If I Break THE COMPLETE SERIES Bundle (26 page)

“Lauren, calm down. I’m coming with you,” he says adamantly.

“No, I need to do this alone.”

Dammit!
If I hadn’t been living in fantasyland with him, I would have known how bad things were. I could have helped her. I haven’t been doing much of anything except Cal. I knew this guy was bad news and I ignored it because Hillary gushed about him so much. But if I had been home, I could have seen it; I would have known.

Cal holds my shoulders to steady me. “Lauren, this is not your fault,” he says, reading my mind. “I’m coming with you. You’re too upset to drive.”

I button my top up, shaking my head in defiance. This is a personal time for her; I’m sure Hillary doesn’t want me bringing him along.

“Let me help you,” he pleads, grasping my wrist as I try to walk away.

I can’t push him away if I want him to let me in. “Okay.”

“Angela?” I call. After I spot her sitting alone in the waiting area, I rush to her side.

When she called me saying they were going to the ER, my heart almost stopped at the idea that Hillary was hurt that badly.

“Hey, Lauren,” she says, hugging me tightly. Angela’s eyes are red and puffy; her hair is wrapped under a silk scarf. “Hi, Cal.”

“Hey,” he replies, taking a place beside me.

“Where is she?” I ask urgently.

“They have her in the back. She just got back from radiology. The last nurse I talked to says she has a broken rib,” she explains, her voice wavering.

“Oh my God,” I say, feeling my eyes water.

“It’s really bad; this is the worst he’s done. Her face is…” She breaks down, and I hold her, crying with her. “I called her parents. They’re on their way. It’s my fault. I should have done something. She kept telling me not to tell anyone and it was only when he was drunk.”

“This isn’t your fault,” I try to convince her. She only did what Hillary asked her to, but I wish she had at least told me. However, Angela’s word is her bond; she’s one of the most trustworthy people I know. “How could I not know this was going on?”

“I’ll go get you both something to drink,” Cal says, giving us needed privacy.

“When she called me, she sounded so normal. But when I got to your place and saw her, I… I panicked. I’ve never seen anyone look like that in real life, face to face. When you see what this jerk did to her—” She growls angrily.

“Did you call the police?”

“No. She told me not to, but the doctors have tried to ask me questions.”

I look at her as if she just lost her mind. I haven’t seen Hillary yet, but based on what she just described, I can’t believe they didn’t call them.

“I know, I know! But she begged me. When the doctors asked me what happened, she didn’t even want me to tell them,” she explains quickly.

“She doesn’t want him get away with this, does she?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“I honestly don’t know. It’s like he’s brainwashed her. I’m hoping this will be a wake-up call. But she said she didn’t want me to call the police or tell the doctors he did it to her,” Angela explains, still visibly upset.

A petite blonde approaches us. “Excuse me.”

“Lauren, this is Dr. Carsons,” Angela says, sniffling.

I reach my hand out, and she shakes it. “How is she?” I ask anxiously.

“She has a broken rib, facial swelling, various abrasions, and bruises. I’ve seen a lot worse; thankfully, there’s no internal bleeding,” the doctor explains.

I can’t believe this is happening.

“She’ll be fine. However, the detective would like to ask you some questions.” She gestures to Angela.

Angela looks at me skeptically, and I nod for her to go.

“Would you like to see her?” the doctor asks me.

I nod quickly, and she leads me to Hillary’s room. Dr. Carsons opens the curtain, and my heart stops as soon as I see her. Her face is so swollen and discolored, if it weren’t for her long blond hair with pink tips, I wouldn’t recognize her.

“Hey,” Hillary says, her tone surprisingly cheerful.

“Oh my God,” I mumble.

“It’s not that bad, Lauren.” She laughs weakly.

I walk over to her slowly and pull up a chair. “You don’t think 
this
 is bad?” I ask in disbelief.

“I mean, it looks worse than it is.” She sighs.

“Hillary, why didn’t you tell me?” I ask pleadingly.

“I didn’t tell anyone, Lauren,” she says softly.

“You told Angela.”

“She found out by accident. I didn’t plan to tell her. I didn’t want to tell anyone. I was embarrassed. I never thought I’d be the girl whose boyfriend beats her up. Like a bad Lifetime movie,” she kids. Her words are slow. I can only think how it must be painful for her to speak.

“Hil, this isn’t funny,” I say seriously.

“Well, what am I supposed to do, Lauren? Cry? Whine about how I was so helpless? I wasn’t. I chose to stay with him. It’s my fault, no one else’s. I just didn’t think it would get this bad.”

“This isn’t your fault, Hillary,” I assure her. I pause before speaking again. “How long has this been going on?”

She laughs mechanically. “About three months after we started going out, we had an argument when he was drunk and he slapped me. I was just so stunned. You know, I’d never been hit before. He apologized, saying he was just really out of it and he was sorry. That he’d never do it again. That’s the day all those roses came.”

I cringe; I remember saying how sweet it was.

“The next time it happened, he showed up at the house, drunk. You weren’t home. He was really out of it and wanted to drive home. I took his keys, and he, well—let’s just say that wasn’t the best idea.”

I cover my face in disbelief.

“He really is only bad when he’s drunk. He’s so sweet when he’s not. So I just stayed away when he drank. But today his friend had this party, and he was drinking. I thought it’d be okay since there were so many people around. I caught him all over this girl, practically about to make out with her. I was so pissed. I slapped him and threw a cup of beer in his face and I left.

“When I got home, he was waiting for me in front of the door. He was so calm…” She chuckles angrily. “I was pissed and told him to leave. He apologized and said how sorry he was and that he just wanted to talk… I let him in, like an idiot, and as soon as we were in the apartment, he went crazy on me. He’d never been like that before…”

“You should have never let him in,” I say, my throat burning and tears falling down my face.

“I know. I know now. Things just went from bad to worse,” she says.

“I can’t believe I never noticed anything.”

“No, Lauren. I was pretty good at hiding that fact and making excuses. Even if you had tried to do something, I wouldn’t have let you. Besides, he mostly made sure to never bruise me where people could see. I guess that should have been a sign that this wasn’t a first-time thing for him.”

“Still.” I can’t help but scold myself for not having the slightest clue this was going on.

“No still. This is my fault. I kept going back and forgiving him.”

“A man should never hit a woman!”

“But some do! I should have never kept seeing him after the first time he hit me. You know what’s really stupid? I cheated on Kevin with him because I thought Kevin was a jerk. Karma sure kicked me in the ass, huh?” She smiles weakly.

“I should have at least suspected. I’ve been so busy running around with Cal… I think I’m going to stop seeing him,” I say, taking a cleansing breath.

“What? Why!” she screeches. “Not because of this? Because this wasn’t your fault at all! I told you nothing would have changed…”

“No, not just because of this, Hil. It’s been a lot of things. When I’m with him, he makes me forget about the world around me, like the people I care about and what’s important to me.”

“Lauren, that’s not true. If it were, when Angie called you, you would have been like, ‘Screw you. I’m about to bang.’”

I laugh. I just don’t see how she can be in so much pain and still so playful.

“You were about to screw, right? Or just finished or…”

“Hil, stop,” I scold her playfully.

She sighs. “Seriously, Lauren, I’ve never seen you so happy before. A guy is supposed to put you on cloud nine and help you forget about your problems. I admit I didn’t like Cal at first, at least not for you. I thought he had trouble written all over him. I mean, I would know, right? Since I attract it so magnificently,” she says sarcastically. “But he’s stuck with you. I gave you guys three weeks tops, and here you are.” She sighs and squeezes my hand. “He’s hot, rich, and makes you smile. You could do a lot worse. A hell of a lot worse.” She chuckles.

“We’re so different. I feel like we’re on two different roads going in opposite directions. And he’s so unpredictable. What if he gets bored or…” I sigh.

“Lauren, that’s what falling in love is about. You take a chance. Sometimes you fall on your ass, or in my situation, it kicks you in the ass. But rarely do you get something amazing. You can’t hold back or keep your guard up. Don’t run from it, or you’ll miss something special.” She rubs my hand, and I hold it.

“What about when you lose it?” I ask.

“That’s the risk you take, but it’s worth it.” She yawns, holding her jaw in pain.

“You’re not going to see him again, are you?” I can’t read her expression since her face is so swollen.

“No, I’ve learned my lesson. At first I thought it was just because of the alcohol, but now I realize he just likes to beat the crap out of girls. Oh! The house—it’s—he trashed it. The tables are broken, and the lamps. I’ll pay you back for everything you bought.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.” I squeeze her hand as Dr. Carsons comes in with the police officer.

“Miss Green, Detective Long has some questions for you,” the doctor explains. “I’m going to have to ask you to excuse us,” she tells me.

“Of course. Hil, I’ll be right outside,” I tell her with a weak smile.

“No. Go home. They won’t let you see me again until tomorrow. Unfortunately, my parents will be here soon.” She waves slightly before Dr. Carsons closes the door.

As soon as I’m outside, the tears I’ve been trying to hold in since I saw her begin to flow. Cal and Angela quickly approach me.

“I-I can’t believe he did that to her,” I mumble into his shoulder. “What did the detective say?” I ask Angela, wiping my face.

“He asked me what happened, and I told him what I knew. But what I say doesn’t matter since I wasn’t there, and if she doesn’t press charges…” She runs her hand across her face.

“Even if she does press charges, what he’ll get is too good for him,” Cal says tightly.

“His parents will get him out on bail. They’re from old money down south. He’ll get some high-priced lawyer, and it won’t even matter,” Angela tells us.

I feel even more horrible that I don’t know anything about this guy other than what he looks like and his first name.

“Let’s go back to your place and pick her up some clothes,” Angela says softly.

“I’ll drive you,” Cal says, putting his arms around both of us.

Angela smiles appreciatively and pats his hand as we leave the hospital