Chapter Twenty Two

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Writer’s note:

I just wanted to say I am so sorry for the long wait. I know it’s been more than a month, but during the past month I had finals which were very important to me and then my family and friends came down for the holidays. I also took a break from writing just to get my head straight and figure out where exactly I want Unbroken to be. Please bare with me with my updates. I know they take awhile but I will never let you guys down. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks again for reading.

Carter’s POV:

During the past couple of days, I spent most of my time in hiding; theoretically, not really in hiding but away from my friends. Even though most teens would be devastated at a shattered phone, I chose to see the positive coming out of its unresponsive use. My mother was unable to contact me, but if she tried she could have.  In her mind she knows I’m ‘safe’ at Brentwood, so why bother? When my mother contacted Natalie an hour after I hung up with Megan, I told Nat to tell her I was in the shower. Natalie’s face summed up in that one second as she looked at me confused, and was basically telling me “I don’t want to lie to your mother Carter”.  My mother has kept many things from me, so telling her a tiny white lie wouldn’t exactly hurt her.

Moments like these made me feel alone. It wasn’t because I was compelled to but because of choice.  I haven’t felt alone since my first week here at Brentwood and that’s thanks to a guy with mesmerizing green eyes and a beautiful dimpled smile that can cause my legs to tremble when he came into view. I guess that’s why I haven’t talked to him since that afternoon we spent in his house a couple of miles from school. I knew he could fix my problems with just one glance, but sometimes problems can’t be fixed. Sometimes they are meant to be broken. I knew he would want to talk to me, to get me to forget everything but I couldn’t. I didn’t want my problems to be fixed at all. I didn’t want to let go of the rage my mother has bestowed upon me. I wanted to keep those emotions bottled up because I knew if by any chance they were to burst open, I would become vulnerable and that was an emotion I didn’t want to feel.

When I wasn’t hiding from my friends and Harry, I was running. Every morning and every evening I spent my time doing what I could to feel a sense of escape.

-

I glanced at my watch as I put my left earphone in my ear. The air was slightly chilly and across the field I could still see the full moon in the fading dark sky. My breath was calm at the moment as I took in small breaths, preparing to go for what seemed like my hundredth run this week. In a couple of hours I would see my brother and even though I knew I should feel a sense of happiness, I felt dread and anger. It wasn’t because of Jake, I was sort of at ease when I thought of seeing my brother but it was because I knew that with Jake, came Avery. The one I never wanted to meet in person.

Even though I never met her, there was something about her that made me feel uneasy. A part of me feels she knows more than what she puts on and for that one reason I don’t feel the need to ever build a relationship with her. Spencer and my mom obviously think we will hit it off as best friends when we would meet and obviously I think they are either A.) D E L U S I O N A L as to her brilliant performance of bullshitting or B.) They genuinely like her. I really hope B isn’t an option.

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