Brisé by Leigh Ann Lunsford, Chelsea Kuhel Read Free Book Online

friends.
    My mom is armed with her camera, and I don’t begrudge her this moment. I pose, smile, and indulge her every request. This is a night she wasn’t sure she would ever get to take part in, so even when I am seeing spots from the flash going off, I don’t complain. When we move the photo session outside, I stop breathing. Not just an expression . . . I really hold my breath for a few moments when I see Luke’s truck parked in his driveway. He’s perched in a chair on his porch watching me. I lift my hand in an awkward wave, and he tilts his head up at me in response. My dad calls him over and I cringe. I wanted to enjoy this night and now I feel like I may be sick. Every time I see him, the pain never lessons, just comes back full force. I try to pinpoint the moment our friendship changed but come up blank. My mom thinks it will be fun to take a picture of us together.
    “Twinkle, you look beautiful,” he tells me as he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him.
    “Wow,” I sigh. I haven’t heard that nickname in forever. Suddenly, it seems like no time has passed, yet it’s been a lifetime since I’ve felt him touch me. His touch makes my heart flutter, and goose bumps break out on my skin. This feeling never gets old. I smile for a few more shots before the limo pulls up. I extract myself from his arms without a word.
    My mom walks over to me with last minute instructions. She and my dad are going out to dinner and to check the progress of his new office building under construction. She lets me know they will both have their cells with them, and I can call for anything. As she hugs me she has a parting comment for me, “Enjoy tonight, Phoebe.” I smile at her, and she wipes away a tear from her cheek. “You may not realize it, and I don’t know what he’s thinking, but it’ll all be okay. Somehow it will all work out.” She nods discreetly towards Luke, “But right now, he’s so stupid I could put his brain in a hummingbird and he would fly backwards up a camel’s ass. But I promise, eventually they all grow up.” I don’t give her a response, tonight is my night, and damn it he won’t ruin this for me.
    Prom encompasses every cliché I could have imagined. Streamers, balloons, cheesy slogans. Our theme is perfect for me, “Goodbye to You,” complete with the song playing in the background, which brings Luke to the forefront of my mind. I silently said goodbye to him months ago, thinking there would always be that chance of the next hello he had always promised me. Tonight I say it a little bit louder to my heart, hoping my mind hears it.
    When the limo drops me off, earlier than expected because I have decided to avoid the after parties, I’m shocked to see him sitting on my porch steps, head down cradled in his hands and as my steps get closer, I see the tears streaming down his face. In all we have been through, I’ve never seen him cry, or even close to it. I want to turn around and get back in the limo with my friends; I don’t want to hear what he is going to say. I know it will crush me, and he will never be able to take it back. I want to cover my ears, sink as far from reality as I possibly can, because the words he utters, don’t just change the course of my life, they change our entire destiny. They rip the innocence from me. A life without Luke. One without my heart intact.
    He pulls me into an embrace, just holding me for what seems like hours before he utters a word. I can tell he’s struggling as I try to prepare myself for whatever comes next. “There was an accident, Twinkle.” He’s choking on his words as he tries to get out the message he’s here to deliver. “God, I’m so sorry.” He shudders against me. “You … your parents. They went by the construction site, and there was an accident.” He sucks in a deep breath and quickly exhales. “They were trapped inside when the building collapsed.” I’m hearing what he’s saying, but the