Broken

Chapter 3

Aurora’s POV

I walked into Rhys’ arms and took a deep breath.

“Hi, RoRo,” he mumbled quietly. “I missed you.”

I smiled and looked up at him.

“You saw me yesterday,” I said, making him sigh and roll his eyes.

“That was way too long ago,” he said like it was obvious. “You are my best friend. We should be together all the time.”

“I thought Sebastian was your best friend,” I said, trying to hold back a chuckle.

Rhys frowned and looked toward my house.

“That fucker will never be my best friend again,” he said angrily. “He threw us all away for that bitch. I am not letting him back into my life.”

I could feel Rhys clenching his fists.

I understood where he was coming from, but I didn’t agree with him. I would give anything to get Sebastian back.

Rhys took a deep breath and looked back at me. His eyes softened. He smiled and caressed my cheek.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Did something else happen yesterday?”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “I locked my bedroom door and I went to sleep.”

Rhys nodded and let me go.

“I want you to always lock your bedroom door, okay?” he said as he walked toward the driver’s side. “We don’t know what the bitch is capable of.”

He looked at the house again and his jaw twitched. I turned around and saw my brother standing at the doorway and looking at Rhys like he was going to murder him.

How long was he standing there?

“Get in the car, Aurora,” Rhys said as he ripped the car door open and jumped inside.

Sebastian looked at me and an unknown emotion flashed in his eyes.

“Aurora!” I heard Rhys yell.

I turned toward Rhys’ car and opened the door. I sat inside and Rhys started driving before I even managed to close the door.

“Jesus, Rhys,” I mumbled as I put my seatbelt on. “He’s not the devil.”

Rhys glanced back toward my house through the rearview mirror. He tightened his hold on the steering wheel and clenched his jaw.

“He is not the problem, Aurora,” Rhys mumbled. “I’m the problem. I can’t be around him without wanting to punch the living shit out of him.”

I gulped and took a deep breath. Rhys glanced at me and sighed. He reached out and took my hand in his.

“I am sorry,” he mumbled. “I know that he is your brother and that I shouldn’t be talking about him like that, but that is one of the reasons I am so angry.”

Rhys shook his head and took a deep breath.

“You are his twin,” he continued. “The way he talked about you before her was so fucking adorable. He adored you. How could he do this to you? How could he hurt you like that? How can he stand by and let that bitch insult you?”

My heart clenched painfully.

Rhys was right. Sebastian loved me so much before her. We were always very close, but we’ve gotten even closer in the last few years. Our parents always worked a lot and they had to travel a lot because of work so Sebastian and I were often alone. It brought us closer. I couldn't imagine my life without him.

But then I was suddenly forced to.

And the worst thing of all was that I didn’t even know why.

“Just a few more months, Rhys,” I mumbled. “A few more months and we will be out of here.”

Rhys sighed and lifted my hand. He kissed my knuckles and my entire body shivered.

“A few more months,” he mumbled quietly.

Rhys and I always wanted to go to the same college. Sebastian wanted to go there too, but I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen now that he was in a relationship with Amelia. She wanted him to go to the same college she was going.

“Drink your coffee, princess,” Rhys mumbled, making me look between us.

I smiled and took the cup from the cupholder.

“Thank you, Rhys,” I said, making him smile.

“Anything for you, princess,” he said softly.

My stomach did a weird flip. I could have sworn that the temperature in the car increased.

Rhys squeezed my hand and gave me a small smile. I gulped and looked out the window. We were at school already.

“Come on,” Rhys said. “We are running a bit late.”

I glanced at the watch on my left wrist and saw that the class was starting in 5 minutes.

“Can you please take my coffee?” I asked as I got out of the car. “I need to go to the bathroom before the class starts.”

“Of course,” Rhys said as he locked his car. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I don’t want you to be late. I will hurry up.”

We walked inside the school. I gave my coffee cup to Rhys and rushed toward the bathroom.

I walked inside and went into one of the stalls. The bathroom was completely empty. It wasn’t surprising considering that the classes were starting in just a few minutes.

I hurried up and walked out of the stall to wash my hands. The bathroom door opened and I glanced to my left.

“Hello, whore,” Amelia said as she closed and locked the door.

My heart raced.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands.

“Showing you that you really messed up when you thought that you could disrespect me,” she said as she approached me.

I didn’t even have time to react.

She slapped me hard, making my head turn to the right.

To say that I was in shock would be an understatement. I was completely frozen. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even sure if it really happened.

She slapped me? She really slapped me?

I didn’t even have time to react or move before she grabbed my neck and squeezed.

“I will get rid of you, Aurora,” she said, making my eyes widen. “You won’t be a problem for long.”

What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell did I ever do to this girl? Why did she hate me so damn much? 

I finally managed to make my frozen body move. I grabbed her arm and she let go of my neck.

“You are insane,” I mumbled as I stepped away from her.

“Watch your mouth, Aurora,” she said as she took a step toward me.”I will…”

I didn’t hear the end of that sentence. I rushed toward the door, unlocked it, and ran out of that bathroom. I was late for class, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to class. I needed to find a quiet place to calm down. I needed to find a quiet place to let the tears fall.