Broken. 
C   h   a   p   t   e   r      2

 

 ”Aw, but I don’t want you to leave!” Avi groaned dramatically. I rolled my eyes, but while I was trying to be discreet about it, I giggled. I don’t want to leave, either, but unluckily, it’s Tuesday, and I have high school tomorrow unlike Avi and Linda that have college classes in the afternoon.

“How about I give you my number, will that suffice?” I flirted. Really, i haven’t flirted with anyone since Max, but strangely, while I thought it was going to be awkward, it seemed natural. Cool. Like it was an instinct or something. He immediately took out his phone and entered my name in the ‘new contacts’. I did the same. I learned that Avi’s full name was Avi Rivira. We exchanged numbers. I switched it to my camera and took a few pictures of us, together, smiling, and set it as my contact. He wanted them, too, and so I sent them to him and we both had the same contact photo. I snuck a look over at his phone, he was still setting the photo and saving the contact, and my name had a heart next to it. No, really. I’m not even kidding you right now. It literally said, “Kayden Stiehl ♥”. So I started to fangirl.

“What’s wrong, Kayden?” he asked me, worried. Aww…

Nothing, I wanted to say. But this was overwhelming. I had just met this beautiful, gentle boy, with these... astonishingly color-changing eyes, and he was leaning right into my hideous face and he actually put a freaking heart next to my name.

“Nothing, nothing is wrong with her, Avi, she’s just… tired. I’ll take her home,” Linda said, picking up her keys. “Let’s go.”

I whimpered. Avi smiled, and gave me a quick (but magical) hug and he started locking up the shop.

Linda steered me towards the exit and I shoved her off me. Just because I can’t talk, woman, doesn’t mean I can’t walk! She shrugged, as if reading my thoughts and we were silent until we got into her car. But then, she turned on the radio, and I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift came on. We rocked out to it, screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs.

Once upon a time,
A few mistakes ago,
I was in your sights,
You got me alone.
YOU FOUND ME,
YOU FOUND ME,
YOU FOUND ME!

We danced and sang like crazy people all the way home. It was great… until, of course, I got home. I pushed the door, and entered the house. I didn’t really think it was fully appropriate to call it ‘my house’ or ‘my home’ because even Linda’s house seemed more like a home to me than the one I lived in.

“Where were you?” I stopped in my tracks. I wanted to get to my room before she encountered me. Mom was staring at me, though. No doubt about that. I sighed.

“Day before yesterday, whilst you were drunk, I told you that I’d be at the mall on Tuesday night, and you said yes, that that’d be fine as long as I paid for it myself,” I said.

“Why didn’t you wait until I was sober? You know that I would have wanted that!” she cried.

“You’re never sober.” “Oh, shut up will you?! Who cares about what you think? Nobody, that’s who. And I sure as hell don’t. I wish you were more like your brother. He did everything perfectly. He never screwed up, like you always do.”

I shook my head. “Oh, and are you disagreeing with me? You shouldn’t cause you know, I’m right. Aaron knew. Aaron knew just fine before you ruined his life! It was your fault!” She screamed. “It was your entire bloody fault that he’s dead!”

“I know, okay? I know! And do you think that I’m PROUD OF THAT?! NO! So stop! I know that you hate me! I know that I’m always doing things wrong! I know that I’m nothing you want! I KNOW!”