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Back Unnecessary Drama Save as PDF
Chapters (49)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. TEXT LOGO PAGE
  3. ABOUT THE BOOK
  4. DEDICATION
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  46. ALSO BY NINA KENWOOD
  47. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  48. PRAISE
  49. NEW MARKETING PAGE

‘Yes, it is,’ I say. ‘What? You thought I’d forgotten what you said?’

‘No, I—’

‘You thought the memory of that night had just faded away?’

‘No, I—’

‘Do you know what it’s like to be a fourteen-year-old girl? To be me, specifically, at fourteen, with a hot older sister like Lauren, with every insecurity you can possibly think of, and then to have you do that to me, you who I thought was my friend? Like I was nothing, like I was a piece of garbage. Do you know what that’s like? To have the first boy who ever kissed me do that? Do you have any idea what that was like?’

I’m starting to cry now, angry tears blurring my vision, and I wipe them quickly away.

‘Brooke,’ he says, sounding agonised. ‘I’m sorry.’

I need him to stop saying my name.

‘Don’t. I don’t want to talk anymore.’ I fiddle with the front door. The key always sticks unless you hold it at just the correct angle, and my hands are shaking. I can’t get it quite right.

‘Can I, can you just let me explain?’ he says, close behind me now. ‘About then, and about tonight.’

I’m scared he’ll reach out and touch me. I’m scared I’ll still feel it when he does, that my body will still jump to his touch, and I can’t risk that.

‘No,’ I say. ‘Becoming friends or whatever it was we were doing was a mistake.’

My key finally works, it turns, and I go inside, and close the door behind me.

24

24

Jesse and I are officially not speaking. Not even ‘hi’ and ‘hello’. He tried to talk to me a couple of times but I shut him down. He even knocked on my bedroom door and said, ‘Do you want to watch The Vampire Diaries with me?’ late one night, but I didn’t answer. He’s given up and I’m back to hiding in my bedroom, like when I first moved in, except so much worse.

At least I still have Harper, but I also feel like I need to avoid her, because she can tell something is off, and I don’t want her to kick us out for breaking the rules. Technically, maybe, the romance rule, definitely the unnecessary drama one.

I don’t think she would kick us out, not now, because we’re friends, but maybe I am wrong about that. Maybe I can’t trust any feeling I have. Maybe every relationship is up for debate.

It’s Friday, and I am having a very bad day. It was my deadline to email my story to PJ, so she could check it over and print it out and give it to everyone in class on Monday, to be taken away and read ahead of Thursday’s class, when it will be discussed and critiqued.