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Home / YA/TEEN / His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea / Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

All Chapters of His to Ruin: Breaking Chelsea : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

162 Chapters

011

UNEXPECTED TOUCH~CHELSEA~{Playlist suggestion: "Shelter" by Birdy}Dr. Chen left twenty minutes ago, his face a mix of concern and resignation. He'd helped me get Kade to the training room, examined the knee, and given him a stern lecture that Kade had pretended to listen to."Ice. Rest. No weight on it for forty-eight hours," Dr. Chen had instructed, looking at me instead of Kade. Like somehow I'd become responsible for making sure the stubborn idiot followed directions."I'll make sure," I'd promised, not sure why I was getting involved at all.Now we sat in awkward silence, Kade on the padded examination table, me on the rolling stool beside it. His leg was propped up, an ice pack secured around his knee with an elastic bandage."You don't have to stay," Kade said, breaking the silence. "I can call Denver to pick me up."I checked my phone. My shift had officially started fifteen minutes ago, but the main building could wait a little longer."And let you try walking to the parki

012

NIGHT ROUTINES~KADE~{Playlist suggestion: "Haunted" by Taylor Swift}I didn't expect to start looking forward to my late nights at Crawford Elite.But here I was, glancing at the clock again, counting down the minutes until I knew she'd arrive. Chelsea Lynch. The cleaning girl with eyes that cut straight through my bullshit.My knee still hurt from last week's mishap, but I'd followed her instructions…mostly. The swelling had gone down enough that I could walk without wincing. The tape she'd applied had stayed on for three days, exactly as long as she'd told me to leave it.The gym was empty tonight except for me. I kept my training light—just some upper body work and careful stretching. No need to risk another lecture.At precisely 11:30 PM, I heard the soft squeak of her cleaning cart in the hallway. My heart did that weird skip thing it had started doing whenever she was near. Annoying."You're still here," she said, pushing through the double doors. Not a question. An accusatio

013

KINGSTON MANOR~KADE~{Playlist suggestion: "Castle" by Halsey}Kingston Manor loomed against the night sky, all stone and glass and pointed accusations disguised as architecture. Every window blazed with light, burning electricity just because they could. Dad's way of announcing to the world that Kingstons never sat in darkness.I pulled up to the circular driveway, hating how the familiar tension settled on my shoulders. The valet….a new guy… approached my car with the practiced smile of someone paid well to pretend the rich aren't assholes."I've got it," I said, handing him my keys. "Just park it close. I won't be staying long.""Yes, Mr. Kingston."Mr. Kingston. Never just Kade here. My identity was squeezed into the family name, like being a person wasn't enough.I glanced down at my clothes….training shorts and a Crawford Elite t-shirt still soaked with sweat. My father would hate it. Which was exactly why I hadn't stopped to change.The massive oak front door opened before I

014

VENOM~CHELSEA~{Playlist Suggestions: "Take Control" by Zola Jesus}The bass pounded through my bones as I navigated the crowded floor of Venom, tray balanced carefully above my head. Saturday nights were always chaos…the worst shift for tips, the best for drama. I'd traded with Zoe for this particular torture because Chase needed antibiotics that insurance wouldn't fully cover. Another sixty dollars in my pocket meant another week without panic."Three tequila sunrises, one vodka cranberry," I announced, setting the drinks down at table eight.A man in a business suit grabbed my wrist. "This isn't what I ordered."I pulled away, keeping my voice level. "You ordered a vodka cranberry.""I said vodka ‘soda’." His words slurred slightly. Already drunk, and it was only eleven."I'll fix it right away," I said, reaching for the offending drink.He snatched it out of reach. "Don't bother. But I'm not paying for your mistake."The familiar anger burned in my chest. I could argue….I knew

015

UNEXPECTED SAVIOR~CHELSEA~{Playlist Suggestions: "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish}The night was spiraling faster than I could control. One more complaint and I'd be out of a job—a job I desperately needed. I returned to the floor with my stomach in knots, scanning the room for Valerie's next attack.I didn't have to wait long."Oh, Chelsea!" Her voice cut through the music like glass, deliberately loud enough for nearby tables to hear. "We've been waiting for our food for ages. Is incompetence part of the uniform here?"I checked my watch. Their order had been in for exactly twelve minutes. On a packed Saturday night."The kitchen is running a bit behind," I explained, keeping my voice professional. "I'll check on your order right away.""Please do. Some of us have important places to be." She exchanged smirks with her friends. "Unlike the staff."I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood and headed for the kitchen. Javier intercepted me, concern etched on his face."You

016

MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS~KADE~{Playlist Suggestions: "Talk" by Coldplay}I watched Chelsea walk away, anger radiating from her like heat. The smart move would be to let her go. Head back inside. Rejoin the team. Forget about the cleaning girl with the sharp tongue and even sharper eyes.But I'd never been good at making smart moves off the field."Lynch," I called after her. "Wait."She kept walking, shoulders stiff under her worn jacket. The parking lot lights cast long shadows across the cracked asphalt."Chelsea."That stopped her. I rarely used her first name.She turned slowly, her expression guarded. "What now?""Let me drive you home." The words came out softer than I intended."I already told you...""Your car's not starting." I nodded toward the ancient Honda she'd been heading toward. Even from here, I could see someone crouched beside it, removing the wheels."What?" She whipped around, disbelief quickly changing to despair. "No, no, no..."She broke into a run toward her ca

017

SHADOWS AND SECRETS~KADE~{Playlist Suggestions: "Way Down We Go" by KALEO}I wasn't sure what I was doing as I quietly closed my car door and followed Chelsea's path around the corner. This wasn't like me. I didn't stalk girls through dark neighborhoods in the middle of the night.But something about the way she kept looking over her shoulder bothered me. The caution in her movements. The tension in her body that never quite went away.I kept my distance, staying in the shadows between streetlights. The neighborhood wasn't what I'd call dangerous...not by city standards, but it had an edge to it that my part of town lacked. Graffiti marked building walls. Security bars covered first-floor windows. A group of men huddled outside a corner store, passing a bottle in a paper bag between them.Chelsea walked with purpose, her pace quick but not rushed. Like someone who knew exactly how fast they needed to move to avoid trouble. Not running, which might attract attention, but not daw

018

THE STOLEN UNIFORM~CHELSEA~{Playlist Suggestions: "Trouble" by P!nk}Monday nights were usually quiet at Crawford Elite. Easy money for simple work. But as I stood in front of my open locker, staring at the empty space where my uniform should have been, I knew tonight would be anything but easy.Gone. My navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants were gone.I checked the locker number again. 47. My locker for the past eight months. I tried the neighboring lockers, thinking maybe I'd mixed up the combination in my exhaustion. But no—locker 47 was definitely mine, and it was definitely empty except for my street clothes and an old protein bar."Looking for something?"I turned to find Maria, the day shift supervisor, watching me with barely concealed amusement."My uniform," I said. "It was here this morning."Maria shrugged. "Laundry service picked up some items today. Maybe yours got mixed in by mistake."I knew a lie when I heard one. The laundry service came on Wednesdays, not Monday

019

TRAPPED TOGETHER~CHELSEA~{Playlist Suggestions: "Breathe Me" by Sia}The storm hit Crawford Elite like a freight train.I was finishing my rounds in the main building when the first crack of thunder shook the windows. Rain hammered against the glass so hard I thought it might shatter. The lights flickered once, twice, then went out completely.Emergency lighting kicked in, casting everything in an eerie red glow. My phone's flashlight helped me navigate the hallway, but I knew I needed to check the gym building before I could call it a night.The wind howled as I made my way across the courtyard, Kade's jacket pulled tight around me. I'd meant to return it after my shift, but he hadn't come back to the weight room. Now I was grateful for its warmth as the storm raged around me.The gym's emergency power was working, but barely. Half the lights were out, and the ones that worked flickered constantly. I made quick work of checking the main gym floor, then headed toward the storage

020

BONDING~CHELSEA POV~{playlist suggestion: Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift}The simple question opened up a wound I'd tried so hard to keep buried. In the darkness, with a door between us, it felt safer to tell the truth."Your father's company laid off three hundred people six years ago. My dad was one of them. We lost our house, had to move to the worst part of town. That's when everything fell apart.""I didn't know.""Why would you? You were probably getting fitted for designer clothes while we were shopping at thrift stores."I expected him to get defensive, maybe walk away. Instead, he was quiet for a long moment."You're right," he said finally. "I was sheltered from all of that. My father made sure I never saw the real cost of his business decisions.""Must be nice, having that kind of protection.""It wasn't protection. It was willful blindness. And it's made me complicit in things I never even knew were happening."The honesty in his voice surprised me. Most rich kids I'd met

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