Tears of the Broken (15 page)

At
least it’s not so hard to choose underwear. I hung my towel over
the rail in the bathroom and came back to the wardrobe to make a
final decision. I think I’ll go for my light denim shorts and a
pink singlet top. Casual enough, and it goes with my Skechers…I
just have find the damn shoes first.

Staring down at my clothing rug, lined with shoes and towels
and other various things that shouldn’t be on my floor, I dropped
my hands onto my hips and huffed loudly. They could be anywhere. I
can see my ballet flats, but they won’t go with these
shorts.

As I
lifted a sweater and a pair of jeans and threw them into the empty
washing basket near my dresser, my stomach growled
loudly.

I
might have to go to school bare-foot if I don’t hurry up. I
certainly can’t go without breakfast—somebody could get hurt, or at
the very least…eaten alive!

Ah-ha! There’s one. I leaped over my clothes pile and landed
on my knees to grab my shoe out from under the bed. I’m so glad
none of my new friends asked to come over my house yesterday. I
don’t know what I would’ve said; “Um, gee, sorry, you can’t because
my room looks like my wardrobe caught gastro and threw up all over
it.”

I
flopped onto the floor and slipped the lone shoe on, then smiled
when the other one came into sight beside my dresser.

“
Okay.” I stood up and dusted off my hands. “Watch out
world…Ara-Rose is out of bed, today!”

After breakfast, I grabbed my schoolbag and headed out the
front door—the same journey I made yesterday, with the exception
being, today, I’m doing it because I want to. “Bye,
Vicki.”

“
Have a great day, Ara-Rose,” she called from the
kitchen.

“
It’s just Ara,” I called back in the same tone. Dad smiled as
I passed him in the entranceway. “See ya, Dad.”

“
Want a ride to school, honey?” he asked, then sipped from his
travel mug.

“
Dad?” With one brow arched, I pointed to the oval. “It’s
right there.”

“
Yeah, but I have to go ‘round the front, so I drive
sometimes. Well, most of the time, actually.”

“
Wow, that’s so lazy. You should walk, it’s better for
you.”

“
I’ve got better things to do with my time,” Dad
joked.

“
Oh,
really? Like what? Working on that heart attack you’re trying to
have?” I nodded toward his cup, which we both know is full of
coffee with way too much cream and sugar.

He
saluted me with the mug and took another sip out of it, then shut
the front door. I guess that means ‘discussion closed’. I’m right,
though—he knows that.

My
conceited smirk washed away when a low growl sounded from the end
of the porch. Skittles, with his fluffy grey tail thrashing about,
sat curled into a small, porcupine-like ball, hissing and snarling
at something across the road; I followed his evil-kitty
stare.

Is
that…David? “Psst!” The cat startled to silence when I stomped my
foot on the floorboards. “Shut up, Skitz. I need to concentrate.”
I’ve never seen a guy standing there like that before. It
could
be David, I mean,
he is tall and dark-haired, but the morning sun is too bright to
see his face properly. My eyes squinted against the glare. I’m sure
that’s him.

The
chill in the pathetic version of the summer air encased me as I
leaped off the porch and onto the grass, then walked closer to the
edge of the street with my eyes narrowed into pin-sized curiosity.
There’s no way that boy could be anyone else. I’ve never seen a guy
so—so,
beautiful
I suppose is a good word.

He
smiled at me, and I looked away, feeling butterflies jumping, like
frogs, into my chest. Yup. It’s David, all right. And look at that,
I don’t even need to move my feet—I think I’m floating toward him.
Oh boy, he looks so sexy in that shirt—it’s similar to yesterday’s,
but dark-grey, and suits him almost too much. If you combine that
with the fact that he has a black and silver guitar case by his
feet, you’ve got yourself one hell of a top ten most eligible
bachelor contender.

Okay, Ara, hormone control—two steps to go, don’t freak the
poor guy out. “Hi David.” Too chirpy? That was too
chirpy.

“
Hello Ara.” He took my backpack and tossed it over his free
shoulder. “You look beautiful today.”

My
chin nearly touched my chest as I studied my ordinary outfit. Not
nearly as beautiful as he is. I looked back up at David—at the
golden tones in his hair, highlighted by the bright morning sun.
“Thanks,” I said, “you too.” Oh, man. I didn’t mean to say
that.

“
What, this old thing?” He grinned mischievously, holding out
the collar of his shirt.

“
Uh,
yeah, sorry—forgot to put my brain-to-mouth filter on this
morning.”

“
That’s okay.” He winked at me. “I like it when a girl speaks
her mind.”

He
dropped his shirt back onto his chest, and my eyes stayed there. I
want to reach out and touch it, just to feel if he really is as
perfectly toned as he looks through that shirt.

“
Ara?” David said.

“
Hm?”

“
Stop biting your nails.” He pushed my hand down from my
mouth.

“
Oh.” I stuffed both hands tightly into my pockets. “Didn’t
realise I was.”

After a soft smile, he started walking. “I know. You do that
a lot.”

“
I
know.” I grinned sheepishly, then pointed to his guitar case. “What
kind of guitar is it?”

“
Oh,
uh—” He looked down at the case. “It’s a Maton. Twelve
string.”

“
Nice.” I nodded as a long yawn crept into my mouth and forced
it open as wide as a snake eating a cat.

“
Did
you sleep last night?” David asked.

“
Actually? I did. For the first time in months.” I smiled, but
dropped it instantly, realising my response could be bait for more
questions. Please don’t bite.

“
You
don’t normally sleep?” he bit.

“
Uh.
Well. I um, I stay up late,” I answered quickly. I need a subject
change. “I have a friend in Australia.” This is good. This is
normal. I can talk about normal. “He’s coming to visit in a few
weeks.”

“
He
?”

“
Yes.
He
. I grew up with him. He’s my best
friend. I think you’d like him.” Assuming we’re still friends in a
few weeks.

“
Did
you go to school with him?” David kept his eyes forward.

“
Not
really. I mean, he was a few years ahead of me in primary school,
and then I went to an all girls’ high school.”

“
How
many years ahead?”

“
A
little over three.”

“
So…he’s twenty?” David asked.

“
Yup. Twenty one, in May, actually.”

David nodded. I wonder if he’s jealous. If he does like me,
maybe he would be. I would—if it were the other way around. It
feels kind of creepy to be thinking like that, though.

“
What about you?” he asked. “When’s your birthday?”

“
What, you can’t guess that by studying some random feature of
mine?” I said sarcastically. I still haven’t forgiven him for
leading me blindly into music class yesterday.

“
Well, I could find out for myself—if I wanted to. But I’d
rather ask you.”

“
Well, when you put it that way…March seventeen.”

His
eyes narrowed slightly. “Pisces, huh?”

“
Yup.”

He
chuckled and shook his head. “That explains a lot.”

“
Hu!
What do you mean by that?”

“
Hey-you-two.” Emily, in her light denim jeans and pale-blue
cardigan, waved before we reached the top of the stairs.

“
Hey
Emily.” I waved back, swallowing my infuriation at David’s
comment.

“
Good morning, Emily.” David nodded in that cool, charismatic
way he does when he greets people, but when Ryan and Alana came out
from inside the school, David frowned.

“
What’s wrong, Ryan?” I asked, noticing the solemn twist
masking Ryan’s usually wide grin.

Emily turned around to look at them and her smile faded,
too.

“
It’s Nathan, guys,” Ryan said.

“
Who’s Nathan?” I asked.

“
Oh,
right. Sorry, Ara, you wouldn’t know about this, but, he’s our star
quarterback—he took ill last week and hasn’t been able to get out
of bed,” Ryan said.

“
Oh,
that’s awful. What’s wrong with him?” I asked.

“
Well, at first they said it was a really bad flu or
something, but my mum just spoke to his mum in the supermarket.”
Ryan looked at David. “He’s had to go to hospital, man. They
couldn’t keep him at home any longer.”

“
What? No?” Emily covered her mouth. “Is he going to be
okay?”

“
They’re not sure. He’s on machines and stuff to keep him
alive, but the worst part? Mrs. Rossi? She doesn’t have insurance.
She doesn’t know how she’s gonna pay the hospital
bills.”

“
Are
you all good friends with Nathan?” I asked.

“
Everyone is—he’s just one of those guys, y’know?” Ryan
added.

David’s fist clenched slightly and he closed his eyes for a
second.

“
Well, why don’t we do a fundraiser?” I shrugged. “We could
put on a concert and charge people to come—then, the money could go
to Nathan’s mum for his hospital bills.”

As
if a light bulb had been switched on, they all looked up at me with
a shimmering glint in their eyes. “Oh, my God, Ara.” Emily grabbed
my forearm and started bouncing on her toes. “That’s such a good
idea.”

“
Yeah, good one, Ara.” Ryan grinned.

Even
Alana mustered a half smile. “We could ask Miss Hawkins to
help?”

“
The
school principal?” I asked.

“
Yeah? She’s pretty tough, but if she sees a student showing
initiative she’d jump over a fire to help,” Ryan said.

Emily rocked back on her heels. “Well, it’s settled, then.
I’ll have everyone meet us in the auditorium at lunch if they want
in.” She went to walk away, then stopped. “Way to go,
newbie.”

My
cheeks flushed with heat. Ducking my head a little, I looked at
David and noticed a kind of smile I thought belonged only to me—the
kind of tight-lipped grin you wear when you’re gritting your teeth
underneath. “David?”

He
looked at me as he bent down to pick up his guitar case, his arched
brows prompting my question.

“
Are
you okay?” I asked.

With
a soft smile, the edgy concern lifted from his face and he nodded.
“Yeah, sure. I’m fine.”

While Miss Chester went on about our lesson, I drew pictures
of eyes all over my notepad—sad eyes, smiling eyes, secretive eyes,
but all of them
David’s
eyes—not that they really looked anything like
his.

When
the big hand on the clock sat at three minutes to lunch, my eyes
fixed on the classroom door. I wonder if David’s out there in the
corridor yet. I mean, he’s walked me to every class today, just
like yesterday, so there’s no reason he wouldn’t walk me to lunch,
too, right? I tapped my pencil on my page anxiously. Hurry up,
bell. I want to see him again.

Almost as if it obeyed my command, the bell wailed loudly and
the class broke into noisy shuffles as they disappeared out the
door. It still amazes me how they all just get up and walk out
without being dismissed. I tucked my books under my arm and pushed
my chair under the desk.

“
Ara?”

“
Yes, Miss Chester?”

“
Can
I talk to you, please?”

I
swallowed and looked out into the corridor—to freedom—to David,
leaning on the locker with his hands in his pockets, looking down
at his shoes. I hope he waits for me. “Is something wrong?” I
picked at a bubble in the plastic cover on my textbook as I stood
by her desk.

“
No,
just wondering how you’re doing?” she said softly, busying her eyes
on the papers in front of her.

“
Doing? Uh…I’m…fine.”

“
Just so you know—” She looked up at me with
her pale lips forming a smile against her milk-white skin. “I’m a
good friend of your dad’s. If you need to talk—at
any
time—I’m always
available. Okay?”

I
smiled politely, hugging my books a little tighter. “Um,
thanks.”

“
Okay, and, Ara?” she said as I turned away.

“
Yes.”

“
Try
to pay more attention in my class.”

“
Okay.” I nodded and headed out to meet David, who stood up
from his lean as I stepped into the corridor.

“
Everything all right?” he said.

“
Yeah. Fine. Why?”