Broken Trouble (Broken Storm Book 1) Read online

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  I awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. The sun was already up and blindingly radiant, the pounding in my head only increased as I groaned.

  Everything hurt.

  Why had I drank so much last night? I could never hold my liquor well and always ended in a hangover. Hangovers sucked.

  I knew everyone else was already up, since they got up before the sun and all. I opened my eyes into slits, sitting up slowly. Warm material brushed up against my body as I moved and I looked down, noticing a blanket covering my body.

  How did that get there?

  I had no memory of a blanket being around last night, let alone covering myself with it.

  Had Polly or one of the guys covered me up last night?

  I was still in the corral with Storm, who stood chilling at the opposite side. I stretched slightly, pressing the palm of my hand against my head and sat up completely, glancing around. Beside me sat a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin.

  Well, that definitely hadn't been there last night.

  The bottle of whiskey and the cause of my discomfort this morning, was gone. I didn't see it anywhere.

  I quickly took some aspirin and stood up, folding up the blanket haphazardly and grabbing my stuff. Now to make the embarrassing walk back inside to face everyone.

  I walked back to the house and went inside, listening to the sounds inside the house.

  By the sounds of things, everyone was in the dining room eating breakfast. Good, I wasn't to late getting up then. I headed back upstairs, took a quick shower, and changed clothes to a Rob Zombie shirt and a sleeveless hoodie, skinny jeans and my boots. By this time the aspirin was kicking in and I felt less like someone had drilled into my skull.

  I went downstairs and paused outside of the dining room, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

  Whatever they had to say didn't matter, it wouldn't affect me. Everyone had got drunk every once in awhile, no biggy.

  Or at least that's what I told myself.

  I stepped into the dining room and headed for an empty seat next to Dylan, maybe he wouldn't judge me as much for getting drunk last night. Or maybe he'd judge me more, being more innocent than the rest. At least he seemed the least likely to voice his opinion.

  "Morning Honey, how was your night sleeping outside under the stars? You've only been here for a couple days and you're already settling in. It's this country air, good for the soul," Polly commented, motioning for the guys to pass me down food.

  She seemed to either be completely avoiding the subject of me getting drunk or didn't know about it. Either way I was grateful, I just wondered who gave me the blanket and painkillers.

  "It was okay," I said cautiously, trying to judge everyone's expressions. No one seemed to be giving away anything until Polly said, "Dylan told me you fell asleep outside, but decided to let you sleep."

  Aha! So it was Dylan who had gave me the painkillers. Had he told Polly about the whiskey or was she just avoiding the subject?

  Dylan snatched a couple plates of food and slid them in front of me. Scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. It may seem like normal food, in fact it was normal food, but it was also hangover food.

  I managed to catch his eyes, which was surprisingly hard to do, and give him a small smile. He blushed and lowered his gaze back to his plate in response and I had the urge to hug the guy. He was so sweet. I'd have to remember to thank him later for everything.

  "Of course, because the city girl can't wake up as early as the rest of us," Gavin spoke and I tensed. He had been so quiet I almost forgot he was here. "Do you know why that is? It's because she doesn't belong here."

  Polly sighed heavily, it seemed she was getting tired of Gavin's constant griping too. "She seems to be fitting in well. They're already done with scraping the spot for the barn, now they just have to pour the concrete and do some building."

  Polly smiled, "Nova, ya worked very hard yesterday, I'm proud of ya."

  Polly was proud of me? This was the first time anyone had ever said those words to me and I had no idea how to react or what to say. I could feel my eyes start to blur with tears and I struggled to hold them back. What was this place doing to me, turning me into a big softy?

  A hand on my leg disturbed me from my thoughts and I glanced to my right, where Jayden sat, "I know I'm glad she's here, she makes me work that much harder," he said, winking at me.

  "How can you all like her?" Gavin spat, "Her shirt described her completely, a living dead girl. I mean look at her!"

  I stayed quiet, I hadn't been happy with myself for arguing with him last night, but it seemed like I didn't need to today because everyone was sticking up for me.

  "Really, that's all you can find bad about her is how she looks? Open your eyes and actually take a good look. She's gorgeous," Landon announced, slightly amused. "she's got Dylan practically leaving a drool trail everywhere he goes."

  "Gorgeous? She's fucking hot," Jayden grinned.

  "Language," Polly warned.

  "She's not hot!" Gavin exploded, "And even if she was, she's a rotting corpse of a person on the inside and her outside is starting to show it."

  Maybe he was right about me looking a bit rough, but in my own defense, who doesn't when they're hung over?

  "Ooh!" Landon mocked, “What a hurtful thing for you to say."

  Gavin huffed, turning to Wyatt, who sat beside him eating, "You agree with me don't you?"

  Wyatt glanced up at him, then at me, his eyes lingering for a moment. He stayed quiet, chewing on his food as he thought. "I don't really know her," Wyatt shrugged, "but she doesn't seem too bad."

  Gavin's face turned red and his hands gripped the edge of the table, "Are you fucking kidding me? You too? You're my twin, you're supposed to side with me. Why are you all so blind? I keep repeating myself over and over and you all never listen!"

  My head throbbed and I rubbed my temple, wishing he would lower his voice a bit.

  "Why don't you try getting to know her Gavin?" Polly smiled, "I think you two will get along just fine once ya see for yourself the kind of person she is."

  "I don't need to get to know her! I already know all I need to know and nothing she says or does will change my mind."

  Well, that was nice to know. Glad I wasn't trying to impress him. "Good to know, I feel the same way about you."

  "Ah trust me, you don't hate me as much as I hate you," Gavin growled.

  "I doubt that," I muttered, taking a bite of bacon.

  He only cursed at me, yelled and told me off every single time we were anywhere near each other. I may have burned down his barn, but he had burned down any hope of us getting along.

  It was probably time to accept the fact that he would never change and move on.

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  "We really appreciate you letting us borrow the cement truck, Clay," Chili said shaking an older man's hand. The cement truck sat running in the driveway, churning the cement inside around and around.

  "Well now that ain't no problem, you were in a predicament and I had to help. My cousin owns a cement company so here's a truck. I'll come back with my son to pick it up this evening when you're done," Clay mentioned as he patted the side of the truck.

  "Well ya know you and your family are welcome over to dinner anytime, you know how much Polly likes company."

  "This is going to make things go a lot faster," Landon spoke from beside me, bringing my attention back the guys around me. It appeared that almost everyone was going to be working on the barn today. It meant there would be more distraction, making it more likely for me to have an embarrassing moment of stupidity in front of them.

  Gavin and Polly had left directly after breakfast to go to town and I had no idea how long they would be gone, but I hoped it would be for awhile. I didn't know if, when they got back, Gavin would be working on the truck or helping with the barn, but I hoped for the truck. I really didn't want him looking over my shoulder every
second.

  Jayden had his arm slung over my shoulder and I couldn't help but think maybe he was trying to stake a claim on me. Part of me was happy that a guy was paying attention to me, especially an attractive guy like Jayden. But then there was the another part of me, the part of me that was drawn to the other guys, was screaming to shove him away. A part of me needed to get to know each and every one of them.

  Of course, there was also a part of me that told me to run far away from all of them. It was my self-preservation kicking it, wanting to save myself from any future hurt I may experience.

  I didn't know what I was going to do, but for now, we had a barn to build.

  "Okay boys, we'll start pouring the cement into the frame and then Nova and a couple of you boys can even it out. Let's get to work," Chili ordered, moving over to work the cement truck.

  Everyone spread out, starting at one side and working to the other. Evening it out seemed pretty easy and I worked with a hoe to even out the cement, moving backwards slowly. After a bit I found I had worked my way up to beside where Dylan was working and I paused my work, glancing around to make sure no one was around to hear.

  I peeked at Dylan, noting his eyes kept moving in my direction as he glanced out of the corner of his eye. I didn't need to catch his attention as it was already on me. "Thank you."

  Dylan glanced over at me, brushing his hair out of his eyes, a blush heating his cheeks. "It was nothing."

  "No, it was something. I got drunk last night and you took care of me and didn't tell anyone that I can tell. It was sweet, so thank you." I tilted my head and rested it against the hoe, smiling at him.

  Dylan blushed harder and looked down at the ground and I felt the urge to hug him. Should I really hug him though? I didn't want to complicate things, but he deserved one. I couldn't remember the last time I bad actually hugged someone, because there was a difference in hugging someone back and hugging them first.

  I wrapped one arm awkwardly around his ribs and gave him a half hug, my other hand still holding the hoe. There, it was a friendly hug that wasn't too affectionate.

  Dylan tensed and glanced at me, his cheeks turning crimson as he grinned.

  I pulled away after a second of hugging and fumbled with the hoe. I noticed Dylan make a move to say something, but then seemed to change his mind, sighing.

  "What?" I asked, hoping he hadn't noticed my lack of experience in the hugging department.

  He seemed to watch me for a moment, as if thinking over something, then spoke, his voice low and uncertain, "Do you like Jayden?"

  Chapter 5

  When Dylan asked if I liked Jayden, I swear my heart stopped. How was I going to answer his question if I didn't even know the answer myself? If I said yes, he would back off and see me as Jayden's, but if I said no then that would be a lie.

  I did like Jayden, but I also liked Dylan and even Landon.

  How do you phrase an answer to a question like that without friend zoning them or looking like a total sleaze?

  I could tell by his tone and expression that this was something important to him. My answer would decide how my future went with not only him, but all of them. The cautious part of me told me to friend zone them all, to not enjoy their company at all or fall for any of them. The other part, the part that was tired of being held back inside the dark crevices of my soul, told me to live a little, to see how things went with each of them.

  Wasn't it about time I took a chance? They all seemed to have good intentions and were forgiving and in Dylan's case, sweet.

  I bit my lip and thought for a moment, glancing at Dylan who had went back to work. Maybe I had taken too long in my own head and he had given up on getting a response, but I would give him one, even if it didn't seem make any sense at all.

  "I like you,” Okay, maybe not the best way to start it out, because Dylan's eyes snapped up and hope flared in his eyes, "but I also like Jayden and Landon. I haven't made any decisions or commitments yet."

  His face fell for a moment, then got thoughtful, his brows furrowing. When he looked back at me, they had hope in them again. "So, if any of us, me for example, was to ask you on a date, then you could say yes?"

  Ah my gawd, was he adorable or what? "Are you trying to ask me out?"

  He blushed, looking down again. "Only if you would want to."

  What to say? If I accepted a date with him then what would the others think? And if I did go on a date with him, where would he take me?

  Well, now I was just too curious not to say, "yes." I hoped that I wouldn't regret agreeing to a date with him, though the smile on his face told me I wouldn't.

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  We worked in happy silence for the next couple hours, nervous but excited about the date. Dylan hadn't said a word after I said yes, just smiled the biggest smile I had seen from him and blushed.

  We worked side by side, occasionally bumping against each other as we went. It didn't have the same feel as Jayden's heated touches or Landon's flirty ones. They were affectionate little bumps and I didn't mind them at all, which felt weird to me considering I hated physical contact.

  In the past, physical contact had always meant pain, from shoves to punches, and every one of them had made me hate being touched even more. Even the guiding hands of parole officers and social workers gave me a bad feeling as they had always led to yet another bad experience.

  But here, with Polly and these guys, I didn't mind the contact. They hadn't physically hurt me and I could feel my shell slowly pulling back as I relaxed around them. Maybe I wasn't as far gone as I had originally thought.

  "That looks like shit," a voice spoke from behind me and I felt the tension return, like it always did when Gavin was around.

  I hadn't heard him and Polly come back, the sound of their car being drowned out by the sound of the cement truck. I had been too focused on the job in front of me and my inner thoughts to see the car pull up or Gavin approach us.

  Polly was nowhere in sight, so I assumed she was already inside, probably working on food.

  I glanced behind me at Gavin, who was standing there with his hands on his hips, appearing as if he was repulsed at the cement I had been smoothing out in front of me. Ah great. I sighed heavily and continued smoothing, ignoring him.

  "That's not even," Gavin nitpicked before stepping towards me and yanking the hoe out of my hands. , "let me show you, since you obviously don't know anything."

  "I was working on it," I was annoyed. The other guys had told me I was doing a good job and now I had Gavin giving a blind eye to the cement I had already smoothed and nitpicking to cement I hadn't even gotten to yet.

  He smoothed the cement over quickly before turning towards me. I could tell by the set of his jaw and the look in his eyes that he was about to lay into me, before he had even opened his mouth. "Well you were doing a shit job of it, just like you do everything. It's no wonder your parents didn't want you. Who would want a worthless, delinquent witch who curses everything she touches?"

  "Gavin, stop it," Dylan spoke up, which was a surprise to me, because he usually stayed quiet, even when people were fighting.

  Gavin shoved him aside to get in my face, but I spoke before he could, "My parents are dead you fucking moron, and aside from the accident, I’ve done nothing but try to be civil to you. I know you hate me, but at least show a little respect to everyone else here. They don't deserve to have to deal with your arrogant ass attitude."

  "Ah, I'm an arrogant ass now?" Gavin bellowed.

  "Yes, you are!" I yelled right back.

  "Well, at least my parents didn’t kill themselves to get away from me. I can't even blame yours for doing it."

  Rage thumped through my veins, passing the point of no return as I snapped and punched Gavin in the face. He fell backwards and landed with a loud, wet splattering sound. Cement sprayed out from around him before slowly slopping back towards him, his entire backside and hair covered in cement.

  He sat up very slowly, hi
s mouth wide in shock as he lifted his hands and jerked them downward, slinging cement off his arms. His eyes slowly trailed up from the ground and landed on me, where I was standing like a deer frozen in the headlights of an oncoming semi.

  Holy guacamole, did I just punch Gavin onto wet cement?

  I felt the familiar tug at my lips as they tried to decide whether to smirk or smile.

  Ha, take that jerkface.

  Gavin's eyes darkened again and he reached forward, yanking me into the wet cement with him, his hand smashing my face into it. The grit and rocks in the cement scraped against my face and I held my breath, hoping it wouldn't go up my nose.

  When I felt his hand release, I pushed myself up out of the cement, sitting on my hip as I tried to brush all the cement off from around my eyes and face.

  It was extremely unpleasant.

  "When you push me down, you'll go right down with me," Gavin growled in my ear.

  I glanced up at him as he started to get up. It was time to have a little fun, plus I couldn't let him have the last word easily.

  I grabbed one of his legs and yanked it back hard, making him let out a yell as he fell back into the cement, one leg stretched out in front of him and the other behind him in a nice split. He groaned, his face contouring into one filled with pain as he fell back on his back, clutching his groin, curses flowing from his mouth.

  I grinned and kept wiping at my face. By this time the cement had started seeping through my clothes and into my jeans. It was uncomfortable, but at least it was cool compared to the searing heat of the sun.

  A hand appeared in front of me and I looked up, finding Dylan standing on the outskirts of the cement, offering me a hand to pull me out. I reached up and grasped it, putting my weight on his hand as I stood up, walking forward, cement dripping down my body.

  A sudden jerk from behind had me slipping backwards and I let out a yelp as I landed back into the wetness, Dylan landing on top on me.