Broken by Ellie Anne (reading well .TXT) 📖

easiest song you know?” Erin inquired.

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” I reply. Before I know it, he’s got it down.

“You’re a natural. Either that or you’re the fastest learner known to man.” I congratulate him.

“Just one of the many wolfie perks. Plus I have the best teacher ever.” he tells me.

After that little compliment fest, no more playing is done. Instead, Erin just gazes at my face, more specifically, my eyes. I can feel myself turning beet red. Just part of my unmistakable blush I think to myself. The funny thing is, I’m gazing back at him. His gold flecked, hazel eyes that look like they’d understand anything just staring back at me. The silence wasn’t awkward; it was just silence, almost a comfortable silence. I was the first to look away though.

I put the guitar back in my closet. Unfortunately, half my composition books fell, the ones I wrote my songs and stories in, my inspiration books. Instead of just falling on the ground they fell on me. Before I knew what was happening, Erin, that good looking Erin Stronghart, was helping me pick them up. About five seconds after he came over, we had one of those classic moments where the two people bend over to get the same thing and end up hitting their heads together.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry. Jeez that must’ve hurt.” I apologize.

“I’ve got a pretty hard head. I think the question is: are you okay?” he asked

“Yah, I’m fine.” I answer. Just as I was getting up, the other half of my composition books fell. Before I knew it, the corner of my forehead had a newly obtained bruise on it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it until Erin put his finger on. That definitely got my attention, and a rightful ‘ouch’ along with it. Erin grabbed me into a bear-hug and I had no choice but to hug him back, after all, this was Erin we were talking about. He buried his face in my hair.

“That’s it, no more book picking up for you.” he whispered into the top of my head. “I hate seeing you with a bruise on your forehead.” he said.

“I really don’t care if I have a bruise on my head; I’m pretty comfy where I am.” I mumbled into his chest ‘cause he is a little more than a head taller than me. That and I was pretty comfy. Then, a realization hit me. I knew I’d only known Erin since Friday and it was only Monday, but I started to crush on him. He was the first guy to really get to know me and he was the first guy who actually liked me as a person. Maybe I just liked him because he was a good person or maybe not, but I did like him, a lot.

After a few more minutes, he started to break away. Not much but a little, then I realized it was just to stare down at me. I didn’t have a problem with that and I just gazed up at him. Sadly, I heard my mother coming down stairs. In a matter of seconds, I had my guitar and composition books stuffed away in my closet. Just in the nick of time too, because two minutes later, my mom knocked on my door.


 


Chapter Four
Totally Crushing


“You’d better get him out of her, Onika, before your father gets home.” my mother said sternly. For some unknown reason she did not like Erin, not one bit.

“Mom, I’m fifteen. I think I’m allowed the right to have guy-friends. Besides, if you got to meet him, so should Dad.” I say, hoping she’ll give in.

She didn’t, of course she didn’t.

“Do you want to be sleeping outside then, Onika Faith Fasthand?” my mother said. She never used my middle and last name unless she was really mad. In this case, she was almost to the breaking point, she was so mad.

Then, without a moment’s notice, Dad was in my room.

“Hi, darling, Onika.” my father said my name as if it pained him.

“Who’s this?” he said, hiding his angry surprise.

“This is Erin Stronghart. One of the nicest people ever.” nicer than you’ll ever be, I added in my head.

“Well, if he’s willing to hang around you he can’t be too bad a guy. He can stay.” my dad said.


When my room was all cleared out and it was just me and Erin again, I had no idea what to do.

“Wow, your dad really said that to you?” Erin finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“Said it the first time Sam came over too.” I reply. “Anyway, sorry you had to see that. Definitely not a fun sight when we go at it.” I apologized.

“You forget, I was kicked out of my own house. Nothing fazes me anymore.” he said calmly.

“Well, still, I hate it when people see that stuff. They think that just because my brother is the happy little surfer-wanna-be that I’m perfectly happy too. I’d like to keep it that way. I’m pretty sure you and Sam are the only people that have gotten to see my parents say that stuff.” I said. “Besides, life is life and we got to keep moving.”

Just as I said that last sentence, song lyrics popped into my head. I got up and grabbed a pen and a composition book and started writing chorus first.

Besides, life is life
And we gotta keep on movin’
Nothing’s gonna slow down
Nothing’s gonna slow down
And we gotta keep on movin’
Keepin’ strong

“Hey, what’ve you got there?” Erin asked after a few minutes of my scribbling.

“Oh, just a new chorus, want to read it?” I asked.

“Nah, why don’t you sing it.” He said with a mischievous grin plastered to his face.

So I sang it.


Of course, about two seconds later, Erin decided to have one of his outrageously long complement strings. It got to the point where I decided enough was enough, I really wasn’t that great a singer and I wasn’t gonna sit there and take complements I didn’t deserve.

“Okay, Erin, I think that got your point across. You think I’m a good singer.” I said. “Really, I’m not that great. There are lots of people out there that are a billion times better than me.”

“I’m pretty sure the only person out there that was better than you just were, is Madonna. . . I just figured out how I’m gonna repay you helping me!” Erin said excitedly.

“Oh jeez. Do I even wanna ask how?” I said, maybe going a little indulgent on the sarcasm. He replied anyway.

“I’m going to get you a record deal.”


Part Two
Erin
 


Chapter Five
The Promise


I knew it was really stupid to promise Onika I’d get her a record deal, but she was so good at singing and guitar, and she didn’t even know it. Plus I had no idea what to do to make up for all she’d done for me. After all, crashing through her back doors to get away from Gregory, my old pack’s alpha, then asking her help to stay hidden, I had no idea how I was going to make this one up.

Before I knew it, my thoughts were drifting back to those moments before Onika’s mom burst in. That thought led to another: how is she going to explain the bruise on her forehead? That was yet another thing that was technically my fault too. If I never asked her to teach me how to play guitar, then she never would’ve gotten it out. No matter what, I’m going to get Onika her record deal. She deserves it.

She was so cute when she was focused on her music. Her face seemed to lose all the signs of stress and she seemed at peace. Music was definitely her thing. While I was lost in thought, Onika got up and got her guitar, composition book, and a pen. I just sat there and watched her scribble more lyrics for the song she sang me. I glanced over the page she was writing on. It was something about wanting life to be perfect. She caught me reading it.

“Hey! No reading it until it’s finished.” She commanded as she tucked her book under her pillow.

“Aw, c’mon, just a little sneak peek. Please.” I begged

She just gave one of her more sarcastic looks. She was definitely not one who went down without a fight, definitely not. In return, I gave her my best puppy-dog look. All she did was grin and shake her head no. I shook my head yes. She went back to the sarcastic look. That was when I made a grab for the book under her pillow. She was fast, but I was werewolf fast. I let my “wolfie”, as she would call it, senses kick in. She was still surprisingly fast. Before I knew it, she was on top of me trying to get her book and I was waving it around at my wolf speed trying not to let her touch it.

“Hey! You’re using your wolfie perks! That’s so not fair.” she complained.

“Who said I played fair?” I answered with a grin.

That was when I noticed her bruise was gone. Not just yellowing almost gone, but completely gone, it was like it vanished. I stopped trying to keep Onika’s book away from her. She noticed I stopped but didn’t take the chance to get her composition book back. She just stared at me with a puzzled expression.

I reached out to poke the area where her bruise was. “Your bruise, Onika, it’s gone.” I stammered. I was still trying to put the pieces together.

She hit me with her book. “Are you on something? Of course that stupid bruise is still there I got it like half an hour ago.” she poked the area where her face was bruised. Her eyes widened.