"There's only so many times I can put my heart back together"
"Why are you so sure I'll break it again?"
🖤🤍🖤
Andrew had a perfect life. Or so others would think.
Living under his father's control was a nightmare. Having his dreams ignored and bei...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Austin Lewis walked into the lunchroom alone. He wore ripped jeans and a black leather jacket over a washed out grey shirt and his dark hair was dishevelled in the charming way it always was. The lunch lady smiled when he approached her and they exchanged a few words before he left to his friends' table with a tray of food.
Rosie imagined he'd been outside smoking and if she got close enough, she'd be able to smell it. He stripped off his jacket under her devoted eyes and sat down eating with three friends — West, Dan and Bailey. Rosie wished she was in Bailey's place, being able to hang out with him all the time. Austin was in Rosie's English class, but the only times they hung out were for school projects, including the one they were currently working on.
"You're staring."
Rosie snapped off her thoughts and looked at her friend, Hannah, who was frowning. The girl didn't like Austin since the beginning of the school year, when she realised the lunch lady had a favourite.
"I'm not. I was just wandering if the jacket is new."
"It's not." Hannah rolled her eyes. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that's the only jacket I have ever seen him wear."
Rosie focused on her dry pizza and avoided her friend's look. She wanted to avoid all conversations that aimed to criticise her crush.
"Do you want to come to my place after school?" Hannah asked. "I got cheerleading practice and then we can go."
Rosie shook her head. "I can't. I have an English presentation to do and the group agreed to meet at my house. Well, Lily decided we should go to my place and everyone agreed."
"Bummer. Maybe tomorrow, though."
"Yeah. We need to catch up on those American Horror Story episodes," Rosie said, and Hannah cringed. She smirked, knowing how Hannah despised the show. Rosie had told her plenty of times she didn't mind watching it with Nina only, but her friend didn't want to look weak. "Or we can watch something else."
"Whatever you prefer."
Austin and his friends walked past their table, heading to the door, and Rosie couldn't help but look at him one last time. Her favourite part of him was his toothy smile, but her heart ached because it was never for her.
"You're staring again," Hannah complained. "I heard he likes cheerleaders. You should join us."
Cheerleading was way too much school spirit for Rosie. On rare occasion, she would sit down to watch the football games against other schools because Hannah dragged her there, but that was all. School was painful education sprinkled with a few people she liked to make it more endurable, and that was that. No need to get more involved.
"I also heard he liked blondes, so I'm screwed," Rosie said. Her mind immediately went to Bailey and how she was always there.
Right on cue, a blonde storm slapped her tray against their table and sat in front of Rosie. The young girl faked a smile and held her head on her open palm.
