Broken Hearts
BROKEN
HEARTS
a prequel novella to It Happened to Us
FRANÇOIS HOULE
Dawn Rainbow Books
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, establishments, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by François Houle
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permission requests, please email: francois@francoisghoule.com
www.francoisghoule.com
Broken Hearts/François Houle. -- 1st ed.
ISBN: 978-0-9938351-7-9
Published by Dawn Rainbow Books
Cover Design: KD Design
Cover Art: Ekaterina Golubkova © 123RF.com
Editor: Ethan James Clarke, Silver Jay Editing
For Isabelle
Free Prequel Novella
Click on the link to get your free book:
www.francoisghoule.com/get-your-free-book
Do You Believe in Second Chances?
University freshman Mathieu Delacroix is a bit cynical when it comes to love. A crushed heart as a teenager shattered his confidence. But there’s something about the English class Teaching Assistant that’s changing his mind and makes him want to take a chance . . . once again.
Lori-Anne Weatherly, a fourth-year student and Teaching Assistant, believes she’s in love with her English professor. But he’s married and has two kids. And he’s just told her they need to take a break. Hurt and tired of falling for the wrong sort of man, can the right guy be the freshman that seems to make her heart skip whenever their eyes meet?
We Became Us, a prequel novella to It Happened to Us, is a tender story of hope and second chances between two people who have become a little wary and disillusioned of ever finding true love.
Grab your copy of We Became Us today and fall for Mathieu and Lori-Anne.
Table of Contents
DECEMBER
Did you enjoy Broken Hearts?
Story behind Broken Hearts
Excerpt from We Became Us
Excerpt from It Happened to Us
Connect with François Houle
Acknowledgments
Also by François Houle
About François Houle
DECEMBER
2011
Thirteen-year-old Nadia Delacroix and her cousin Caitlin Weatherly ogled Spike, the lead singer and guitarist of Teen Spirit, a Nirvana tribute band that was playing up on stage for the school Christmas show.
Spike had the whole Kurt Cobain thing going—the unruly long blond hair, the attempt of two-day-old growth on his baby face, and most of all the angst. He could have been Kurt’s son except that Spike had been born in Ottawa, nowhere near Seattle, and his parents were not the famous couple.
This was the last act of the talent show, and the whole crowd was into it, even a few teachers who were drawn back to a time when they were about the same age as the kids and Nirvana was the biggest band on the planet.
Nadia and Caitlin were at the front of the stage, so close they could see the sweat on Spike’s face.
“I’m in love!” Nadia shouted.
“You and every other girl in school,” Caitlin shouted back. “But don’t get your hopes up. He’s a senior and already has a girlfriend.”
“Do you like ruining my dreams?”
Caitlin grimaced. “No, but you need to come back to reality, Nad. He doesn’t even know you’re alive.”
“He just smiled at me.”
Caitlin rolled her eyes. She loved her cousin, but lately Nadia was being an idiot. It was Spike this and Spike that, as if she and Spike were a couple. Sure, the guy was good-looking and Caitlin did her share of staring at him, but she wasn’t fanatic like Nadia.
“Or he smiled at his girlfriend who’s standing right behind us.”
Nadia turned. “I don’t see why he likes her. I look better than her.”
“Maybe because she’s a senior too and they’ve been dating since grade nine.”
“How would you know how long they’ve been dating?”
“Nicholas told me.”
“Your brother knows Spike?”
“Not really. Nick’s just a junior. He knows Spike but they’re not friends.”
Nadia appeared deflated.
“And his girlfriend isn’t someone you want to mess with,” Caitlin added. “She has a reputation for warning girls away, if you get my drift.”
“She doesn’t scare me.”
Caitlin glanced at Spike’s girlfriend. She had a nose ring, a bunch of ear piercings, dark spiky hair, dark eyeliner, dark eyeshadow, dark lipstick. She probably had a dark soul to match.
“I wouldn’t mess with her,” Caitlin repeated.
“Whatever.”
The band finished playing Lithium and before the last note faded they started Smells Like Teen Spirit. The kids screamed and sang almost as loud as the band.
When the show was over, teachers started to usher the kids toward the exit where parents waited to pick them up. It was eleven and getting late.
“There’s your dad,” Caitlin said.
The girls climbed into the Pathfinder.
“Hey Uncle Mathieu.”
“How was the show?” he asked.
When Nadia didn’t bother to answer, Caitlin said, “It was good. There was a dance number by grade seven kids that was awesome, and a grade ten theater class did a real funny short sitcom scene. The best was Teen Spirit. They played Nirvana songs.”
“Kids still like Nirvana?”
“Yeah,” Caitlin said. “They’re still pretty cool for an old band.”
Mathieu laughed. “Funny how twenty years can turn a fresh new band into something cool from the past. I remember when they were—”
“Can we go home?” Nadia said. “I’m tired.”
With a sideways glance at the teen, Mathieu put the SUV in drive and they headed home.
* * *
Nadia and Caitlin were sitting across from each other during lunch the following Monday. They’d texted throughout the weekend but this was their first face-to-face since the awkward drive home Friday night.
“Listen Cait,” Nadia said, “I know you like my parents more than yours lately and that they’re your aunt and uncle, but trust me, they can be a royal pain in the butt.”
“Yeah, well, if you had to live in my house these days you’d be pretty happy with your parents,” Caitlin said.
“My mom can be so strict. She’s always on me to plan my future.”
“My dad won’t even let us fart without asking for his permission first.”
Nadia had been drinking a Diet Coke and now it all came out of her nose as she burst out laughing.
“Holy crap, that hurts,” she said, and wiped her nose with a couple of napkins. “You could have warned me you were going to say that.”
“That was too funny.”
“I hate you.”
“Yeah, back at you.”
It was their thing, which meant they were cool again. Nadia knew that things weren’t good at home for her cousin, that her Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy were having issues, but that didn’t make her
parents saints or anything. They really could be annoying.
Especially her mom. Just because Granddad had been like a dictator when her mom was Nadia’s age, it didn’t mean she had to be the same too. Her dad was better, most times, and didn’t ride her as much about her grades. Sure, they were down a bit this year, but it was just grade eight. No biggie.
Mom made it seem like she was heading for a life on the streets.
Right now Nadia had more important things than worrying about what college or university she was going to go to. That was almost five years away.
The one thing that really mattered to her was Spike and how she was going to get him to notice her and dump his stupid bitchy girlfriend.
Maybe she should start posting poetry on her Facebook page. Spike was a musician, he’d probably like that.
“Earth to Nadia,” Caitlin repeated for the third time.
“Huh? What?”
“You’ve not heard a word I said.”
“Sorry, I was thinking.”
“Let me guess?” Caitlin looked irritated once again. “Spike? Who names their kid Spike anyway?”
“It’s not his real name and you know it.”
“Then why did he give himself that nickname? It’s not really that cool. Kind of dorky.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Of what? Having a stupid nickname? I don’t think so. If you weren’t so gaga over him you’d see it’s a dumb name.”
“I thought you were on my side.”
“Side of what?”
“You know. Supporting me with this.”
Kids all around them were starting to get up. Lunch break was almost done.
“Nad, there’s nothing to support. You’ve got it in your head that Spike is somehow interested in you. News flash: He’s not. Let it go. In a few months he graduates, and unless he becomes some big rock star, you’ll probably never see him or hear from him again.”
“Not if I become his girlfriend.”
“Even if the dude knew you existed, you think your parents would let you date a senior?”
“They wouldn’t have to know.”
Caitlin put a hand over her face. “Argh! You’re being stupid.”
“Why? It could happen.”
“Seriously?” Caitlin waited for Nadia to say something but her cousin was busy with her smartphone. “Whatever, we’ve got to get to class.”
* * *
Caitlin finished showering. She was only one of four girls who bothered to wash after gym class, and if those other girls thought they didn’t stink, well they weren’t fooling anyone. Thirteen-year-old girls who’ve been running around for almost an hour didn’t exactly smell like a flower garden.
She liked gym, even if she wasn’t that athletic. Her brother Nick was the jock, but Caitlin just liked the class because she didn’t have to study anything for this. It was basically like a long recess.
Nadia was way better than her at sports. At least, she had been until her boobs had ballooned during last summer. Now she complained about them being in the way and hitting her in the forehead.
Yeah, like a bit dramatic.
Caitlin didn’t have that problem. Neither did her sister Suzie or her mom. It didn’t bother her . . . much. Okay, maybe a little, but that wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
She was worried about her parents getting a divorce. Lately, her mom and dad argued way too much. And there was a lot of yelling. Mom kept making excuses that Dad was just stressed because they were so busy at work and that Granddad was driving Dad hard. Maybe it was true.
And maybe her parents weren’t in love anymore.
Her parents wouldn’t be the first to split up. Marco’s parents had called it quits last year, as had Angeline’s. Jonathan was on his second step-mom. He said she was barely older than him.
What caused people who’d been in love to fall out of love? It just seemed that if two people got married and had kids, that they should be together forever.
She didn’t see her parents staying together forever. She didn’t even know if they were going to make it through Christmas. That would suck so badly.
Merry Christmas dear, oh and by the way your dad and I hate each other and are getting a divorce. Here’s a gift to make it easier for you.
Yeah, that would so suck.
It seemed like not long ago that Dad would come home and kiss Mom like he hadn’t seen her in months, but now they never kissed. Mom had started smoking again, after having quit when Caitlin was little. Caitlin had taken a couple of cigarettes to try, and holy crap had it burned her lungs! And the taste in her mouth had felt worse than morning breath—probably as bad as those people on Survivor who went without brushing their teeth for thirty-nine days.
The thought of that much gunk in her teeth and on her tongue made her want to gag. If she ever went on the show, she’d definitely bring a toothbrush. That was a must.
Anyway, maybe that’s why she was annoyed with Nadia. Her cousin was so infatuated—Caitlin loved that word—with Spike and Caitlin knew first-hand that relationships couldn’t survive let alone exist when the other person wasn’t returning the affection. A relationship without love was like toast without butter—dry and hard to swallow.
Yeah, she liked that one. Maybe she’d shove that one in Nadia’s face next time she brought up her love for Spike. She loved her cousin, but the Spike obsession thing was getting on her nerves. Nadia kept showing her the poems she was writing, but in all honesty, they were bad. Not that Caitlin would hurt Nadia’s feelings on purpose, but she didn’t think her cousin had what it took to write poetry. Even lyrics for songs wouldn’t hire Nadia to write them.
Caitlin liked that one too. Maybe she should be the one to write poetry. She seemed to have more flair for it than Nadia.
Or maybe she was just as bad.
Didn’t matter.
At least she wasn’t the one infatuated with Spike.
Caitlin looked at the clock in the change room; she had to hurry. She dried herself, then slipped back into her regular clothes and beat it out of there to fetch her books from her locker for the last class of the day, her favourite.
English.
* * *
Nadia didn’t particularly care for science. The fact that it was a mandatory part of the curriculum didn’t seem fair, since she had no desire to ever become a scientist. Whoever used anything that was taught in this class?
Except maybe geeks.
And she was nothing like those losers. Why did they all look so weird and . . . nerdy? They didn’t wear cool clothes, had stupid haircuts, and were so boring to talk to. All they cared about was school and homework and science projects.
Specially the projects.
It’s like it was the highlight of their lives to make some twisted science whatever, like they didn’t know that being too smart wasn’t good at all for your personal life. You’d think that being so smart they’d know that, but when it came to being popular, smart kids were kind of dumb.
She could hear her mom just now, telling her to buckle up and pay attention, that you didn’t get anywhere in life without working for it. It was exactly what Granddad said to her all the time—because he still wanted Mom to drop everything and come run his company. But her mom didn’t do what her dad asked, so why should she?
Because you’re a kid.
That didn’t seem fair. Besides, she was a teenager, not a kid. She had rights. It was her life.
“Nadia, please put your phone away,” Mrs. Brower said.
“I was just answering my mom.”
“Maybe I should send your parents a reminder not to text during school hours.”
“I’ll tell them.”
Nadia saw her teacher look at her dubiously, but she didn’t care if Mrs. Bower knew she’d lied. Let her send a note home. Nadia would figure a way to make it seem like her teacher didn’t like her, and she was just texting Caitlin back a
nd it was really Caitlin’s fault for not obeying school policy.
Will this class ever end?
I’m so bored.
What? A quiz? Like now? Like right now? That’s not fair. Mrs. Bower never said anything about a surprise quiz.
The girl in front of her passed down the quiz sheet. Nadia glanced at it and it might as well have been written in German. None of it made sense. Had they actually studied this?
“You have twenty minutes.”
Nadia felt the breath of her mother on the back of her neck. She was going to go ballistic when she learned that Nadia got a big fat zero on this quiz; something else her mom was going to be disappointed about. Seemed this year Nadia couldn’t do much right. It wasn’t her fault, it was these stupid hormones. Everything had changed this past summer: her boobs got huge, her butt got curvy, and it seemed like her brain got smaller.
Like really tiny small.
Nadia stared at the quiz and she wanted to cry. She had no idea how to answer any of the questions. When had they learned this stuff?
She was so grounded.
Like forever.
* * *
Nadia and Caitlin were in the kitchen raiding the fridge when Mathieu came in from his workshop in the garage.
“How was school, girls?” He washed his hands in the sink. “Bet you two can’t wait for Christmas break.”
“It was fine,” Caitlin said when Nadia didn’t answer. “And I’m looking forward to the break. Two weeks of sleeping in and no homework.”
“And Christmas gifts to sweeten the pot.”
“Nice cliché, Dad.”
Mathieu eyed his daughter. “Anything wrong?”
“No,” she said. “Cait, let’s go to my room.”
“Bye Uncle Matt.”
Mathieu watched them go upstairs and wondered what was going on with Nadia. She’d always been such an easygoing kid, but lately she had become a sullen teenager. It worried him. Since he and Lori-Anne had never been able to have more kids after Nadia, they’d both tried to have the best relationship with their daughter that they could, while still being responsible parents.
He hoped she wasn’t in trouble. Neither of them.