Misjudged (25 page)

His shoulders are slouched
and his head remains directed at the ground. He’s not responding to me at all. Slamming my hands on his chest, he still doesn’t react and so I do it harder, over and over again, but still, nothing.

“What’s
goin’ on?” I barely register the fact that Neil is stepping up beside us. I begin shaking Brandon’s shoulders vigorously, “Alex?” Neil sounds concerned as he places his hands on my shoulders.

“Neil.” Brandon’s voice is low and flat. “I
…” He stops himself from saying anymore and steps back and to the side, before making his way over to the waiting car. He just spoke to Neil but didn’t even acknowledge me. What the hell did I do wrong?

I follow him over to the vehicle, and as he reaches for the handle, I
place my hand on his arm. “You promised me forever …” My voice is a whisper because I can hardly speak around the huge lump that’s lodged in my throat. “What did I do?”

He pauses and turns back around
, but still avoids eye contact with me. Lifting his hand to cup my face, he trails his fingers over my mouth before moving them lower, until he reaches the base of my throat. In that instant he rips the necklace he gave me, only yesterday, from around my neck and tosses it onto the ground, before backing away and opening the car door.

“No!” I scream. My legs feel weak
and my heart is hammering in my chest as a sudden rush of nausea fills my stomach. I bend to the pavement to pick up the necklace, and my body is trembling as I’m unable to control the sobs.

“Neil,
” Brandon nods once in his direction and I feel my legs buckle, which causes me to fall to my knees. I watch him climb into the SUV and he doesn’t even look back at me, not even once. “But I fell in love with you,” I don’t even hear my own words over the car’s engine. A sharp stabbing pain in my chest is making me feel dizzy and I can feel the tears soaking through my shirt.

Neil wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him
as I let the tears fall. I can’t do anything but watch as the car pulls away and heads down the street, before disappearing completely out of my view.

He promised me forever
…
and then he left.

The end of part one…

Due for release: Fall 2013

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18129341-misplaced-trust

Prologue

I don’t know how long I’ve been crying. I know it’s getting dark outside
, but I have no idea what the time is. All I know is that it hurts. My eyes are sore from the tears I’ve shed, and my chest is aching from the way my heart is slowly breaking inside.

I’ve been clutching the necklace Brandon tore from my neck ever since I picked it up from the ground and came back to the dorm. It’s broken. I don’t know how to describe how I feel right now. There’s a wide range
of emotions running through me, underneath the numbness that’s now beginning to take over my body.

T
his morning we were happy. I had gotten a tattoo to show how committed I was to him, to show how committed I was to
us.
Maybe he allowed the guilt of believing he was betraying Holly overcome him again. Maybe he just needs some time and then he’ll come back to me.

I’ve called his cell phone
too many times to count but he hasn’t answered, not even once. I’ve left numerous voice messages, although I doubt when he listens to them he will be able to understand what I was trying to say anyway, because of the sobs. 

I feel hollow.

His eyes. There was something in his eyes that told me he was … Shit, I don’t even know anymore. I thought I knew him. I really thought I could read him and know what he was feeling and thinking, but maybe everything was a lie. There’s no way someone could fake the connection we had …
the connection we have
, but why promise forever and then leave?

When he made
love to me I felt whole, I felt special, and I felt like there was nowhere else I wanted to be but in his arms, forever. He made me feel like I was the only one in his world that mattered and that he would do anything for me, like I would for him.

He loves me, at least I thought he did. Did he ever love me?