Them's The Breaks Novels & Stories

The city lights blurred past the window. Marcus sat in the backseat— silent. Not relaxed. Not calm. But focused. Because something about this felt… too easy. Emily asking to meet? After everything? After the chaos, the exposure, the pressure? His fingers tapped slowly against his knee. “She broke too fast…” The thought came— but he ignored it. Because Marcus believed one thing more than anything else— People always broke. Especially Emily. “Location?” he asked. The driver answered immediately.

Dixon. "I thought we weren't allowed to talk on school grounds?" I asked. "Wow! A rule-breaker sticking to a rule? Now that's a first." I rolled my eyes and kept my arms crossed. "I was just following your command." "You're a rule-breaker, aren't you? I knew you'd talk to me eventually, so I just beat you to it." He laughed, taking a seat right beside me. "At least I break other people's rules. But you? You broke your own rule. That's pathetic," I retorted, glancing sideways at him.

I broke up with Andrew as fast as I could. I returned every gift he had ever given me, packed my things, and moved out of the apartment we had shared. In the shortest time possible, I cut every tie between us. However, to him, I was just being dramatic. He kept coming after me, complaining again and again. "Over one experiment? You're really breaking up with me over that? I already bought the diamond ring. I was going to propose to you, and this is how you treat me?"

Mira elbowed him without taking her eyes off Ethan. Ethan’s tone sharpened: “They think this is when we break. When we turn on each other. When we panic. When we beg.” A few people lowered their gazes in shame — they had been moments away from doing exactly that. Ethan leaned forward, voice softening. “But we don’t break. Not today.” He saw shoulders straighten. Chins rise. The first sparks of defiance bloom. “We don’t break because the sky is louder. We don’t break because someone wants us afraid.

So brief it might have been missed. But we all see it. And that— That confirms it. “It’s breaking,” Matteo says. “Yes.” The word hangs in the air. Not as a failure. As an inevitability. Because nothing stays perfect. Nothing stays fixed. Not forever. “What happens when it breaks completely,” Matteo asks. I don’t answer. Because I don’t know. Because this isn’t something we’ve seen before. Because we forced this state. And now— We’re about to see what happens when it fails.

The rune shattered with a sound like breaking glass. The pain cut off abruptly. I collapsed to my knees, breath coming in ragged sobs. Hands were on me instantly—Myron’s burning hot, Timothy’s cool and steady, Kael’s trembling like he was afraid to hurt me. “Easy,” Timothy murmured, voice breaking. “Breathe. I’ve got you.” I clutched at them, all three, unable to stop shaking. “They tried to break it. The bond. It—it fought back.”

"The doctor said she just needs to rest." "Good to hear." He watched me packing and frowned. "You're not really leaving over a necklace, are you?" A necklace? I stopped and looked at him. "In your eyes, that was just a necklace?" "That's not what I meant…" He looked flustered. "I know it was important, but it's broken. We can find the best craftsman to fix it. There must be some magic that can repair it perfectly…" "Repair it?" I laughed, a cold, empty sound. "Austen, some things, once they're broken, stay broken."

In his time as a True Crime writer, Byron had interviewed many people, many of them disturbed or troubled in some way. In these interviews, he would often run up against what he called The Breakdown, to the point where, due to the pressures of telling him their story a person would hit an unknown well of feelings and just… shut down, usually in a maelstrom of tears. They always recovered but it was at a point that Byron always hated, even dreaded.

I told him with a small smile. "It's all good isn't it?" Jim asked a little worried. "It is great" I tap his shoulder "You'll be fine, just go out there and be you" I told him sincerely. "Thanks bro" Jim replied and then exited the room. ******** Emma's Pov "Thank Goodness you're here" I told mom as I hugged her "I look awful" I told her. "You look beautiful Em, look at you eight months gone" Mom exclaimed hugging me again.

He stressed on the last word. "You kinda bummed that back at the elevator," I replied mercilessly, "Too late." "Not you both ganging up on me. Blake yoóu just broke the bro code." "Which one of them?" Ehemmm! Alicia intercepted loudly, "Let's handle this first."