Break Me (The Summer Series)

by James, Harper

  Gemma stomped up the stairs like a child but couldn’t seem to stop herself. She was owed a temper tantrum with these people, and since she would be moving on soon, it seemed a good time to have it. Her room was quiet, so she reached in the closet and pulled out her suitcase, getting to work on packing all of her things. Abe had said they would come back here after the party and load up whatever she needed. Since she only had two bags, it wouldn’t be that difficult. Just as she was zipping the second suitcase closed, Kate walked in with a mischievous grin. Gemma rolled her eyes and put the bag by the door.

  “Well, well, well, look what the sex-crazed cat dragged in.”

  “Who said we had sex?” Gemma hedged.

  “It may be that content look on your face.” Kate shrugged and walked a little further into the room. “Perhaps it’s the slight hitch in your step. Congrats on that by the way. Oh, or maybe, it’s the fact that I saw Abe dropping you off when I was heading home on my run, and you are currently packing your bags.” She took a bite of the green apple she held and dropped onto her bed. “Getting pretty serious, huh?”

  Gemma tried not to notice the wistful look in her eye. It was clear there was more to her relationship with Simon than Kate was willing to admit. “I guess.” She grinned at her feet. “He said he doesn’t want to be away from me ever again. He’s even thinking of getting a place a little closer to Chapel Hill, just so he can see me more.”

  “Gem”—Kate squealed and then jumped up to hug Gemma—“that’s amazing. I see how you two are together. I’m happy for you guys.”

  “And you don’t think this a little nutty?”

  “Oh”—Kate’s eyes went wide—“it’s bat-crap crazy. But it’s love and that’s how things work when you’re in love.”

  Gemma couldn’t help herself; she laughed. “You’re right.”

  “Duh, about what?” Kate asked as her face lit up.

  “All of it. It was incredible. He is incredible. I love him so much, and I just can’t care that we are doing something crazy and stupid. I know it’s right for us, and therefore, it isn’t crazy or stupid at all.”

  ~~~

  Gemma wandered up to the kitchen a little later in need of some lunch. Her stomach was in knots as she thought about what her mother and father would say once they found out she was moving in with Abe. Karen had been noticeably absent since their conversation that morning, and Kate had gone with Gray to grab some hot dogs from Hank. She was too nervous for that many processed chemicals and had opted to stay behind for a turkey wrap and some veggie sticks. After getting her food together and grabbing a glass of lemonade, she sat down at the bar and switched on the television.

  “That looks good.” Her father walked toward her slowly.

  “Yeah,” she responded, barely looking at him before forcing her eyes to stay focused on the television. It was almost painful to focus so hard on the screen when he was so clearly in her peripheral vision.

  He walked away awkwardly and poured himself a drink, grabbing the bag of veggie straws from the counter. As he approached her again, her stomach sank. This wasn’t them. He didn’t reach out after his courtesy invitations on day one, and she avoided him practically before she even showed up for the summer. Why was he changing the rules all of a sudden? “So . . .” He cleared his throat.

  She finally allowed herself to look over at him. “Yeah?”

  “About last night . . . I know you have a lot of freedom here. I made sure we gave it to you. But, Gemma—”

  “Wait, what?” She contorted her face in confusion. “Are you giving me some kind of lecture here?”

  He looked at her, surprised. “No, not a lecture. I’m just letting you know that I was worried last night. I’m just asking that you let me know when it’s going to be a late night. Well”—he shrugged—“later than normal.”

  She didn’t know what made her angrier, that he would suddenly start acting like her father the day after she turned eighteen or that he thought he had any right to act like one at all. “Listen. Let me relieve you of a lot of nights without sleep. Abe and I are serious. He would never let anything bad happen to me. He isn’t you.” She let that sink in and felt both vindicated and mortified when she saw the look of pain cross his face. She stood suddenly, hating the way her heart reacted in confusion and her mouth responded with hate when this man was anywhere nearby. “I’m moving out. Abe and I will be picking my things up tonight. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

  “Gemma, wait a minute. That isn’t what I want.” Her father hurried to stand and started to step toward her.

  “No, it’s what I want.” She backed away quickly, hoping to avoid any more of this conversation. “See you later, Michael.” She turned and walked away, not able to be there when it fully set in that this conversation had been their last as father and daughter. She was done.

  ~~~

  Later the girls were fighting for room in front of the mirror. They both had reason to put in a little more effort for this party and weren’t going to pretend they were better than a few extra minutes in front of the mirror. Gemma’s phone rang, and she ignored it, knowing that Abe was probably just calling to tell her he was waiting outside. “You ready, Kate?”

  “Ugh, sure. It’s as good as it’s going to get.” She straightened her dress in the mirror before reaching down and grabbing her flip-flops. Gemma grabbed hers and switched the bathroom light off.

  Abe wasn’t waiting outside as she expected. After both girls walked to the end of the driveway, she pulled her phone out to call him back when she saw him round the corner. She put her phone away and waited as he approached. He pulled up and ran around the car to open the door for the girls, pulling Gemma into a searing kiss before helping her into her seat. Gemma looked at him adoringly as he rounded the front of the car and kissed her once again before pulling away from their rental house. Kate made gagging noises in the back seat until they were almost to the beach.

  Once at the party they made their way to the waiting group. The flames were higher than usual. Apparently, it was a birthday tradition around here to see how long the cops took to come tell them to tame down the fire. It sounded like a stupid and dangerous tradition to Gemma, so she decided to keep her distance from the fire pit. After everyone gathered around for a group shot to celebrate Gemma’s birthday and she finished her second one-to-grow-on shot, they all pretty much fell into smaller groups and were casually talking.

  Gemma and Abe were cuddling and talking as everyone sat in a circle with Emily, Ryan, Kate, Simon, and Trey when Emily suddenly tensed. Gemma turned over her shoulder to see what had gotten everyone else’s attention when she saw Megan approaching. She instinctively leaned into Abe’s side and placed her hand on his thigh. “What?” Abe asked, suddenly noticing the shift in the mood.

  “Hey, guys,” Megan said, and Abe tightened his arm around Gemma at her voice. “Oh, Abe, I know how much you love New Castle, so I grabbed you one.”

  “No thanks, Megan. I already have a beer.” He lifted his beer to show her and then turned his head, kissing Gemma’s temple.

  “I know you have one right now, but you know you’d like this one so much better. Remember when you used to have it all the time? How amazing it was? You always used to tell me that there was nothing better.”

  Everyone, clearly catching on to the double meaning, stared at her in shock, mouths agape at her forwardness. Kate, who was unable to listen to things any longer, stood up and walked over so she stood directly in front of Megan. “I’m not sure who gave you the idea you were welcome to sit over here, but it’s time you moved along.”

  Megan sneered at her. “What is it with you Andrews’ girls taking my sloppy seconds?”

  Kate flinched and turned to look at Simon, who had the decency to look ashamed. She turned back to Megan, red-faced, and Gemma stood to intercede. “Come on, Kate, let’s take a walk.” Gemma grabbed her hand and pulled her down the beach and away from the crowd.

  “Damn, Megan.�
� Simon stood. “You really are trying to make everyone hate you.” He turned and followed where the girls had disappeared into the night.

  “Megan.” Abe stood. “This is it. I will not put up with this crap anymore. Move on. I don’t want you. Simon doesn’t want you. It’s time you found some other people who can stand you, because this group is done trying.” He, too, took off down the beach, following the girls.

  By the time Abe caught up with the group, Simon had Kate off to the side, gesturing in a way that indicated apology. Gemma smiled up at him shyly and then nodded toward the other two. “I don’t care what they say; he’s begging forgiveness and she is pissed. There is something going on there.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Simon chase a girl before.” Abe turned to Gemma and pulled her to his chest. “I’m so sorry about Megan. I have no idea what her deal is, but I told her we were all done. She shouldn’t be an issue anymore.”

  “Good.” She went on her toes to kiss him, and he deepened it immediately, pressing into her and backing her away from the other two a little.

  “I want you again, baby. So bad.”

  “I know what you mean, and trust me, the feeling is mutual. When are we allowed to leave my party without appearing rude?”

  “Now?”

  “Okay, let me—” She was cut off by her phone ringing. “Sorry, it’s been going off all night. Let me at least check it.” When she pulled it out, she inhaled deeply and hurried to accept the call. “Mom?”

  Abe watched as she nodded and her eyes filled with tears. Smiling, she said, “Okay, let me go home and call you back.” She hung up and smiled at Abe, looking more at peace than he had ever seen her. “That was my mom.” She clapped. “She said she was calling to apologize and wants to talk. I’m going to head back to my dad’s and call her. Will you just pick me up in a couple of hours and take me home?”

  “Home.” He smiled down at her before pulling her into yet another deep kiss. “I like hearing you say that to me.”

  “Got to admit that it’s kind of fun to say.”

  “You may want to take a short nap when you’re done talking to her. I have plans for your night and tomorrow morning that will probably limit your sleep quite a bit.”

  “Oooh”—her eyes went wide—“I can’t wait.” She turned to tell Kate where she was headed, but there was no sign of the other two. “Guess that got resolved.”

  “Yeah.” Abe laughed as he led her up the beach. “Something tells me they’re gone for the night.”

  Seventeen

  When Abe dropped her off, Gemma kissed him goodbye with promises of what was to come when he returned. She hurried up the stairs, laughing at the fact that her father probably didn’t know what to do with the fact that she was home so early. Opening her door, she wasn’t paying attention, so as she threw her purse on her bed, she let out a yelp at the site of Kate lying on her own bed, reading.

  “What are you doing home?” Kate asked, clearly surprised as well.

  “My mom called, so I wanted to be able talk. What are you doing here?”

  “I realized by our reactions tonight that Simon and I need a little break from one another.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I was just so fast with the hurt, and he was right behind me, ready to apologize tonight. I was seriously ready to kill Megan when she said she’d been with Simon. He was after me before Abe even came after you, Gemma. If we’re going to keep this low-key, that can’t be happening. So”—she shrugged and pulled her book back up—“I had him drop me off here and told him to do whatever tonight.”

  Gemma couldn’t see Kate’s face, but she knew for a fact she was full of it. “So you told him to go hook up with someone?”

  “I guess if that’s what he does then it’s cool.” Kate emphasized the shrug of her shoulders just a little too much for Gemma to believe her. “It’s his life; he can do what he wants.”

  “Okay”—Gemma frowned, sensing how badly Kate was freaking out—“well, I’m going to go make this call on the deck.”

  “Sure thing.” Kate didn’t even lower the book. Gemma hoped this wasn’t the beginning of her heartbreak.

  Gemma sat in a chair facing the beach, and in that position, she could see a hint of the fire in the distance. She sent a quick “I love you” text to Abe before dialing her mother. Almost immediately, she answered, but this time, unlike the last, her mother sounded happy.

  “Oh, Gemma, I’m so sorry.” Gemma could hear the tears in her voice. “I was so jealous, and then yesterday, when your birthday went by and my pride kept me from calling you, I just lost it. I realized that your decisions weren’t about me or your father and it was time to grow up. Please, please forgive me.”

  “Mom.” Gemma fought to hold back her own tears; she had never heard her mother so vulnerable. “I should have told you; I was a coward.”

  “And I never even let you have that option.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too, sweetie.” Her mother let out a shaky breath. “May I ask you something?”

  Gemma nodded and then felt stupid because obviously her mother couldn’t see her. “Yes.”

  “Why do you want to go there?”

  “Mom, there are some other things I have to tell you first. Please don’t be mad at me. It was never about deception; it was about trying to make you happy, okay?”

  “Go on.” She could hear a hint of anxiety still lacing her mother’s words.

  “I don’t like art, at least not painting and drawing. I love words. I love books. I love getting lost in worlds that I, or someone else, create. I want to do that forever. I want to write about those worlds so other people can get lost in them too.” Gemma let out a breath. It felt like the hardest part was finally over, and her mother hadn’t interrupted or disputed so far. “I’ve looked into a lot of schools. The one that I like the most, the one that I honestly believe will help me the most, is UNC. Why else would Dad have chosen it? If he’s there, you know it must be good.”

  “Yes, I believe that.”

  “So it wasn’t about leaving you for him. It was about leaving you both so I could find me. And the crazy thing is it’s already started. It’s as if the minute I decided to let go of the hurt and the pressure, I found happiness.”

  “What do you mean by that? Have you never been happy?”

  “Oh, no, Mom, don’t misunderstand me. This isn’t about being happy as a daughter. This is about happy in life.” Gemma closed her eyes, realizing this was, in fact, the hard part. “Mom, I’m in love. He is amazing and I want him forever. He loves me so much. He knows everything about my past, and I know he’ll never hurt me. He isn’t like Dad.”

  “Gemma, I . . . I’m so happy for you.” Her mother let out a soft sob.

  “Really?” Gemma was a little stunned at her reaction.

  “Yes, honey, I’m so, so happy. I always thought you would end up alone like me. If he’s won you over, he must be worth it.” Her mother laughed and then quieted for a moment. “Gemma, I know this is silly since you’re my daughter and everything, but you’re being smart, right? Taking the necessary precautions, all that?”

  “Oh, God! Mom, seriously, we got it.” Gemma didn’t know if she wanted to pass out or throw up based on their conversation.

  “I had to ask.” She chuckled over the phone. “I really am so happy for you, honey.”

  “Mom, I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s amazing.”

  “I want to meet him. Maybe when I fly out to help you move into your dorm room. I sent in the paperwork for you today.”

  “You did that?”

  “Yes, Gemma.” Gemma could almost see the smile on her mother’s face. “I also booked a flight for move-in day so I can help you get everything set up.”

  “I love you, you know that?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “I’m going to go, Mom. But I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Okay, baby. Night.�
��

  ~~~

  Gemma crawled back through the window and found Kate asleep on her bed. She was facing away, and Gemma hated that she may be hurting. Gemma looked at her phone and was surprised that she hadn’t heard anything back from Abe but sent off another text letting him know she was ready whenever he was. She had thought the call would take longer and more explanation would be necessary, but her mother had clearly had a change of heart, and Gemma couldn’t be more thankful. She sat back on her bed and smiled at her waiting suitcases. He would be here soon and then they would start their forever. Nothing could make this day any better.

  About an hour later, Gemma was starting to get frustrated. She pulled her phone out again and tried calling, but she was sent to voicemail after two rings. She texted him again, asked if he was okay, and lay down to wait for his response. The next thing she knew Kate was waking her up and the sun was shining through their window.

  “What are you doing here? I though Abe was taking you to his place last night?”

  “I must have fallen asleep.” She reached for her phone, expecting something but was surprised it sat blank. “He never called. Do you think he’s okay?” She started to panic.

  “Try Emily; see if she saw him last night.”

  “Okay.” Gemma selected Emily’s name and then put the phone on speaker.

  “It’s early. I’m pretty sure I’m still drunk. This better be important.”

  “Have you seen Abe? Did you see him last night?” Gemma asked, almost before Emily could finish complaining.

  That apparently got Emily’s attention because she suddenly seemed more alert. “Whoa, what are you talking about? You aren’t over there?”

  “No.” Gemma started to get more worried. “He never showed up last night. I called him and texted him, but he isn’t answering.”

  “The last time we saw him he was hanging out with Trey near the fire. We left pretty early.”

  Just then Gemma’s phone lit up with Abe making a silly face, and she almost cried in relief. “Hey, Emily, he’s calling me now. I’ll talk to you later.”