Broken

• Chapter 33 •

"How about abortion?"

"Why, Clementine? Have you had an abortion and this is your way of opening up about it?" Ashton fakes a sympathetic voice and looks at me with puppy eyes.

I roll my eyes at him. It's been a week, and he has trashed every idea I've given him. Most of the time, he'll ignore me. Sometimes—when he decides to be charitable and give me the time of day—he graces me with sarcastic remarks and snarky comments. And I've taken them without retort, for the sake of his balls. But I'm getting annoyed.

"Well we have to decide on something, it's due in three weeks—" the bell rings and he heads off.

I grit my teeth and storm out after him, "Ashton! Don't forget we're meeting up at the public library tomorrow!"

He doesn't glance back at me or respond, he just keeps walking to the parking lot. I'm going to kill this boy.

I'm annoyed when I reach my science class. I'm taking biology with the Sophomores because I've already studied Physics with Mr. Knobhad. Yes, I take biology. With tenth graders. I rock!

"Alright everyone, take a look in your microscopes and tell me what stage of mitosis they're in!" our teacher is smart but far too sweet to handle a class full of morons. She needs to grow a backbone if she wants to make it out of here without going to prison due to killing someone or having to go see a therapist.

I sigh and pull the microscope towards me, knowing the meathead I've been assigned to do this with won't know anything. "Anaphase," I tell him as I write it down on our worksheet.

"You know, nerdy girls aren't cute. But it's kinda sexy when a hot girl uses a microscope," he flashes me what I'm assuming is his seductive smile.

He has dimples, floppy prince-charming hair, and sparkly (yet completely insincere) eyes. I can see why thirteen-year-old girls with low self-esteem fawn over him. I resist the urge to break his nose and put his tongue through the hole-puncher in front of me.

He's on the football team, and one of Adrien's teammates. I know Dustin brought in a cake with my name on it in the locker room after the game that night because they've all been teasing him about it this week. So I know he knows I'm taken, by one of his bros no less.

I give him the best flirtatious smile I can muster and lean in slightly, in turn surprising him. "Yeah... Must be nice when a girl can finally see your dick."

His face drops and he grows quiet, as though trying to find what to say. "Fuck you, Clementine," he settles.

"I would, but I have standards. One of them requires the dude to have a dick, and we just established you don't. So how about you fuck off with your flirtatious attempts and dumb jokes you try every goddamn class and get some work done?" I snap.

Harsh, yes. Uncalled for? Maybe. But I'm annoyed as it is. Ashton won't decide on a topic, I don't know if he's going to show up tomorrow, and I'm scared I'm going to fail because of him. The last thing I need is this moron to run his mouth and make me lose my lunch over his gross fantasies.

His eyes widen slightly, but he miraculously keeps his mouth shut for the remainder of the class.

___________________

I find myself writing in my pizza journal when I hear a knock on my door.

"Yeah?"

Mom comes in hesitantly, a small smile on her face, "Hey. You up?"

I nod and sit up in bed, putting down the journal. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk to you about the dinner the other night. Are you... Um, really seeing someone?" she seems nervous.

An uneasy feeling builds in my stomach. Lie.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, sweetie. You know why we've kept you hidden all these years," she tells me.

My heart starts drumming at an unhealthy pace at the memory of Derek. I nod and shake my head, thinking it would magically shake the thoughts and memories away, too.

"Having a relationship with someone requires you to be open and honest, and you can't do that. Promise me you won't get attached to anyone?" she pleads.

I clear my throat and blink back tears I didn't know were welling in my eyes. "Yeah, of course. I know that, don't worry."

She nods, "Good."

She whirls to leave, then pauses at the door. She gives me a sad smile, "I'm sorry, baby."