wheel tightly, wanting something to hold onto to ease the pain. What is he doing here? I hate that I’ve run into him because now all of the negativity is coming back. Now, reality has set in and I realize that I do have a broken heart I’ve tried to cover up and mend with a party and a few drinks.
I had fun last night, but the fun only lasted for so long and can’t cover up how I really feel. I can’t believe he’s actually come back to Miami. The look in his eyes nearly killed me and I seriously wanted to take him back but I knew better. I knew not to fall into his arms like the idiot that I once was. I know to stay away because all players and cheaters do is lie. They’ll lie straight to my face but, for some reason, Nolan didn’t seem like a liar. He seemed far from it.
“Shit,” I hiss, cranking the car with trembling hands. I pull out of my parking spot, spotting Nolan’s red Mustang sitting at the curb. Seeing it causes my heart to pound and I speed out, hurrying to my destination. I’d rather be at school than anywhere near the guy who promised not to break my heart but did anyway.
****
Class has just started as I swing the door open. I trail down the aisle with my head down, feeling a pair of heavy eyes on me. Tyler is sitting at my old table, the spot next to him available and ready for me. Unfortunately, I don’t go for it. I go for the table where a girl is already sitting. She looks at me and forces a smile but I’m sure she’s considering me crazy for sitting beside her, just like I thought Tyler was crazy for sitting beside me when there were plenty of empty seats left in the room.
“Natalie!” someone hisses. I turn around only to see Brittany standing at the door. Brittany is the first girl I’d met at this community college and she’s pretty down to earth. She’s sweet, into reading, and has a really hot boyfriend that plays a mean acoustic guitar.
I don’t even bother to remove my satchel. I grab my book, stand, push my chair in, and hurry for the back door. I can still feel Tyler’s eyes on me but I don’t dare myself to look his way. I can’t make eye contact with him. I can feel the frustration coming from his direction but I purposely avoid it.
Brittany steps back and I follow her out, allowing the door to shut behind me. “Brittany, where the hell have you been?” I ask, pulling her in for a hug.
“Jordan and I just got back from a cruise,” she sighs. “It was a blast. We made so many stops and picked up a ton of souvenirs. In fact . . . I got you something.” She digs around in her purse and then pulls out a long, silver box to hand it to me. “Go ahead, open it. I saw you rushing to class but had to give it to you before I headed home. When I saw it, the first person I thought of was you.”
I smile lightly, taking the lid off the box and staring down at the encrypted gold pen. The words on it are: “To write is to breathe”. The script of the encryption stretches across the entire length of the pen.
“Wow, Brittany,” I gasp. “I love it. Where did you get it?”
“From a trip in Hawaii. There was a mini gift shop and a whole section full of books and writing supplies. They say this pen came from one of the greatest poets in Hawaii who died two years ago. I can’t remember his name but they made it a huge deal.”
“What? How much did it cost?”
“Only fifty bucks,” she shrugs.
I gasp. “You paid fifty bucks for an ink pen?”
“Hey, it’s worth it! At least I know that you’ll use it a lot.”
“Are you even sure there’s any ink left,” I tease as I twist the pen. The tip rolls out and I draw a line on the top of my hand. “It still writes pretty good.”
“He had it made by someone. It’s supposed to be durable for ten years I think. So . . . you like it?”
“Brittany, I love it!” I pull her in again and she giggles as she hugs me back. As I pull away, the door behind