Breaking Braydon Read online

  “Only in the best possible way.” His smile went straight to his eyes, crinkling them at the corners.

  My heart thudded in my chest as I realized each day with Braydon just got better and better. I was a little scared, but I decided to try to live my life more like my mom. I would lower my guard and let him in.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Braydon

  “It’s Sunday.” Jain sighed.

  “Don’t remind me.” I didn’t want the week to come to an end.

  “It’ll be fine. We’ll be okay, right?” she asked.

  Sensually disheveled from sleep, her crystal blue eyes, soft and warm, gazed back at me. It was like nothing else existed. I’d never seen a more beautiful sight. It was hard to accept I wouldn’t be waking up with her in my arms every day. I knew it was too early to ask her to move in with me, but I felt my gut twist knowing we’d be apart. Even if it was only for a few days.

  “Yes. We’ll be more than okay.” I leaned over to kiss her. She had the softest, fullest lips I’d ever seen or felt. I couldn’t stop kissing her. I knew I’d never tire of this.

  “I was thinking about something. Would you be willing to come here on weekends? It’d be just like this week. Henry could drive us after work on Friday and pick us up Sunday night. Would you consider it?” My palms started to sweat as I waited for her answer.

  “Okay.” She cringed. “I don’t know why I keep saying that.”

  “I like it. It’s the best word in your vocabulary.”

  “Apparently, when I’m with you, it is the only word in my vocabulary.” She smiled and blushed.

  “That’s a good thing,” I assured her.

  Both our cell phones rang at the same time.

  “I don’t want to talk to anyone yet. Let’s ignore them and enjoy our last hour before I have to go,” Jain suggested.

  “Good idea. I’ll go start breakfast while you get ready. Does an omelet sound good?”

  “You don’t know how impressed I am right now. A man that cooks!” Jain squealed with delight.

  “You’re so easy to please.” A warmth filled my chest.

  “Oh, I’m pleased all right.” She winked at me.

  I shook my head as I walked to the kitchen. The shy, demure Jain was gone. In her place was a lovely, confident woman. We brought the best out in each other in every way. I felt alive again. Everything around me took on new meaning. Life had new meaning.

  I’d just finished sautéing the vegetables for the omelet when the doorbell rang. Damn paparazzi, I thought. They kept getting bolder. I turned off the heat and stomped to the door, prepared to do battle.

  I flung it open, and there stood… Angela. What the hell?

  “Angela?” I asked dumbly.

  She was dressed head to foot in white. White boots, stretch pants, parka, and hat. The color was in complete contrast to how I remembered her. She should be wearing black.

  “Hi, Braydon. I came to give Jain the good news.” She wore an artificial smile.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked.

  “She won! She entered the Breaking Braydon contest a few months ago. It’s been documented that she’s been here for a week, so she gets the one hundred thousand dollars! I heard her company was desperate for funds, but I would have never guessed anyone would go to such lengths…”

  “You’re lying. Get out.” I was furious. Angela had been a bitch when I was in high school, and she was still one now.

  “You didn’t think I wouldn’t bring proof did you?” She held up what appeared to be a document.

  “It’s been notarized. Look right here. This is Jain’s signature. Now, look at the date. It was a few weeks before you met with her company, while they begged for funding. Apparently, they were hedging their bets in case you decided not to help them. How did she do it anyway? She’s so…plain.”

  I grabbed the paper from her hands. No. No. It was in black and white. The date the signature, everything.

  “Where did you get this?” I yelled.

  She backed up a little and replied, “From Jimmy Delano, the bookie. He just released the funds today. She’ll get her check as soon as she leaves.”

  I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. It made me double over in pain. I leaned over with my hands on my legs, trying to catch my breath. It couldn’t be. But I’d been fooled before – from the very woman standing in front of me. I hated her. I never trusted beautiful women because of her. I trusted Jain though. I believed her. But, as I thought back on everything, it began to make sense. The disguise. The mom who died. Was Jain’s mom really dead, or was that a lie? Was everything a lie? I was spiraling back to high school. The day in the cafeteria when I was fifteen came charging back in living color.

  I remembered it all. The hurt, the feelings of betrayal. I’d lost the ability to trust that day. Women, especially beautiful women, couldn’t be trusted. Why had I let my guard down?

  ***

  I wanted to kill someone.

  The foot on my chest kept me down, plastered to the floor, unable to move. My arms flailed around, trying to break free. The panic started again; the living nightmare had been my reality for months. My eyes shifted around the large cafeteria. First to the ceiling, then to the door. The same door I’d planned to make my escape moments earlier.

  Derek King’s size-twelve shoe dug a little deeper. My eyes reluctantly turned toward his face. At age seventeen, he was often told he should be a movie star. His rugged jaw and slightly long hair made him appear a little dangerous, which, of course, made him a favorite with the girls. The fact that he was also the star quarterback didn’t hurt him one bit. A huge grin spread across his face as his evil eyes glared back at me. He was enjoying this.

  I squirmed, futilely trying anything humanly possible to break free. I knew nothing I did would work, but I continued mainly out of reflex. My five-foot-six, one hundred fifty pounds against Derek’s six-foot, two hundred pounds wasn’t exactly an even match. Not even close.

  I watched in awe as Derek’s girlfriend approached. Maybe she’d put a stop to this once and for all. She’d moved to Seattle a few months earlier, landing a cheerleading position along with Roosevelt High School’s most eligible jock, Derek King. Her name was Angela, and she was easily the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I hated Derek, but not Angela. I thought she was different, special. Even though she dated the world’s biggest creep, I never held it against her. Everyone knew he was a jerk. She was bound to figure it out herself.

  I’d been fascinated by Angela ever since she stepped into my biology class two months earlier. I tried to approach her a few times, but she always seemed distracted, turning her back and busily getting herself organized. My desk was situated one row behind her. It was sweet torture. I was close, but never close enough. I could gaze at her golden hair, but not touch. I could smell her scent, an expensive perfume, I was certain, but it was never strong enough. I needed more. So close and yet so far. The sensations had created a twisting in my chest I’d never experienced before. Could this be love? I wasn’t sure. But I was sure I wanted her – so much, it was painful to be around her.

  Angela peered down at me and sighed. She grabbed Derek’s arm and complained. “Aren’t you done with your plaything yet?”

  He shook his head. “He’s still refusing to do my calculus, even though it would take him five minutes. I’ll be kicked off the team if I don’t pass that class. This little bastard is going to do it. He just needs a little more incentive.”

  I squeezed my eyes as his size-twelves crashed into my ribs. Pain radiated throughout my body. Even my toes hurt as the raw nerve endings exploded from the impact. I instinctively curled up in a ball. I willed myself not to cry, but the pain and humiliation were no match for my strong physical response. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.

  That’s when I heard it. At first, it was a beautiful, lilting sound. Laughter. For a moment, the sound was soothing, almost peaceful. I opened my eyes slowly and focused in the
direction of the sound. It was Angela. She had the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. But I something was wrong. As my body started to recover from the dizzying pain, the laugh became high pitched and screechy.

  “Oh my God, he’s crying! He’s crying like a little baby!” Angela doubled over, slapping her hand on her leg. The beautiful sound from moments before twisted in my head as I tried to grasp the cruelty of it.

  She was laughing. At. Me.

  Angela continued her laughter, calling a few friends to the spot on the floor where I remained curled up. The pain hadn’t subsided enough for me to move. So I stayed. Humiliated beyond comprehension.

  And then it happened. What people might refer to as the “icing on the cake.” Angela reached over to the table behind her, grabbed a plate of spaghetti from another student, and dumped it over my head. She squealed, gave Derek a high-five, and said, “Now you have something to cry about, Baby Braydon!”

  Something snapped in me. The carefully contained emotions I’d kept in check during the previous year threatened to break free. I’d successfully suppressed all the indignities Derek had subjected me to up until that moment. It started with simple anger and frustration building to a murderous rage that consumed me. My face flushed, and my body tightened like a wound coil.

  Deep down, I knew I wouldn’t act on the dangerous feelings, but they were there, filling my soul with a darkness I knew would never leave. My hatred for Derek shifted to Angela. I’d never hated a girl before. She was so beautiful. How could such ugliness be coming from all that beauty?

  All my dreams exploded around me. Were all girls like this? Or maybe it was her beauty that was to blame. People would always be drawn to her, attracted by what they wanted to believe. She didn’t need the façade of kindness or compassion to mask who she really was. She could let her cruelty, her ugliness, show, and people would still flock around her. I observed how some of the other students laughed with her, giving her praise and encouragement.

  Watching Angela in class these past months hadn’t given me a hint of her true nature.

  Disappointment draped over me, suffocating, choking. The emotion, so black, it seized control of me – body and soul. I was drowning, not by Derek’s physical abuse, but by the overwhelming, crushing disappointment that was Angela.

  I knew if I didn’t stuff the feelings back quickly, violence was entirely possible. The hate that filled my body needed to be contained. I didn’t want to lose everything I’d worked for in one moment of rage.

  That’s when it happened – blessed numbness. All my emotions switched off. I got up off the floor, brushed the spaghetti from my hair, and adjusted my clothing. The lunch crowd seemed to sense my attempt at a dignified exit. The laughter died down to a murmur as I left the building with my head held high. I did it. I was better than her and all her so-called beautiful friends.

  I knew the truth. I would never be fooled again.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  Jain

  I rounded the corner with my bag of clothes. “Hey, Braydon,” I called out to him. “I’m all packed. Something smells delicious in here.”

  He wasn’t in the kitchen, but he’d started to sauté some vegetables. Perhaps he decided to answer his phone. I laughed to myself. I knew how hard it was for him to totally disconnect. Todd probably had some business to discuss since he’d missed an entire week of work. Part of me was excited to get back to the lab, but the other part wanted to stay here with Braydon a little longer. This had been the best week of my life.

  I heard voices near the front door. Darn. Henry must already be here to drive me home. I picked up my bag and headed for the door.

  I stopped in my tracks. There was that awful girl – Angela? Braydon was bent over with his hands on his knees. Had she hurt him? He had a piece of paper crumpled in his fist.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  Angela stepped forward. “I came to give you the good news. You won the contest.”

  “What contest?” What the hell was she talking about?

  “Breaking Braydon. As you can see, you broke him.” She sniggered.

  Was this some sick joke?

  “Braydon, what is she talking about?”

  He slowly straightened, and his eyes met mine. But he wasn’t really looking. It was a vacant stare. His silver eyes looked hard and deep. So deep, I couldn’t see him. He wasn’t there.

  “Here.” He threw the wadded-up paper at me. I took it and straightened it out. It looked like a document. At the top, the headline read, Breaking Braydon Contest Winner.

  “This stupid contest? Why would I want to look at this?” My heart raced, and I felt my stomach drop.

  “So you admit you knew about it?” His voice sounded dead. His face was void of emotion.

  “Yes, I heard about it.” I examined it closer. My name was highlighted with a hundred dollar contribution, supposedly dated months earlier.

  “Why is my name on this?” My chest tightened. Sweat formed at my brow.

  He snorted. “Good question.” He crossed his arms and continued his lifeless stare.

  My eyes darted to Angela. She was smiling like the cat who ate the canary. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you?” I accused.

  “Don’t shoot the messenger. You should be thanking me. This is good news for you. Now your company won’t have to crawl around asking for handouts. Well, at least for a few months.” She laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  I’d never wanted to hit someone as much as I wanted to hit Angela. Hard. I wanted to hit her hard.

  “You’re a raving bitch, you know that? I also know you doctored this up. You’re a liar.”

  “Enough!” Braydon yelled. He’d gone from emotionless to raging mad.

  Shocked, I asked. “You don’t believe this do you?” Please, no. “Don’t.” I whispered. “Braydon, don’t do this.”

  “You think I’m an ignorant fool, don’t you?” he continued shouting. “The proof is right in your hands. It’s notarized, for God’s sake. How far are you willing to go with this? Your game is up. You got your money. Now get out. Go!” He was visibly shaking with uncontrolled anger.

  I stood stock still, my fists clenched tight. Hot tears formed behind my eyelids.

  “You promised. You promised you’d trust me first. I told you what would happen if you didn’t.” My heart was breaking. I was breaking.

  “Oh yeah. I remember. It was right after the story about your mom. Tell me, is your mom even dead?” His hands were opening and closing like he wanted to hit someone. Maybe me. I’d never seen this side of him before. How could he ask about my mother?

  “When you find out the truth, don’t come back. You had your chance to believe me, and you blew it. I’m done here. For good.” I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  All he said in return was, “Good.”

  I grabbed my things and headed out the door. There was still a little snow on the ground, but I didn’t care. I’d walk to Seattle before I spent another minute with Braydon.

  “Congratulations, Angela. You got your revenge.” She had the audacity to smile her fake, ugly smile.

  Just as I walked down the porch, two cars pulled into the driveway. One car I recognized. Colin. Oh God, was I glad to see him. Todd stepped out of the other car. They glanced at one another in understanding. They had both called us this morning. Maybe they knew what Angela was up to.

  Colin walked straight to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” His eyes were soft and searching.

  “No. Please take me home.” Tears were falling down my face.

  “What did that bitch do? We knew she was up to no good.” He turned to the front porch, shooting Angela a threatening glare.

  “It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. I want to get out of here, now, please.” I grabbed the door handle; it was locked.

  “We can fix this, Jain. Whatever she did. Don’t let her win,” he pleaded.

  “It’s too late.
The damage is done.” The tears were now streaming. “Please, I’ll never ask you another favor for the rest of my life. I need to get out of here, now. Please, open the door.”

  Colin stopped and assessed the situation. He looked at me, back to the porch then back at me. Decision made; he unlocked his car.

  I got into the passenger seat and closed the door. I couldn’t breathe at first. I tried. I couldn’t get air in or out. I wanted to close my eyes and disappear. Right before the door shut, I heard an anguished cry, “Jain.” It was Braydon. He must have figured it out. I didn’t look back. It was too late.

  ***

  The Christmas tree was sparkling. Mesmerizing. It had been my focal point for the past few days. Colin had brought it into my bedroom to cheer me up. It did, a little. It had been two weeks, and I hadn’t gone back to work yet. I hadn’t used any of my vacation hours from the many years I’d worked for Bastion Medical. As a result, I could take a few months off. I wouldn’t stay away that long because I knew they depended on me. But I wasn’t ready yet. I knew I would be useless in the lab.

  After I had recovered from my initial anger with Braydon, I turned into myself with grief and sadness. I desperately wanted to feel numb, anything to give me a reprieve from the horrible, gut-wrenching sobs that had replaced the pacing and yelling. Poor Colin had seen it all for the past two weeks.

  Once Braydon had discovered the truth, he wanted to apologize and start over. I couldn’t do it. Like Braydon, I had trust issues, and I would never be able to trust him again. He made me a promise then broke it. Granted, it was an elaborate ruse, woven by a talented manipulator. But he chose to believe Angela over me. I could never come back from that. My self-preservation skills wouldn’t allow it.

  Colin told me that Braydon was destroyed. I doubted it. He might be upset he ruined our relationship, but I was sure he’d be on the arm of some beauty at one of his events soon. I was getting ready for that day. It was going to happen, and I needed to be able to function through it.

  Colin had been checking on me every day. He’d proven his friendship over and over. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be eating. Even Nancy felt sorry for me. She laid on my bed every day and hadn’t scratched me once.