Broken Bonds (Unbreakable Bonds #1)

Chapter Three

chapter three

CELINE

“Class has been canceled for the rest of the week,” Ryan said ten minutes later, lowering the music he’d been blasting since we got in the truck.

I startled, looking over at him as he switched lanes, muttering something under his breath about slow drivers. “What? Why?”

“The hurricane, idiot.” Oh, right.

I heaved a tired sigh. “Forgot. It’s been a long day.”

Ryan grunted. “It’s still small—hasn’t changed since Dad mentioned it at dinner, but I guess the school wants to take precautions just to be on the safe side.”

“Well, that’s not too bad. We can hunker down at home and binge Friends.” We passed by a gas station. All of the pumps were taken, and the line of cars that were waiting to get inside was on the road. One would think people were used to hurricanes coming through and not buy up all the gas and all the nonperishable items in stores, but nope.

“A lot can change in a few days, Celine. We might have to leave.”

Peeking at his gas meter, I noticed he had only half a tank. “You might want to pull in for some gas then. The lines are only going to get longer.” The gas station I could see down the street wasn’t in much better condition.

Ryan scoffed. “You know, this isn’t my first hurricane.” Nonetheless, he still put his indicator on when we neared the next gas station.

“And your asshole friend—what about him? Surely, campus will be sending everyone home?”

“Mom said he can stay with us.” He shrugged like it was simple. I grimaced. “And he has his own apartment, by the way.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to be in close proximity with Ace like that. “Why can’t he just stay there then?” Even I could hear the bratty tone to my voice. Ryan cut me an annoyed look.

“It’s his first hurricane. Mom said he shouldn’t be alone in case we lose power. Why do I have to explain everything to you?” He huffed. “You aren’t a child anymore.”

“How could you do this to me?” I demanded, suddenly feeling betrayed. Ryan knew Ace and I didn’t get along. Why would he subject me to spending God only knew how long under the same roof with his jerk of a friend?

“What do you mean, do this to you? He’s my friend, Celine.”

“He’s an asshole, Ryan. And now you want him to stay in our house!”

Ryan looked fed up with me, but oh well. “Exactly, Celine— our house, not yours. Stop being a brat for once in your life and be nice . He has nowhere else to go! He has no family!” My gut churned, and I suddenly felt like shit at his words. We were at the pump now, and Ace was pulling up next to us on his red bike with that stupid, green Mohawk helmet. He couldn’t hear us arguing, could he?

“What do you mean, no family?” I turned back to Ryan as he got out of the truck, quickly slamming the door to end the conversation. I frowned, glancing back at Ace for a moment. He paid me no mind; I sighed.

I turned the music up as Ryan filled the tank while talking to Ace, the two leaning against the tailgate. Ace went into the store a minute later and came out holding two red gas cans. Ryan filled those too and put them in the bed of the truck.

When he got back in the cab, he lowered the music with an eye roll. “You’re going to blow my speakers like that.” Jesus—he’d just been blasting the music even louder, but I was the one who was going to blow his speakers?

He put the car in gear and pulled out of the gas station, Ace following closely behind.

“What did you mean by no family, Ryan?” I asked again.

Ryan sighed, tightening his fingers around the steering wheel, not looking at me. “I didn’t mean to say that. Don’t you dare say a word, Celine.” He threw me one last glare before turning up the music again—even louder than I’d had it.

Blow my speakers, my ass .

“What’s the update on the storm?” I asked the next day, yawning after a long day of work with Dad, Ryan, and, unfortunately, Ace, who had been invited to come help and earn a few hours worth of pay. I took a bite of the spaghetti Mom made with a loud slurp, and she shook her head, shooting me a scowl.

“They’re estimating in a day or two—plenty of time, hun,” she told me. “I’m waiting for the eleven P.M. advisory to decide if we’re staying or going to Georgia.” Ryan and Ace had stopped talking and began listening to our conversation. Honestly, the two of them hadn’t shut up all day . Not hearing their voices for a moment was nice.

“You think we’ll need to leave? It’s only a category three right now.” I looked between my parents. Mom was sitting next to Dad, and they shared a look, doing that weird nonverbal communication thing they did, before turning to the three of us.

“They’re predicting it will become a category four by the time it hits the Bahamas. It might lessen before it hits us after making landfall, but that’s unlikely,” Dad said.

Oh. It’s going to be bad.

I took a sip of my soda, processing that information. I glanced in Ace’s direction, only to see he had gone deathly pale.

“Don’t worry, man,” Ryan said, clapping a hand to Ace’s shoulder. “You can come with us. We’ll put your bike in the garage, and we’ll go in my truck,” Ryan assured him, but Ace still looked a bit shaken. Why? Traveling north to Georgia would be a pain in the ass with traffic, sure, but Mom tended to make it like a mini-vacation. So, it wouldn’t be terrible.

Ace just nodded and ate the rest of his food, but he didn’t say much the rest of the evening.

“Celine, can you go to the beach house today and check that everything has been brought inside? Oh, and see if we have any food and water there while you’re at it. I remember leaving a couple cases of water in the pantry,” my mother told me as I walked into the kitchen the next morning, still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

It was too early for this.

“Did you and Dad decide about leaving?” I asked, making myself a cup of coffee.

“No, not yet. The advisory hasn’t changed much. We’ll decide in an hour or so; you need to hurry.”

I sighed. “Okay, I’ll be quick. I just have to shower and fill the Jeep with gas.”

“Oh, that reminds me—” I barely resisted rolling my eyes because what now ? “Please fill up the extra cans. I bought another two yesterday.” She smiled softly when I grimaced and nodded my head.

“Guess I’ll be at the gas station all day.” Mom laughed, shaking her head at my over-dramatics as Ryan stumbled into the kitchen with Ace in tow, both looking like walking zombies. I ignored them both and trudged up the stairs with my cup of coffee in hand. Ace eyed me for a moment but then proceeded to ignore me, too.

After showering and going through my usual makeup routine, I was in my car on my way to the gas station. As expected, the line was onto the main road, so I took my place behind a red truck, the tailgate filled with empty gas cans. I sighed, resting my forehead on the steering wheel. People like this guy were the reason gas ran out so quickly during storm prep.

Thunder rumbled, and I looked up. Gray clouds filled the sky, and it started to drizzle when there were only four cars left ahead of me.

While filling up the tank, I saw the eleven A.M. advisory had been released, and as my mom predicted, the storm was growing—rapidly. It was now a category four. Seconds later, my phone dinged with confirmation from my mom that we would be going to Georgia tonight.

Mom wanted to leave by six tonight, which meant between driving and checking the beach house, I would have little time to pack. Just great. Why couldn’t she have sent Ryan and Ace instead to take care of the beach house instead of me? Or at least sent them with me?

I finished filling up the two gas cans and quickly made my way back onto the main road, where people were flying by in panicked chaos. With a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, I did my best to make it to the beach house safely, which was a task in itself with people cutting me off, pulling out in front of me, and just driving like reckless, panicked assholes.

I made it to our beach house forty-five minutes later and parked on the long drive. I saw some of the outdoor furniture had been left outside and a few other small things hadn’t been packed away into the two-car garage. I grimaced, stepping out into the rain. The waves were already crashing against the sand, raging as the winds angered it.

By the time I finished moving everything, sweat was dripping down my face. The sky had gotten increasingly darker, and the water along the coast was getting choppy. I ran around, checking that every window was closed. I should probably take time to put up the hurricane shutters, but I didn’t have much time left.

Rushing into the pantry, I found the water and a few nonperishable food items Mom wanted me to grab. I put them on the counter and started loading the Jeep just as it started to really pour outside. Every trip outside drenched me more and more until my blonde strands were clinging to my face and my makeup was running down my face.

After locking up and running to avoid getting soaked even more, I started to creep out of the driveway… for a mere second. A thump reached my ears, and then the Jeep start to pull to the right. My hands shook. This wasn’t happening. This could not be happening. Not right now!

“Oh God, no!” Jumping out into the pouring rain, I stared in horror at the punctured tire. “No!” I shouted, glaring up at the crying sky as my chest tightened with panic.

My phone started ringing in my pocket, and I answered, thanking God it was my mother, only to instantly regret it.

“Where are you?!” She was already screaming. I hadn’t even managed to say, “Hello.”

“Still at the house, Mom! I’ve got a flat tire!”

“We’re getting ready to leave, Celine! What the hell was taking you so long? Change the tire and get home before we get trapped here!” I could hear her desperation through the phone. She didn’t think I wanted to change this damn thing so I could get out of here? She and Dad had never taught me to change a tire, claiming I didn’t need to know since they could just pay someone to do it for me.

Now look at me. Alone with a flat tire and no knowledge of how to change the fucking thing with a hurricane threatening to bear down on me.

“I don’t know how, Mom, remember?!” I cried out, feeling helpless. I could hear Ryan talking in the background, asking for the phone, and my mother was arguing with him.

“Celine, Ace is in the area,” Ryan told me, managing to wrestle the phone from our mom. “Do you want him to come help you?”

I grimaced. “Not that asshole. I’d rather walk!”

“Celine, it’s either him or do it yourself!” Ryan snapped at me. “Now’s not the time to be a bitch, yeah? You’re right on the fucking water!”

“You ass!” I snapped. “Call him.” I didn’t have much of a choice, and I knew it. If I wanted to evacuate and not be trapped in a house mere yards away from the beach, I had to take whatever help I got, even if it came from my older brother’s asshole of a best friend.

“Whatever. Stop being a brat.” Ryan hung up, and I got back into the Jeep, putting the heater on. I was shivering in my now-soaked clothes. How had my day turned to complete shit so fast?

My phone dinged a minute later with a text from Ryan.

Ryan: Ace will be there in 10. Don’t be a bitch!

Me: Screw you, Ryan.