For Better or For Worse (Book 2)

Broken Smiles

Look for the girl with the broken smile. Ask her if she wants to stay for a while. She will be loved.
—Adam Levine (M5)

"Skylar, come down here and meet the new neighbors!" My mother's voice drifts into my room and snakes its way into my head, scattering my already-jumbled thoughts.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to mentally block out her voice. But my door bursts open and Zac flies in at tops speed.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I snap, sitting up-right in bed. He has interrupted my "Shawn sucks" rant and that's not okay with me.

"Ever heard of being welcoming?" He retaliates, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "The neighbors are in foyer." But then his blue eyes study me as if he's trying to read my mind. He moves forward with a single cautious step, obviously picking up on my mixed emotions and grumpiness. "Hey, are you okay?" He asks, his tone significantly softer.

I groan and chuck a pillow at the wall. "Yeah, I'm great," I say, getting up and pulling on a pair of sweats. "Let's go meet the wonderful neighbors."

I shuffle down the stairs with Zac on my heels, in the process of pulling my hair back into a ponytail. I hear low chatting, distinctly my mom's voice and Tyler's deeply smooth tone. What's he doing here? My mind immediately jumps to conclusions and possibilities.

Maybe he's just here to talk, I tell myself, trying not to get too worked up over something so irrelevant.

"Skylar, honey, this is Jen Miller and her children, Sierra and Cameron. They just moved in across the street." She seems overly happy and way too involved in trying to make our smoky seem welcoming.

"Hi," I choke out, trying to sound sweet for the sake of my mother's sanity. "I'm Skylar Healy." I frown and my heart aches as I almost say Sky, but I bite my tongue when I realize no one calls me that anymore.

I try not to dwell on how much I miss how, or how badly my heart hurts with the pain of all his misgivings.

All his wrongdoings.

I push away the thoughts that make my head ache and look to the teenaged girl who can't be any older than I am.

Sierra beams at me and waves, her brown eyes shining with excitement. Her brother, Cameron I think his name is, has brown hair and matching chocolate eyes, mimicking his sister's. He smiles at me, but there's a twinge of sadness in his warm eyes, a glitter of hurt.

And somehow, I sense that it's there to stay, his broken smile holding a piece of pain that will never completely fade. I find myself wondering how it got there, hat caused his sadness to show behind the wall of friendliness.

"Hey," he says, his deep voice flowing out smoothly, whispering in my ears. "Are you a sophomore like us?"

I nod, overwhelmed by his sweetness and dashingly handsome features. Tears sting my eyes as I realize he looks quite a lot like Shawn. Cameron is shorter and has a lankier build, but his windswept hair, curious eyes and rosy cheeks show me more than I need to see just how much he looks like Shawn.

I turn away, hoping to hide my watery eyes and stop the tears from pouring down my face.

Zac picks up on it and quickly steps it. "Mrs. Miller, why don't you get settled in and Skylar, Ty and I will be right over in a minute to help you unpack."

Mrs. Miller starts to protest, but Cameron grabs her wrist, not taking his eyes off me. "I think that's a good idea," he says, obviously sensing my tears.

They leave, chattering happily to one another. I take off up the stairs and slam my door, my thoughts straying to Shawn. How could he have done this to me? He obviously doesn't care about anyone but himself, but how could he have lied straight to my face all this time? I shiver, thinking that for every kiss we shared, he went off and snuck one with Hayley.

Every time he told me he cared about my feelings, he was abusing his right to my heart. How could he have told me he loved me when he has been sucking face with another girl? Every little thing have been a freaking lie.

All of it.

And he'd been the first person I'd ever loved with all my soul. And he'd thrown that away for some slut with a belly ring.

Tyler follows me, his footsteps mimicking mine. "Skylar, can we—"

I don't let him finish, for I whirl around and throw my arms around him, feeling his heartbeat against my ear.

He stumbles, but catches his balance and returns my embrace, tightening his grip on my body. He whispers, "It's going to be okay, Skylar, it's all going to be okay."

I feel his cheek pressed to the top of my head, his body rocking mine ever so slightly, his hand rubbing my back in time with his swaying.

He doesn't say "I told you so," or "I knew he was a jerk." He just holds me while I shake with sobs and I appreciate that more than he could ever know.

He hasn't talked to Shawn since we found out he cheated on me, and I know that the loss of their friendship is killing him. I can't seem to find the words to express how thankful I am that he would give up his relationship with Shawn of stick up for me, to show that I'm that important to him.

I'm grateful for his modesty, for the way he comforts me and soothes the blood boiling in my veins. His deep voice calms my racing heart, letting me relax a little and gulp in breaths of previous air.

"Come on," he says when I've stopped trembling, "let's go make some new friends, eh?"

I think that sounds fantastic, so I give his palm a squeeze of thanks and start down the stairs, my head throbbing slightly less.

Sophomore year is going to be a challenge without Shawn, but with Tyler at my side, I know I can do pretty much anything.