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  HOW TO UNBREAKUP

  Rebekah L. Purdy

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Copyright © 2014 by Rebekah L. Purdy

  HOW TO UNBREAKUP by Rebekah L. Purdy

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Swoon Romance. Swoon Romance and its related logo are registered trademarks of Georgia McBride Media Group, LLC.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Published by Swoon Romance

  Cover designed by Paper and Sage

  Cover copyright by Swoon Romance

  To Erin for all the inspiration

  HOW TO UNBREAKUP

  Rebekah L. Purdy

  Chapter One

  Pre-Breakup

  “Surrender, Grace. The Dark Side is too powerful,” Sage said, in a fake Darth Vader voice as he swung a red lightsaber at me.

  “Never.” I laughed, raising my green lightsaber to meet his. We’d been playing this game, since we were like two years old.

  We ran across my back yard, the scent of the bonfire wafting in the summer air. Snippets of conversation filled the night as our parents chatted. I rushed into the shadows of the wooden play set, hoping to sneak up on Sage. I scanned the yard. My heart pounded in my ears. Where did he go? No way was I gonna lose to him. Not this time. He’d already beat me at a game of basketball tonight. I mean, this was my reputation we were talking about here. Girls versus Boys. Epic lightsaber duel.

  A soft footfall sounded behind me and I whipped around, just in time to see Sage slip out from under the slide. In one swift movement, I brought my glowing weapon up and knocked his from his hands.

  “Noooo,” he said, in mock terror.

  I dove at him and we tumbled to the ground in a heap of limbs and lightsabers.

  “Looks like the Force is stronger with me.” I giggled. “Now. Repeat after me. Girls are better than boys at Star Wars battles.”

  “No way.”

  “That was our deal. You made me admit you’re better at basketball. Now come on. It’s only fair.”

  “Fine. Girls are sometimes better than boys.”

  I slapped his arm. “Hey, that’s not the same thing.”

  He chuckled, and we rolled onto our backs, staring up at the stars. “Wouldn’t it be cool to really go up there?”

  “You’re changing the subject.” My gaze slid to his. Firelight danced off his tanned skin, his dark curls stuck up in messy tufts. My pulse soared. Nervous tingles erupted in my belly. Which seemed to be happening a lot more lately.

  “So, what would all your other friends say if they knew you spent your thirteenth birthday hanging out with me recreating scenes from Star Wars?”

  I shrugged. “Who cares? I’m having fun.”

  I propped myself up on my elbow. My glance shifted to where our parents sat with our siblings around the fire pit. Smoke swirled up like tiny octopus legs drifting in water. The aroma of charred hotdogs made my stomach growl, reminding me I hadn’t eaten yet.

  “Hey, Grace?” Sage nudged my leg with his.

  “Yeah?”

  “We’re best friends, right?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Duh.”

  “W-what if I told you I liked you as more than a friend? Would you be mad at me?” His voice softened and he seemed to hesitate.

  “No. I wouldn’t be mad.” Oh. My. God. Was this happening? Sweat made my palms greasy. And I had the sudden urge to scratch the bug bite on my left leg.

  I heard a rush of air leave his lips as he stared at me. He cleared his throat. “So there’s something I wanted to ask you. Will you go out with me? You know, be my girlfriend?”

  My blood pounded in my ears. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. I, Grace Evers, could finally admit I had a crush on Sage Castle. But, what would happen from here? Would our friendship be okay? What would our parents say? It was hard to ignore the thoughts running through my head. But I knew he was perfect for me. Who else quoted Star Wars as much as me, or played as many sports or understood what it was like to have a crazy family? We’d been friends forever. It only made sense that we moved to the next level, right?

  “Yes,” I said.

  He reached across the grass, his fingers entwining mine. A goofy grin spread across his face. “So, now I can tell everyone I have a hot girlfriend. They’re gonna be so jealous.”

  I giggled. “Nice.”

  “Happy Birthday.” He squeezed my fingers.

  “Yes, it is.” For the rest of my life, I’d never forget this moment. I smiled in the dark, watching the fireflies dart across the yard. This was how things were meant to be. Perfect.

  ***

  11 months later

  Pre-Breakup

  My cleats dug into the turf as I dribbled the soccer ball down the field. Sweat trickled down my forehead, and I sucked in a deep breath. A defender charged me. This was the last player I needed to beat. Just get around her. My legs burned as I tapped the ball to the side. The defender overshot me and I hurried forward.

  “Shoot!” Coach Rhodes screamed.

  I brought my leg back and kicked the ball. It sailed toward the goal then hit the back post and rolled to the side.

  Crap. How could I miss that?

  “Follow up,” Sage yelled from the stands.

  Out of breath, I raced for the ball as the keeper rushed out, mud caked to her knees, to dive on it. But she was too late. My foot connected with the ball, this time it went in, sinking into the back of the net.

  “Gooooallll, Greenville,” the announcer said over the loud speaker. “Number two, Grace Evers.”

  Fans hollered from the stands and my teammate and friend, Lyncee, rushed forward. Her dark hair swung behind her as she hugged me. “That was flipping awesome.”

  “Thanks.” I grinned. “But I should’ve had it on the first shot.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. You scored didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then don’t worry about it.”

  The rest of the team came over to give me high fives. As we took our positions in the middle of the field, whistles sounded, indicating the game was over. I glanced at the scoreboard. Greenville: three, Newaygo: two.

  “Good work, ladies. And nice follow through, Evers.” Coach Rhodes patted my back as we lined up to shake hands with the other team.

  When we got back to the sidelines, I grabbed my water bottle and warm-ups.

  “Don’t forget, practice starts thirty minutes early on Tuesday. We’ve got to make sure we’re ready for tournament in two weeks,” Coach hollered as we walked away.

  Lyncee stayed back to talk with him and I headed toward the gate.

  “See you next week.” Delyla Denson waved over her shoulder.

  “Bye.”

  As I rounded the corner near the concession stand to wait for my parents, I heard Rori Miller talking. “Grace is really sucking at soccer this year. Ever since she started dating Sage she’s missing so many shots.”

  “Tell me about it, all she ever talks about is Sage. And I swear, those two are attached at the hip or something. They’re always together. I mean, doesn’t she have a life?”

  I went still. What the heck? These guys were my friends. So I’d missed some shots this se
ason, no one was perfect. I swallowed hard. Problem was this wasn’t the first time I’d overheard them saying stuff like this.

  “I bow to your soccer awesomeness.” Sage bumped me with his shoulder. “That last shot was sweet.”

  “Thanks.” I pasted a smile on my face as he offered to take my soccer bag from me. He stood a good head taller than me, his shaggy hair whipping in the wind.

  “So, we’re having this family picnic thing tomorrow. I wondered if you might want to go?” Sage asked.

  “Sure.”

  “My cousins will be up, so we can play some hoops with them.”

  “There’s our girl.” Dad came up beside us and hugged me. “Game winning goal.”

  “You know it,” I said.

  Mine and Sage’s parents followed us out to the car. “So we’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Mrs. Castle said.

  “Like you need to even ask. I think Grace spends more time at your house than ours.” Mom laughed.

  I cringed. Did I spend all my time with Sage? Was that the reason my soccer was slipping? Just let it go.

  “Grace and Sage, sitting in a tree … ” my brothers Benji and Caleb sang.

  “Don’t start,” I said.

  My dad chuckled. “C’mon, let’s get home.”

  Sage gave me a quick hug. “I’ll be online later so we can chat.”

  “Okay.” I gave a small wave then climbed into our car.

  When we pulled into our driveway, I hopped out of the vehicle and raced to the front porch. Rose bushes bloomed looking like magenta pom-poms beside the walkway. Bees buzzed along the tan siding, searching for a place to build a nest. I scooted away from them. The last thing I needed to do was get stung and end up in the hospital again. Our cat meowed from the other side of the door, as if he thought an intruder might be breaking in. Yeah, most people had guard dogs; we had the cat from hell.

  “Chill, Chico, it’s just us.” I shoved open the door.

  “Dibs on bathroom,” Benji called from behind me.

  “Take your cleats off. I don’t want you tracking mud inside,” Mom said.

  I kicked my shoes off and went to my room. I pulled out my cell as I plopped down on my bed.

  A message popped up from Lyncee.

  Lyncee: Where did u go in such a hurry

  Grace: My parents wanted 2 get home

  Lyncee: Coach said he might play me at mid next wk

  Grace: Sweet

  Lyncee: IKR

  Grace: Do u think I spend 2 much time with Sage

  Lyncee: Well he is ur boyfriend and u spend a lot of time with him but idk why

  I sighed, staring at my light-blue walls and the pictures that decorated it of me and Sage There were ones of us from soccer tournament last year, others from various bonfires, a few of us goofing off in the pool, and my favorite one with him and me holding lightsabers. Pretty much everything in my room revolved around us.

  Grace: Michelle and Rori said that I suck at soccer now because I hang out with him 2 much what do u think

  Lyncee: They r jealous of u don’t worry u like him a lot and he is good 4 u

  Grace: But what if I am 2 into him

  Lyncee: LOL come on u guys are BFFs its fine

  Grace: Maybe

  Lyncee: What does that mean

  Grace: IDK I better go 4 now

  Lyncee: K ttyl

  I stood, walked over to my window, and glanced outside at our pool. Sunlight glittered off the surface, sparkling like jewels. I leaned my forehead against the window. Had I lost myself in our relationship? Everyone referred to us as “Grage.” We weren’t singular anymore. Everything I did was with him or for him. We’d become inseparable. But was I ready for that kind of commitment, that kind of pressure? I mean, I was only thirteen, almost fourteen.

  Maybe I needed to take a step back. Tears streamed down my face. But I don’t want to lose him. He’s my best friend. He gets me like no one else.

  But you’re not ready for all this.

  Everything was fine until Rori opened her mouth. I just had to let it go. The more I thought about it though, the more I doubted things. Who stayed in a relationship this long when they were in eighth grade? No one. I mean, most of the girls had a different boyfriend every week. Or didn’t have boyfriends at all.

  But I couldn’t do this to him. It’d hurt him. I sat on the edge of my bed. My stomach tightened. I felt like throwing up. This was stupid. Why was I doing this to myself? Because you’re not ready. My fingers clenched my blanket. I needed my space. To figure things out. I had to be my own person.

  A while later my cell blared with Sage’s ringtone. My hand trembled as I picked it up. “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey. I thought you were gonna get online so we could chat.”

  “Sorry. Just didn’t feel like it.” I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep them from welling over.

  “Um, okay. So, I came up with a cool play we can try during our basketball game tomorrow.”

  “I-I’m not coming now.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.”

  “Are you talking about the basketball game or us?”

  A lump lodged in my throat and I couldn’t breathe. “I’m not ready for a boyfriend. I thought I was. I don’t want to hurt you. You’re my best friend.”

  “I see,” his voice broke. “Did I do something wrong?”

  My hand covered my forehead as I attempted not to sob. I didn’t want things to end like this. “No. It wasn’t you. This is me. I’m just not ready.”

  “I don’t understand. What changed? You seemed fine earlier … ”

  “Please don’t make this harder than it is. Just … I can’t do it.”

  “Grace—I-I,” he stammered then got quiet. “Okay, i-if this is what you want.”

  “I still want us to hang out like before. It doesn’t mean I don’t want you in my life.”

  “Listen, I think I’m gonna head to bed now. Maybe we can talk tomorrow,” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry.” I cried as he hung up.

  I fell back on my bed, my head buried in my pillow. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end. Not like this. Sage was my best friend. My boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend now. Maybe things would still be the same. Then again. Maybe not.

  Chapter Two

  Post-Breakup 3 years later …

  “Here you go. Signed. Sealed. Delivered.” Lyncee handed me back my yearbook. “You have to wait until you get home to read it.”

  “Oh great, what’d you put in here? I hope you didn’t mention anything about me dropping my cell in the toilet.”

  She laughed. “No. Something better.”

  I groaned. Her idea of something better meant it could be anything from embarrassing to, well, more embarrassing. I smoothed down my jean skirt and spun my locker combination for the last time of junior year. Next year, we’d be seniors. We’d have our last homecoming and prom. We’d rule the school and all that crap. To be honest, I was ready to be done with school. Leave the idiots behind. I’d spent the last three years pretending to be someone I wasn’t just to fit in. Lyncee was my only real friend to survive my breakup with Sage.

  Sage.

  We hadn’t talked since the end of eighth grade. The day I broke up with him. He’d stopped picking up my calls and when his parents came over to play cards with mine, he’d stay home. He avoided me at school, online, at soccer tournaments. It was like he’d completely erased me from his life.

  I never meant to hurt him like that. The truth was, I missed him. A lot. It sucked not having anyone to talk to about the Star Wars marathon they played on Memorial Day, or the new Hobbit trailer, or about the awesome pair of soccer cleats I wanted to get. Not that Lyncee wasn’t there for me, she was, just not in the same way. Needless to say, I’d spent the last three years regretting mine and Sage’s breakup. I’d trade anything, even my popularity, to have him back. The thing was, I was running out of time to make things right. I’d tried
getting over him, but there were some people you just couldn’t leave behind.

  “Hey, Grace,” Brady Wilkes called across the hall. “I put my phone number in your yearbook; you should call me this summer. Maybe we can hang out.” He winked.

  I frowned. I knew exactly what kind of “hanging out” he wanted to do. No. Way. In. Hell. He was such a perv. “Thanks.”

  Lyncee giggled as he walked away. “He’s so hot.”

  “And an asshole.”

  “He’s a hot asshole.” She sighed. “Do you think he’s a good kisser?”

  “Ew, I don’t know. You’re seriously demented, you know that?” I shoved strands of my auburn hair behind my ear. My gaze drifted down the line of lockers. I went still. There, leaning against the wall, next to the drinking fountain, was Sage.

  I swallowed hard. He’d grown taller this year. He was over six feet now. He’d cut the dark curls I’d loved so much. But he had the same spattering of freckles across his face and to-die-for aqua-blue eyes. His track T-shirt fit snug across his shoulders and chest. He was definitely all grown up now.

  Lyncee caught my arm. “You should go talk to him. Ask him to sign your yearbook.”

  My pulse raced beneath my skin like tiny humming birds taking to flight. “I-I can’t. What if he says no?”

  “C’mon. You have to try. Besides, if he won’t even sign his name, then he’s a jerk.”

  I snorted. “I broke up with him, remember?”

  “How could I forget? I’ve spent the last few years trying to console you. But the thing is, he’s got to eventually get over it. I mean, how can he go from being your best friend since birth to nothing? I mean, you guys dressed up like Star Trek people every flipping year for Halloween.”

  “Star Wars,” I said.

  “Star Wars, Star Trek, same thing.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Definitely not the same thing.”

  “Whatever. The point is, you need to make the first move.”