*Break My Heart, Twice* is a poignant tale of love, loss, and redemption. Kristen is struggling to navigate the aftermath of her best friend's tragic death while juggling fractured family ties and a complicated relationship with Damien, the boy who knows how to push all her buttons-and her boundaries. As Kristen is drawn into tutoring Damien's fiercely independent younger sister, Mia, unexpected connections emerge, forcing her to confront the emotional walls she's built around herself. Damien, burdened by his own secrets and guilt, battles between protecting those he loves and breaking free from the shadows of his past. Amid a storm of misunderstandings, bullying, and heartbreak, their lives intertwine in ways neither anticipated, challenging them to face their truths and find solace in each other-or risk breaking apart for good. At its core, the story explores second chances, the weight of grief, and the resilience it takes to mend hearts-twice.
Chapter 1 Smoke, snark and strawberries
"I don't wanna go to the coaching, it's tough out there and he makes fun of me. He's impossible to be around ughh." cried Kristen. If you couldn't already tell she hated her tuition classes not because she hated studying but because she hated the guy. Yes the guy, who had inadvertently become the bane of her existence and her first arch nemesis, Damien. He would annoy her, tease her and disturb her in all sorts of ways till she would give up solving integration problems and go smoke outside.
He'd constantly talk to her or try to at least, whisper wrong answers when she struggled with equations and ruin her focus. Now, she had to maintain full discretion as no one knew she indulged in cigarettes let alone how many and would always keep them near her. No one knew about her smoking habits except her older brother, Max, who had caught her once on the terrace trying to stash away cigarette butts. They hadn't spoken about it since then but a tingling feeling would always house inside Kristen whenever she'd see Max, he wasn't the most trustworthy but he wasn't a tattle tale, she didn't know what to expect of him because she didn't know him well enough. She knew he had fed her and her at parties and boring family gatherings when she was younger but a switch had flipped and they had stopped talking and hanging out when they grew up.
"Kris you're getting late, GO, YOU'RE A BIG GIRL, stop whining and pack your bag", her mom yelled from the living room. She begrudgingly picked up her satchel cum backpack and headed for the door. It was past 5 when she reached her accounting coaching. Everyone was sitting in a circle around the teacher and there was no place for her. As she entered, her eyes met Damien's only for a split second but it was enough to make her shiver. He looked past her and then back to the book, pretending she wasn't even there. This is why she hated him the most, he would always make her feel like she wasn't there, she was afloat in space making it impossible for her to comprehend her own existence. "Kristen, come sit down here" the teacher exclaimed pointing at a stool near her. She sat down, opened her book to page 153 and began studying.
"Kris we're going to the maths coaching, do you wanna come with or do you wanna hang back?" Natalie asked. Natalie was Damien's friend, she was also her friend but in a more like i-don't-know-you-well-enough-anymore kind of way.
"Yeah no, dad's gonna pick me up. You guys go ahead." Saying this Kristen slouched on the couch waiting for her father to show up. Natalie gave her an exasperated look, shrugged and went off with Damien.
"I'm hungry, do you wanna have some momo or burger or anything even",
"shut up Damien, let me study, I've an exam tomorrow and i haven't prepared a single thing"
"oh stop getting your panties in a twist, you're a topper, you'll be just fine", screeched Damien. "C'mon let's eat",
"ask Kris, she might wanna eat with you", said Natalie
"You know I don't care about her right, why will I wanna hangout with her?" he said a little too loud. Kristen was stunned, her face all red and her hands trembling, she hadn't expected that response from Damien, she knew he didn't like her but to say it aloud in actual, tangible words was something she hadn't seen coming.
"Kris, he didn't mean that" Natalie said, trying to comfort Kristen. She got up, went towards Kristen, and hugged her. Kristen couldn't tolerate the embarrassment and brushed her hands away. She ran outside as fast as she could to not draw a lot of attention that was halfway already directed towards her. She got out her vape, it was a strawberry flavour, her best friend in middle school had given her this. After he passed away, she couldn't fathom being separated from it; she had even named it Bert, a reminder of their friendship, of the time spent together.
Saying she missed Aaron would be an understatement, she cried everyday before bed and smoked his vape quite often as a form of comfort, it would feel like she was hugging him.
"Damien, you can't say that shit out loud. That was very very mean, you've made her almost cry for fuck's sake." ,
"I didn't mean to, I just don't know her that well and i don't wanna eat with her, is all. You know what, I ain't even hungry anymore, fuck you" said Damien.
As Kristen exhaled a cloud of strawberry-scented vapor, her hands shaking slightly, she leaned against the cold metal railing outside. The street lights flickered faintly, casting long shadows on the pavement. Her mind was a cacophony of Damien's words, Natalie's awkward attempt at comfort, and the ever-present memory of Aaron. She clenched the vape tightly in her hand, her knuckles white.
"Why does it even matter?" she muttered to herself, blinking away the sting of tears. But the lump in her throat betrayed her. It mattered because, deep down, Damien's indifference hurt more than his teasing ever did. She started pondering over all the moments they had spent together, all the times he had been unbearable, but this, this was something completely unforgivable, a lack of respect is where she'd draw the line.
Suddenly, the door behind her creaked open. She turned quickly, shoving the vape into her pocket.
Chapter 1 Smoke, snark and strawberries
08/12/2024
Chapter 2 Borrowed apologies and stolen vapes
08/12/2024
Chapter 3 Cows, chaos, and Confessions
08/12/2024
Chapter 4 Unraveling, one stitch at a time
08/12/2024
Chapter 5 Formula 1: survive
08/12/2024
Chapter 6 All hail the black cat
08/12/2024
Chapter 7 Kristen: one step closer, one doubt stronger
08/12/2024
Chapter 8 Nerves, quadratic equations and awkward beginnings
08/12/2024
Chapter 9 Kris and Nat at the wheel
08/12/2024
Chapter 10 The calm before the storm
08/12/2024