How to Unbreakup Read online

  All around the table, they took bites of their breakfast. “Oh sick,” Benji said, spitting his out onto his plate.

  Caleb, Rochelle, and Sage did the same thing.

  Crap. What did I do wrong?

  “Grace, what did you guys put in these?” Mom asked, wiping her mouth on a napkin. Although, I secretly thought she’d spit hers out too. She took a huge sip of milk.

  “Pancake mix, milk, eggs, and chocolate chips. I followed the directions on the box.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Honey, we didn’t bring chocolate chips.”

  “Yeah you did, they were in a baggie up in the spice cupboard,” Allie said.

  Dad smirked. “That was black pepper that needed to be ground.”

  Crap. No way. My face blazed with embarrassment. This was supposed to be perfect. And get our list off to a great start. But it became obvious real quick that I was not a chef. Things like this only happened to me. Not that I expected the meal to be worthy of a cooking medal or something, but I at least thought it’d be edible.

  “Maybe I ought to make everyone some eggs and bacon instead,” Dad said. “How about the kids go sit in the living room, while the adults get breakfast going. Grace, you and Allie can toss the pancakes in the trash.”

  Sage was the last to stand up with his plate. He cast me a sideways glance. “Thanks for trying to make my favorite breakfast. Maybe a little less pepper next time.”

  My heart leapt into my throat as he sauntered out of the room.

  “This is not off to a good start,” I said to Allie as we threw out the food.

  “Don’t worry. You got his attention didn’t you? Besides, it’s the thought that counts. And you’ve got lots more stuff on your list to do.”

  She was right. Just because breakfast was a disaster didn’t mean everything else would go wrong.

  Chapter Seven

  With the disastrous meal behind us, Allie and I sat on the couch in the living room reading. My gaze shifted to the windows, where I saw Sage walking along the shore, his hands deep in his pockets. I loved the way he seemed so at home out there.

  “You know, you could go talk to him. He’s alone.” Allie peeked at me over her book.

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “It is. Come on, this is a perfect opportunity.”

  I took a deep breath, set my novel down, and stood. “Okay. The only way I’m gonna make this happen is by being brave and putting myself out there.”

  But look what you did earlier. You screwed everything up. The good thing was, I wasn’t cooking this time. All I had to do was start a conversation. And thanks to Lyncee, I was real good at talking. Yeah, about guys and soccer and clothes. Wonder how Sage would feel talking about my favorite boy band?

  “Smile, Grace. Right now you look like you’re about to hurl,” Allie said.

  I adjusted my tank top and then went out onto the deck. Trees billowed in the breeze and you could almost hear the whispers of wind singing through them. I closed my eyes, letting the sun warm my skin. It calmed me. So with another staggered breath, I opened my lids, and moved quietly across the sand until I came up beside him.

  “I can’t believe you cut your hair,” I said, picking up a flat stone to skip on the waves. “I miss your curls.”

  He cast me a sideways glance. “Didn’t think you’d notice.”

  “I-I notice more than you think.”

  His eyes narrowed. “So are you and Brady still going out? Heard you two were pretty into each other at a party this spring.”

  I snorted. “No. Brady’s an idiot. I never even went out with him—trust me, those are just rumors.”

  “That’s not what he said in the locker room.”

  My face went hot. What the hell had Brady said? “He’s an ass. No way would I ever be caught dead doing anything with him. I thought you knew me better than that?”

  He grabbed a stone and tossed it out into the lake. “I used to. But people change, Grace.”

  Was this his way of telling me to get lost? I swallowed the lump lodged in my throat like a giant watermelon, and buried my toes in the sand. “Yeah, they do.”

  “Are we still talking about Brady?” he said.

  “No.”

  His gaze met mine and I felt myself being pulled in like I’d fallen into a black hole. He was the one person I couldn’t B.S. He could read me better than anyone. He knew when I was happy or sad or lying. And a part of me hated it. Hated that he could take one look at me and know what was going on. Although, I’d been able to hide the “still in love with you” vibe from him. But for how long would I be able to keep pretending?

  He sighed. “Look, Grace, neither one of us knew our parents were going to have this harebrained idea to force us to live in the same house for an entire summer. So let’s just make the best of it. I realize this is probably as awkward for you as it is for me. I’ll try to stay out of your way as much as I can.”

  “Wait, Sage, that’s not what—”

  “I’ll catch you later. And please, whatever you do, don’t volunteer to make me dinner. I think I had about enough of your cooking at breakfast.” I saw a hint of a smile on his lips.

  My insides squeezed tighter than a nutcracker breaking a walnut.

  “Right, because I know nothing could ever compare with the black pepper pancakes. I don’t want to ruin that perfect dish with something even more delicious.”

  He chuckled then went inside. Maybe I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but things had gone better than I thought they would.

  Sage and I just had our first real conversation since our breakup. And it felt amazing.

  With a grin, I sat down on the shore and watched the seagulls dive into the water, while others waddled by, waiting to see if I’d drop something for them to eat.

  “So, how did it go?” Allie’s shadow fell over me.

  “Well, we talked. And I didn’t barf, so I’d say it was a win.”

  She squealed. “Yay, see? And I have to tell you that he had a smile on his face when he came back inside. Sooo … what did you guys talk about?”

  “Nothing much, just the fact that we’re both stuck here and he brought up Brady Wilkes, who is captain of the douche bus.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why’d he bring him up?”

  “Because apparently Brady told everyone in the locker room that he hooked up with me, which is totally gross and a lie. I mean, I’d rather kiss Chico and he spits up hairballs.”

  “I’d hate to see what Brady spits up,” Allie said.

  “Probably half the junior class’s saliva.”

  “Ew.”

  We laughed then hurried back toward the house. I was glad to have Allie around this summer. I didn’t know what I’d do without her. As we approached the stairs to the deck, I heard a loud meow.

  “Chico, here kitty-kitty,” I called for him.

  With a hiss, he dive-bombed us from the top of the railing. Allie screamed, falling backwards into the sand. Then something soft hit me in the arm and I stumbled down the stairs.

  “What the hell, Chico?” He’d just dropped a dead bird on us. The poor thing. “That’s a naughty cat.”

  He rubbed up against my leg, wanting praise. When I didn’t give it to him, he sank his teeth into my flesh.

  “Ow, hey, knock it off!”

  Dad came out on the deck holding a spatula. “What is all that noise?”

  “Ask your assassin of a cat.” I gestured to my leg and the dead bird.

  “Chico,” Dad said, but the cat tore off into the house with the dead bird in his mouth, leaving behind a trail of feathers as he went.

  “He better not put that thing in my bed,” I said.

  “Benji, find the cat and get the bird from him,” Dad hollered into the house.

  But when we got inside, we realized it was too late. The cat had dropped the dead robin right into Dad’s giant bowl of salad. This was definitely a far worse alternative to black pepper pancakes.

  And this wa
s why I didn’t like to invite people over. If it wasn’t my brothers or parents acting idiotic, it was the cat.

  Chapter Eight

  The house had an eerie quietness about it first thing in the morning. But I liked it. A peaceful calm settled over me as I tied the laces on my running shoes. Sage had been curled up under his sheet, his arm hanging over the edge of his bed before I’d come down stairs. Not that I was trying to be a creeper staring at him. But it was nice to see his guard down. With a sigh, I headed onto the deck, and onto the beach. While everyone else slept, I’d run. I liked being out before the heat of the day settled in. Not only did I need to keep in shape, but I actually enjoyed running. Especially on the beach. It was like you could be a part of everything here—the sand, lake, sky. It was so different from where I lived in the housing development where there was always traffic or people’s kids running around like maniacs in the road, or our neighbor’s dog who liked to bark at flies.

  Out here, it was just me. I popped my earbuds in, stretched my legs, and then swung my arms around to get my blood pumping. Once finished, I hopped down the wooden stairs and bolted across the sand. I steadied my breathing, listening to the beat of music coming from my iPod. I stepped in time with the drums.

  The beach was harder to run on than pavement. Already my thighs burned, but it was a good burn. The kind you got when you knew you were pushing yourself.

  I increased my speed, pushing myself harder. Today, I felt like I could run forever; however, I knew once I hit the bend further up, I might change my mind. The sun glittered off the waves, the sky painted in cotton candy pink hues. This was what I loved about summer. The freedom. The chance to get away from school. Here, I could be me, Grace Evers. Nerd. Jock. Musician. Not popular Grace. Or the Grace who went to parties with people she didn’t like. I didn’t have to be the Grace that other girls wanted to be but had no idea what that entailed.

  But I swore senior year would be different. I was gonna change. I wanted the old me back. When I reached the tiny peninsula, I slowed my pace. Right then a hand clamped down on my arm.

  I screamed, attempting to jerk free. Without thinking, I spun around and swung my fist upward, catching Sage right in the nose.

  “Oh. My. God. I’m so sorry.” I ripped my earbuds out.

  He groaned, holding his face. “Damn, Muhammad Ali, are you trying to break my nose?”

  “No, I-I thought you were some pervert trying to grab me. Geesh, what kind of person sneaks up on someone like that?”

  “Um, I tried calling your name.”

  I blushed. “My earbuds were in, I didn’t hear you.”

  “Obviously.” He rubbed his nose.

  Then I realized something monumental. Sage had initiated contact with me. Okay, that totally made it sound like he was an alien. Wonder if he likes probing. Ugh. Not gonna go there. Nervous tingles erupted in my belly like a tiny firecracker had been lit.

  “So what are you doing out here?”

  “I was going out for a run and your parents wanted me to find you and tell you to come home. Apparently our parents have planned a day trip for us.”

  My heart plummeted. So it wasn’t his idea to find me. Talk about major let down. Perhaps I needed to quit getting my hopes up. Making up with Sage wasn’t going to happen overnight, if it even happened at all. Maybe I needed to face facts, he and I might never happen again.

  I cleared my throat. “They didn’t say where they’re taking us hostage did they?”

  He started to jog back in the direction of the house and I ran to keep up. “No, but knowing them I’m sure it’ll be somewhere far away, with lots of stops in between.”

  Which of course meant lots of Sage time. Thank God my parents came up with this scheme, it saved me from having to figure out how to ask him to do something.

  As we continued down the beach, Sage slowed his pace so I could keep up with him. I smiled. He’d always been thoughtful like that.

  “So, when are soccer tryouts?” I asked.

  “Mid-July. My dad said he’d drive me back down for them.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” He was fast, had good ball control, and burned most of the guys on the team. I know, because we used to play together. Not to mention, I went to all the varsity soccer games and had seen him on the field.

  “Thanks.” He glanced at me then focused ahead of him.

  And that was the end of that conversation. Why was he making this so hard? At this rate, I’d have better luck giving birth to a whale or joining the Rebel Alliance. When we got back to the house, we found our parents waiting for us in the living room.

  The goofy grins were back. Was there no end to them?

  “Great, you’re finally here.” Dad clapped his hands together like an excited kindergartner. “So the Castles and Evers are going on their first road trip of the summer.”

  A wave of groans went up from the kids, which made the parents all the more determined to make this sound like the awesomest thing ever.

  “Come on, where’s your summer spirit?” Mr. Castle asked.

  “Back in my bed,” Benji muttered under his breath. “It’s like seven in the morning.”

  Allie yawned beside me. “Dad, it’s too early to be playing guessing games. Just tell us where you’re forcing us to go.”

  As if not hearing the sarcasm in the room, my dad hopped up on the couch like a lunatic. “We’re going to Iron Mountain today. We’re gonna visit one of the old mines. Then we’re gonna drive up to see the Pine Mountain Ski Jump—”

  “And why do we want to see the ski jump?” Benji crossed his arms at his chest.

  “It’s a piece of Michigan history.” Dad grinned. “There’ve been lots of world championship skiers who’ve gone off that jump since the 1930s.”

  “1900s isn’t that historic,” Allie whispered beside me. “Wait, I take that back. Our parents were born in the seventies, and they’re historic.”

  I laughed.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Get dressed. Make sure you bring a sweatshirt for the mine, it gets cold down there.”

  “Brilliant. We came up to the beach house for sun and sand and they want to take us into the Mines of Moria,” Sage said.

  “Your nerd is showing,” I said.

  He met my gaze and gave me a wistful smile. “Here’s the thing, I don’t try to hide mine.”

  He sauntered away. It was a jab and I knew it. But he was right. My inner nerd needed to be let out. I needed to be me in the worst of ways.

  Chapter Nine

  Squished between my brothers, I turned up my music, trying hard to drown out Caleb’s video game noises, which consisted of a lot of shooting, bonking, and screaming sounds. For the car ride back to the house, I definitely wanted to see if I could trade out one of the boys for Allie. Or better yet¸ maybe hitch a ride with the Castles.

  “We’re here,” Dad said. He pointed to the large fake miner, “Big John” who stood in front of the Iron Mountain Iron Mine.

  Once we parked, Mom took out her camera, while Dad ushered us out the door. The Castles pulled in next to us.

  “Hey Lor, I think we ought to have the kids get in those and take their pictures.” Mr. Castle pointed at the large wooden miners, with their faces cut out for people to stick their heads in and get photographed.

  “Dad, seriously?” Allie wrinkled her nose. “That’s so lame.”

  “Come on, we’re on vacation. Have some fun,” Dad said, tugging me and Allie toward it.

  “Now, Allie, you can stand behind the really short one, and Grace climb up there and stick your head through the tall one,” Mr. Castle directed us.

  “What are we? Two years old?” Allie muttered.

  “I wish, then we could throw a temper tantrum and get out of this.”

  Our parents forced us to go in pairs and have our photos taken. When we finished, they led us inside the gift shop, which was full of rocks, antiques, and other souvenirs. Sometimes it amazed me that p
eople would actually pay for stones. Maybe I ought to start my own business and just try to pawn off rocks from my driveway.

  “Are you here for the mine tour?” an older lady behind the counter asked.

  “Yes, we are.” Dad joined her, paid for our tickets, then the lady came over to our group.

  “Okay, first things first. You all have to wear one of these.” She held up a heavy yellow coat that looked like a rain slicker. “And also, one of these.” She showed us the line of helmets. “I’d recommend you put on a sweatshirt if you got it, it gets cold down in the mines.”

  “Why do we have to wear helmets?” Benji asked, trying to find one big enough for his fat head.

  The woman glanced at him. “In case of falling rocks.”

  Great, we’d probably end up caved in.

  She went around trying to help us all find gear that fit us. Geesh, I felt like I was a little kid again, getting ready for a bike ride in the rain.

  “How many people do you think wore this before us?” I asked Allie.

  Her eyes widened. “Ew, I don’t know.”

  Sage chuckled. “At least if you get lost down there, we’ll be able to find you.” He gestured to our bright jackets. “But I guess that’ll make it easier for the monsters to see you down there too.”

  Rochelle shrieked.

  “Sage, don’t scare your sister,” his dad warned.

  “Yeah, quit scaring your sister.” I nudged him with my elbow.

  “Funny.”

  Another group of people walked in and we listened to the woman give them the same directions she’d given us. Fifteen minutes later, we were led outside to the mouth of the cave. We lined up to wait for the mining carts to come back. Soon the train-like contraption came up the tracks.

  “Okay everyone, go ahead and file into the carts,” the tour guy said.

  Allie dropped back to talk to my mom about something, putting me right next to Sage. We slid onto the seat, pressed close together. My heart hammered in my chest, like a kid wailing on a pot with a wooden spoon. Allie caught my eye and winked. That girl was all kinds of pushy. But I loved it.