S(he's) Br(ok)en

Chapter One- Finding Out

Oh. My. God.

I stared at the computer screen, unable to move. It's complicated? What the hell did that mean? Just yesterday I had invited him over to watch a movie, and we snuggled and kissed and everything felt okay and good. That wasn't complicated, though, was it?

Was I seeing things?

I refreshed his Facebook page. As I tried to find the one inch of Wi-fi reception in the house, I gripped the sides of my chair until my knuckles turned white. This coudn't be happening. It just couldn't.

The page popped up. It was still there. Tears rushed to my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. Not yet. I couldn't make the assuption right away. Maybe he was mad, or something? Did something happen durning the movie that upset him? I thought back to last night. No, nothing really.

Calm down, I told myself. You're being irrational.

But I wasn't. The relationship status was reallythere, for everyone to see. Everyone knew about it, that we were on the rocks. Or so he thought, apparently.

I grabbed my iPhone I had gotten for my sixteenth birthday from my nightstand. My shaking fingers lingered over his name, but I couldn't do it. I didn't know why. I just... couldn't.

I called Adrienne instead.

Adrienne is my best friend. Actually, we're like sisters, in that we're so close. She's only a couple houses down from me, so I can walk there whenever I feel like it. Sometimes she's bossy and oppinionated, and she does like to kick butt, but that's Adrienne. If she didn't have those qualities, she wouldn't be my best friend.

She picked up on the first ring.

"I know," was her first words to me.

"It's complicated?" I asked. "What does that mean?" My voice cracked, and a tear leaked from my eye, but I caught it so it wouldn't smear my makeup.

"Oh God, you're crying. Can I kick his ass now?"

"Adrienne!"

She sighed impatiently. I knew that no matter what, she thought he was a player. But he wasn't. He was Austin. My boyfriend since two summers ago. The one that filled my room with fifty ballons when it was my birthday. The one that kissed me and hugged me when I was upset.  The one that gave me a locket with a picture of us in it.

"Maybe he was mad at something I said last night," I wondered. I racked my brain, trying to think of our conversation. It was pretty laid back. "Or maybe he...,"

"Is a player? Yeah."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "He's not, Adrienne." I knew it was a total crapshoot, though. When Adrienne has an opinion, she has an opinion. And she'll voice it loudly until everyone hears it.

"Listen. I think you should come over. On your way over, call him. See what's going on. It's probably nothing."

I knew she was saying that for my benifit. "Okay."

"LYLAS."

"LYLAS 2. Later."

I threw on a pair of cutoff shorts and a cute lace top (anywhere else, it would have been freezing, but we live in Miami) slid on my flip flops, and ran down the stairs, two by two. My stomach was in knots, even though my mom was making french toast in the kitchen. That smell usually cheered me right up, but not today.

"You okay?" my mom asked me, flipping another piece of bread.

"Yeah," I said, trying to smile. "I'm fine."