Breaking

Chapter 10.

Arabella

Using my finger, I spell out help? on the bathroom's foggy mirror. I try to take warm or cold showers, it's better for the skin, but after the day I had at school, I needed a hot shower. I dry off the best I can, I usually air dry but there's no place for me to hide at Tobias' apartment, and get dressed. Tobias is making my usual after-school cheese sandwich as I enter the kitchen.

"Ice cream," I groan, sitting at the kitchen's island.

"You can have ice cream after dinner. For now-" he places a plate with my sandwich in front of me "-sandwich."

"I'm bleeding!"

"You'll get your ice cream. Eventually."

I pout but eat my sandwich anyway.

We eat then front door is opening. I give Tobias a puzzled look and he rolls his eyes, not at me but at who's entering his home. "Tobias!" Rosalee calls.

"She's the only one with a spare key that doesn't call before coming over here," Tobias explains to me. "I'm regretting giving it to her."

Rosalee enters the kitchen. "There you are. Hi, sweetie." She walks over to me and kisses my cheek.

"What are you doing here?" Tobias snarls at his sister. "I already texted you last night I wasn't going."

"The wedding reception! That's all Patrick's asking for!" I instantly catch on to what they're talking about. Patrick is their stepbrother and he wants Tobias at his wedding that's coming up. "You don't have to get dressed up or even stay for the entire party," Rosalee continues. "He just wants you there to see this big day for him-" she wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Both of you."

"You told him about Arabella?"

"I figured she would still be here by the wedding."

I frown at Tobias. Clearly, Patrick wants him to be there, even if it's for five minutes, he wants his stepbrother there.

Tobias looks at me and groans. "No, Arabella, don't give me that look."

"Why don't you want to go anyway?" I ask.

"Good question," Rosalee says.

He groans, running his hand through his hair, then scratches his jaw, his thick beard that's still growing and getting in the way. "Are you done?" He asks his sister. "I want to talk to Arabella."

"I'll wait in the hall. I was hoping to go out for dinner tonight."

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just go."

Rosalee squeezes me with her one arm then leaves the kitchen and apartment. Tobias walks to my side of the island, presses his back to it, and folds his arms over his chest. I turn in my stool to face him. "You don't have to tell me," I whisper.

"Patrick's father used to cheat on my mom. I confronted him about it and he didn't deny it, he was even cocky about it, so we got in a fight. Patrick's a good guy, nothing like his father, but he never knew the truth about him. Patrick looked up to him and cared about my mom, and I couldn't ruin this perfect image of his father, so I didn't say anything to him. I told my mom but she already knew and stayed with him. The entire situation pissed me off. I was mad at everyone for a while, I even left home for weeks at a time."

I clear my throat. "You think his father is going to say something?"

He nods. "He knew I was angry and mocked me for it. He'll say something at that damn wedding, and I never learned how to deal with everything, I just moved out of the house, distanced myself from everyone, what if I can't control myself? I don't want to hurt Patrick like that."