Broken Heart

Chapter 11

Kayla Wilson

"It's amazing, right?" I asked Nico.

"Yeah, it is," he replied, sipping the coffee I gave him.

"Well, Becca makes the best coffee in this town." I stood up as a customer strolled in. "I'll be back in minute.

After serving his order, I went back to Nico's table. There weren't many people in the café so I had some free time to chat with him.

"Kayla, who's this?" Jack asked with a smile, stopping at our table.

"Hey, Jack. This is my best friend Nico. He came to visit me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't stay here and chat while working," I apologized and started to get up.

"No, that's okay. I'm Jack, the owner of this place. Nice to meet you, Nico," Jack introduced himself and offered his hand.

"The pleasure's all mine," Nico replied politely.

"Tell you what, Kayla, you can take the rest of the day off. I mean, it's been an hour since you've been here and there aren't many customers. Colin is also here so you can rest assured. Now go and enjoy with your friend," Jack said warmly.

I felt so happy that I hugged Jack. "Thanks. This means a lot to me." He returned my hug with a chuckle. I pulled away and smiled at him.

"No problem, kiddo. You're family," he ruffled my hair and nodded at Nico before heading to his office.

"You have a really cool boss, foxie," Nico said, pulling out his wallet.

"Yeah I do. And the coffee's on me. You don't have to pay," I replied.

I felt really happy that Jack said I was family. Coming here might have been what I needed, after all. A new change, with new people. Everyone working in the café were special to me. They had accepted me for who I was in spite of what they obviously would have heard about me. I would forever be grateful to them.

"So, should we head out?" Nico asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Yeah," I grabbed my stuff and we walked out of the café.

"You should see the beach here. It's really nice," I dragged Nico towards the beach.

Since it was a week day, there weren't a lot of people around. The beach was deserted for the most part. He was really amazed and from his expression, I knew he loved it. After all, we liked the same kind of stuff. We sat down a few feet from the water and he turned to me.

"So, how's everything?" he asked.

"Well, it's really good now. This place is really different. People don't know me so it's refreshing. It's a bit like a new beginning. I think it's good for me. There are really nice people here," I replied.

"Like that guy who was near your house? Zach?" Nico questioned.

"Yeah, he's very sweet and he's genuinely good to me. He was the one who found me that job in the café," I said, feeling thankful for him.

"Good. You seem to like this guy a lot," he threw me a sideways glance.

"He's just a good friend of mine," I looked at him.

"What about your dad? Is he still...?"

"I think the abuse has reduced a bit since we moved. But there are times when he still beats the crap out of me." My gaze drifted to the waves.

"Why are you still taking it? You know you can always ask someone for help," he tried to reason with me.

"You know it's not that simple. I have to think about the twins too. I can't take him away from them like I did with mom," I sighed, guilty from what I did.

"For the hundredth time, Kayla, it was not your fault." He looked upset. "It was an accident. You should stop blaming yourself for it. Besides, it's not like there's anything you can do to change it anyway so why beat yourself up?" Nico's voice was gentle.

"I can't help it. It just is my fault. If I was strong back then and stood up to my bullies, my mom would still be alive. And dad wouldn't be like this. There's no one to blame but myself," I went on as a tear slipped down my cheek.

"Hey, come here," Nico opened his arms. I didn't hesitate to let him comfort me. He was the only one who knew about my past and stayed with me through thick and thin. He was the guy I could always count on and I felt more protected with him than I did with my own family. Whenever I had a problem, he's the one I would go to. I would never forget everything he had done for me. He's the only reason I can get through things.

But a sudden image of Zach popped up in my mind. I had no idea why I suddenly thought of him. Maybe it was because of the things he had done for me since I moved.

"Everything's going to be okay, foxie. I promise. One day, you'll be really happy. You won't have to worry about things like you do now," he mumbled, pulling me close to him. "Now, tell me about school. Are there any guys whose asses I should kick?"

I pulled away from him. "School is boring as usual. No guys to beat up either. The students here usually stay away from me except for this bimbo crowd," I scowled.

"Pfft, bimbo crowd?" Nico repeated.

"Yes. Lydia. Apparently she's the head bimbo. I think she also used to be friends with Zach. She just tries to corner me and sprouts nonsense about how Zach is hers and I can't steal him from her. She calls me names and gossips around about my past. I don't even know how she knows about it. Most of it is untrue, though." I continued. "What I'm astonished about the most is how she blames me for taking Zach away from her. It's absurd and I totally told her off the other day."

"Wow, that girl seems like she has possessiveness issues. But I think she's just jealous of you," he said thoughtfully.

"Jealous of me? For what?" I was clueless about it.

"She sure thinks that Zach is hers and now she feels like you're a threat. She must feel like he's closer to you than to her," he explained. "Do you spend a lot of time with that guy?"

"Hmm, I've never thought of it much. But yeah, we hang around a lot. He kinda reminds me of you. He was the one who stood up for me when the bimbo queen served lunch to my hair. And he helped me a lot in other ways," I answered honestly.

"Well, sounds to me like you two are pretty close. No wonder that girl is throwing a tantrum," he said with a soft chuckle.

"We're friends. She's just jumping to the wrong conclusions. Besides, who would like someone as boring and normal as me? I haven't even shared anything with Zach. He knows nothing about all the stuff I've been through. I'm sure that if he knew, he would bolt," I scoffed.

"You don't know that. For all you know, there might be someone who likes you right now. Who can say for sure?" he was staring at me.

"Then I'm worried about that person's mental health," I laughed it off.

"Well, doesn't matter if he leaves or stays. I will always stick around with you." There was something in his eyes as he looked at me.

"I know. I'm so happy you came here. Let's head back to my place. I'm sure the twins would like to see you," I stood up and brushed off the sand. Nico followed me and we made our way towards my house.

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A/N: Hey guys! Here is another chapter for you. I hope you like it. Since I'm almost done with my exams, I will be uploading more regularly. So hope you guys are looking forward to it. So please tell me what you think about this chapter in the comments and dont forget to vote! :)

Thanks and love you guys! <3