The Anatomy of a Broken Heart //Completed//

82. Caleb

The cut on my brow was more dramatic than Sadie when she found out she was being transferred into our school next year. It bled so much, Farrah thought my brains were going to come flowing through the cut that was barely the size of my fingernail. Jasper hadn't landed as many blows as he wished he had and I knew I'd gotten a few good punches in myself. The worst part wasn't what my face looked like, it wasn't even the scandalized screams I had to endure from mom in the morning. The worst part was that she was really with him again. Santana was back with that psycho and she didn't look happy like I thought she was. Last night she had looked terrified.

And then I had dragged Farrah out with me like a selfish idiot because as soon as I got Marlow's text I dropped everything and went racing to help. But it wasn't fair to Farrah. I should have dropped her off at home before I went trying to be a savior. All my cheap heroics got me were a busted lip and a terrified girlfriend. Friend, or whatever Farrah was.

She had been frantic, ready to drive me straight to the hospital but I convinced her that I was okay. She helped me sneak back into the house and cleaned my brow. Once the blood was washed away, she began to calm down.

"You're an idiot! What the hell has this girl done to you to make you go head first into danger to save her when she clearly didn't need it?" she scolded.

"Did you not see her face?" I asked.

"No, but I see yours! You're a bloody mess, Caleb."

I didn't sleep at all that night, thinking about going back there, but I knew that would have been suicide. All I could do was pray she was okay and that that idiot hadn't hurt her. I couldn't blame her for what happened. If anything, she saved me. Maybe if I hadn't stopped on the side of the road to wait for Zealand and Marlow, none of this would've happened. I was sure they would take Santana away from Jasper, convince her to go with them and stay away from him, but I had to be sure. So I waited, hopelessly, as Farrah practically burst into flames in her rage.

Three times I'd apologized to Farrah after she left my house and three times she had forgiven me, but I knew she wouldn't be over it. I'd probably blown my last chance to be with her last night and frankly, I wasn't sure it mattered anymore. My mind was full of worry for Santana, so in the morning, I managed to dodge my parents and Nanny and get to school early enough to wait for her to get there. I wasn't sure she would, but if she did I'd know she was okay, and I swore to myself I wouldn't bother her. If she wasn't, there was nothing to do but go looking for her. So when I saw her get there, just as the first bell rang, pulling into the lot with her little sister, I could have cried.

Her hair was loose around her gaunt face and her eyes were sunken in, but she looked otherwise unharmed. They came in through the front and passed me by without noticing. I was so close I could have pulled her into me and never let her go.

"What the hell happened to you? Who beat your face in, Caleb?" Ansel appeared next to me and Santana looked our way at the sound of his voice, but she looked away too quickly for me to read what she was thinking. With Santana, it was never easy.

"It was Jasper," I confessed to the shocked face of my cousin.

"I...how...?"

"It's a long story," I sighed.

"We'll make time." He pushed me forward and forced me to recount what had happened last night. When I was finished he was shaking his head disbelievingly.

"What has this girl done to you, man?"

I merely shrugged, because if I tried to explain it to him, I'm not sure I could put it into words.