Broken Hill Hurt: The Broken Hill High Series (Book 3)

by Sheridan Anne

  I can’t help but glare at him. “Hi, Tora. How are you? I know I’ve refused to talk to you for the past two weeks, but I really do miss you.”

  “Answer the damn question,” he demands.

  I walk forward and stand right before him as I look up into his haunted eyes. “What does it matter?” I whisper as I will myself not to break. “He’s not you.”

  Nate shakes his head ever so slightly as his hand falls to my waist. “Don’t,” he tells me. “Don’t make this harder.”

  I lean into him and press myself up against him, not caring that I’m soaking wet from my shower. “There’s nothing going on,” I tell him as both his hands take my shoulders and run up and down my arms. “He likes me but knows I’m not interested.”

  “Then tell him to fuck off,” he says. “I did this to us so you wouldn’t have a bad influence in your life and then you go and run into the arms of the worst one around.”

  I want to tell him how Jackson isn’t really that bad, but I have a feeling that’s not going to go down well, so instead, I look up into the eyes that I love and do my best to try and work this out. I let out a sigh and wait until I know I have his undivided attention. “I miss you, Nate,” I tell him with my heart on my sleeve. “This isn’t right. How much longer are you going to put us through this?”

  I watch as his heart shatters before me and he wraps his arms securely around my waist, giving me that closeness I’ve been craving since the day he left. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs as he ducks his head into the crook of my neck. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

  I hold onto him a little tighter. “Then stay.”

  He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “I can’t, Tora,” he tells me before dropping his arms from my body.

  “No,” I panic terrified he’s about to walk out the door. “Just… I got an A on Miller’s test. I’m good now.”

  He brings his hand up and runs his fingers down the side of my wet face. His eyes soften as he watches me and I can tell whatever he’s about to say is not something I’m prepared to hear. “That just proves I’m right,” he tells me with regret. “I’m sorry,” he says again as his hand drops to his side and he walks out the bathroom door.

  “Wait,” I call, hurrying after him while desperately trying to piece together the pieces of my shattered heart. He turns back and I crash into him, jamming my face into his chest as I hold on with everything I’ve got. “Please. Don’t go. I just… I need you.”

  His strong arms wrap around me and he holds me tight, both of us desperate not to let go. “I have to go,” he says though I’m not quite sure he believes himself.

  Tears fall from my eyes as I look up at him. “It’s not fair,” I say, starting to get angry with him. “You made me love you and now you’re taking it away.”

  “Don’t say that,” he begs, wiping the tears off my face. “If I thought I was right for you, I’d be here begging you to take me back. You’re my whole fucking world, Tora. I love you so goddamn much.”

  “Then stay,” I tell him as I push up onto my tippy toes. “We’re right together. No matter what my father says or what grades I get. It’s you and me. I can’t breathe without you. I feel like I’ve been suffocating, Nate. I need you in my life.”

  He pushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “I know,” he murmurs, dropping his forehead to mine. “I need you, too.”

  I can’t take it any longer. I tilt my chin up and brush my lips over his and the second he catches them in his own, it’s like coming home. He kisses me deeply and I melt. As his kiss completely envelopes me, it takes away every ounce of pain and heartbreak while replacing it with nothing but pure love, telling me that no matter his reasonings, us being apart is a mistake.

  All too soon, he pulls away and his walls slam back down.

  Nate steps away from me and the movement has his arms falling away, ripping away every shred of hope that I had allowed to creep in over the last thirty seconds.

  He backs up to the door with regret heavy in his eyes and shakes his head. “I love you, Tora,” he tells me and just like that, he’s gone.

  My world crumbles for the millionth time in only a few weeks.

  I collapse down onto my bed, not bothering to get dressed as I listen to the sound of him disappearing down the stairs and out the door. I squish my face into my pillow and will myself not to cry. How much longer is he going to have this effect over me?

  I don’t know how long I’ve been laying here but when the sound of the front door reopening echoes through the house, I fly off my bed and pull my towel tighter around me as I hurry out of my bedroom.

  I get to the top of the stairs and throw myself halfway down when I realize the person making his way up them, isn’t the guy I need to see. “What are you doing here?” I grunt, coming to a screeching halt and latching onto my towel with everything I’ve got.

  Jackson’s head whips up in surprise as I continue to gawk at him. “Oh, hey,” he smiles as though he doesn’t have a care in the world. “What are you doing tonight?”

  It takes me a moment to pull myself together before I sputter out my reply. “Um… nothing. I’m going to bed. Why are you in my house right now?”

  “Well, I knocked and the door was open.”

  “So, you just walked in?”

  “I mean, I can walk straight back out, but I’d prefer not to,” he tells me. “I want to take you to a party.”

  “A party?” I grunt, narrowing my eyes on him as I know the parties he usually attends aren’t exactly the same ones I like to go to. “What kind of party?”

  His grin widens as his eyes drop to my towel. “A Haven Falls one.”

  Shit. That is definitely not my scene, but then, maybe it’s exactly what I need. “Fine, but you’re driving. I need to drink.”

  He brings up his hand and salutes me before winking. “Yes, ma’am,” he says. “Your wish is my command.”

  “In that case, fuck off so I can get dressed in peace.”

  His grin widens. “Tonight is going to be fun,” he says, turning on his heel and stalking back down the stairs. I wait until I hear him going through the fridge before heading back up the stairs and closing the door.

  As I get myself dressed, something inside me tells me this is a bad idea, but I can’t help but go through with it. Haven Falls parties have a reputation for drawing a bad crowd. Rumors say that it’s excessive drinking with a mix of drugs and they get rowdy really quickly. It’s exactly the place a good girl like me shouldn’t be going. But then, I have Jackson with me, so I’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll look out for me.

  I pull a pair of ripped jeans and boots before rifling through my closet for my black top which falls off my shoulder. I guess I’m starting a new Friday night tradition, looking hot while doing something incredibly stupid. Reckless Tora is making a reappearance.

  I head into my bathroom, quickly dry my hair and put on a little mascara. I study my reflection in the mirror and all I manage to see is puffiness and hopeless desperation staring me back. Great, in other words, I look like complete shit, yet I whack on a smile and make myself feel like a fraud.

  I walk downstairs to find Jackson has made himself one hell of a sandwich and is halfway through, while another sits on a plate beside him. His eyes lift to me as he hears my boots against the tiles. “Fuck,” he grunts, raising his eyebrows in appreciation. “You’re so fucking hot.”

  “Um, thanks,” I say, really not feeling it.

  “Here,” he says around another bite of his sandwich. “Made you one too.”

  “Wow, how romantic,” I say, my voice laced heavily with sarcasm.

  “Romantic?” he grins. “Is this a date?”

  “Hell no, it’s not,” I tell him. “I haven’t gone back on what I said. I’m in love with Nate and nothing is going to change that any time soon.”

  “That’s what I thought,” he says. “But you can’t blame a man for trying.”

  I roll my eyes and sit down beside him befo
re taking a bite of what must be the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen.

  I demolish it in no time and when I look across at Jackson, I find him gawking back at me. “What?” I grumble on the last bite of my sandwich.

  “I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to see a girl eat like that,” he laughs. “I mean, you eat like a fucking man. I’ve never seen it before. Usually, you chicks eat like fucking birds.”

  I swallow my food and look away. I’m not quite sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I guess it’s kind of a compliment and reminds me just how far I’ve come since I hardly would eat at all, but on the other hand, I can add feeling like a pig to the list of shitty things I feel right now. “Come on,” I say, pushing back off my chair. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “My pleasure,” he says, surprising me as he gets up from his chair and takes my plate to the sink. He quickly washes it before stacking it on the drying rack and wiping down the table. “Let’s go.”

  I follow him out to his Charger. “Are you trying to fool me with your domestic abilities? Because I’m not buying it.”

  He turns back to grin at me. “I guess you’ll never know.”

  I roll my eyes as we drop down into his car. The conversation pretty much comes to a dead stop, apart from the usual ‘this is going to be awesome’ bullshit. We pull up on a busy street and I can already tell this isn’t a place that I’m meant to be. They’re different here and it terrifies me.

  This is the part of town where the majority of kids from Haven Falls Private go to. Here, there are no rules. Here, no one cares about the consequences.

  Great. This is going to be fun. At least I didn’t dress up too much. I might just fit in. But then, everyone here would know Nate Ryder and because of that, they’ll all know me. What was I thinking?

  “Relax, would you?” Jackson says, getting out of the car. “It’ll be fine.”

  “Fine?” I grunt. “I’m the girlfriend of public enemy number one.”

  “Ex-girlfriend,” he reminds me. “And because of that, these guys are going to love you.”

  “Yeah,” I groan. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

  I pull up my big girl panties and allow Jackson to lead me inside. Heavy metal blares through the speakers and the second the door opens, I’m smacked in the face with clouds of smoke. Though, I don’t know if it’s from cigarettes or pot. Probably both.

  Jackson takes my hand and leads me through the house as though I’m some sort of prize. I shrink away from the feel of his hand in mine but at the same time, without his lead in here, I’d be in trouble. I mean, a shitload of trouble.

  People bump into me from every angle. Smoke is blown into my face from people looking down at me. Drinks are spilled and unapologetically splashed onto me. This is something that would never happen with Nate. People have respect for him. They fear him. But here with Jackson, he’s just one of the crowd. Someone they don’t care to piss off, making me one of those people too.

  Shit. I really shouldn’t have come. What was I thinking?

  Jackson finds us a cooler filled with beer and he thrusts one into my hand, not bothering to ask if it’s what I want, but I don’t say anything. I won’t be drinking here tonight. In fact, as soon as I can, I’ll be getting my ass out of here.

  Some guy bumps into Jackson before spinning around to either beat him up for being in his way or apologize, but luckily, recognition dawns on both their pissed off faces. The new guy looks both an awful mix of drunk and stoned and from the joint pinched between his lips, I’d say he doesn’t give a shit what he looks like. "Hey, man,” the newcomer says before looking over Jackson's shoulder and looking me up and down, giving me the creeps. “Been a while. I heard you’re rocking it with those Broken Hill douchebags.”

  “Yeah,” he says. “Got my eyes on a scholarship.”

  “Fuck yeah,” the guy says before taking the joint from his lips and offering it to Jackson.

  Jackson greedily accepts and takes a long pull. He closes his eyes for a second and looks back at me. “You’re up,” he tells me as he tries to jam the joint between my lips.

  I pull back and scrunch up my face. “No, thanks,” I tell him.

  “Come on. It will help you relax. You’re so freaking wound up,” he says before turning his attention back on the guy. “This shit is good.” The guy nods in agreement but looks at me, waiting to see what the hell I’m going to do, making me wonder if this is some kind of test, though, I don’t know what it’s for.

  “Nah,” I laugh, trying to play it cool when in reality, my heart is threating to beat right out of my chest. “Really. I’m good.”

  “Suit yourself,” Jackson shrugs, pulling his arm back and taking another drag before handing it back to the guy.

  The guy disappears and Jackson scans the room as he cracks open his beer. “I’m going to say hey to some of my friends really quick,” he throws over his shoulder as he grins at some girl. “You’ll be ok?” he questions. “Go chill with some of the chicks.”

  And just like that, he slips away, leaving me way too nervous for my own good. I look around the room and see nothing but bodies, but all those bodies have eyes that are trained on me and from the looks in their eyes, they know I don’t belong and what’s more, they want me out.

  I place the beer down on the table and start walking around the cramped house trying to find somewhere that isn’t so crowded with people who don’t want me here. Where the hell is Jackson? He shouldn’t have brought me to a place like this. He knows what kind of girl I am. This isn’t me.

  I walk into a room and the first thing I see is Jackson’s friend from the races, rolling up a dollar bill. He grins with a twisted excitement before looking around the room. His eyes lock on mine and he smirks at me as he leans his face into some girl’s naked chest and snorts a line of coke.

  I swallow back. I really shouldn’t be here.

  I start looking for the exits as Jackson’s friend straightens up and wipes his nose. “Hey, I know you,” he says, narrowing his eyes on me and walking forward.

  “Um, no,” I say, wishing I had an escape.

  “Yeah,” he laughs with a sick fascination. “You’re that chick from the races. You’re Nate Ryder’s girl, aren’t you?”

  I shake my head.

  “I’ve always wanted to stick it to that guy,” he tells me as that grin from before returns. “I heard he fucked you over.”

  “I, um… need to pee,” I stutter out.

  “Nah, babe. Dance with us. It’s a party.” The guy grabs me around the waist and pulls me into him before grinding himself into my ass and making me want to throw up.

  I really have to get out of here.

  Where the fuck is Jackson?

  I try to wriggle free of the guy but he’s either too drunk or stoned to even realize I’m trying to get away. I jam my elbow back into his stomach and his arm loosens from my waist. “Fuck,” he roars as he rubs his stomach. “You fucking bitch.”

  I don’t wait around to see what the hell he’s going to do to me, I just run.

  “Get that fucking bitch,” I hear called from behind.

  Shit.

  Chapter 20

  I squeeze through the bodies crowding the front door and break out into the night. The air has cooled a lot over the past twenty minutes since we got here, or maybe that’s just me.

  I hurry down the cracked driveway hoping that guy isn’t coming after me for elbowing him in the gut, though, I should have got him in the jewels. Doesn’t he know who I am? Maybe he didn’t hear what I did to Josh.

  Shit. Josh. I didn’t think about him. He’s probably here somewhere too. After all, he’s the rare exception that someone from Broken Hill would actually go to a school like Haven Falls Private.

  The thought makes me pick up my pace.

  I get halfway down the street to where the lined cars begin to thin out and scramble around in my bra for my phone. I need help, but who the hell am I going to call? Nate? No.
He’d try and beat up everyone inside. Jesse? Nope, he’ll get halfway here and decide he needs a burger. Brooke? No, I wouldn’t even dream of asking her to come to a place like this. Mom? Hell no, I might be a little reckless and making stupid decisions but that’s just asking for trouble.

  “Shit,” I sigh before hitting call.

  I hold the phone up to my ear and wait. “Hey,” Jesse’s excited voice says through the line. “Where the hell are you? The party started ages ago.”

  “I need your help,” I rush out in a panic.

  “Huh? What’s going on?” he says.

  “I-”

  “Wait, wait. I can’t hear you. It’s too loud.” I listen as he makes his way through whatever party he’s at and look around at the busy street. Crap. I really hope there’s no one looking for me. “Tora?” Jesse says loudly through the phone, startling me. “What’s going on? Where are you?”

  I cringe as I go to explain. “I’m at a Haven Falls party.”

  “WHAT?” he roars down the line. “What the fuck are you doing there? Wait. How’d you get…? Fucking Jackson. I thought I made it clear I didn’t want you around him.”

  “Jesse… just shut up and get me out of here. I don’t need a lecture right now, you can chew me out later. Right now, I need you to save my ass. They know who I am and they want to stick it to Nate.”

  “Shit, Tora,” he sighs in anger. “Get out of there. Go down the street and find somewhere safe. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Jess,” I murmur, not bothering to tell him I’ve already done all that.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  The line goes dead and I do my best to wait patiently. He’ll only be a few minutes and I’m sure he’ll come with one hell of a nasty lecture about decision making. Hell, he’ll probably even lock me in the car before going to beat the crap out of Jackson and his friend.

  I lean back against a lamppost and try to figure out if standing under this thing is good for me or not. I mean, on one hand, I’m visible to Jess when he comes and if something happens to me maybe someone else might witness it, but on the other hand… I’m visible.