Beautiful Broken Things(Beautiful Broken Things #1)(47)

‘Hey,’ I said when I approached, cutting into their chattering. ‘No chair for me?’

Rosie gave me an odd look. ‘There’s literally one right there.’

‘I always forget how green your uniform is,’ Suzanne said. She scooped up some cream with her straw. ‘Don’t you hate them for making you wear that?’

‘Hello to you too,’ I said, pulling up an extra chair from the next table.

Suzanne grinned at Rosie. ‘Caddy has third-wheel face.’

‘Caddy is right here,’ I said, irritated. ‘But she doesn’t have to be.’

‘Oh, chill out, I’m just teasing,’ Suzanne said lightly. ‘How are you?’

I shrugged. ‘Fine. You?’

‘Average, three stars.’ She was half perched, half sat on the sofa chair, one leg curled underneath her, her hair haphazardly plaited on one side of her head. She flicked one of the braids out of her face. ‘I’ve decided to end it with Dylan.’

‘Really?’ I took a sip of hot chocolate, which was still too hot. ‘Why?’

‘I think I’m done with him. His dickishness doesn’t balance out his hotness any more. So I think we’ll break up.’

‘How can you break up if you’re not together?’ I asked.

Rosie smirked. ‘That’s exactly what I said.’

‘You know what I mean,’ Suzanne said.

‘So, basically –’ Rosie pointed her straw at me – ‘she’s going to stop having sex with him.’

‘That and other things,’ Suzanne said, unruffled. She wedged her straw back into her Frappuccino. ‘Maybe I’ll find someone at Levina’s party.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Rosie said, brightening. ‘Me too! Do you think Liam will be there? That’s who I want.’

‘Probably. From what Lev says it sounds like the whole school will be there. But you actually have to try and get Liam this time. Like, actually talk to him. That’d be a good start.’

Rosie rolled her eyes. ‘We’re not all beautiful and confident, you know.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Suzanne said earnestly, her eyes wide. ‘I didn’t know the ability to speak was restricted to those society deems aesthetically pleasing to the eye.’

Rosie laughed. ‘Shut up.’

I gave up waiting for one of them to let me into the conversation. ‘Society deems aesthetically pleasing?’

‘We had a talk at school about body image and society,’ Suzanne said. ‘The woman was a raging feminist. She said the aesthetically pleasing thing about five times.’

‘I liked her,’ Rosie said. ‘I thought she was great.’

‘She said that our self-worth shouldn’t be dependent on whether we’re considered pretty by men,’ Suzanne said. ‘And I’m like, come on, that’s all I have in the world; don’t take it away from me.’

‘You are extremely fucked up,’ Rosie said grandly, leaning back in her chair to stretch. ‘But, yeah – I do intend to make myself as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as possible for the party.’

Suzanne grinned. ‘Me too. Shall we do it together?’

‘Obviously.’ Rosie glanced at me, saw the look on my face and laughed. ‘Oh my God, Cads, you have epic third-wheel face right now.’

I tried to smile. ‘Levina’s having a party?’

‘It’s her birthday next week,’ Suzanne explained. ‘She’s having a massive party on the Saturday. Her house is huge and her parents are loaded, so it should be fun. And they won’t even be there!’

‘They must be crazy,’ I muttered into my hot chocolate, imagining the look on my parents’ faces if I suggested they vacate the premises so I could have a party in their precious house.

‘You should come,’ Rosie said, but I could tell by the look on her and Suzanne’s faces that they weren’t expecting me to say yes.

‘OK,’ I said before I could second-guess myself. I was gratified by their stunned expressions. ‘Sounds great. I’ll be there.’





According to Suzanne, Dylan took the sort-of-break-up pretty well. She told me, via text, that his exact words had been ‘yeah. whatever.’ but that he was still texting her in the evenings as he’d used to, asking her to come over.

‘And I haven’t!’ she said the following weekend, proud.

‘Well done, you,’ Rosie said, deadpan.

And then Tuesday happened.

Lunchtime was almost over and I was on my way to maths when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Thinking more about the fact that I should take the vibration off before I got to the classroom than anything else, I tapped the screen.

13.58: Fuck. HIGH DRAMA. Suzanne’s been suspended.

13.59: What??? What happened?



I’d stopped right in the middle of the hall, staring anxiously at my phone.

‘You OK?’ Mishka asked, pausing between me and the departing backs of Allison and Kesh.

‘Yeah, I’ll catch you up,’ I said.

She looked worried. ‘Are you sure? Henderson hates it if we’re late.’

‘It’s fine, I’ll be there in a minute,’ I said, already turning back towards the nearest toilets. When I got there, I locked myself in the first stall and sat on the toilet lid, waiting for Rosie’s response.