What's Broken Between Us by Alexis Bass Read Free Book Online Page A

all the other girls did. By now my curls are heavy and crunchy, and my scalp is itchy. I examine myself in the dingymirror, which has Newcastle written across it. My makeup has molded to my skin, and there are dark specks around my eyes that blur, but don’t wipe away, when I rub them.
    “Hey, pretty girl.” Graham leans against the doorway. He can manage to stay balanced for only a second before he slides into the door.
    Jonathan’s voice pops into my head. “I can’t believe you’re dating such a lightweight,” he would say if he were here.
    “Hey there.” I move to help prop him up, but he straightens before I reach him.
    Graham is drunk, which was probably an accident, something that snuck up on him while he was busy being beer-pong champion, but I know he’s okay with it, because tonight he can be blitzed out of his mind while still being responsible. We have a limo driver if we want to leave. A room to sleep in if we want to stay. I should probably be drunk too. I mean, what an opportunity.
    His eyelids dip, and he laughs. I help him onto the bed and sit next to him, so we’re leaning against the wall with our feet out in front of us.
    “You looked so beautiful tonight.” He hiccups. “Still do.”
    “You’re not so bad yourself.” I kiss him on his adorable and perfectly clean-shaven cheek.
    He sighs and lets his head hang. It jerks itself upright when he hiccups again. “I can’t believe that was our last homecoming.”
    “I know.” I play along. If he wasn’t drunk, I’d have to try harder to make my enthusiasm believable. “At least we all hadthe chance to say good-bye,” I say, referencing the senior dedication at the dance.
    “You’re really depressing sometimes,” he says. His eyes blink back tears, and he jerks away from me.
    He’s right.
    “I’m sorry.” I have to dig my fingers into his shirt; he’s so intent on ignoring me. “I’m really messed up, you know that. I’m just—”
    “I know that,” he says louder, slurring, but at least looking at me now. “I know that the most of all. But it’s for nothing. Okay? Believe it, because it’s the factual truth. Jonathan was like, fuck off, I go where I wanna go and you can come or you can stay behind. And everyone always wanted to come.” He hiccups. “Everyone always came.”
    “Okay,” I say. “You’re right.”
    He nods, triumphant, but he’s too close to passing out to enjoy his victory.
    “I’m sorry I messed this up for us,” he tells me as I pull off his shoes and drape the comforter over him.
    “I probably would have ‘had a headache’ anyway.” I wait for him to laugh, but he’s already asleep.
    “Good night,” I whisper. I hope he forgets this conversation.

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
    HarperCollins Publishers
    ..................................................................
CHAPTER
NINE
    I stand up to close the door so we can go to sleep, but there’s a pair of eyes staring back at me from the hallway. Henry leans against the wall. I don’t have to study him long to know he, too, is drunk. More than anything else, he seems forlorn. What a party this has turned out to be. He looks at me and his face is all shadows, except for a smirk.
    I move into the hallway and close the door softly behind me.
    “What, Henry?” I ask, getting defensive. There’s something so off-putting about the way he’s got his arms crossed, the way his eyes are playing sinister, the way he’s smiling. It’s not his usual demeanor, or his usual smile.
    “Sometimes Imogen calls me depressing, too.” He shrugs. “Ididn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the door was open.” He covers his mouth with his hand. It seems like he’s about to crack up. This hurts my feelings and makes me angrier than I’ve been in a long time
    “Go back to the party—” I turn and reach for the doorknob.
    “I have to talk to you,” he says, his voice getting louder.
    I’m slow to face him, not sure I want to hear it.
    Now that