THE BAD BOY AND THE CHEERLEADER

THE BAD BOY AND THE CHEERLEADER - CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 36:

GIANNA'S POV:

I walk up the stairs and, once out of sight, practically run to my room. Slamming the door shut. My chest feels like it's about to explode.

I can't breathe.

Is this what hyperventilating is?

I'm not crying. Shouldn't I be crying? Don't people cry when they have a broken heart?

Maybe it's shock. That's it, I'm in shock.

What just happened? Did that just happen? Maybe I'm still at the hotel in Las Vegas. Asleep. Dreaming. Oh god! Please be a dream.

I hear yelling downstairs. I crack open my door to listen and hear my mom yell at Caleb to leave the house. Seconds later, the front door slams shut. I run to my bedroom window to look down at the street below.

Caleb gets into his car.

Please come back. Please hold me. Please tell me you love me. Please tell me that it was all a lie.

He starts his car. I hold my breath.

He starts to pull away, I grip the windowsill tightly. The pain lets me know that I'm not dreaming. Not having a nightmare.

He drives down the street and turns around the corner and out of sight.

My body starts shaking with the emotions that I'm trying to hold back. It's getting even harder to breathe. I turn away from the windowsill, away from the sight of the empty street.

I look frantically around my room. Something has to fix this. How do I fix this? I eye my antique 1980s boombox on my dresser. One of my prized possessions.

As I'm throwing it through my bedroom window, glass shattering, the tight hold that I have on my emotions shatters with it.

Bastard!

I drop to the floor . . . crying.

CALEB'S POV:

As I am driving from Gianna's mom's house to my dad's old condo a suburb away in Northglenn, I am doing what I thought was impossible.

Crying over a girl.

Like a f*cking baby.

Shit.

Did that just happen?

Could I have handled that any differently? If only Julie hadn't given me a deadline to get her home. I have no doubt that that crazy b*tch would have had her on the next plane to Houston had I not gotten Gianna home tonight.

If only I'd had more time. Even now, I can't think of any way out of Julie's ultimatum. I had no other choice. If I hadn't broken up with Gianna, then she would have sent her away. If I'd followed Gianna, she would have sent her farther. Gianna won't turn 18 for almost two years. Julie can get away with a lot until then.

Maybe I should have told Gianna. No. That would have been a mistake. She wouldn't have accepted what must be done. She would have tried to hold on to our relationship and fight her mom. Her mom was determined as hell. Her mom would have won and, again, Gianna would have been on the next plane to Houston. Gianna would have lost her whole life. Forced to start over. I just hope that those friends, that crew, that are so important to her, are there for her through this. She loves me just as much as I love her. This won't be easy on her.

That douche Jared should be happy to hear about this.

The lie that Julie forced me to spit out is eating me up. For Gianna to think that I don't love her . . .