    I slipped on my converse as he waited for me to finish. "Where are going?"


    He shed me a smile. "That''s for me to know and you to find out."


    "That''s so cheesy!" I said, wrinkling my nose.


    His nose mirrored mine. "Yeah, I regretted it after I said it, but that''s not the point."


    "And what is?"


    "The point is that I am going to knock your socks off with every date that we go on until you are


    "I highly doubt that." I challenged.


    He nodded his head. "It''s going to happen. And for every great date that we go on, I get a kiss."


    I paused for a while, pretending the mull the thought over in my head. "Deal."


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Deal. Now prepare to be wooed."


    I rolled my eyes. "Bring it on."

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    Brielle


    7:02 AM


    "How did the talk go?" Sam asked, as she stopped the car in the school parking lot.


    "It went really well!" I beamed, therge smile on my face showing my excitement. "I told him how I felt,


    and he has now made it his personal mission to," I used air quotes, "woo me."


    Sam raised her eyebrows suggestively, causing me to whack her in the arm.


    "Ow!" she exaggerated, rubbing at her arm. "What was that for?"


    "That was for your excessively dirty mind," I scolded, slinging my backpack over my shoulder and


    hopping out the car. "But seriously, how do you think he''s going to woo you?" Sam asked as we made


    our way into the school.


    "Well he already took me to this really prettyke on Saturday, but we were both busy yesterday." My


    eyes zed over, remembering when we had a pic on the shore. "So, I''m not sure what he has


    nned."


    My thoughts were interrupted by exaggerated gagging sounds from Sam. "Sorry, all of your lovey-


    doveyness is making me sick."


    I yfully rolled my eyes at her. "You know as my friend you''re supposed to be happy for me, right?"


    She let out a huff. "I know, just all of this rtionship talk is making me feel lonely."


    I ced my hand on her shoulder. "I''m sure that Christopher can find someone on the football team for


    you."


    The gagging sounds returned. "I would rather cut off my big toe than date a high school boy. I need


    someone more mature and refined."


    "Sam, for thest time, you are not going to marry Derick Shepherd or Mark Sloan from Grey''s


    Anatomy!"


    She crossed her arms, "A girl can dream," She let out a soft sigh. "They sure know their way around a


    body."


    "You mean bodies that are in surgery!" I eximed. "I swear sometimes I worry about you."


    "I know, that''s your job."


    She stopped at my locker and waited for me to get my books out. However, as I opened it, a gold


    balloon letter "D" flew out with a card attached. I grabbed onto the paper, reading it aloud.


    "Day One: Chocte."


    Both Sam and I''s face scrunched up in confusion. "What does that even mean?"


    Sam grabbed the card from my hand, inspecting it herself. "Maybe you read it wrong?"


    "Sam, it was three words." I deadpanned.


    "Well do you have any clue what the balloon letter "D" means?" I shook my head, biting my lip in the


    process. "The only thing that I know is that Christopher is behind all of it."


    I took the letter from Sam and ced it back inside my locker along with the balloon. "Come on, I don''t


    want to bete to first period."


    Halfway through my first ss, I was nearly asleep thanks to the most boring teacher on the, Mr.


    Brown. Just when I was about to give up fighting to stay awake andy my head on my desk, a knock


    interrupted our ss.


    Mr. Brown opened the door and was greeted by a freshman football yer holding a heart-shaped box.


    "Is there anything I can help you with?" Mr. Brown questioned with his usual monotone voice.


    "Yes, I have a delivery for Brielle."


    I felt the entire ss turn their attention on me as my face turned beet red. The football yer made his


    way to the desk and dropped off the box before quickly shuffling out of the ssroom.


    Mnie turned around in her chair, her eyes shooting daggers at me. "I''m really happy for you! It''s not


    every day that a girl like you finds a boyfriend blind enough to want to be with you!" She said fakely, her


    voice oversweet.


    I rolled my eyes and flipped her the bird before redirecting my attention to the box in front of me. I lifted


    the lid off the container and was greeted with an assortment of different bite size choctes. A note


    written in Christopher''s handwriting sat on top.


    Let the wooing begin.


    ~~~


    It was halfway to the end of the day, and I already had more than enough chocte than I needed.


    Every single period, another freshman football yer would bring me boxes. At this point, I already had


    ten different packages.


    Everyone was wondering who was sending me them, but no one truly knew. I know it sounds weird, but


    I liked the fact that me and Christopher were still a secret.


    As I made my way to lunch, my thoughts were interrupted when a handtched onto my wrist and


    pulled me into a closet. Before I could even process what had just happened, I was face-to-face with a


    smiling Christopher.


    "How has your day been?" he asked, pulling me closer to him.


    "Interesting, to say the least."


    He arched his eyebrow, "Good interesting or bad interesting?"


    "Chocte is never bad." I let out a huff. "But are you going to exin to me what your nning


    because I''m really confused."


    His mouth pulled into a cheeky smile. "Nope," he said, popping the ''P''.


    "Why not?" I whined. He reached out bopping his finger on my nose. "Because you''re cute when you''re


    confused."


    I looked away, hoping that he didn''t see my cheeks turn a light pink. "All I can say is that by Friday it will


    all make sense."


    I leaned my face closer into his. "There''s nothing I can do for you to even tell me a hint."


    "Maybe..." he trailed off, his eyes focused in mine. He ced his hand on the side of my face before


    leaning down and pressing his mouth to mine.


    Even though we had kissed before, it still felt like the first time. My breath hitched in my throat as our


    kiss slowly turned from slow and gentle to faster as we got caught up in the moment. When we finally


    pulled away, we were both breathing heavily.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    "Yeah, I''m still not telling you anything."


    "Hey!" I said, pping him on the arm, "You tricked me!"


    He rubbed his arm, feigning hurt. "Why are you always pping me in janitor''s closets?"


    "Why are you always pulling me into Janitor''s closets?" He was about to give a response before


    stopping himself.


    "Touch¨¦."


    "Seriously though, thank you so much for today." I wrapped my arms around him in a hug,ying my


    head down on his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head, massaging the base of my neck.


    "Trust me, you haven''t seen anything yet." After a few moments he pulled away from me, nting a


    kiss on my forehead. "We should probably go before someone finds us."


    "And what would be so wrong with that?" I mocked.


    "I can''t let people know that I''m the one sending those gifts. It would ruin my street cred."


    Iughed. "Street cred?"


    "Yes," he huffed, "And it''s very difficult to get. It''s taken me years."


    "And what did you have to do, break a rock with your bare hands.?" His face stayed serious. "Who told


    you about that?"


    ~~~~


    It was Friday, and the entire week had been a whirlwind. Each day of the week Christopher changed


    the gift that he gave me, so Tuesday was flowers, then stuffed animals, gummy candy, and today he


    sent me different kind of desserts. All the balloons put together from each day spelled the word drive.


    However, I couldn''t help but feel sad that the whole thing was over. While he still had a surprise for me


    tonight, I was going to miss all the gifts that he dropped off. Attached to the cupcake that he gave me


    during myst period of the day, he told me to wait for him by my locker.


    Suddenly, someone behind me grabbed onto my shoulder, causing me to shriek and jump in shock. I


    turned around, only to be faced with aughing Christopher.


    "Did you see how high you jumped!" Heughed, almost letting out tears.


    "Well I''m happy that my extreme terror was entertaining for you."


    His face fell. "Well when you put it that way it''s not as fun anymore." We made our way to the parking


    lot, and I was surprised when we stopped in front of a cherry red pick-up truck. I was going to ask him


    why he always had different cars, but I thought better of it.


    After twenty minutes of driving he turned towards me. "Close your eyes." He instructed.


    "Why?"


    "Because I want where we''re going to be a surprise." I let out a huff before I closed my eyes. My leg


    jiggled, anxious for what he was nning.


    After a few more minutes of driving he parked and hopped out of the car for a little while longer. By the


    time he came back, I could barely handle the anticipation. He led me out of the car and onto what I


    assumed to be grass.


    "Can I open my eyes now?" I asked impatiently, sounding like a kid on Christmas.


    He chuckled. "Yes, you can open them."


    As soon as I did my jaw dropped. In front of me was the cutest thing I had ever seen. "You didn''t have


    to do this," I reminded him, leaning into him for a hug.


    "I know, but I wanted to."


    He had filled the bed of his pick-up truck with pillows and throw nkets and lined the sides of it with


    fairy lights. The bed faced the movie screen in-front of us, as other cars parked around us, wanting to


    enjoy the drive-in movie as well. Suddenly, the balloons spelling drive made sense.


    I climbed under the covers as Christopher followed suit, wrapping his arms around me. "I have to


    admit, I doubted you at first. However, you really did woo me."


    "Really?" He said a prideful smile stretched across his face.


    I nodded. "I don''t see how it could get any better." He looked at me sheepishly. "Well, I do have one


    more thing to give you." He reached from his pocket and handed me a long ck-velvet jewelry case.


    I turned towards him. "Christopher, I can''t ept this, especially after everything you''ve already given


    me this week."


    "No, take it," he insisted, pushing the box back towards me. "I want you to have it."


    After trying multiple times to give it back, I gave in and opened the box. When I did, I felt my eyes begin


    to water. Inside was a silver ne with a single ballerina charm hanging from the center.


    "Do you like it?" he asked, searching my eyes for approval. "I thought that it could bring you good luck


    for the showcaseing up soon."


    I felt a tear roll down my face and I quickly wiped it away. "Yeah, I love it." He took the ne from


    the box and unsped it. "Do you want me to put it on for you?"


    I nodded my head yes, and I felt him sweep all my hair to one side of my head. He wrapped the


    ne around my neck and gingerly secured it.


    He nted a kiss on my neck beside it. "Perfect."


    And as I looked up at him, I couldn''t agree more.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    Brielle


    6:32 AM


    "Here you go," Christopher said, handing me a cup of coffee from Starbucks. "I wasn''t sure what you


    like in it so I just got sugar and cream on the side. Is that okay?"


    Christopher had just picked me up from my house to take me to school. I tried to tell him that I didn''t


    mind just getting a ride from Sam like always, but he insisted.


    "It''s perfect," I said, taking the cup from his hand. "But you didn''t have to get me anything."


    "I know, can''t I just do something nice for my girlfriend?"


    A smile spread on my face at the sound of the word. Girlfriend. He had only asked me to date him a


    week ago, and every time I heard it butterflies went off in my stomach.


    "Well, thank you," I said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. At thest moment he turned,


    causing my lips to press to his instead.


    "Hey!" I yelled yfully, pping him on the arm.


    "You''re wee," he said, pulling out of my driveway. "I knew that you wanted to kiss me, so I just


    wanted to make it easier for you."


    I rolled my eyes at his cockiness. "Well jokes on you because I didn''t even want to kiss you on the lips."


    "And why is that?"


    "You''re kind of a bad kisser," I lied, wanting to knock his ego down a peg. "It''s just a little bit slobbery.


    Kind of like kissing my dog."


    A dangerous smirk danced across his lips. "That''s funny, because that''s not what you were saying at


    myke house."


    My head whipped towards him. "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    He took a long pause, dragging on the silence to get on my nerves.


    "Let''s just say that you talk a lot when you''re asleep."


    My face turned beet red when I heard him. "You''re lying!" I stammered. I was so embarrassed that I


    could barely string together two words.


    "Nope," he said, popping the p. "You also get really grabby, I basically had to pry you off me."


    I covered my face with both of my hands, wanting to hide behind them for the rest of my life. I made a


    mental note to never fall asleep near him again.


    "Hey, there''s nothing to be ashamed of," he said softly, prying my hand off my face and intertwining it


    with his. His face was sincere until it morphed into a giant smirk. "I don''t me you. Very few women


    can keep their hands to themselves when they''re around me."


    I pulled my hand from his grasp and punched him in the arm, earning another round ofughs from


    him. By the time that he had finally gained hisposure he had pulled into a parking spot in the front


    of the school.


    My breath hitched in my chest at the sight of everyone flooding in. When we walked in together hand in


    hand, people would know that he and I were dating. I knew that I would be the main topic of gossip for


    the day. A wave of panic set over me. I hated being the center of attention.


    Christopher turned towards me, seeming to sense my sudden nervousness. "Hey are you okay?" He


    asked, his eyes growing soft.


    I nodded my head unconvincingly.


    "Don''t worry about what anyone says, you''re going to be fine." He wrapped his arm around my


    shoulder and pulled me close, nting a kiss on my forehead. I leaned into him, feeling all my worries


    melt away.


    He pulled away too soon and hopped out of the car. Before I had a chance to get out he was on my


    side of the door, holding it open for me. After I climbed out he interlocked my hand in his and squeezed


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    it.


    As we walked in, I felt all eyes on me and Christopher as we walked into school. The hallways that we


    walked into suddenly grew quiet and filled with hushed whispers. I felt my cheeks grew red.


    Instinctively, I tried to pull my hand from his, wanting to shrink away from the attention. But he held me


    there, instead sending me a reassuring gaze.


    By the time we reached my locker it felt like I had walked for hours. Sam was waiting there, leaning on


    a locker a few away from mine. Christopher leaned over and nted a kiss on my lips.


    "How are the love birds doing," she chimed in a sing-songy voice. I yfully rolled my eyes. "We''re fine


    Sam."


    "Good because if not," she paused, sending death res at Christopher, "I am not opposed to murder."


    He took a step back, raising his hands up defensively.


    I couldn''t help butugh at the fact that Christopher was afraid of Sam, who was only a little over five


    feet tall. Even though she is tiny, she sure can be intimidating.


    "On that note," Christopher said, cing his hands in his pockets, "I''m going to go." I pouted, not


    wanting me to leave.


    He nted a kiss on the top of my head. "Don''t pout, it makes your forehead wrinkle," he murmured. I


    watched him walk away, already missing his presence. When I turned my focus back on Sam, my eyes


    were weed with her exaggeratedly gagging.


    "You are so lucky that you''re my friend, otherwise I would have thrown up at you guys by now." I rolled


    my eyes.


    "Come on, let''s go to ss," I reached my hand up to close my locker, but someone beat me to the


    punch, mming it in my face. My eyes widened as I spotted the culprit.


    Mnie, Christopher''s ex-girlfrined, stood in front of me, her eyes squinted at me in hatred. Her gaze


    alone was enough to make me want to run and hide. Her reaction was the one that I was most afraid


    of. However, I knew that if me and Christopher were going to work, I was going to have to face her


    eventually.


    I stood up straighter, recovering from the initial shock of her presence. "What do you want?" I snapped,


    trying to sound as intimidating as possible.


    She rolled her eyes at me. "I just wanted to warn you. It''s only a matter of time before Christopher gets


    tired of you andes running back to me. That''s how it always is." She stered a fake sincere look


    on her face.


    "And I just felt bad because everyone knows it but you, and I would want someone to give me a head''s


    up if it were me."


    "Gee, thanks for that, I really appreciate it." I deadpanned, taking a step closer to her, our faces nearly


    touching. "But I just want you to know that he picked me over you. And no matter how many lockers


    you m, or drinks you pour on me, at the end of the day I''m the one that he kisses goodnight." I spat,


    venom practically dripping from my words.


    "You''re nothing but a bitter ex that can''t handle rejection, and everyone can see it."


    I took a step back, faking a heartfelt smile. "And I just felt bad because everyone knows it but you, and


    I would want someone to give me a head''s up."


    And with that, I spun on my heels and walked away.


    ~~~~


    Christopher POV


    "We''ve got this game against East Valley in the bag," I said, punching my teammate JP in the arm. We


    had juste out of our practice, and we killed it. We were totally going to make state this year.


    We walked separate ways as I made my way alone down the hallway. Out of nowhere, someone


    ced their hand on their shoulder. I turned around, and faced Scott, Brielle''s brother. My face instantly


    hardened. All I could see was red.


    "What do you want."


    His face contorted in anger. "I want you to stay the hell away from my sister."


    "Don''t worry," I smirked, "I''m taking good care of her." His fist balled up at his sides.


    He squinted his eyes at me. "I know that you''re just using her to get back at me."


    "And what about it?'' I seethed. "I think that it''s about time that you get a taste of your own medicine,


    and if Brielle has to get hurt along the way so be it." As soon as I said it I regretted it, but I couldn''t let


    him know that.


    "I swear to God Russel, don''t test me or-" I cut him off.


    "Or what, you''ll tell her to stay away from me? While you''re at it, tell her why you and I have history,


    and make sure to include the shit that you did to my sister, I''m sure that she won''t be able to look at


    you the same way again."


    His silence told me that he knew I was right. "There''s nothing you can do about it except watch it


    happen, and you''ll have to live with the fact that it was because of you."


    I took a step back, lifting my duffel bag from football over my shoulder. "And I can tell you from


    experience, that it''s not fun."


    I walked away from him. Once I was out of sight, I leaned against a locker, pressing my forehead to the


    cool metal. I can''t believe that I just said that. If Brielle found out... No, I didn''t even want to think about


    it.


    For once in my life I genuinely like someone, and yet whenever I get around Scott I can''t think straight.


    All I want to do is to hurt him for how much pain he caused my sister.


    I punched the locker before angrily running my hands through my hair. As long as no one heard, then I


    was alright. I took a look down the deserted halls before letting out a sigh of relief. I should be okay.


    ~~~~


    Sam POV


    "Thanks for giving me extra help Mrs. Wayne, I was totally lost on this uing chemistry test."


    She shed me a smile. "It''s okay, just remember your polyatomics and you''ll be fine!"


    "Thank you!" I called once again as I walked out of her room, closing the door behind me. As I made


    my way to the corner of the hallway I stopped in my tracks, hearing faint yelling.


    I peeked around the corner and spotted Scott and Christopher aggressively talking to each other, each


    of their faces contorted in anger. I quickly hid myself once again, pressing myself to wall as I tried


    desperately to hear what they were saying.


    "...you''re just using her..."


    "...if Brielle has to get hurt along the way so be it..."


    My jaw dropped. That evil son of a-


    My though was interrupted by the sound of angry footsteps pounding towards me. I pressed myself


    tight against the wall, trying to hide myself from whoever wasing my way. It wasn''t until


    Christopher hadpletely passed by my hallway that I let out a sigh of relief.


    I quickly made my way straight down the hallway, passing the hallway that Scott and Christopher were


    arguing in. However, I jumped in surprise when on the other side I spotted Mnie leaning against the


    wall.


    She pouted. "Poor Brielle, it would be a shame if someone was to tell her..." she trailed off, an evil glint


    in her eyes. She flipped her hair over her shoulder before sashaying away.


    My eyes grew wide, still not believing what had enfolded in front of me in the past few minutes.


    Holy. Crap.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    Brielle


    6:55 AM


    "Are you excited for the showcase Saturday?" I asked Christopher as he parked the car in the overfilled


    parking lot.


    "Yup," he said popping the P. "We''ve got this in the bag."


    I was happy that Christopher had this much faith in us, but I wasn''t as certain. Christopher and I had


    been practicing every day, and goofing off while doing so, but I still couldn''t shake my anxiety. If I didn''t


    impress the Joffrey School of Ballet scouts in the audience, then I could kiss my dream of attending


    their ballet school in New York goodbye.


    He must have sensed my nervousness because he reached for my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.


    "Don''t be worried, we''ve been practicing like crazy and you''re going to do amazing. There''s no way that


    you don''t get into Joffrey."


    I gave him a forced smile, appreciating his words of encouragement. But the truth is, there was no way


    to know for sure, and it is highlypetitive. I tucked my hair behind my ear and let out a deep sigh,


    wanting to release the thoughts from my head.


    We headed into school, and while the stares and whispering from yesterday had mostly died down, it


    was still there. I don''t think that I will ever get used to the attention.


    By the time we reached my locker, I was surprised to find that Sam wasn''t there waiting for me. She


    was always early to school, while Christopher always had a habit of cutting it way too close to the bell.


    When she finally appeared, my jaw nearly dropped. She was dressed in gray sweats and a stained


    gray sweatshirt, which was very unlike her usual, put-together outfits. Her hair was tied up in a


    haphazard bun, her eyes were dark with bags, and she wore a deep scowl on her face.


    By the time she was at my locker, I didn''t know whether to give her a hug or give her some distance.


    "What happened to you?" I sputtered out, unable to hide my shock.


    "I don''t know, maybe you should ask your boyfriend?" she snapped, sending a death re towards


    Christopher.


    I turned towards him, gauging his reaction. His eyes briefly grew wide before his face contorted into a


    weird mix of confusion and anxiousness.


    This is so bizarre.


    "Sam, what are you talking about?" I prodded worriedly. "You''re starting to freak me out."


    Her eyes darted to mine, and her expression instantly softened. She seemed to begin to say something


    before hesitating and growing quiet.


    "You know me, I just forgot my coffee," she finally said, letting out a nervousugh. "I just need some


    caffeine, that''s all."


    My eyes squinted at her. Something was definitely wrong. While I wanted to question her further, I


    decided against it and let it go. "Come on, let''s go to first period before we''rete."


    I turned and nted a quick kiss on Christopher''s lips. However, he quickly deepened the kiss, resting


    his hands on my waist as he pressed his lips to mine. I intertwined my fingers into the nape of his hair,


    pulling him impossibly closer to me.


    By the time that we pulled away, we were both out of breath.


    "I''m going to miss you," he mumbled, his lips almost pressed to mine.


    I smiled. "We''ll see each other in two hours."


    "It''s the longest two hours of my life."


    I rolled my eyes, yfully pushing him away from me. "Okay, now I know you''re lying."


    He kissed me on my forehead before pulling away from me. His eyes stared into mine, suddenly


    serious.


    "I''d never lie to you."


    I shed him a smile. "You better not."


    As I turned around to walk with Sam to our ss, I felt giddy, still shocked that Christopher could have


    that much of an effect on me. However, as I caught a glimpse of Sam throwing another deathly re


    Christopher''s way, I felt my happiness begin to wear off.


    What in the world is going on?


    *****


    Sam POV


    I should kill him.


    That was the only thought going through my mind from the time that I overheard his conversation to


    Scott, to when I saw him this morning, hugging and kissing Brielle, and pretending that everything was


    all right.


    Brielle has been my best friend since we were kids, and if he thinks that I''m just going to sit around and


    let him break her heart, he has another thinging.


    When I overheard him in the hallway, I couldn''t believe it. I knew that for some secret reason him and


    Scott were fighting, but I never knew that it was serious enough that he would date Brielle purely to get


    under Scott''s skin.


    And now that Mnie knows...


    I slumped in my desk, covering my face with my hands. It was only a matter of time before she would


    tell Brielle, and if she did...


    I shook off the idea, not even wanting to imagine it. Brielle would be absolutely heartbroken.


    Last night, I stayed up tossing and turning just knowing how much this would hurt her. Ever since


    Brielle''s first rtionship with her ex-boyfriend Derrick, and how badly it went, she was crushed. I was


    convinced that she would be scarred forever. She doesn''t even talk about it.


    She put up walls where she acted like she didn''t care about anything or anyone, but I knew it wasn''t


    true. But then she met Christopher, and she finally opened herself up again. She was even going to


    parties! I was so happy for her, but then this happened.


    I wanted to tell her so badly this morning, but I knew that the news would hurt the most if it didn''te


    from Christopher himself. But when I saw him with her today, I wanted nothing more than to just tell her


    the truth.


    "I''d never lie to you."


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    My scowl deepened


    That son of a-


    The bell signaling the end of school broke my thoughts. I quickly packed up my books into my bag and


    headed out the door, knowing exactly what I need to do. My eyes scanned the hallways withser


    focus. When my eyes finally found Christopher, I stomped over to him, grabbing him by the arm.


    "We need to talk in private," I seethed, my tone icy. "Now."


    He quicklyplied, his eyes showing a sh of fear. Once we were safely in a deserted hallway, I


    turned towards him, unable to control my anger. "What is wrong with you?"


    His eyes remained impassive. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    My eyes formed into slits, my anger now turning into full blown rage. "You know exactly what I''m talking


    about you dipshit. I overheard you in the hallway yesterday." His eyes grew wide.


    "Now I''ll give you onest chance, what is wrong with you?" I poked my finger into his chest with each


    word, emphasizing my point.


    His impassive gaze suddenly dropped, reced now with a torn expression on his face. "I didn''t mean


    anything that I said." He said, running both his hand through his hair anxiously. He leaned his back


    against the lockers and slid down until he was sitting on the floor.


    He covered his face with both his hands. "Whenever I get around Scott, I don''t think logically."


    His hands suddenly dropped from his face as his eyes locked onto mine with a serious intensity. "I


    need you to know that I didn''t mean any of it, whatsoever."


    "It doesn''t matter if you meant it or not, it just matters that you said it." I barked. "Was this all just some


    game between you two, and Brielle was just some pawn?"


    "No!" he responded immediately. "Well," he paused, "Yes, but only at first. But when I got to know her,


    there was no way that I could do it. Every feeling that I''ve had for her is real."


    "And how am I supposed to believe that. Or better yet how is Brielle!"


    "I don''t know," he said softly shaking his head. "I don''t know."


    I paused as I felt my anger start to subside. "Just tell me why you did it."


    He began to fiddle with his hands. "Freshman year I was awarded quarter back when Scott thought


    that he should have been. So, to get back at me, he broke up with my older sister Nicole, who he had


    been dating for three years, right after our parents died."


    My jaw dropped. I couldn''t believe that Scott would do that.


    "It..." he stuttered. "It just really messed my sister up, and I felt awful that it was because of me. So,


    when I dropped Brielle off at her house and saw Scott''s reaction, I knew that it would be the perfect


    revenge to do the same thing to him."


    "And I know that none of that makes what I did to Brielle any less messed up but, I never wanted to


    hurt Brielle, only Scott. But once I got to know Brielle I knew that there was no way that I could follow


    through with my n."


    "Then why did you tell Scott otherwise yesterday?" I asked, my tone usatory.


    He scratched the back of his neck. "Because he gets under my skin, and whenever I see him I am


    reminded of all of the hurt that he caused my sister and next thing I know, I can''t see straight."


    He looked pleadingly into my eyes. "Please just don''t tell her. I promise I will, but I just want to wait until


    after the showcase on Saturday. It''s really important to her and I don''t want her to be focused on us


    instead of the dance."


    I looked into the pain in his eyes. While I wanted to chop him up and feed him to the wolves right about


    now, I couldn''t help but believe that his feelings for Brielle are real.


    "While I wish that you could wait until after the showcase to tell her, you have to tell her today


    because," I took a deep breath in.


    "Mnie knows."


    His eyes grew wide from shock, confusion written all over her face.


    "How," he sputtered. "Did you tell her?"


    I recoiled back, offended at the usation. "Why in the world would I tell your ex-girlfirend that? She


    overheard you and Scott yesterday in the hallway."


    I shot him a re. "And you need to tell Brielle before she does, or else Brielle will be even more hurt."


    "I know, I know," he said, hopping up from the ground and slinging his backpack over her shoulder.


    He began to jog, well, jog for him and sprint for me, towards the direction of Brielle''s locker. However,


    before we reached the locker, we saw her leaving herst period ss, alone. She began to walk


    towards us. I let out a sigh of relief.


    At least the wicked witch of high school hasn''t told her yet.


    The relief from Christopher and I, however, was short lived when Mnie walked out of the room that


    Brielle was recently upying, a smirk etched on her face. She waved a perfectly manicure hand


    towards Christopher before sashaying away in the other direction.


    My heart dropped into my stomach.


    Oh no...


    No.


    Brielle approached us before stopping in front of us, her face now visible from up-close. Tears brimmed


    her eyes as her face was twisted into an expression of despair.


    A single tear rolled down her cheek.


    Her eyes focused onto Christopher, the hurt in them evident. She remained silent, trying to fight back


    her tears. After what felt like eternity, she finally choked out a single phrase, her voice cracking on the


    final word.


    "Is it true?"

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    Brielle


    2:09 PM


    Mrs. Hansen''s ss always seemed to drag on, and today was no exception. I tapped my pencil


    impatiently on my desk, counting down the minutes until school would finally be over. Christopher and I


    had ns to go see The Nutcracker ballet right after, and I couldn''t wait.


    When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of ss, I nearly leapt out of my seat, wanting to make my


    way out of ss as quickly as possible. However, a hand wrapped around my forearm, holding me in


    ce.


    I turned around to see Mnie standing above me. "What do you want," I said, not bothering to hide


    my annoyance.


    "I just wanted to say sorry." Her face turned into an expression of fake sincerity, which seemed foreign


    on her usual devious face.


    "For what?"


    "For what happened between you and Christopher. I know it must be difficult to deal with."


    I rolled my eyes, as I picked up my bookbag, getting ready to leave. "I have no clue what you''re talking


    about."


    "Wait, Sam didn''t tell you?" she said, her face faking surprise. "She and I overheard him and your


    brother in the hallway the other day, and I just assumed that she told you."


    My head whipped towards her, unable to hide the curiosity. I always knew that they had some sort of


    feud between them, but they both refused to acknowledge it towards me. It couldn''t be that bad, or else


    Sam would have told me.


    "Wow, she really didn''t tell you? This is really awkward then." She took a few moments, savoring my


    newfound interest, before continuing.


    "Well, as you know, I''m captain of the cheer team, whiches with many different responsibilities. So,


    I was staying after school to meet with the coach and when I was leaving I ran into my ex-boyfriend JT,


    who was practically begging me to take me back-"


    "Get to the point," I said harshly.


    "Anyway," She rolled her eyes. "As I was going to my locker, I overheard Scott and Christopher arguing


    in the hallway, and it seemed that the topic of discussion was you."


    My voice piqued with interest. "What did they say?"


    A small smile spread on her lips. "Something about Christopher''s sister and your brother dating, and


    then about how Christopher nned to get his revenge on Scott through you."


    My heart dropped. "What kind of revenge?"


    "Apparently, he only dated you so that he could break your heart and hurt you the same way that Scott


    hurt Nicole, his sister."


    Time seemed to stop as all color drained from my face.


    No...this isn''t true...it can''t be.


    "You''re- you''re lying," I stammered, barely able to breathe.


    "I''m sorry Brielle, but it''s true." I could tell from her face that she was everything but sorry.


    And at that moment, I felt my world fall apart.


    I had trusted him, and believed him, only for him to use me. All the times that he whispered in my ear


    and told me how much he cared for me were just lies. He was just a liar.


    The memory of his words from earlier today flooded into my mind:


    "I''d never lie to you."


    I covered my mouth with my hands as I choked back sobs.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    How could I be so wrong about someone?


    You''re so stupid Brielle. You''re so stupid.


    I knew that I shouldn''t have trusted him, I knew that he was no good, but I went against my better


    judgement, and believed that he was something else. But the truth is, I knew who he was from the


    moment I met him, I just chose to ignore it.


    And it worked, it worked so well that now I''m here, crying over a guy that I already knew was going to


    break my heart.


    I ducked my head, not wanting to give Mnie the satisfaction of seeing the hot tears gush down my


    face.


    "Is this what you wanted?" I said, looking back towards her after a few moments. "To see me like this?


    Because if so, congrattions Mnie, you won."


    She rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to let you know what I was trying to tell you all along: that he doesn''t


    care about you."


    "Why do you have to be so cruel?" I shook my head. I don''t understand how someone could be evil


    enough to enjoy seeing someone like this.


    "Because you took what was mine, and now you have to pay."


    I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Well guess what Mnie, you don''t have to worry anymore,


    because you can have him." I spun on my heels and stalked out the room, wanting to leave this school


    as soon as possible.


    When I turned out of the ssroom, however, I turned to see Christopher and Saming towards


    me. As soon as Christopher focused on me, a smile stretched on his face.


    And while that smile was usually enough to make we weak in the knees, the sight of him, the cause of


    all my pain and hurt, just caused my heart to break into a million more pieces.


    Anger filled my body as all I could see was the guy who betrayed me, who worked so hard to gain my


    trust just so that he could break it.


    When I finally approached him, his face instantly fell, his eyes recognizing my saddened expression.


    "Is it true?" I said angrily, desperately trying to fight my tears from falling. "Was this all just a game for


    you? And don''t you dare lie to me."


    He hesitated, pausing, before finally not saying anything at all. He diverted his gaze from me to his


    shoes.


    That was all the answer I needed. I felt thest thread holding me together break as the awful


    realization came over me. It was true. Part of me had been hoping, praying, that Mnie had


    concocted this story just to get under my skin, but facing him now, I knew.


    "How could you! I trusted you!" I yelled, unable to control my anger. "Do you know how hard that is for


    me to do?"


    "Brielle I-" He reached for my hand, but I tugged it back immediately. "Don''t touch me. You don''t


    deserve to."


    I saw the hurt sh in his eyes as he recoiled his hand. "Brielle please if you let me exin."


    "There is nothing to exin Christopher. The answer should have been no. No, you weren''t using me,


    no you weren''t nning to break my heart just for your entertainment. But it wasn''t. So, you don''t have


    the right to exin anything." At this point, I couldn''t keep the tears back any longer, and the floodgates


    opened.


    He reached for me again, only for me to step away. As I did so, I turned to see Scotting toward us


    in the hallway. His eyesnded on me, his face filled with concern, before morphing to anger once he


    spotted Christopher.


    "What did he do to you." He demanded once he reached us. He tried to step towards me, but I put my


    hand up, signaling him to stop.


    "Don''t." Imanded. "You don''t get toe in here and pretend to be the good guy, because you


    knew that he was using me, and you didn''t tell me. You just waited for it to happen."


    His face fell, understanding that the secret was out. "I tried to warn you," he exined. "But you didn''t


    listen."


    "All you ever told me was ''Don''t date Christopher''. You never exined why. If you did, I would have


    never wasted my time on him." I saw Christopher flinch from the corner of my eyes. "Why didn''t you


    say anything?"


    He scratched the back of his neck, his voice growing quiet. "I was afraid that if you knew the whole


    story, you would look at me different."


    "I do now," My voice began to crack. "You''re my older brother, your job is to protect me. But you didn''t.


    And for that, I will never forgive you."


    I turned towards Sam. "You were supposed to be my best friend. I''ve known you since I was nine. But


    you knew, and you didn''t tell me. You just let me be with him knowing what his n was."


    "I wanted to Brielle I really did," she defended. "But I just didn''t think that it was my ce to say."


    "Well thanks to you, Mnie was the one to tell me. A true best friend would have never done that to


    me."


    Tears brimmed her eyes. "I''m sorry Brielle." I shook my head.


    "Sorry just doesn''t cut it Sam."


    I finally settled on Christopher. "And you." I took a deep breath.


    "I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being, and any day that I see you, or talk to you, or even


    think about you, is one day too many." He had a wounded expression on his face, and I couldn''t help


    but find a little satisfaction in the fact that I was able to inflict pain on him too.


    I reached around my neck and unsped the silver ballerina ne that he gave mest week. I


    shuddered.


    Last week I was blissfully ignorant of him. I was the happiest that I had ever been, and now here I am.


    I ced the chain in the palm of his hand. "We''re over."


    "Please Brielle, just let me exin." I shook my head firmly, not even having the energy to respond


    anymore.


    After a few seconds he outstretched his hand back towards me. "Will you at least please keep the


    ne? I want you to have it."


    I pushed his hand back towards his side, shoving the ne away. "I don''t want any reminders of


    you."


    While I still could, I turned around and began walking away from them. I could barely stand, my legs felt


    like Jell-O, unable to support me upright. In the span of one day, I had lost my brother, my best friend,


    and my boyfriend. I waspletely alone.


    I just needed to escape. To go somewhere where I knew that no one would find me. Without a second


    thought, I hopped into my car and knew exactly where to go.


    When I arrived in front of Bass''s Fisheria twenty minutester, a wave of memories flooded over me.


    My only boyfriend, Derrick, and I used to alwayse here.


    We were driving by one day and he spotted it, and then insisted that anyce named Fisheria needed


    to be eaten at. And ever since then, we would go once a week. We always sat in the booth in the


    corner of the small restaurant. He insisted that it was because it had the best view of the forest, but I


    knew that it was because it gave us the most privacy.


    All the feeling of hurt came flooding back to me as I remembered him. All of the good moments that we


    had, and then the way that he betrayed me in the worst possible way.


    Why did Ie here? All those awful memories from him only made me feel worse.


    Derrick and I''s rtionship was the same as me and Christopher''s. Amazing at first, but then turned


    sour, and leaving me a heartbroken mess. I could barely recover from Derrick, and what I felt for


    Christopher was so much more.


    I don''t think that I can ever get over this.


    I cleared my mind. Just don''t think about it.


    As I walked into the restaurant, the familiar salty smell of fish weed me. In a strange way, it was


    It wasn''t until I was near the table that I realized that it was already upied. The culprit had a mop of


    dirty blonde hair, that looked awfully familiar.


    I froze.


    Wait, it couldn''t be...


    It wasn''t until those familiar pair of piercing blue eyes turned towards me that I realized all my worst


    fears hade true. He smiled at me, but it didn''t reach his eyes. It never did.


    My voice grew shaky as all the events that took ce between us flooded to my mind. I was surprised


    when my mouth began to move on its own ord. A trembling voice that didn''t even sound like mine


    began to speak.


    "Derrick?"

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Brielle


    2:58 PM


    My blood ran cold. "What are you doing here?"


    He smiled at me. "I knew that you would be here."


    "There was no reason you could have known." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why are you really here?"


    He dodged the question, cing his hand on my arm. "How have you been?" I quickly recoiled away


    from him.


    "Don''t touch me." I seethed. He ignored my gesture, leaning into my ear. "We might as well get down to


    why you''re here. We can go to my ce; my parents aren''t home."


    My jaw dropped. How dare he think that I would ever go anywhere with him after what he did? What he


    threatened to do?


    I pushed him away from me. "I would never go anywhere with you." His face dropped, the warmth


    leaving his eyes.


    His fake kind exterior was reced with his usual cold demeanor. This was the Derrick I knew.


    "Cut the crap Brielle, I know that you want me back. You wouldn''t havee here if you didn''t." The


    smile on his face made my skin crawl.


    "No, I don''t."


    "Then why did youe here?" He said, as if it was obvious.


    I paused. Why did Ie here? I knew that Sam, Scott, and Christopher would nevere here to


    look for me but, maybe subconsciously I did want to see him.


    I shook the thought out of my mind. This is why I avoided him like the gue. He was always able to


    screw with my head without even trying.


    I gathered up my courage. "It doesn''t matter why I came here, what matters is that we are over. You


    don''t deserve me." I was always unable to stand up to him, but with everything that I''ve been through,


    Derrick was the least of my worries. His lip curled into a snarl.


    "You start dating this Christopher guy and suddenly you think that you''re too good for me?" He gripped


    his hand around my arm, tighter this time.


    "Let go of me!" I demanded, fruitlessly attempting to yank my hand from his grasp. He held me in ce.


    "Just remember what might happen if you don''t do what I say."


    The color drained from my face. "You- You wouldn''t..." I stammered.


    He shed me a smile. "I would. I''ll meet you here at eight."


    Before I could protest, the bathroom door behind us opened, revealing a tall blonde walking towards


    us. She wrapped herself around Derrick, cing her head atop one of his shoulders.


    "Who are you talking to?" She asked, only focusing on him. She seemed to forget that I was even


    there.


    "Just an old friend baby, don''t worry about." They turned around and sat down in the booth.


    Our booth.


    He nced back at me and sent me a smile, relishing in my wounded expression.


    While I never wanted to get back together with him, it hurt me to realize that our special booth wasn''t


    that special to him. I was disposable to him, just like I was disposable to Christopher. I pushed my


    uing tears back.


    I had bigger fish to fry than a booth. My mind wandered to his earlier demand. I didn''t want to meet


    Derrick here, but if I didn''t...


    I shuddered. I couldn''t afford not to. But the thought of going anywhere after what just happened to me


    and Christopher made me want to barf.


    I quickly exited the restaurant and drove home. When I arrived, Scott was on the couch waiting for me.


    I breezed past him. Now was not the time for us to talk. If I did, I''d be afraid that I would actually kill


    him.


    When I finally reached my room, I threw myself onto the bed. All the pain and hurt from the day hit me,


    and I broke down, heaving heavy sobs into my pillow.


    I felt like a fool. Everyone knew what was happening but me, and that might have hurt me most of all.


    I woke up to a knock on my door. I jumped up confused, looking around the room, unaware that I had


    drifted asleep. It was dark outside.


    After a few seconds the memories came flooding back, and the familiar pang in my heart returned. The


    door opened and Nicole, Christopher''s sister entered.


    "Sorry," she said apologetically, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. "I didn''t mean to wake you up."


    "It''s okay," I yawned shaking off sleep. "What do you need?"


    She sat up straighter. "I wanted to talk to you about something, but I realize how confused you must be,


    so I wanted to answer any of your questions first."


    "I actually do have a question." My voice was much scratchier than usual. "Can you just exin to me


    what happened between you three?"


    She nodded her head, and after a few minutes of talking, I was finally filled in.


    "I''m so sorry that Scott did that to you, that doesn''t sound like him."


    "I know, I didn''t expect it from him either, but I know that deep down he''s a good guy." She stared me


    dead in the eyes. "Just like Christopher."


    I began to tune her out. I didn''t need to hear this right now.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    "Please," she pleaded, recapturing my attention. "Just listen to me."


    I knew that I shouldn''t want to hear his side of the story. But the part of me that still saw him as the guy


    wooing me with desserts wanted to hear him out. Without my own ord, my head nodded, signaling


    her to continue.


    "After my parents'' deaths, I was lost. I didn''t know how to channel all my anger and sadness. So, I


    grew depressed and I was anxious all the time. And when you factor in me and Scott''s breakup, it


    got...ugly.


    I convinced myself that we broke up because there was something wrong with me. Because I wasn''t


    skinny enough, or pretty enough, so I stopped eating.


    And it broke Christopher to see me like this, but he couldn''t do anything to stop it. So, he took all his


    pent-up anger and grief about my parents'' deaths and me and focused it on Scott. He became


    convinced that he was the cause of all our pain and suffering, when he wasn''t.


    He was a part of it, but he wasn''t the cause. At the time, I thought he was too, but looking back, he


    wasn''t. We were just two kids who lost our parents and didn''t know what to do. My eating disorder was


    the way that I tried to cope, and hating Scott was his."


    My heart hurt for her. I couldn''t imagine having to experience all of that at her age. "I''m so sorry that


    you had to go through that Nicole."


    She shed me a smile, however I could see the tears building up in her eyes.


    "Don''t worry I''m better now. It was really hard, and it still is, but I''m okay. But Christopher still holds onto


    his pain and anger, and It''s hard for him to let it go. He may seem like a carefree guy, but he''s not. He''s


    hurting. And I know that it doesn''t excuse his actions, but hopefully it exins them."


    I sat in silence, trying to process the information. "Did you know about what he was nning to do?"


    Her eyes darted away from mine, expressing her guilt. "Yes, he told me one day after you guys kissed.


    He was a wreck." Sheughed softly to herself. "He felt so guilty, Brielle. He said that he couldn''t break


    your heart and that he genuinely cared for you.


    He told me that he wasn''t going to follow through with it anymore."


    "Then why would he say that to Scott yesterday?"


    She shook her head. "Maybe he was angry? I don''t know, you know how boys can be."


    I felt the familiar rush of anger bubble up inside me again. Boys being boys was not a good enough


    excuse for what he said about me.


    "Look Brielle, I didn''te here for you to forgive him. What Christopher did was awful, and I


    side."


    I murmured in agreement. She aplished me seeing why he came up with this n, but she would


    never convince me to forgive him. I can''t imagine how hard that time was for him, but his grief does not


    entitle him to cause me pain as well. He intentionally tried to hurt me, and I could never be sure if that


    was still his n before I found out.


    She continued. "I also came here to tell you how sorry I am. All of this happened because of me and


    you don''t deserve to be dragged into that."


    I shook my head. "Don''t apologize, you did nothing wrong." I said, pulling her into a hug. My phone


    suddenly vibrated, prompting me to break from our embrace.


    "Crap!" I eximed, staring down at my phone in horror.


    "What is it?" Nicole asked worriedly, peering over my shoulder and reading my phone screen.


    8 Missed Calls from Derrick


    9 Messages from Derrick


    My heart stopped. No, this couldn''t be happening! With shaky fingers, I opened the most recent


    messages.


    Where are you? it''s 8:05.


    You better be here in the next five minutes. -Derrick


    I''m not ying with you Brielle, I will do it. -Derrick


    Do you think that standing me up is funny? -Derrick


    Don''t y chicken with me, I always win. -Derrick


    You''re thirty minuteste. Now It''s time to pay. -Derrick


    I nced at the clock. It read 8:43. With me falling asleep and Nicoleing over, I must have lost all


    sense of time. I quickly began texting back an apology, tears blurring my vision.


    Before I could press send, a new message popped up: a link. I hesitatingly clicked it, holding my breath


    while doing so.


    He didn''t do it. I repeated to myself for reassurance. He didn''t.


    The page seemed to load forever. When it finally appeared, both Nicole and I let out audible gasps.


    I felt tears prick at the back of my eyes.


    He did.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    Brielle


    8:43 PM


    I couldn''t believe it. He wouldn''t do that. He couldn''t do that. The whole world around me seemed to


    blur as all I could fixate on was this. This awful thing that the man I once thought I loved did to me.


    There was no way that I could recover from this, that I could somehow forget that this had happened. It


    would follow me around for the rest of my life.


    Once it''s there, online, it can never go away. What would my brother think when he saw it? My


    parents?


    My hand covered my mouth as I choked back a sob.


    My life is over.


    And just like that my world crumbled.


    "Oh my God, Brielle," Nicole said, at a loss for words. "I''m so sorry."


    I tried to say something, but I couldn''t. I nodded my head instead, or at least I think I did. The world


    around me was numb, and I wasn''t sure of anything anymore.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    "Why did he do this to you?"


    I furiously nodded my head. I couldn''t talk about this, not now.


    "I- I can''t," I choked out.


    With those words, my resolve copsed, and the floodgates opened. Tears streamed down my face as


    I was ovee with sobs, no longer able to hold them back.


    "Oh, Brielle," Nicole murmured sympathetically, pulling me into her arms. I cried into her shoulder as all


    the day''s events piled on top of one another and hit me at once. This was the worst day ever.


    After I had made a significantly sized wet spot on her shirt, I pulled away, wiping my nose with the back


    of my hands. "I think that I need to be alone," I sobbedying down on my bed.


    "Are you sure?"


    I nodded my head, and she gave me an empathetic smile before rising off my bed. "If you need


    someone to talk to, call me," she said, before closing the door behind her.


    Once I was safely alone, I buried my face into my pillow, letting my tears fall once more. I counted all


    the terrible things that had happened today. My brother betrayed me, Sam lied to me, Christopher was


    using me, and now Derrick did...this.


    I slowly dozed off, the lightheadedness from hours of crying carrying me to sleep. I prayed that when I


    woke up, this whole day would just be a dream. Christopher wasn''t using me, and we would still be


    together. I would wake up and Derrick would have never posted it.


    But when I woke up in my dark bedroom with a head splitting migraine hourster, all of my fears were


    confirmed. It was all real, and no matter how much praying or dreaming I did, that wouldn''t change.


    A sliver of light creeped into my room as my door creaked open.


    "Go away!" I groaned, using all my energy to throw a pillow at the door. I winced as I did so, my


    headache causing all movement to be painful.


    "What kind of friend would I be if I did that?" I looked up to see Sam cautiously walking into my room. I


    turned away.


    "Considering what you did to me, I don''t think that you''re much of a friend at all."


    I felt the bed dip beside me as she sat. "I know, and I''m really sorry. But I promise that I didn''t mean for


    you to get hurt."


    "Well I did." I clipped.


    Her tone grew soft. "I know, and that''s what I regret the most. But I promise that I was going to tell you."


    I sat up, anger overtaking me. "Then why didn''t you?" I said venomously. A look of hurt shed over


    her eyes before she quickly recovered.


    "I just figured out yesterday and I knew that it would hurt you more if I was the one who told you instead


    of Christopher. I told him that if he didn''t tell you by the end of today that I would."


    I rolled my eyes. "Well thanks to you, I heard the news from Mnie, who was all too happy to share it


    with me."


    She averted my gaze. "I know and I''m sorry." The sincerity in her voice caused my resolve to crack,


    and all I could reveal was the hurt that she caused me.


    My voice cracked. "What hurts me the most was that you didn''t tell me right away. You gave Mnie


    the opportunity to tell me. I would never do that to you."


    She held my gaze. "I was wrong. There''s nothing I can say to defend myself." Her breathing began


    ragged as she began to cry. "It hurts me so much to see you like this, and it''s even worse because I


    helped cause it.


    But please, believe me, I will never let it happen again."


    I took a second to ponder over what she said. While I was mad, and frustrated with her, I was mostly


    just disappointed. Disappointed because as my best friend she was supposed to protect me from harm,


    not cause it.


    But looking at her now, in front of me, I knew that there was no way that Sam wanted this to happen.


    She had good intentions, and while it didn''t go as nned, in the end all she wanted to do was save


    me from the hurt that I was feeling now.


    And after experiencing this pain, and knowing how much it sucks, I was grateful for that.


    "Just promise that you''ll bepletely honest with me from now on?" I said hesitantly. A huge smile


    creeped on her face as she nodded her head furiously.


    "I promise!" She pulled me into a tight hug. After she was done nearly squeezing me to death, she


    reached into her bag and pulled out a cookie dough Ben and Jerry''s ice cream pint. "I was ready to


    bribe you if you didn''t forgive me."


    "Well, I could always change my mind," I said, reaching over and swiping it from her hands. She


    handed me a spoon and I dug in, savoring the cold cream.


    I could always count on ice-cream to make a terrible situation just a little bit better.


    "Now I don''t want to push my luck, but I really think that you should hear Christopher''s apolo-"


    I cut her off, raising my hand to signal her to stop. "Not right now Sam."


    She quickly backed off, switching to another topic. "Then I think that we should both talk about the


    elephant in the room."


    My heart dropped. "You saw them?" She nodded her head. "I''m so sorry Brielle."


    My tears began to return. If she had saw it, chances were that people from school had seen them too.


    "I know that you''re already beating yourself up enough, but what were you thinking Brielle?"


    I buried my face in my hands, unable to look at her. "I don''t know. I was young and stupid, and I wanted


    him to like me." I saw her look of disapproval and I felt the sudden need to further exin myself.


    "He was giving me the cold shoulder for weeks, and I thought that he was going to break up with me,


    and I didn''t think that I could live without him."


    "So, when he asked me to send him naked pictures of myself, I...did. I thought it was the only way to


    recapture his attention. But it didn''t work. Two dayster he broke up with me. And he''s been


    ckmailing me with them ever since."


    Sam gasped. "Why didn''t you tell me any of this?"


    I shrugged. "Because I was ashamed I guess. I couldn''t believe how stupid I was, and how used I felt. I


    thought that if I kept it to myself, somehow it would disappear."


    "But it didn''t," she finished, and I murmured in agreement. "I know, I''m an idiot."


    "No, you''re not Brielle! You were vulnerable, and he took advantage of you, there is nothing to


    ashamed of."


    I half-heartedly agreed, wanting to believe her but not truly being able to do so. "I just don''t want to


    think about what people are saying about me."


    "Then don''t," she said, making a waving gesture in her head. "Who cares what they think?''


    I thought about it for a moment, before reaching for my phone to open the post. "I''m just going to look


    at thements for a few seconds."


    "Seriously Brielle, don''t. It will do more harm than good." I ignored her warning, reading thements


    anyway. My eyes blurred as I scanned through all the horrible things and disgusting names they were


    saying about me.


    Before I could continue, Sam grabbed my phone and shut it off, tossing it to the other side of the room.


    "That is not what you need right now. Just eat your ice-cream and I''ll fix this situation." I nodded my


    head numbly, the empty feeling inside returning. How was I going to face everyone at school?


    I took arge spoonful of my ice-cream, but not even Ben and Jerry''s could make me feel better


    anymore. The cream felt painfully icy against my tongue.


    Sam finally returned to the room, seeming to end a call with someone. She sat back on the bed as she


    looked at me with pity.


    "The good news is that I got Instagram to take down the post. The bad news is that we can''t press


    charges on Derrick because it is technically illegal for you to take the pictures, so you could get in


    trouble too."


    I let out a sigh. Of course, Derrick would get out scotch free. He always wins.


    "Hey, cheer up," Sam said, noticing the continued decline of my mood. "I promise that it will get better."


    "It sure doesn''t feel like it."


    She sent me a sympathetic smile. "It never does at first." Sheid down beside me. "Now skootch over,


    I''m sleeping here tonight."


    I looked at her, confused. "You do know that it''s a school night, right?"


    "When a friend is in need, a friend is in need. We can skip school tomorrow and justy on the couch


    watching Marvel movies."


    As tempting as that sounded, I knew I couldn''t. I was going to have to face the school eventually, and


    not showing up tomorrow would only bring more attention to the situation. As much as I didn''t want to, I


    was going to have to be brave.


    "No, It''s okay." I decided. "We can go."


    "It''s your call. But if you decide that you want to watch Thanos erase half the universe in onesies


    tomorrow, just know I''m down."


    For what felt like the first time since everything that had happened today, I genuinely smiled. "Good to


    hear."


    And even though I knew that I would have to face not only the entire school and Christopher tomorrow,


    I felt a little better knowing that I would have my friend at my side.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    Brielle


    5:45 AM


    "Turn off the rm Sam."


    "Uh-huh," she grumbled half-heartedly, reaching over and beating down on my rm clock. I sleepily


    rubbed my eyes, my throbbing headache greeting me.


    "Ow," I mumbled, trying my hardest to sit up but my pounding head impeded me. I nced at the clock


    before letting out a long groan. Today I would have to face my school.


    Fighting against my instinct toy back down and forget about today, I rose from my bed and began to


    get ready. I picked a sweater and a pair of baggy sweatpants to wear in an attempt to feel less exposed


    than I already did.


    Before I knew it, Sam and I were driving towards the school. My pulse spiked as I felt all the anxiety


    from the day before hitting me.


    I can''t do this.


    Sam seemed to sense my panic as she turned towards me. "Everything is going to be okay."


    I half-heartedly nodded, not truly believing it myself. I wasn''t just nervous about the pictures being


    released, but I was also anxious about facing Christopher after what he did to me.


    Once my mind wandered on the topic, an inescapable thought crossed my mind. What if he had seen


    the pictures? I covered my mouth in horror, trying not to let my tears leak past my eyes.


    "Brielle, we don''t have to do this," Sam reassured me. "We can go home right now, just say the word." I


    wanted so badly to take the offer, but I resisted. I had to face my problems eventually.


    "I can do this."


    When we finally parked, I felt as though I would nearly faint. My knees buckled as I tried to get out of


    the car, causing me to almost trip on my own two feet. I quickly recovered and wiped my mmy hands


    on my sweat pants.


    Almost immediately as I walked into the school, I felt all eyes on me. I had felt this feeling only once


    before, when Christopher and I were first dating, but this felt ten times worse. The gazes were harsh


    and judgmental. I could almost hear all the names that they were calling me.


    I turned my gaze to my shoes, not wanting to focus on the attention. The hallways grew quiet as I


    passed through. I heard the hushed whisper of a couple of football yers followed by loudughter,


    and I already knew that I was the punchline.


    I fought back my tears, not wanting to give people the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Despite my choice


    of clothing I still felt naked. No amount of sweatshirts or sweatpants would change that. I just couldn''t


    shake the feeling that everyone had seen me at my most vulnerable without my consent.


    I let out a sigh of relief when Sam and I finally reached our lockers. I pressed my forehead on the cool


    metal, trying to calm myself down.


    "That wasn''t so hard was it?'' Sam asked softly.


    "It was awful."


    She pouted, pulling me into a hug. "I know, but I promise that in time it will get better. It always does."


    I nodded my head as I entered mybination. As I yanked my locker open I felt my stomach drop.


    Inside was practically a memorial of Christopher and I''s rtionship. Pictures of us smiling hung on the


    locker suspended my mas. Sitting on the top shelf was a teddy bear that he gave me and the


    leftover candy fromst week. I reached for the old card that rested on top, opening it.


    Dear Brielle,


    I think people are getting suspicious of who keeps sending you all the presents. We should only limit


    From now on, I''ll address you as TheMostBeautifulGirl and I''ll address myself as TheLuckiestGuy to


    maintain our secret. Destroy this note when you''re finished.


    P.S. We''re still on for tonight right?


    My heart stopped as I didn''t know whether tough or cry. I remember when he gave me this note. He


    slipped it discretely in my bag as he walked past me, enjoying our game of pretending to be undercover


    agents a little too well.


    I felt more tears swell in the back of my eyes. I missed his yfulness.


    Suddenly, Sam reached for the card, snatching it out of my hand. "It''s not good for you to read this."


    She said, cing the note in her locker. "And as your best friend it''s my job to help you get over him."


    As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. If I kept focusing on what me and Christopher had, I


    would never move on. He betrayed me, and I couldn''t let how sweet he was make me forget that.


    I closed my locker door to reveal Christopher behind it, waiting for me. I let out a gasp as I scanned him


    over. He looked awful.


    His clothes were wrinkled, his usually lively face was pale, and his hair was even more messy than it


    was regrly. But what really shocked me was the giant purple bruise around his eye and the cut on


    his upper lip. It had been obvious that he had been in a fight.


    Before I could even process the information, Sam stepped in front of me, blocking him from me. "You


    should leave." She demanded. "Now."


    "Please, I just need to talk to her," he pleaded, stepping aside Sam so that he was in my range of view.


    His eyes stared into mine. "Please."


    Sam began to tell him to leave but I cut her off, wanting to hear what he had to say. "It''s okay Sam."


    She turned towards me, searching my eyes for any hesitation. "Are you sure?" I firmly nodded my


    head.


    She gave Christopher onest re before walking away. An awkward silence fell between us as


    neither of us knew what to say. After a few moments, I broke it.


    "What happened to your face?"


    He rubbed his finger over the cut on his lip, seemingly just remembering that it was there. "It''s nothing."


    My eyes shot him a re. "Who did you fight?" I pressed.


    He hesitated before answering. "No one who didn''t deserve it."


    My voice grew soft. "Was it Derrick?" His silence gave me the confirmation that I needed. "You didn''t


    have to do that."


    His eyes grew hard. "After what he did to you I couldn''t just let him get off scotch free." He reached


    over for my hand and grabbed it. I felt a pang in my chest when I noticed his bruised knuckles, each


    brandished with tiny cuts.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The pang was quickly reced with burning anger. After what he did to me, I couldn''t believe that he


    was pretending to be my knight in shining armor.


    "I don''t need anyone to protect me. Especially not you." I yanked my arm away. "At least I knew that I


    couldn''t trust Derrick."


    While at one point I had trusted him, I knew how conniving and evil he could be. But Christopher fooled


    mepletely, and that hurt much more. I would much rather be stabbed in the front than in the back.


    "Brielle, please."


    "Please, what?" I snapped.


    He ran his fingers through his hair, the way that he always did when something was bothering him. I


    used to love when he did that.


    "Just let me exin." He took my silence as invitation to continue.


    "Last night, I couldn''t eat or sleep knowing that I caused you so much pain."


    I rolled my eyes. "Am I supposed to feel bad for you, because I don''t." I interrupted. I tried my hardest


    to mask the pain in my voice.


    "No, I don''t deserve your pity. Not after what I did."


    He was right about one thing.


    "It''s just that, when I heard what happened..." his voice cracked. "I just couldn''t handle that there was


    something else causing you so much hurt."


    I mustered up all the anger inside me. "Well maybe if you didn''t hurt me in the first ce we wouldn''t be


    having this problem." He didn''t deserve to y the victim in this, not after what he did.


    He let out a sigh, locking his eyes onto mine in an intense stare. "I fucked up, and I understand if you


    never want to talk to me again. But I miss you."


    "Before I was just arrogant and entitled. I always thought that things would juste to me." He smiled


    sadly. "And then I met you, and you made me someone that I''m proud to be."


    He reached for my hands again, and this time I let him.


    "I don''t want to be that guy again Brielle." As I looked at his face, his expression one of genuine


    sincerity, I knew that he was telling the truth. "Please. I need you."


    And in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to forgive him. To forget everything that he did, that he


    was nning to do, and to wrap myself in his arms. I wanted to so badly, but I knew I couldn''t.


    The Christopher that I knew wasn''t the guy in front of me, bruised and battered. He wasn''t the kind of


    guy that would lie to my face every day repeatedly, without a second thought. My Christopher was the


    one who patiently taught me how to surf and rode on pink dirt bikes.


    He was kind and gentle and understanding. He was perceptive and remembered things that even I


    forgot. My Christopher would never hurt me. I knew the Christopher standing in front of me today as


    much as I knew the stranger who passed by me on the street. And if I took him back, I would be taking


    back the memory of him, just a fantasy that no longer holds true.


    And out of everything that had happened to me, that''s what hurts the most.


    "It''s toote," I said, tugging my hands from his. "You already are."


    And even though it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, I walked away.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    Brielle


    3:23 PM


    Today could not have gone by any slower.


    After Christopher and I''s conversation, I wanted nothing more than to climb under a rock and forget that


    the past few days ever existed. But instead, I picked myself up by my bootstraps and persevered


    because things were going to get better, right?


    Wrong.


    The entire day I could feel everyone''s eyes on me, and Mnie did nothing but add fuel to the fire. She


    made sure to inform everyone who was unaware of what happened not only between Derrick and I, but


    between me and Christopher as well. Before the end of the day, multiple rumors that I had leaked the


    photos myself to capture Christopher''s attention surfaced.


    I wanted to be angry at Mnie so badly, but I couldn''t. I couldn''t feel anything at all. From everything


    that I had been through, I had just gonepletely numb.


    Somehow, the feeling wasforting. The stares aimed at me might has well have not existed. My


    mind was nk and so were my emotions. Some may say that it is an unhealthy way to cope, but I


    would take this over the constant ache of my heart breaking any day.


    Throughout the day I felt Sam get more and more worried for me, but I couldn''t do anything to reassure


    her that I was okay, because, I wasn''t. I don''t think that I will ever be okay, and that thought alone


    frightened me to no end. I felt like a broken ss doll, shattered into a million pieces. No matter how


    hard I tried, I was irreparably damaged.


    When I got home, I went straight to my room, and I haven''t left since. I couldn''t face anyone right now,


    especially not Scott. At first, I was holding out hope that he didn''t find out about the pictures, but after


    today, the chances were slim to none.


    Not only was I too mad to see him after knowing that he knew that Christopher was using me and didn''t


    tell me, but I was ashamed. Ashamed that somehow his innocent vision that he had of me was broken.


    I was afraid of how disgusted he would be about me. A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.


    "Go away," I groaned, pressing my head into my pillow. The door opened anyway despite my request.


    Scott crept into my room slowly, as if he was walking on eggshells. He might as well have been.


    "Are you okay Brielle?" he asked, sitting down beside me. I sat up from my current fetal position,


    meeting him face to face. "Please Scott, just go away."


    Once again, he ignored me. "Look, I know that you''re still mad at me, but I heard about what


    happened."


    I closed my eyes, rubbing at my temples. He knew. "I''m fine Scott. Now please, leave." I clipped.


    He scoffed. "BS. I know you. Now tell me how you truly feel or else I''m not leaving this room." He


    leaned back on his arms, gettingfortable. "I can wait all day."


    I contemted yelling at him to leave, but deep down I realized that I would like to talk to him. I cared


    about what he thought of me, and what hurt the most out of the entire situation is my fear of what he


    would think of me. I also needed to know why he hid the information about Christopher from me if I was


    ever going to move on.


    After a huge sigh, I finally opened up. "I feel a little weird,"'' I guessed. "Like I''m constantly exposed in a


    way."


    He nodded his head, seeming to understand what I meant. "I get that, I would feel that way too."


    It felt good to know that he understood how I felt. "I just feel really ashamed and embarrassed that I


    took those pictures." I paused, contemting on if I should include the next part. After a moment''s


    hesitation, I added it in.


    "I felt a little nervous too."


    His eyebrows scrunched up. "Why?"


    "I guess I was nervous on how you would react." I said shyly. "I''ve always been the innocent little sister


    to you, and I knew that it would change that.


    I guess I could handle everyone at school seeing and treating me different, but I couldn''t handle if you


    did."


    "Oh, Brielle," he said, pulling me into a hug. "You know that I will always see you as my little sister.


    Nothing will ever change that."


    I smiled, wiping a stray tear from my eye. "Really?"


    He held out his pinkie finger. "Promise." I wrapped my finger around his.


    "Did you know that he was going to leak the pictures?"


    I guiltily nodded my head. "He''s been ckmailing me with them ever since we broke up."


    "It''s been almost two years!" he cried.


    "I know! I thought I had it all under control, but obviously I was wrong." He ced his head in hisp


    while running his hand through his coffee-colored hair, obviously stressed.


    "Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "I didn''t want to worry you. And I thought that if I said something you would make it worse."


    He nodded his head. "I have a tendency to do that." He said softly.


    "You sure do."


    After a few moments of silence, I finally posed the question that had been bugging me to no end.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about Christopher?" I asked cautiously.


    A remnant of hesitation passed through his eyes, as if he was considering whether to answer my


    question or run and hide. He seemed to choose the former.


    "Same as you," he said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "What I did to Nicole was..."


    "Awful." I finished.


    He let out a softugh. "Exactly. If not, worse. I was ashamed of what I did. You always saw me as the


    good guy, your brave knight, and I wanted to keep it that way. So, I kept it secret.


    I tried to warn you that he was using you, but I knew that if I told you the reason why you would find out


    about what I did to Nicole. So, I kept my mouth shut. After seeing how happy you were with him, I


    convinced myself that I was doing you a favor by not telling you."


    "You were doing me a favor by allowing him to use me?" I snapped, suddenly aggravated.


    "I know, it was stupid, but it was easier to believe that than to tell you the truth about me."


    As much as I wanted to be mad at him, after today, I knew how he felt. When everyone sees you a


    certain way, sometimes it''sforting to know that those closes to you don''t. If I could do anything to


    keep Scott from finding out about the pictures, I would.


    "Why did you do it in the first ce?" Nicole was a nice girl and didn''t deserve to get sucked in the


    middle of their feud. I was more concerned that Scott would do something as cruel as break up with


    someone after their parents died just because of a petty fight.


    He locked eyes with me, suddenly dead serious. "You need to believe me when I say that I had no idea


    that her parents died. I admit that I broke up with her to get back at Christopher, but if I knew about


    what happened, I would have never done that.


    I tried to tell her that, but Christopher wouldn''t even let me get within fifty feet of her and she blocked


    my number. After a while without any luck, I just stopped trying."


    "Well you need to tell her this, because thest time I talked to her she was under the impression that


    you did it on purpose."


    "I know, that''s why I talked to her yesterday." My eyes grew wide, unable to hide my surprise.


    "You did what?"


    He shrugged casually. "She was leaving the house when I wasing back from practice. I asked her


    if we could talk for a minute and she said yes."


    "So, what did you say?" I said, my interest suddenly piqued.


    "I told her how sorry I was and that I had no clue about her parents, and that it still was no excuse for


    what I did."


    "And..."


    "And we talked. For a long time. She told me how she felt when I did it and," he rubbed his eyes,


    obviously distraught. "I really screwed up, Brielle." His voice cracked.


    "I had no clue how much I hurt her. I feel like a monster for all the hurt that I caused." This time I pulled


    him into a hug,forting him.


    "What matters is that you know that what you did was wrong, and you won''t do it again. Don''t be so


    hard on myself."


    He nodded his head, trying to convince himself. "She said that she forgave me. But, I don''t know if I''ll


    ever forgive myself." He turned his gaze from his shoes to me. "And I''ll never forgive myself for what I


    did to you."


    Looking at him, I realized how early it would be to hold a grudge, to make him pay for all the hurt that


    he could have prevented me. But after this conversation, I realized that he had more than enough to


    feel guilty about. We were both just two kids who didn''t understand each other or ourselves. And


    because of that, we were all destined to make mistakes. And as long as we were learning from them,


    then all could be forgiven.


    And besides, he was beating himself up ten times more than I ever could.


    "What you did was pretty messed up, but since I''m such an amazing, caring sister, I''ll forgive you."


    A blinding smile stretched across his face. "Really?"


    "Yup," I said. "But only if you say that I am the bestest sister in the world and the superior sibling."


    He rolled his eyes. "You wish."


    "On second thought," I said sarcastically. "I''m starting to feel a lot angrier. Like the kind of anger that


    makes me hold grudges..."


    "Ok!" he said, raising his hands in protest. "You are the bestest sister in the world and the superior


    sibling."


    "What was that?" I mocked.


    He huffed in fake frustration. "You are the bestest sister in the world and the superior sibling!


    Everything that I do pales to you O'' wise one!" He yelled this time, unable to hold back his smile.


    I burst into a fit of giggles for what felt like the first time in a year. "Much better."


    The two of usughing in my room reminded me of a simpler time. One without conniving boyfriends


    and ck-mailing exes. A time when our biggest problems were who we were going to sit next to at


    lunch. The thought of it made me smile.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you excited for the showcase on Saturday?" Scott asked after a few minutes of casual


    conversation. My eyes grew wide at the mention of it. With everything going on, I hadpletely


    forgot.


    "Shoot!" I said, suddenly frantic. "Christopher''s my partner! If I don''t dance with him then Ms. Riley


    won''t let me perform, and the Joffrey scouts won''t see me, and I''ll have no chance of going to their


    ballet school!"


    Scott seemed to be just as riled up as I was, "You can''t dance with that jerk!" He eximed, his body


    visibly tensing up.


    "Trust me, I know." I chewed on my finger nails, trying to think. "I''ll figure something out."


    "Maybe you could just exin to Ms. Riley what happened?"


    Iughed. "If I told her that I couldn''t dance with him because we broke up, she would strangle me with


    my pointe shoes for being unprofessional." The thought of it made me shudder. While Ms. Riley was


    short, she sure was feisty. I wouldn''t put murder past her.


    "Maybe he won''t show up, then it wouldn''t be your fault."


    I shook the thought out of my mind. I didn''t even want to think about what would happen if I didn''t


    perform. I could kiss my dreams at Joffrey goodbye.


    "I''m just going to wait until Saturday to worry," I said, making a decision. However, I knew that couldn''t


    be far from the truth. I was already anxious.


    My future depended on Christophering, but if he did, I don''t know if I would even be able to face


    him.


    I took in a deep breath. Just wait until Saturday. I repeated.


    Just wait until Saturday.

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    Brielle


    6:01 PM


    Today was the day.


    Out of my entire dance career, today was the day that would determine everything. It would determine


    if I would go to the Joffrey School of Ballet in New York, my dream school. If I didn''t get in, I would have


    no clue what to do.


    Today, the scouts wereing to watch our high school''s dance showcase. We have one of the best


    dance programs in California, and every year they send people to see new talent. Since I was one of


    the best dancers in the program, if I did well I could really impress them. Then, just maybe, they may


    offer me a spot in their program after high school.


    However, there was one giant wrench in this n. Christopher. Mrs. Riley forced me to teach him


    dance if I wanted to perform, and now he had to do the showcase with me. Ever since we started


    dating, we had been practicing non-stop. He insisted, since he knew how much this opportunity meant


    to me.


    But now that we were broken up, we hadn''t practiced in days. Since we hadn''t talked since then, I


    didn''t even know if he was stilling. I wasn''t even sure if I wanted him to.


    I stood in front of the mirror, pulling my long, chestnut hair into a tight bun atop my head. Right now, I


    couldn''t focus on us. I needed to get into performance mode.


    I started my usual routine for before performances. I plugged in my earbuds, sting Beyonc¨¦ as I


    continued to get ready, dancing and singing while doing so. Usually this helped to calm my nerves, but


    today I had no luck. The butterflies in my stomach refused to rest.


    I made myself a quick dinner before calling Scott downstairs so that we could leave. I needed to arrive


    at school early so that I could practice my routine. I had changed some parts so that if Christopher


    didn''t show I would still be able to perform.


    Usually I would ask Sam to drive me, but after Scott and I''s heart-to-heart, I suddenly felt much closer


    to him. I wanted to spend as much time as I could while I did, just in case it happened to wear off.


    "I''ming!" he yelled from upstairs, however his pounding footsteps were already a dead giveaway.


    "You excited?" he asked once he arrived in the kitchen.


    Nervously, I took a big gulp of my water. "I think so." He rolled his eyes.


    "You say this every time and then you kill it," he ced his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Don''t


    worry."


    I wanted to tell him that this time was different. This time I had to rely on my ex-boyfriend to seed.


    This time I was so emotionally drained from this week that I didn''t even know if I had the strength to


    perform.


    But, instead of worrying him with my problems, I just nodded my head.


    He stared at me with a knowing look. "I''ve known you for sixteen years Brielle, I can tell when


    something''s bothering you."


    Damn. I knew that our conversation made us closer, but I didn''t know that it gave him telepathic


    abilities.


    "I''m just worried about having to dance with Christopher."


    His body tensed at the mention of him. "Don''t worry about that jerk."


    "But what if he doesn''t show up." I felt myself began to grow even more anxious. "Or even worse, what


    if he does? I don''t know if I can handle it."


    He sat down on the chair across from me, locking eyes with me. "Brielle, you are the most talented and


    strong person that I know. So much has happened to you this past week, and yet here you are, still


    going."


    I didn''t ever think of it like that, but I guess in a way he was right. I could have beenying in my bed


    right now, wallowing in my own pity instead of chasing my dreams. I guess I was a little stronger than I


    thought.


    "So, if anyone can pull this off, it''s you."


    I smiled. It felt good to know that no matter what happened, I could always count on my brother to be


    my biggest cheerleader.


    "What are we waiting for," I said as I rose up from my seat, suddenly energized. "Let''s do this!"


    Scott let out a loud whoop, my energy contagious. "That''s what I''m talking about!"


    Somehow, I managed to hold on to my positivity all the way to school. Whenever I felt like worrying, I


    just repeated my inner mantra.


    I am strong. I am beautiful. I am fearless.


    Somehow, those words alone were enough to stop the negative thoughts about Christopher in their


    tracks. When we arrived at school, Scott drove to the front and parked.


    "You ready?"


    I nodded my head. It was now or never.


    "Mom, Dad, and I will be in the front row cheering you on. If you ever feel nervous, just look for us." I let


    out a deep breath. The idea of them cheering me on helped to calm me down even more.


    I waved him off as he sped away. I suppressed my uing nerves as I made my way to the


    auditorium. I was greeted by my dance teacher Ms. Riley, a smile stretched across her face.


    She was writing on a clipboard with one hand and talking into a walkie-talkie with the other. Everyone


    flurried around her as they prepared for the show, all creating an atmosphere ofpletely chaos. At


    the center was Ms. Riley, barking orders to control the hectic scene.


    When she spotted me she took a break, pulling me into a tight hug. "Brielle, are you excited?" She took


    a step back from me, scanning me up and down. "You look beautiful! The Joffrey scouts are going to


    love you."


    I chewed on my lip. "Do you really think so?"


    She scoffed. She always grew annoyed when Icked self-confidence.


    "Are you kidding me? You are the best dancer in our entire program. If they don''t choose you, I will club


    them over the head with this clipboard myself." For some, reason I wouldn''t put it past her.


    "How''s it going with your partner?" she asked absent-mindedly, preupied with her clipboard once


    more. "Did you manage to make him look somewhat good?" My heart dropped at the mention of him.


    I am strong. I am beautiful. I am fearless. I repeated.


    I mustered up all the strength within me to stop my resolve from cracking. "He actually learned a lot."


    I cracked a smile, remembering our first lesson when he literally had two left feet. He hade a long


    way since then, and now, our routine looked impressive. I would love to take all the credit as being a


    great teacher, but the praise really went to him. He worked hard, and even practiced after our sessions


    just so that we could do well.


    "Well, I did not expect that," sheughed. "When I first forced you to dance with him, I was only doing it


    to teach you a lesson. I was nning on ending the punishment after a week or two. But then you guys


    seemed to be really enjoying each other, so I thought: why the hell not?"


    My jaw dropped. I wasn''t supposed to be forced to dance with him?


    My mind couldn''t help but wander to what would have happened if Mrs. Riley didn''t force us together.


    We wouldn''t have dated, and I wouldn''t have had so many amazing memories. I wouldn''t have learned


    to surf, which I do at least once a week now, and I would have never learned so much unnecessary


    information about professional football teams.


    But then again, if we didn''t dance together, he would have never had the chance to hurt me. I wouldn''t


    have to deal with the constant ache in my chest.


    But for some strange reason, for some reason that I would love so badly to change, if I had the chance


    to do it all over again, without Christopher, I wouldn''t.


    The revtion caused something inside me to change indescribably.


    "Where is that hunk anyway?"


    Her question brought me back to earth. I had forgotten that there was a chance that he still wouldn''t


    show up. I was about to exin to her that he wasn''t going to be dancing with me when the door to the


    auditorium door opened.


    The figure that entered caused my breath to hitch.


    Christopher made his way toward me. As he grew closer, I could inspect his face more clearly. The


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    swelling around his eye had decreased significantly, and the purple bruising was barely noticeable. I


    didn''t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that he hade.


    Mrs. Riley sensed my staring and turned around to find the culprit of my gaze.


    "There you are!" she eximed, waving him over. "We were just talking about you. Apparently, you are


    quite the dance student!"


    A small smile stretched across his lips. "I just had a really good teacher."


    I felt a slight blush move across my cheeks as I diverted my eyes from his intense stare. After


    everything between us, hearing apliment from him felt like when we had first met. I could still feel


    his eyes on me when I looked away.


    A loud string of iprehensible words stung from the walkie-talkie, interrupting us. Mrs. Riley


    seemed to understand what it said, however, because she franticly responded before quickly turning


    towards us.


    "I have to go. You guys go on stage for rehearsal in five minutes." She power-walked away, heading


    towards another disaster that she would have to fix.


    When it was just him and I, the awkward silence hung in the air.


    "Brielle, I-" I quickly cut him off.


    "Please," I said, the hurt in my voice evident. "Not today." He nodded, seeming to understand that I


    didn''t need yet another problem added on to my te right now.


    The speaker in the auditorium called our names, signaling us to perform. I quickly made my way to the


    stage, wanting more than anything to put distance between him and I.


    We made our way onto the tform and assumed our starting pose. The stage was dark, except for a


    single soft pink spotlight on us. We sat on the floor, his arms wrapped around me as our song, Helium


    by Sia, began to y.


    When I choreographed this, Christopher and I had just started dating. I could sense the influence that


    this had on our dance, as all the moves were romantic in a way, bringing back memories of when we


    were together.


    For the next two minutes, I allowed myself to pretend that everything was alright. That him and I were


    still together, and that the lovingness of the piece wasn''t just make-believe anymore.


    We leapt across the stage as he lifted me up, each of us wrapped into the choreography. When the


    ending notes began, I turned towards him, preparing for ourst move. Our foreheads pressed against


    each other''s, our noses barely touching.


    As my eyes stared into his, I could see the raw emotion in his eyes. It was a mix of soft affection and


    aching, a look that I recognized in myself, and I realized then how much this seemed to be hurting him


    too. If he was using me this entire time, why was us breaking up affecting him like this?


    Unless maybe he wasn''t using me. Maybe, like Scott, he had made a mistake in the past, but a mistake


    that he had changed from. Maybe Christopher wasn''t a bad guy, but a guy that made a bad decision


    and was sorry. Maybe he hadn''t changed, and he is still the Christopher that I knew. Maybe he just


    showed me that he had faults too, big ones, and that he made mistakes. But our mistakes don''t define


    us.


    As we leaned in for the kiss, thest move of our routine, my head was spinning. This dance


    resurfaced feelings for Christopher that I tried so hard to bury, and I felt lost. Somehow, all the anger


    and hurt that I felt for him evaporated.


    But it shouldn''t have. No matter how he felt now, at one point his lone goal was to hurt me, and I


    shouldn''t forgive him for that.


    But I knew that if I leaned in and kissed him, I would be his again. All the problems between us would


    go away, and we could be the happy couple that we once were, this time with a better understanding of


    each other. It would be so easy.


    But I couldn''t.


    And at thest moment, when our lips were almost touching, I pulled away.


    "I''m sorry," I whispered, running off the stage.


    Because sometimes, the easiest thing is the hardest to do.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    Brielle


    7:32 PM


    To say that I was freaking out was an understatement.


    After my encounter with Christopher on the stage, I promptly ran to one of the dressing rooms and 911


    texted Sam to haul herself over here. I knew that Christopher probably thought I was crazy with how I


    exited, but I couldn''t kiss him.


    No matter how hard he tried, I couldn''t bring myself to forgive him. I was a strong believer in second


    chances, but for some strange reason, I just couldn''t bring myself to extend that same privilege to him.


    I felt the anger I had for him dissipate while performing, and that may have scared me the most. If I was


    no longer mad at him, then how was I supposed to keep myself from forgiving him?


    I shook the thought out of my mind. He was using me, and that is that.


    "I stopped watching The Bachelor finale for this!" Sam said haughtily, stalking in. "So, this better be an


    emergency." She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.


    "Christopher''s here." I said simply.


    Her hands instantly dropped, and her face softened. If Sam was no longer mad at me for making her


    miss her favorite show, then I knew that my problem was bad.


    "What happened?" she asked, sitting beside me on the tufted couch.


    I let out a huff. I didn''t even know.


    "We leant in for the kiss and I couldn''t do it."


    Her head tilted slightly to the side. "Why? It''s just for the dance."


    I threw my hands up in frustration. "I don''t know Sam! Throughout the dance I felt myself forgive him


    more and more, and I knew that if I kissed him I would take him back."


    Sam paused, chewing on her lip, before finally whispering softly, "What would be so wrong if you did?"


    My eyes grew wide. "Sam, how could you say that!"


    "Just hear me out," she said, raising her hands defensively. "He seems like he''s really sorry." As much


    as I wanted to cut her off, I let her continue.


    "I''ve never seen you happier than when you were with him. You were just like you were before you


    started dating Derrick."


    My jaw dropped. What was she talking about. She continued, sensing my shock.


    "You didn''t think that I noticed, but after you two broke up, something changed in you. You were closed


    off, almost like you were constantly afraid of something, so you never let anyone in."


    "I just didn''t want to get hurt again." I said softly.


    She nodded her head. "I know. But in the process, you never allowed yourself to feel loved by so many


    amazing people. The only people that you talked to were me and Scott."


    In a way, she was right. Looking back, I hadn''t realized that to protect myself, I stopped myself from


    meeting new people. I stopped trying to make new friends. After having Derrick betray me, I figured


    that the less people that you trust, the less people that can cause you harm.


    "But then Christopher came along, and before I knew it you were going to parties and breaking into


    football fields." She clutched me by the shoulders, forcing me to stare into her serious eyes.


    "You were living your life again Brielle, and it was because of him. He opened you up again."


    I scoffed. "Well, it turns out I was right in the first ce. The first person knew that I let into my life


    broke me again." Some may say that my way of protecting myself was unhealthy, but no one could


    argue that it wasn''t foolproof.


    She let out a soft sigh. "But don''t you think, just maybe, that it was worth it?"


    I paused. I had never thought of it like that.


    I knew that Christopher had caused me so much pain, but did the moments of happiness that we


    shared make up for that? When I looked back on us, would I have rather gone through both the


    happiness and the hurt, or never gone through it at all?


    "Look, I''m not saying that you should take him back, that''s your decision alone. I just think that you


    should hear him out, and then decide if you can truly find it in yourself to forgive him, instead of already


    deciding that you won''t." A soft smiley on her lips.


    "I talked to him, and he truly is a good guy."


    Now my brain waspletely scrambled. If Sam thought that I should get back with him, then I had


    absolutely no clue what to do. I rubbed my temples, trying to prevent my oing headache.


    Sam looked down at her phone before hopping off the couch. "I have to go if I''m going to get a good


    seat." She pulled me into a tight hug, nearly squeezing all of the air out of my lungs.


    "You''re going to do great today! Joffrey is going to be lucky to have you."


    I felt myself tearing up. No matter what happened, Sam was always there. "I don''t know what I would


    do without you."


    Sam coughed out augh, her eyes growing watery. "You''d make terrible life decisions and I''d probably


    be living on the street," smiles stretched upon our faces. "We need each other."


    I nodded my head. That was one thing that I knew for sure.


    Iughed, wiping at my tears. "Howe you never have any problems to tell me?"


    She yfully rolled her eyes. "I have enough drama in my life from you alone."


    When she left, I felt the familiar pre-performance jitters enter my body. The time was growing closer to


    my performance and I felt the urge to vomit from my nerves. I took a deep breath, knowing exactly what


    would calm me down.


    This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    I made my way to the wings of the stage and peeked into the audience from behind the curtain. My


    heart leapt when I saw the chair reserved for the Joffrey Scout upied by a middle-aged brte


    woman. Her face was stern and serious, and I felt my heart began to beat quickly. No doubt, she would


    be hard to please.


    I averted my gaze to my intended purpose, the first row. My family always arrived early to sit front and


    center. It was a ritual for me to wave to them before performing. Every time I did, I always felt better.


    Scott caught me peeking and waved his hand at me, a smile stretching across his face. I did the same,


    and instantly felt myself calm down.


    I could do this.


    As I was about to close the curtain, a movement behind Scott''s head caught my attention.


    An unknown hand was waving at me.


    The culprit wore a ck jacket, the shadow of the hood hiding the features of his face. When he took


    the hood off, I nearly choked from surprise.


    Waving at me from behind Scott''s unknowing head, was Derrick.


    His face was badly bruised, and there was no doubt in my mind that Christopher had won their fight. I


    felt my lungs contract as the room began to grow smaller and smaller.


    This couldn''t be happening.


    Scott''s expression morphed into one of confusion as he watched my face fall, my once happy face now


    horror-stricken. He followed my gaze behind him and turned around toe face to face with Derrick. I


    saw his body visibly tense, but before I could see what happened next, I felt my body tearing itself


    away from the curtain and towards the dressing room on its own ord.


    I seemed to be moving in a daze as I was unaware of what was happening around me. Faces that I


    once knew blurred as I struggled to breathe.


    My hands grew numb. My legs trembled beneath me. I was heavy and light all at once.


    I was surrounded by shapes, moving, but unrecognizable, their true appearance on the tip of my


    tongue but not yet there.


    I was numb.


    Suddenly, a pair of powerful arms swooped up beneath me, pulling me towards a warm, hard chest.


    I didn''t know who it was, but I leaned into them, epting thefort. They sat on the cold floor and


    ced me on theirp. Their fingers softly stroked my hair.


    Even though I hadn''t seen their face, I already knew who it was.


    "Don''t cry, I''ve got you." Christopher whispered, deftly wiping at my tears. "Just tell me what


    happened."


    I tried to say something, but I couldn''t. The words were trapped in my throat, and no matter how hard I


    tried, I couldn''t spit them out. After what felt like eternity, I finally muttered, "Derrick''s here."


    I felt his body instantly tense up beneath me.


    "I''ll be right back," he whispered, moving to pick me up and set me down on a chair. The thought of him


    leaving set an irrational sense of panic within me.


    "No!" I cried, gripping at his shirt with my fist and pulling them towards me. "Please don''t go."


    After a pause, I felt him nod as I leaned onto him once more. His presence alone was enough to cause


    my heart rate and breathing to go back to normal.


    After finally regaining my usual function, I couldn''t help but be taken aback. I hadn''t had a panic attack


    in years.


    I opened my eyes, lifting my head from the damp spot on his shirt from my tears. I hadn''t even realized


    I''d been crying.


    "I''m sorry," I said,ing face to face with Christopher.


    "Don''t be," he said, shing me a smile. "I''ll always be here for you when you need me."


    A soft smile fell on my face. "I know."


    I wiped at my eyes, trying to make myself look more presentable. "How long have we been here?"


    "Thirty minutes," he said simply. My eyes grew. "How long do we have until we perform?"


    He spoke slowly, knowing that I would freak out. "Five minutes."


    I felt myself begin to panic. Then I remembered who was in the audience. "And what about Derrick?"


    "He was kicked out, Scott came back here to tell me."


    I didn''t know whether I was more relieved that Derrick was gone, or surprised that Christopher and


    Scott were able to have a civilized conversation.


    "Don''t worry," he said, sitting up from the floor and offering me his hand. I grabbed it and stood up,


    As we made our way to the stage, I knew deep down that Sam was right. Christopher was a good guy,


    and he was always there for me. He brought out the best version of myself, the me that I was proud to


    be.


    "Why''d you do it?" I blurted out randomly, seeming to even surprise myself. "Why did you want to hurt


    me?"


    His eyes softened. "Brielle, I never wanted to hurt you."


    I rolled my eyes. "Yea right."


    He ran his hands through his hair. "I guess I did, but only at first. I just-" He was cut off as a Ms. Riley


    brushed past us.


    "You guys are on next!" she called, scurrying to another ce backstage. We nodded our heads before


    I turned my attention back to him.


    "As I was saying, I only wanted to at first, I swear. That was before I knew you."


    I couldn''t help but be skeptical. "When did you decide not to?"


    He answered without a moment''s hesitation.


    "I already felt that I wasn''t going to, but when I saw you keep trying to surf after failing all of those


    times, and never giving up until you caught that wave," we both smiled at the memory. Looking back


    that was probably the smallest wave on Earth, but we celebrated like it was the biggest.


    "When I saw how happy you were, I knew that the feelings I had for you weren''t fake, and I could never


    use you like that."


    I wanted to believe him, but I couldn''t bring myself to. "Why didn''t you just tell me?"


    Before he could answer, the performance before us ended. They pranced towards the wings and


    exited, signaling us to take our ce on stage. I felt my heart in my throat. This performance


    determined everything.


    As practiced, we walked to the center of the stage and sat down, his arms wrapped around me. The


    lights faded to a dim pink as only our silhouettes were visible to the audience. As the music began,


    however, something that we didn''t practice urred.


    Christopher began talking.


    "I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would leave me," he said softly, lifting me up as


    choreographed. I held my leg by my ear before slowly lowering it down.


    "What are you doing?" I whispered harshly,unching myself into a perfectly executed spin. He


    grabbed me by my hips, raising me as I did so.


    "Don''t worry, the music is too loud for them to hear us and the lights are too dim to see."


    Before I could protest, I spun away from him, leaping into a split jump high in the air, my legs perfectly


    straight. Somehow, either despite or because of his talking, I was dancing better than I ever had.


    When I finally returned to him, jumping into his arms, he continued talking.


    "When I met you, I was stupid and immature and somehow thought that getting back at your brother


    would help fix my problems." He smoothly raised me into our lift, holding me with ease. I bowed my


    back, causing my body to form a beautiful arch.


    "But then I got to know you, and I realized how funny, smart, and talented you are." He lowered me


    back to the ground.


    "I realized that getting back at your brother wouldn''t fix my problems, because you already did."


    As much as I wanted to tell him to stop talking so we could focus on dancing, part of me wanted to hear


    what he had to say. The timing was bad, but somehow, I felt like it couldn''t wait. And for some reason, I


    seemed to be dancing better.


    "You challenged me, and helped me realize that I could be more than just an arrogant football yer."


    He ced his hand on the small of my back, dipping me towards the ground.


    "You are strong and amazing, and I was lucky to have you. But I screwed it up, and I know that," He


    swooped me back up, and I extended my leg straight into the air in the process.


    "But I need you to know that even if you decide that you never want to see me again, I will always care


    for you and be there when you need me," He turned me around, our foreheads touching as our dance


    came to a close, the ending notes of our song ying.


    "Because I love you Brielle."


    My breath hitched in my chest at his words.


    And in that moment, I knew the answer to the question that I had been struggling with for so long. I


    would rather have known Christopher, and all the hurt that came with him, than to never have known


    him at all.


    We had changed each other in ways that neither of us expected, and I knew, looking into his eyes, that


    the Christopher I saw now was not the Christopher that walked into the dance room months ago.


    I knew that because I wasn''t the Brielle I was months ago either.


    This whole time, I was afraid that Christopher had changed, and for the worst, but that couldn''t be


    farther from the truth.


    Yes, he had changed, but it wasn''t for the worst. It was for the better.


    And looking into his eyes now, I knew.


    I knew that despite what happened, nothing mattered but how we felt about each other in this moment.


    "I love you, too," I whispered.


    And with that, I did the easy thing that I found so hard to do an hour prior.


    I did what finally melted all my anger towards him. What finally allowed me to forgive him, his past and


    all, and take him back.


    I kissed him.


    And it wasn''t the roar of the audience, or the good news from the Joffrey scout after the show, that let


    me know that I made the right choice.


    It was this, me and Christopherying under the stars a yearter, our hands intertwined and a smile


    on each of our faces, that let me know.


    Despite all our problems, despite all our highs and lows, the best thing that ever happened to me, my


    own personal miracle:


    Was when I danced with the yer.

 Chapter 30: Epilogue

    Chapter 30: Epilogue


    Brielle


    10:54 PM


    6 Years Later


    "Where are we going!" I squealed as Christopher rounded yet another unknown corner. "This is


    definitely not the way to the restaurant."


    Christopher and I were on our way to meet Nicole and Sam for our celebratory dinner. Christopher had


    justnded his first role as a stunt double in a major movie and both Sam and Christopher had just


    graduated.


    Sam received a degree in Therapy and Counseling from NYU, which I advised her to get. After


    Christopher and I''s debacle in high school, I figured that she had a real knack for giving advice.


    I anxiously checked my watch. We had already left our apartmentte, and if we kept up with this pace


    we wouldn''t reach there until I was sixty.


    He shushed me. "Don''t worry about it, it''s a surprise."


    I gave him a knowing look. "You and I both know that I hate surprises."


    He answered me with silence.


    I let out a huff, choosing to just wait and see. If there''s one thing that I learned about Christopher, it''s


    that he never cracks.


    We made our way through the wet New York streets, the usual crowded sidewalks now deserted in


    After Christopher and I graduated from high school, we both moved to New York. I moved to go to the


    Joffrey School of Ballet, and him and Sam attended school at New York University. Ever since the


    ballet showcase, Christopher and I had been happily together. We even moved in togetherst year.


    My ballet school was amazing, and I was already offered so many amazing opportunities. While


    Christopher was at school, he was also attending different auditions to pursue his life-long dream of


    being a stunt double. He had justnded a major role in a superhero movie, and I was so proud of him.


    I never expected us together to be this easy. When we first started dating, it seemed like there would


    never be a time when someone or something wasn''t in-between us. But somehow, things grew simpler,


    and now I had no doubt that we would be together forever.


    "We''re almost here," he said after we walked for a few more minutes. He reached into his pocket and


    pulled out a blindfold, cing it over my eyes and securing it behind my head.


    "Why are you doing!" I cried, taken aback by surprise.


    Heughed at my jitteriness. "Don''t worry, I just don''t want you to know where we are going yet." I


    rolled my eyes, my curiosity growing.


    "I know that your rolling your eyes," heughed. I crossed my arms.


    How did he know!


    After we walked for another block, he paused.


    "We''re here," he said. "Are you ready?"


    I nodded my head viciously. The curiosity was killing me.


    He reached behind my head and untied the knot, causing the blindfold to loosen and fall off my eyes.


    My eyebrows bunched in confusion.


    We stood in front of the David H. Koch Theater, one of the most premier ballet theatres in the world. All


    the great ballerinas had performed here, and it has been one of my long-time dreams to do the same.


    My confusion, however, stemmed from the fact that it was closed. All the lights in the building were


    turned off, and it looked deserted.


    "Why are we here?" I asked, turning towards Christopher. "It''s closed."


    A sly smile that I knew all too well crept onto his face. Before he even spoke I already knew what he


    was going to say.


    "We''re sneaking in."


    I stepped away from him, shaking my head. "No way." I did not feel like getting arrested today.


    He lightly tugged on my arm, pulling me close again. "Don''t worry, we''ll be fine," he whispered into my


    ear.


    "Just think about how much fun you will have dancing on the big stage all by yourself."


    I chewed on my lip, thinking it over. It would be cool to dance in the theatre. After deliberating for a few


    more moments, I threw caution to the wind.


    "Fine," I said, making my way toward the locked iron rod fence. "But you should figure out why I always


    seem to be breaking into things when I''m with you."


    A smile crossed my face, remembering when we broke into our football field to have a field goal


    contest. I still remember the look on the security guards face as Christopher slung me over his


    shoulder, carrying me towards his car.


    I also remembered the buckets of gum that we had to scrape from underneath the bleachers as


    punishment too. I shuddered at the thought.


    I ced my hands at the top of the iron poles and hoisted myself up, swinging one leg, then the other


    over the fence before jumping to the other side.


    I smoothed over my blouse and jeans, turning towards Christopher on the outside of the fence.


    "Your turn."


    I tapped my foot, waiting for him to follow suit.


    He winked. "I think I''ll use these."


    He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a pair of jingling keys.


    My jaw dropped. "You had those the whole time?" He nodded his head, inserting the key into the


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    padlock on the gate and twisting it.


    I pouted. "Then why did you make me jump the fence?"


    He let out augh. "I never told you to. You did it all on your own."


    I huffed. He was right.


    He unlocked the gate, causally strolling towards me. I rolled my eyes. I could tell that he was a little too


    proud of himself.


    "How did you even get those anyway?" I asked as we made our way towards the front of therge


    ss building.


    He shrugged. "My friend works the night shifts as a security guard."


    As he said so, a man walked towards the front door from the inside. We waited patiently as he typed on


    to a key pad. Finally, the door unlocked, and Christopher opened it, holding it open for me.


    I murmured a thank you, too mesmerized by the building around me. I felt like a kid in a candy store.


    Christopher''s friend led us down a hallway, before opening a door to our left. I walked through the


    doorway, making my way through the darkness inside. Suddenly, the lights switched on, revealing the


    theater before me.


    A giddiness cam over me as I took in the scene in front of me.


    Empty seats stretched for as far as I could see, each facing towards me. I stood center stage, soaking


    it all in.


    "It''s beautiful," I said, my eyes zing over. I could already imagine myself on this stage, spinning and


    leaping across the stage. All my biggest dreams of me, performing here, shed before my eyes.


    Christopher wrapped his arms behind me, nuzzling his nose into my ear. "Do you like it?"


    I nodded, therge smile on my face a dead giveaway. "I love it," I said turning around so that we were


    face-to-face. "And I love you."


    "I love you too," he said against my lips, leaning down to kiss me. I couldn''t help but remember thest


    time we kissed together on a stage six years ago. The memory gave me an idea.


    "Do you still remember it?" I asked pulling away from our kiss. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion.


    "Our dance," I exined.


    Heughed. "Are you kidding me? With how many times you made me practice I couldn''t forget if I


    tried."


    "Hey!" I said swatting his arm. "All of the hard work was worth it."


    "Whatever you say."


    I rolled my eyes, plugging my phone into the speaker on the side of the stage and ying the song.


    When I returned I grabbed at his arm, tugging him to the floor in our starting pose.


    As the music started, reality faded away, until it was just me, him, and the music. We danced


    beautifully, as if we had never stopped practicing. As we spun and leapt around the stage, an


    overwhelming feeling came over me.


    It was love.


    As we moved together, our bodies flowing, I remembered all that we had went through. Forced


    arrangements, crazy brothers, breaking into ces and getting caught. All the memories of our dates to


    hiske house and the drive-in movies, all the times that he tried to woo me with candy and balloons,


    and the image of Christopher riding on a pink dirt bike came flooding back to my mind.


    The newer ones came too. Our celebration of my eptance into Joffrey, us dancing all night at the


    prom, our graduation day, and how we jumped up and down when we found out he had been epted


    into NYU with a schrship.


    All the moments, all the ups and downs, came rushing back to me. Our journey together, which turned


    from hate to love, our problems and resolutions hit me all at once.


    I learned so much about myself from the time we''ve spent together. I learned how to open myself up,


    how to believe in myself. If it wasn''t for Christopher, the love of my life, I wouldn''t be where I am today.


    I wouldn''t be who I am today.


    As the beat drummed on, I let my thoughts fade, enjoying us in the moment, enthralled in our


    movements. As the final notes of the song yed, I began the ending sequence.


    I kicked my leg up towards my ear, before slowly releasing it back towards the floor, my back turned


    towards Christopher.


    I couldn''t help but think about thest move, the kiss, and how much it had changed us. Before I was


    hesitant to do it, afraid of what would happen if I did. But as I turned around this time, there was no


    doubt in my mind.


    However, when I turned around, he wasn''t standing in front of me.


    He was on one knee.


    My hands flew up to my mouth in shock as I could feel tears prick at the back of my eyes. He started to


    speak, his voice shakier than usual.


    "I don''t know if I''ve ever told you this, but when I walked into Ms. Riley''s dance room for my first lesson


    I was mad," he began. "I was furious that my coach had forced me to take a dance ss, and even


    more mad that Ms. Riley had wanted me to dance in a showcase with you.


    I thought that I had been cursed, that I had probably the worst luck in the entire world," heughed. "I


    "But I soon realized that I couldn''t have been more wrong. I was the luckiest man in the entire world,"


    he paused.


    "I was the luckiest because I met you."


    My breath hitched.


    "It took me a while to realize it. A long while." Iughed, now unable to hold back my tears.


    "But once I did, once I realized," his voice cracked, his eyes now zed with tears. "I knew that no


    matter what happened, I couldn''t afford to lose you."


    You made my life better the instant you entered it, even if I didn''t know it. You made me so much


    happier. You changed me, into someone I wanted to be, someone I was proud of," he paused, choking


    back tears.


    "Someone my parents would be proud of."


    In his eyes, I could see the young Christopher at the beach that sat in the picture frame in his old room.


    I could see the Christopher at the top of the Ferris wheel, reminiscing about his parents on the


    anniversary of their death.


    In his eyes I could see all the hurt and pain from his past, but I could also see all his strength from


    oveing it.


    "I want you to know that I will always devote myself to you," he continued. "No matter the issue, I will


    always be there for you. I will always protect you. I will always support you."


    As I stared into his eyes, his sincerity apparent, I knew that he was telling the truth.


    "I brought you here because I know that your dream is to dance here one day." Hid voice grew even


    shakier, the raw emotion audible in his voice.


    "But my dream, my biggest wish of all, is to be there beside you, cheering you on while you do." He


    paused.


    "My biggest dream is to be with you."


    He reached into his back pocket, taking out a ck velvet box. He opened it, revealing a gleaming


    diamond ring.


    "So, Brielle Rose Walker, will you marry me?"


    As I stared at the man in front of me, the man who I met six years ago by some sh of fate, I knew my


    answer without a moment''s hesitation.


    "Yes," I cried, tears dripping down my face.


    His face lit up at my answer. He lifted me off my feet, spinning me in a circle, a smile beaming on both


    of our faces.


    And when I took my final bow on this exact stage five yearster, with Christopher cheering me on in


    the first row and a baby growing in my stomach; as I looked into the blinding spotlight, soaking in the


    Christopher was wrong.


    This, me performing here, was not my dream. I didn''t realize it then, but I did now.


    What I yearned for wasn''t to dance on this stage.


    It was to know that while I did, Christopher would be there beside me the entire way.


    And in that moment, I knew.


    All my dreams hade true.


    The End


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