Broken Without You

CHAPTER 23

Emily's pov

I binge watch Netflix all day and finish my icecream.

After doing that, I somehow don't feel better.

I get up to choose a book to get lost in, that's the only thing I know that will get my mind off of him.

Brushing my fingers over my books I end up choosing Eleanor And Park.

I am completely in love with this book, the way it breaks every possible stereotype of modern love is brilliant and beautiful.

I turn around to get into bed and that's when I spot it.

Axel's motorcycle helmet on my nightstand.

Before today, looking at it would put a smile on my face, but now it's only deepening my frown.

My paycheck last weekend was the last one I needed to be able to afford getting a car.

I make a mental note to stop by a car dealership after school.

I don't want to rely on other people to drive me around. Especially not Axel.

The rest of my night is spent sobbing over Eleanor's misfortunes.

The next time I open my eyes the sun shining through the small crack between my curtains blinds me and groan like a do every morning.

I reluctantly get up and take a shower. The hot water hitting my back is so relaxing. It almost makes me forget about the humiliation I have to deal with.

High school kids just won't let something go. Once they get a rumor started, you can't stop them.

It's like a snow ball that starts rolling down a mountain. It's small at first, but then it picks up speed and keeps getting bigger and bigger. Until eventually it breaks apart. And no one talks about it anymore.

By the time I get downstairs, I have twenty minutes to spare.

Mom is frying eggs and Max is impatiently sitting and waiting to eat.

This is the sight that greets me every morning.

"Good morning guys." I say and sit down.

"Good morning sweetie." Mom says and smiles. Max didn't seem to even hear me. He's too engrossed in his phone.

"I'm going to go car hunting after school today mom." I tell her.

"You finally have enough?" She asks me with a smile on her face.

"Yeah." I say, feeling accomplished.

"Oh honey I'm so proud of you!" She says, comes over and wraps her delicate arms around me.

"You have grown up into such a responsible young woman." She says, her voice cracking mid sentence.

I feel my eyes tear up as I hug her back.

"Mom, what's that smell?" Max asks as he sniffs the air.

Mom stiffens, sniffs a little and immediately rushes to the stove.

"My eggs!" She screams, shutting the stove off and placing the pan in the sink.

"Oops. Sorry mom. Alright, I have to go." I laugh and leave.

Just as I get out of my house I spot Axel's motorcycle leave his driveway.

I thank God that he didn't see me.

It's not like he was going to stop just to talk to you. My subconscious says.

I shake the thought out of my head and make my way to the bus stop.

As soon as I enter school, the whispering and pointing starts.

They're not even subtle about it.

"I heard she's the one who threw herself at Axel." A redhead attempts whisper to her friend.

"I don't get why Axel didn't kiss her back man, she's hot." A guy says while nudging his friend.

I reach my locker and Brooke's already there.

She looks at me and immediately engulfs me in her arms.

"It's okay sweetie, they'll forget about this next week." She says while caressing my head.

I hug her tight and fight back my tears. Being in her arms is making me realize that yesterday was in fact not a nightmare, it was real.

I look over her shoulder and spot Axel and Catherine walking and laughing together.

My heart feels like it's being ripped out of my chest. He really isn't who I thought he was.

Axel catches my eyes and I quickly look away, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me this way again.

Thankfully the bell rings and I head to class.

The rest of the day, Brooke and Danny try to cheer me up, but to no avail. I'm just not in the mood.

Axel sneaks a couple of glances at me at lunch, but I ignore them all.

The day finally ends and I take the bus to the nearest car dealership. I hope I find a good deal.

The first one I go to is called Bob's cars. It doesn't look like it has the best and newest cars, but thankfully that's not what I'm looking for.

Bob is a middle aged man with red hair and yellowish teeth. He asks me what kind of car I'm looking for.

We go around the lot and he shows me a couple of cars, but none of them fit what I'm looking for.

They're either too old, or way out of my budget.

I start losing hope and turn to thank Bob for his time but I stop mid sentence.

"Hey, would you mind showing me that car in the corner?" I ask Bob and point to the black car that caught my eye.

"Sure, follow me." He says and we make our way over there.

"This is a Ford Fiesta, it's in great condition, barely used and it's perfect for you, I don't know why I didn't show you this earlier." Bob says.

"Here, try it out for yourself." He takes out a keychain holding dozens of keys, and hands me the keys to the car.

I take the key and open the car, the seats and steering wheel are covered with beautiful black leather.

I take a seat and take a breath, gripping the stirring wheel.

I put the keys in the ignition and turn the car on. As soon as I heard the engine come alive, I knew that this was the car for me.

I took if for a test drive around the lot and fell in love.

Once I get out of the car, I tell Bob that I love it and we sort out the paperwork.

After half an hour of sitting in Bob's tiny office, I'm on the road with my windows down, jamming to the tunes on the radio.

"I can't believe I have my own car!" I squeal and laugh.

The whole drive back to my house my smile never leaves my face.

But that smile fades when I reach my street.