Tears of the Broken (26 page)

Everyone at the table stared at him.

David looked down at his plate, and his lips made a tight
line. I’m sure we’re thinking the same thing: Oops,
that
distinction has not
yet been made.

“
Girlfriend?” Emily asked me, her brow creasing with
curiosity. “So, it’s official?”

I
deferred my tension to the milkshake in hand and sipped through the
straw. How do I deal with this one? Everyone’s waiting for
my
response. David sat
incredibly still, barely breathing and certainly not speaking, so I
nodded, “Yeah, it’s official,” and squeezed his hand.

David exhaled.

I
hope it’s okay I said that.

“
Hey, that’s really awesome, man. Congrats.” Ryan reached out
and they shook hands, punching their knuckles together at the
end.

My
cheeks and chest flooded with heat, and a pathetic girlie giggle
threatened to leap out from my lips. It’s official. It came about
in the most unusual way, but as of now, I’m his girlfriend. And
that means I’ve just landed the most amazing and sweet guy I’ve
ever met.

David Knight is finally mine.

“
I
knew it,” Emily practically squealed, her eyes alight. “I just knew
she’d be the right one for you, David.”

“
Well, I have only been waiting for her all my life—she was
bound to come along sooner or later.”

Everyone made a cheering-yet-that’s-totally-lame noise at
David’s mushy statement. He nodded and wrapped his arm around me.
With my forehead pressed against the side of his jaw, and the
warmth from under his arm on my shoulder, the sharp, sweet scent of
his cologne became so much stronger—a musk scent, like Brut, not
the orangey-chocolate one I usually smell. Perhaps he wears two
different deodorants.

“
Guess that just leaves you, Em?” Ryan said.

Emily leaned on her hand and looked across the room. Then it
hit me. She’s a perfect match for Mike. She’s exactly his
type—sweet, cute and blonde. Maybe if he falls in love, I can
convince him to move to America. “Emily?” I leaned around David. “I
have a friend coming over in a few weeks. Mike. He’s
really
cute? You should
meet him?”

“
He’s cute, is he?” David raised one brow.

“
Actually, yes. He is.”

“
When’s he coming? Is he from Australia?” Emily leaned further
around, forcing David to sit back a little.

I
nodded. “Tell you what? Why don’t you come have a sleepover at mine
next Saturday and I’ll show you some pics.”

“
Yeah? I’d actually really like that.” She smiled.

“
Cool. Alana, you wanna come, too?” I asked, allowing myself
to feel the excitement of a normal teenager for a
moment.

She
looked at Ryan and smiled, shrinking into herself a little more.
“Um, yeah, if Emily doesn’t mind?”

“
Mind? Of course you should come. Hey, I’ll bring a movie,
yeah?”

“
Yeah, and I’ll get a pizza,” I added.

“
Better make that two,” Ryan joked, “otherwise the girls’ll go
hungry.”

“
Funny.” I smiled, rolling my eyes.

“
Okay, I’ll bring the popcorn,” Alana said, shyly.

“
Great. It’s settled then.” And I’m actually
excited. Mike will be, too, when I tell him. In fact, this has been
a great day. The best ever. In a way, I’m kinda glad my dad so
cruelly forced me back to school this week, because I have new
friends now and my horrible past is no longer a burden I solely
own. But best of all, David likes me enough to want me as his
girlfriend. In fact…
love
. Love is what he
said.

I
looked sideways at David, flouncing his hands around in the air as
he explained the size of the pizza he ate last night. He doesn’t
know it yet, and I’m not ready to tell him, but I love him,
too.

Not
in the way he loves me—like a friend—but
real
love. The kind of love you hold
for someone you want to marry.

The
phone rang twice. I waited impatiently, tapping my fingers on the
desk.

“
Hey
Ara,” Mike spoke over a loud, static sound.

“
What you doin’?” I asked.

“
He’s playing a death-match, online, with me,” another voice
said very clearly into the receiver.

“
Oh,
hey Josh.” I laughed, wincing. Lucky I didn’t just blurt out my
news the second Mike picked up.

“
Hey
Ara. How’s things, what you been up to?” Josh asked, half
distracted.

“
Well, actually. A lot. That’s why I called,” I said in an
eager, soprano voice.

“
Hang on,” Mike said. “I’ll just de-link the phone line from
the headsets.” I heard a noise, like someone tapping a fingertip on
the lid of an empty tin, and a bleep followed, making the slight
static in the phone line recede, leaving a clear, quiet hum. “Okay,
Ara, I’m alone now. How you doin’, kid?” Mike has a very sexy
voice—deep and a little husky, yet kind of flowing.

“
Well, actually, I’ve been waiting up all night for you to get
home so I could call you. I’ve got good news.”

“
I’m
listening.”

I
paused for dramatic effect. “I’m having a sleepover next
weekend.”

“
Really?” he dragged the word out.

“
No,
I was kidding, what’d ‘ya think?”

“
Well, that’s great. Are you gonna talk to the girls about
what happened—with your mum?”

I
shook my head, looking at the reflection of my glittering grin in
the window. “Nope. Don’t need to.”

“
Ara? Are you telling me that you actually opened up and
talked to someone?”

“
Mm-hm.”

“
Who?” Mike asked. “Was it your dad?”

“
No,
it was David.” I’m still mad at Dad for telling David about my mum,
and I haven’t yet decided if I’m talking to him again.

“
Yeah? The guy you like?”

“
Yep.”

“
Well, come on, fill me in, then?” His voice glided in that
husky smoothness that can only be Mike’s.

“
Well, it turns out that he already knew.” I sighed, rubbing
my forehead. “He spoke to my dad before he even met me.”

“
Well, that’s cool. Especially since he
still made friends with you—even though you were
sure
everyone would hate
you.”

“
I
know. I feel a bit strange about having someone know.”

“
Why? Ara, does he still like you?” Mike asked,
unperturbed.

“
Actually, that’s why I’m calling. We made
our relationship
official
tonight,” I beamed.

Mike
went quiet. “Ara, what did you do?”

“
What? Oh, no, not like that, Mike.” I laughed, waving my
hands about.

Mike
breathed out loudly. “So, like what, then?”

“
As in he said the word
girlfriend
.” I can’t help but to
grin.

“
Well, that’s really cool. I’m glad there’s someone lookin’
out for ya.”

Gee,
he could’ve sounded happier. “There always has been, Mike. You’re
still my bestie.”

“
I
know, but I’m not there and you sound serious about this guy, Ara.
Pretty soon I’ll be old news.”

“
Will not,” I said. “Besides, I have a friend you might
like.”

“
Ara, don’t play matchmaker. I don’t wanna
be dealing with girls when I come over. I’m coming to see
you
, not go on dates.
All right?”

“
I’m
a girl.”

“
You
know what I mean.”

“
She’s blonde. And cute,” I offered, my voice rising in
question on the end. “She’s the one I’m having over next weekend
for a sleepover. I’m gonna show her some pictures of
you.”

“
Well—” his voice dragged, “I do like blondes, but not dumb
ones.”

“
Oh,
no, don’t worry, she’s definitely not stupid. But don’t get ahead
of yourself, Romeo. She might not even like you. You’re not that
good looking.”

“
Are
you kidding? I’m a hunk.” He laughed.

I
smiled. “Yeah, I’d pay that. But it takes more than just good looks
to get the girl.”

“
Well, how ‘bout my charming personality and witty sense of
humour?”

“
Might work.”

“
Worked on you.”

“
Not
funny, Mike.”

“
Sorry. I take it back. I didn’t mean it like
that.”

“
Whatever. Anyway. You don’t need to worry about me now, okay.
I’m doing well. I’m still not fine. But I’m okay.
Today.”

“
I’m
glad, kid. You could use a bit of okay. But—” a long, stretching
groan sounded down the phone line;I pictured him straightening his
arms out behind his head and rolling his spine, “I’ll be there
soon, and then you’ll be all better.”

“
Don’t flatter yourself.”

He
laughed for a second, then became all stern, “But, seriously, Ara?
Please don’t set me up with this friend of yours? I’m in a
difficult place right now when it comes to matters of the heart.
I’d rather not drag anyone else into that. Okay?”

“
Sure thing.” I know he’ll change his mind when he sees her,
though.

While the night had played irrational images of dreams that
made no sense, the morning brought a fresh vibrancy that I thought
no longer existed. I drew a lungful of crisp, dewy air, and
smoothed my hands over the unruffled bedcovers on top of me. I
can’t remember the last time I slept that soundly—or woke without
being tied into a momentary knot of feathers and cotton.

A
flash of a green horse and a floating doorknob—the only remaining
memory of last night’s adventures with the Sandman—forced a smile
onto my lips. It was good to have normal dreams for a
change.

Leaping out of bed with the hint of a skip in my step, I
threw open my curtains, pushed my window up, then sank my iPod into
its dock and pressed play on the Cleaning-my-room
playlist.

The
motion of lifting each pile of dirty clothes, strewn shoes and
unused pillows stirred dust motes around the room; they rose up
from the cream-colour carpet in soft whorls, and swam around in the
morning sunlight.

How
can today be so perfectly sunny when yesterday, before I cried at
school, before the lake and before David and I talked, I felt like
my life was one big storm?

The
fresh scent of Mr. Warner’s cut grass next door, and the lemony
fragrance of Vicki’s bathroom cleaner, mixed with the sound of a
vacuum being used down the hall, sent a warm pang of calm through
me.

Hm,
I think I’m starting to feel normal—a little.

But,
a sudden racket of high-pitched yowling instantly shattered that
sentiment; I dropped my clothes to the floor and grasped my
windowsill as I peeked into the yard. Skittles?

High
in the old oak tree, the fat, grey cat swayed from one side to the
other, his legs flailing in an attempt to reach his front paw and
free it from its fix in the branch.

Is
he actually stuck in the tree? “Stupid cat.” I laughed as I burst
through my door and ran down the stairs to save him.

“
Hey
princess.” Dad smiled. “Where’re you running off to in such a
hurry?”

“
Vicki’s dumb cat’s got itself stuck in the tree,” I
said.

“
Ara
to the rescue, is it?” His voice carried out into the formal lounge
room as I pushed the back door open and leaped off the porch,
landing on the soft, dewy grass.

I
stopped dead in front of the swing. Where’d he go? Okay, that’s
weird. Maybe he just fell down and ran away. I spun around a few
times. I at least need to make sure he’s okay. “Here, kitty,
kitty,” I called. Where is he?

“
He’s right here.” David stepped out from behind the tree,
with a sassy grin on his lips, holding a very frightened and
sorry-looking grey fluff-ball. Skittles’ tail thrashed about in
long, snake-like lashes and a low growl hummed in the back of his
throat.

“
Oh,
my knight in shining armour.” I clasped my hands together beside my
jaw. “You saved my baby.” I took Skittles from him, then squeezed
the tip of the cat’s paw to eject his claws and inspect for
blood.

“
He’s fine.” David stood beside me, stroking Skittles on the
brow. “He’s just a little embarrassed, I think.”

Becoming increasingly peeved-off, the cat tugged at my arm,
trying to rise from his cradled position. “Settle down, kitty,” I
said, then looked up at David. “So, how did you get to him so fast?
I mean, you weren’t here a second ago?”

“
I
was standing right there when you looked out the window.” He
pointed to the sidewalk behind the hedge fence. “I waved. You just
didn’t see me.”