Chapter Twenty Two ~ Broken Glass

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Thanks for your patience guys! This week is going to be super hectic for me and I wanna make sure what I upload is of quality, so next update will be Friday 💖 hope you understand!

🖤 I LOVE plot twists (which you probably know by now). Comment of the chapter goes to sparksofmadness 🖤

"Hi." I didn't really know what to do. I started fidgeting with my rings again.

"Hey," Paisley replied, her voice flat. Her hand was still resting on his. She smiled sweetly, but I got the sense she would have preferred if I didn't interrupt them.

Felix finally straightened and stepped towards me.

"I know this is crazy but, Penelope invited her—it turns out, well, there's a lot more to the story," Felix said, low enough that Paisley wouldn't overhear. I was still frozen in my position. Something about seeing them together made it feel like my throat was splintering. "I'll explain everything."

"It's okay," I said hoarsely, echoing his words from earlier in the night. "You don't have to explain anything to me."

"Josie." His hand was on my wrist, but I gently tugged it free. I gave him a sad smile and walked backward, back into the cascade of people as my heart spasmed wildly. I wanted to be lost in the faces, to pretend I wasn't here at all. I turned and searched the masked strangers, wondering just where I could go to disappear amongst the sequins and silk.

"Josie!" Poppy said as I crossed her path, pulling me from my desperate daze. She must have seen the distress behind my mask because straight away her cheerful smile marred in concern. "What's wrong?"

All I wanted to do was to pretend that Poppy was really my friend. She was probably one of the nicest people I'd ever met, and the guilt that she'd been pulled into this mess had me churning in a toxic ache, like thick oil was coating my skin. Even her own girlfriend was working behind her back.

"I-I'm sorry," I said quickly. I couldn't look her in the eye.

Her brows furrowed and her hand reached for my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, then nodded. "I'll be fine."

Poppy looked around, and then her gaze finally landed on the pair in the back garden. "Oh. Paisley's here. That's so weird, I swear Penelope never liked her. Why was she invited?"

I had a few potential answers to that one, but none I could exactly divulge to Poppy. The birthday montage was still playing on the screen, and Ella was nowhere to be seen. I was dreading facing her, but at least I'd be safe while I was with Poppy. It's not like she'd expose us right in front of her, would she?

"Look, Felix cared about Paisley. She hurt him bad. But I'm being real when I say I've never seen Felix so into someone when it comes to you. And I've known him a long time."

I wanted to believe her, but there were too many lies. It was very possible that this would ruin everything—Paisley might just be the last straw. He'd cared for her, and now she was back. Maybe time had healed everything she'd done to him. He did say there was more to the story. "I know, Poppy, but this just—everything—"

My throat closed up before I could even conjure the right words. Maybe I'd leave now and never come back. Just like I'd done with my family.

"Just hear him out at least, Josie," Poppy said softly. Her blue eyes glittered in the golden light. Her tone was so empathetic it almost made me feel worse.

"You don't understand," I said, my voice breaking. "I'm no good for him."

I'm no good for any of you.

Poppy gave me a hug, her arms tight around my bare back and her hair ticking my neck. "You are. I know it."

I reveled in her embrace for a few short moments more before breaking away, giving her a sad smile. "I'm going to go have a few moments alone."

On my way to the bathrooms, at the very back of the crowd, I saw Penelope and paused. She was leaning against the back wall, downing her glass of champagne.

"Fucking Ella," she muttered when I was in earshot. The video playing across the room was reflecting in her eyes. It was like she was expecting me. "This is what happens when you trust a bitch."

I said nothing, instead leaning over to take my own glass of champagne from a nearby tray. When I didn't respond, Penelope looked at me sourly. "What's wrong with you?"

I shook my head. I still couldn't really form words.

"Oh, did Paisley finally find Felix?" she asked with polite curiosity. She took my silence for confirmation and shook her head sadly. "I thought I better fix things between them. It didn't seem right that I got you involved after I broke them up."

Before I could catch it, the champagne flute slipped from my fingers and landed on the marble floor, exploding into a million glittering pieces. People nearby darted away, but Penelope didn't even flinch. She just chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, Paisley never cheated on Felix," Penelope continued, her voice delicate as it laced its web. She brushed off her dress and stepped away from the glass. A few people were staring now, but none of them I recognized. "I just paid one of my agents to plant the texts and make Felix think she'd betrayed him so she'd stop distracting him from his job. His photography got me into this, after all... oh look, he took that one!"

A black and white photo of Penelope lounging on a beach was projecting onto the wall.

"But now I don't need him so much, so she can have him back. Besides, I have to get you out of the scene now. You know too much. You were never a part of them, don't forget that."

"You are messed up," I whispered. I felt a fat tear well in my eye and drop into my mask. It wasn't out of heartbreak—though, that was starting to sting. It was from Penelope's sheer levels of manipulation. It had burned me again. I couldn't believe I was feeling sorry for her.

And most hurtful of all, she was right. I never belonged with Felix. From the beginning, I was using him to get to Cole.

"It's okay," she whispered. She wrapped an arm around my waist and walked with me back towards the front of the house. But we didn't exit the building. She turned us so we were facing the crowd again, and pointed to a tall figure toward the edge. "I invited someone for you too. To make up for it. You have done your job, after all."

I had to squint, but even then, I couldn't quite recognize who she was gesturing to, until I saw a familiar silhouette. Familiar blonde hair.

Penelope sauntered over and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, looking confused judging by the creases of his brows behind his mask. He was tall, towering over the other guests.

"Are you going to finally tell me why you invited me?" he said when he registered Penelope, his smile bemused as he scrutinized her. His voice sounded velvety, laced with the slightest of accents. Then he saw me, his bemusement switching to a puzzled smile. Maybe, even without the mask, he'd no longer recognize the person I'd become.

I took it off wordlessly, watching as his face finally contorted in recognition. "Joss?"

"I'm sorry, Nic," I said, my voice cracking. "For all of this—for getting you involved and—"

"I'm so glad you know each other! I was worried I'd have to re-introduce you," Penelope interrupted with glee. She gestured for me to come closer. For a moment I thought I might be sick.

"This is all very bizarre," Nic said, his cute-boy face bewildered with innocence. His cheeks were rosy, blue eyes eating me up with curiosity. We hadn't seen each other in so long—I hadn't wanted to. Not since he'd broken up with me and had returned to France for college. That was supposed to be my escape from this, after all.

         But, now we were more or less married.

Fuck.

"I didn't realize you'd be here, if I'd had known I'd—have called ahead? I don't know, that's so silly. It's almost been a year."

"It's fine," I said quickly. My voice was small, but I wanted to stall.

"Josie, God, I was looking for you!" Felix was out of breath as he clasped my arm, his mask still in his hands as his eyes searched mine. Of course, he was catching me at what might possibly be the worst moment. Everything was falling apart.

"I—" It was all too much. I felt the world sway as the floor rippled beneath my heels.

"Josie, you okay?" Penelope said. She held my arm, and for a moment she was all that was keeping me up. I stared at her, my eyes begging her to stop. She played me—she'd played everyone enough. I wished I didn't stop Ella. I wished everyone knew the truth about what she was.

Penelope laughed at my expression, nudging me so I was standing on my own again. Felix stepped forward, his arm supporting my back. I wished he didn't. It only hurt so much more.

The smile lacing Nic's lips was starting to drop.

Penelope sighed impatiently, looking between both boys and then back to me. "Josie, don't you finally want to introduce us to your husband?"

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net