The Heartbreakers

by Pamela Wells

  “I was just at Matt’s party…for the basketball team.”

  “Oh.” Sydney drew another star, bigger than the last. “Was it fun?”

  “It was okay. I saw Drew there.”

  Sydney stopped doodling. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. And he was there with someone.”

  Wasn’t he going with Todd and Kelly? Had plans changed? “Who was he with?” Silence fell on the line. “Lisa?”

  “He was with your friend. Kelly.”

  Sydney let out a breath of relief. “Oh. Yeah. I know. I just talked to her not that long ago. She and Todd were going with Drew.”

  “Well, she and Drew just left together, without her brother. And…they were dancing together. Like all over each other.”

  Sydney’s heart sped up in her chest. “But…”

  “I’m sorry. I thought you should know.”

  “You’re sure it was them?” Sydney shut her pen in her journal and got up, pacing the floor.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sure. Drew’s hard to mistake.”

  “Okay.” Sydney suddenly felt numb all over. “Thanks, Lisa.”

  “Don’t thank me. Call me later, okay? We’ll do something.”

  “Sure. Bye.” She disconnected and continued pacing her room. Kelly wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize their friendship. Would she? There had to be some sort of mistake or explanation. Drew and Kelly were friends. They had been for a long time. Sydney met Drew through Kelly.

  Sydney dialed Kelly’s cell number and Kelly picked up on the second ring.

  “Hi,” Sydney began, wondering how to approach this conversation without sounding like a bitch or an obsessed ex-girlfriend. “So, did you go to the party?”

  “Yeah,” Kelly said, sounding a little bit breathless.

  “Did Drew…uh, dance with anyone?”

  “No.” A door slammed somewhere nearby and then a car engine started up. “My Chemical Romance” blared when the CD player started up. “Sorry. Hold on,” Kelly shouted. The music faded in the background.

  “You with Drew?” Sydney asked. Had Kelly been lying about the dancing? Or was Lisa? Why would Lisa lie?

  “Yeah,” Kelly said. “We’re going to get something to eat.”

  “Is Todd with you?”

  Kelly groaned. “No. He ditched us for Emily Sutton. Can you believe that? Emily is an idiot, don’t you think?”

  “So it’s just you and Drew?” Sydney clutched the phone in her hand. She had nothing to be angry about, did she?

  “Yeah. Is…that okay?” Kelly asked softly.

  Sydney squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten. Was it okay? Should she care? Yes, she cared, but maybe the right question was: Did she have a right to care?

  “Sure. That’s fine. I don’t care,” she finally said. “Just call me later. Okay?”

  “I will. Bye.”

  Sydney flipped her phone closed but continued pacing the bedroom. Was Kelly lying? Had they been dancing all over each other? Did Drew even dance?

  Sydney tried to shake the anger rolling in her gut. She just needed to calm down. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Until then, she had no reason to doubt her best friend.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Rule 11: You must never date your girls’ Exes.

  Alexia looked over at Ben sitting on her living room couch. She was still amazed that she had a boyfriend. It’d taken so long that she’d begun to question her date-ability. Like maybe there was something wrong with her and she’d be single for the rest of her life.

  It probably helped that Ben was so outgoing and forward, unlike her. He’d been so goofy right from the start that she felt comfortable around him and didn’t clam up as usual.

  Maybe that’d been her problem all along. She just needed to meet someone who was comfortable with himself. Ben was definitely secure with who he was.

  “What?” he said, catching her staring.

  “Nothing.” She looked away as her cheeks turned red.

  Ben scooted down the couch and rested his head on her shoulder. “Pet me, love,” he said, snuggling into her.

  She laughed and ran her fingers through his messy hair. “So what are we doing tonight? You want to watch a movie?”

  He sat up. “Well, there’s this party for the basketball team. I want to make an appearance at least. We could watch a movie then head over there?”

  Probably someone she knew was going to be there and she didn’t want her friends finding out about Ben yet. How could she tell them when they were all going through breakups? Her being the only one with a boyfriend right now would separate her from the group. Instead of it being four single friends bonding and hanging out, it’d be three single friends and one with a boyfriend.

  “I don’t get into parties,” she said, hoping that would be excuse enough not to attend.

  “It’s not one of those parties. It’s for the basketball team. The coach is probably there and Matt’s parents. It’ll be cool. I promise.” He grinned, showing all his teeth.

  “Nah. I don’t think I want to go.”

  The grin slid away. “Something wrong, Alexia?”

  “No. Why?”

  Brow furrowed, he rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger, thinking. “You know, now that I think about it, you avoided me all week at school. And whenever I suggest going out into public together, like somewhere where we’ll be seen, you talk me out of it.”

  Did he know she was keeping him a secret?

  “Well, I’m just a very…introverted person.”

  “Bullshit,” he said softly. “Tell me the truth.”

  “Uh…”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, kicking one leg over the other knee, waiting. “Is it because I’m so handsome? You’re afraid of mass hysteria among the female population?”

  She giggled nervously. At least he was still joking with her. That was a good sign except, something told her when she admitted the truth, he wouldn’t be in the joking mood any longer.

  “It’s because of my friends,” she said, then everything poured out in one long, run-on sentence. “So for now,” she finished, “I want to keep this…us…between us.”

  With a sharp intake of breath, he stood, towering over her while she remained on the couch. “No,” he said.

  “What?” She got up. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

  “I’m not some dirty little secret, Alexia.”

  The natural grin he always wore was gone, replaced with something close to embarrassment.

  “You’re not,” she said, frantic. “I just don’t want to hurt my friends.”

  “But you’ll hurt me?” The corners of his eyes crinkled with confusion. “I don’t get it.”

  Quick, think of something! Alexia thought. He looks like he’s about to run and you’ll lose the only boyfriend you’ve ever had. And in record time, too! Raven couldn’t even top this!

  “Listen, Ben,” she began, guilt edging her voice, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just…”

  “What?”

  “Just give me a few days. Okay?” She wrung her hands. “I’ll tell my friends that we’re together.”

  “Take as much time as you need.” He grabbed his coat off the couch. Shrugging into it, he looked over at her. “Call me when you tell them.”

  “Wait. You’re leaving?”

  He stopped, hand on the front door. “Yeah. I’ll see ya later, okay?”

  “Ben?”

  He stepped outside, closing the door softly behind him. Alexia ran to the front window and watched him climb into his car. She hoped he was kidding, that he’d get back out of his car and laugh hysterically and she’d laugh, too. But no, he started up the engine and drove away.

  “He was serious,” she muttered.

  Suddenly she knew or at least had a better understanding of how her friends must have felt when their boyfriends broke up with them. Alexia felt like she had to fix it or go somewhere and be proactive about it, but there was nothing to do but to watch B
en drive away. That was the worse feeling of all, like you were helpless, like everything was out of your control.

  But that wasn’t true exactly with Alexia, because she could fix this, unlike her friends. Their boyfriends had broken up with them. There were no second chances or invites to call later when they figured it all out. But Ben had extended a second chance, and Alexia had to take it.

  But not yet. Alexia’s friends were important to her. This wasn’t about Ben, he was making it about him. She just wanted to keep her friends and have a boyfriend. That was possible, wasn’t it?

  Her friends hadn’t been very good about juggling both, but Alexia was determined to try. The plan, at least in her mind, had been to wait until her friends went through The Breakup Code and were finally over their exes. Then she’d tell them about Ben. But not before then.

  Kelly laughed, forgetting that her mouth was full of taco salad. She threw her hand over her mouth as the hysterics continued. Across the table, Drew’s eyes were watering, tears streaming down his face.

  “I have pictures,” he said, wiping his face.

  “No way! I want a copy. Todd would never be able to pick on me again if I had a picture of him in girl’s underwear.”

  “You could use it as a threat. Tell him you’ll post it all over the school,” Drew said, dipping a fry in ketchup.

  “Totally. Of course, I’d have to hide the picture in a safe deposit box, since he’d probably tear my whole room apart trying to find it.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Does he know you have pictures?”

  Drew nodded. “He tries to find them every chance he gets.”

  “I bet he never played another game of Dare after that.”

  Drew popped the fry in his mouth. “Nope. I’m the reigning champ and probably will be till the day I die.”

  Their server, a twenty-something woman with extremely long blonde hair, came up to the table. “Can I get you guys anything?”

  “No, thanks,” Drew said. “Kel?”

  “I’m fine.” She smiled.

  “Okay. I’ll get you your check.” The waitress flashed a smile at Drew, clearly interested in more than serving him dinner. Beth—that’s what her nametag said—had been flirting with Drew since they came into Striker’s an hour ago. Either Beth sensed that Drew and Kelly were just friends, or Beth didn’t care.

  Kelly was waiting for her to ask Drew for his phone number. If Drew went up to the register alone, maybe that’s when Beth would make her move.

  Beth was so not Drew’s type. Sydney was short, dark, and had a fiery personality. Kelly always thought they’d made a great couple. Beth was none of those things, at least from what Kelly had observed while being there.

  “Here you go,” Beth said, laying the bill on the table facedown.

  “Thanks.” Drew flashed his drop-dead-because-I’m-gorgeous smile and Beth nearly did. Except Kelly suspected Drew had no idea how his smile affected people or that he was so damn gorgeous.

  “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the check while reaching for his wallet with the other hand. Kelly turned in the booth to watch him saunter up to the front counter. Beth was there waiting, conveniently.

  She tapped several things in on the touch-screen register. Drew handed over a twenty, which Beth held on to for several seconds as if prolonging his stay. She handed his change over, then, eyes darting around, she asked him something. Drew paused, smiled, then nodded toward Kelly.

  Beth’s face fell. “Oh,” she said, nodding.

  What was that all about?

  Drew grabbed two mints from the crystal bowl by the register and came back over to their table. “Here. I got you a mint,” he said, tossing the red-and-white-striped candy on the table.

  “Thanks, but I’m not a huge fan of mints. You keep it.”

  Drew frowned. “Oh. Yeah…Sydney…she likes mints. I guess it was habit, grabbing them.” He scooped the mint up and stuffed it in his pocket. “Sorry.”

  “It’s no big deal.” Kelly stood, putting her coat on. “So, did the waitress hit on you?”

  He laughed. “No. She asked if you and I were together.”

  “Oh? What did you tell her?”

  “I said yeah.” He shrugged.

  Kelly’s mouth dropped open. “You did what?”

  Frowning, Drew leaned over. “It’s no big deal, Kel. I didn’t mind paying. You can pick up the bill next time.”

  Kelly relaxed and shook her head at her own stupidity. “I thought…I mean…the way the waitress had been acting…I thought she had asked are we together, like boyfriend and girlfriend.”

  Drew scrunched up his nose. “You don’t think that’s what she really meant, do you?”

  Before Kelly could answer, Drew shrugged. “It doesn’t matter either way. Come on.” He threw a five-dollar bill on the table. “Let’s go.”

  She followed him outside, unable to ignore Beth staring. Like it was Kelly’s fault Drew wasn’t into her.

  Whatever.

  In the truck, Kelly shivered, the cool air of night having crept in while they were eating. Drew turned the engine over and blasted the heat. By the time they pulled up in front of Kelly’s house, the cab of the truck was a good eighty degrees.

  “Well, thanks for taking me to the party and out to dinner.”

  Drew shrugged, propping his arm over the back of her bucket seat. “I had fun.”

  “Me, too. Oh, and hey, you have to get me a copy of that picture of Todd.”

  “Will do.”

  Kelly reached for the door handle, but Drew put his hand on her forearm. “Wait.” She stopped. “Kel…that thing… in the diner…” He shifted, setting both hands in his lap. “Would you, uh, want to do this again? With me?”

  Kelly swallowed hard. Sometimes, like now, Drew’s eyes unnerved her. “Like, as friends?”

  He turned sideways in his seat. “No.”

  Now her mouth was bone-dry. Swallowing was impossible. “Uh…Drew…” He was asking her on a date. Kelly had wanted to hear something like this from Drew years ago, before Sydney, before he spent two years dating her best friend. It was too late now, though.

  No matter how much she liked him then, now it was too late. She couldn’t have him, she couldn’t hurt her best friend. But more important…

  “Drew, I know you broke up with Sydney for whatever reasons, but I think you still love her. You guys were perfect for each other and no matter how much we get along or have fun, you’re thinking about her.”

  The mints proved that and the comment about doing math with Sydney…not that she was going to point it out specifically and embarrass him.

  His flicked his gaze down. Kelly finally felt like she could breathe.

  “So are you turning me down because you don’t want to hurt Sydney, or because you think I belong with Sydney?”

  “Both.”

  “Do you think we should get back together?”

  “Do you want the truth?”

  He looked up again. “Yeah.”

  “Then, yes. I think you miss her but you don’t want to admit to it.”

  Shifting again, he turned to the driver’s-side window, propping his elbow on the door rest. “We just weren’t getting along anymore.”

  “Did you try to get along?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I jumped ship too soon.”

  “She misses you, too, you know.”

  “I know.”

  The front door of Kelly’s house opened and Todd stuck his head out. “What the hell are you doing out there?” he shouted. “Emily dumped me!”

  Drew grunted, shaking his head. “We told him, didn’t we?”

  Kelly laughed. “Yeah. I’m not letting him live this one down, either.”

  “Well, you should go wipe his nose. He’s probably crying like a little girl.”

  Kelly nodded, pulling the door open. “Thanks, Drew. Really.”

  “You’re welcome.” He gave her a sheepish smile, the one Kelly knew he reserved
for the people closest to him, the real smile. “See ya later.”

  Nodding, she shut the door and watched him drive away.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Rule 23: I know you can’t wait for this moment: If you come face-to-face with The Ex, you must let him know what he has lost by flirting with him, touching him, and doing whatever the situation calls for.

  The Thursday before open-mike night, Raven still hadn’t figured out what she was going to do. Defy her mother? Or quit the band? She shook her head at her own thoughts as she headed toward third hour.

  Footsteps fell around the corner of the next hallway. Raven slowed. The heavy boots on the tile—dum, dum, dum—told Raven exactly who it was. Not only that, but she could sense Caleb was nearby, like a deer might sense some moron trudging through the woods. Instinct told her to run, run far away!

  She hurried, trying to get into the next hallway before Caleb saw her.

  “Raven! Wait a sec!”

  Too late. Raven cringed. Should she pretend she hadn’t heard him? Keep going? Disappear inside the bathroom? Maybe she should run right out the door and never look back. Caleb was like a thorn in her side now. She was almost embarrassed that she’d gone out with him at all.

  “Hey,” he said, slipping in front of her before she had the chance to run. “I got you something.” He pulled a rose from behind his back.

  “What’s this for?” she said.

  “It’s an apology.”

  Was he serious? Had she somehow stumbled into the fourth dimension? Because this was not the Caleb she knew. The Caleb she knew didn’t apologize for anything. He probably didn’t even know the meaning of an apology.

  “Caleb—” This was really not a good time for him to play her. She had been in a bad mood since her mother forbade her to sing with Horace’s band.

  Singing and hanging out with those guys had been the one good thing she had done since Caleb broke up with her. She looked forward to every single practice she could sneak in, but now she hadn’t been over there in almost a week and it was starting to get to her. She missed Horace and Dean and even Hobb. She missed singing.

  It was this bad mood that propelled her to do what she did next.

  She took the rose from Caleb’s hand. “Thanks, baby,” she cooed just like she used to when they were together. Giving the rose a customary sniff, she got in close to him.