Their Broken Pieces by Jessica Gomez
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jasmine
As promised, Andrew picks me up at six. Lucky for me, Molly’s in the room too and throws herself at him, regardless of that I’m standing right next to him. He doesn’t completely reject her either, as he turns on his one hundred-watt smile and reciprocates some of her flirtations.
A breath rushes from my lungs, releasing some of my annoyance. I couldn’t care less if they like each other, but tonight, and the rest of this week, Andrew is going to help me avoid and forget about Alex, but now, I also see an opportunity to piss little Miss Molly off, too. I’m going to take care of two problems and enjoy one of them.
“Andrew, are you ready?” He turns his attention back to me. His eyes are ravenous when he answers.
“Yes, I am.”
The bruises on my lower legs and outer arms are healing well. Only shadows of yellow marks remain and are easily covered with foundation. Andrew’s attention to detail is almost nonexistent, so the slight blemishes will go undetected.
Tonight, I put my new swimsuit on under my very high-cut shorts. The material is not quite cloth, but the kind that makes a swishing noise when you walk. They lace up and tie like a shoelace in front. The shirt I chose has sleeves because some of the buckle marks that litter my back also mar my shoulders. My shirt is white and red, and it reads Aloha, Bitches! In colorful letters on the front. I have to admit; it makes me laugh every time I read it. I went with flip-flops tonight since I figured we’d end up somewhere on the beach.
“You look nice tonight,” Andrew says as we exit the hotel.
“Thank you. So where are we going tonight?” Even though I’m not into Andrew, I’m excited about tonight. I’ve never been out on an actual date before… this will be my first.
“I can’t tell you that.” His smile is warm, a promise of things to come.
We walk a few blocks before Andrew takes my hand in his, wrapping our fingers together. It feels wrong, like it doesn’t belong. His palm is moist, nothing I want to touch, but to salvage the night, I don’t pull away.
The sun’s on its way down, ready to warm the other side of the world. Hawaii is magic, no matter where you find yourself. The constant aroma of the salty ocean is enough to keep me outside all day. It’s more than that though, the breeze feels different here, rejuvenating and calming; helping me forget all my problems… well, most of my problems.
Jace would’ve loved it here. Hawaii makes me wish he were here more, something new to experience with him. All our firsts together remind me this is another first without him.
Just thinking about Jace raises my spirits, driving me to be wild and carefree. The words, think of all the trouble we could get into here, Jazzy, rings through my head, as if Jace whispers them directly to me, encouraging me to have fun and go crazy. If only for just this week, I’m going to forget all my cares; there’s nothing I can do about them here, anyway. I need this break if I want to feel some semblance of normalcy.
Andrew brings me to a small diner, holding approximately ten seats, max. They constructed the small building like a hut, with long palm leaves covering the top to make the roof. They sealed the walls with mud to keep the cool air in. It’s charming.
There’s a table set up outside, covered with a white cloth, candles, and a bottle of sparkling cider. The seats are metal but have cushions to make them comfortable.
Andrew leads me to the table and pulls my chair out, guiding me with the tips of his fingers. Once I’m seated, he takes his seat across from me.
“This is beautiful. Thank you, Andrew.” I’m being sincere. This must have taken some planning on his part.
“I’m glad you like it.” He pulls the menus from under our napkins. “What do you feel like eating tonight?”
My heart sinks slightly, wishing there was more between us; that this could be real. I pick up my menu and suck it up. “I’m not sure yet. You?”
He says nothing.
He continues to study his menu, only speaking again once he’s found what he’s ordering. “I’m going with the ribs.”
Since we’ve arrived, my hunger has stayed dormant. I missed breakfast and only ate a few fries for lunch. You’d think I’d be starving, but none of the food sounds appetizing, so I decide on something light and order a salad. When nothing sounds good, a salad is always a safe bet.
After we order our food and the server takes our menus, and I take a long drink of water. The sun is only a sliver on the horizon, burning fire on the water’s surface hundreds of miles in the distance, and I think of how nice it would be to swim in that warm water.
“Here.” Andrew pours me a drink. “I brought something to spice things up… get us started early.” When I look at him with a puzzled expression, he holds out a flask.
“I’m not sure if that’s…” Jace’s words ring through my mind again… “Think of all the trouble we could get into, Jazzy.”
“All right.” I hold my glass out eagerly. I’m going to do something different for a change and step out of my shell.
“That’s the right attitude.” He pours a fair amount of clear liquid into my glass, then raises his glass to clank against mine. I notice our glasses are uneven, his only half full.
“Cheers. To a fun and unforgettable night.”
I can see that he’s eager for tonight, but he’s going to be disappointed. If I’m honest, we’ll mess around because I want to experience a sense of intimacy, but there’s no way I’m sleeping with him. Especially since I can barely stand his company.
“Cheers.” I clank my glass to his and down the entire drink.
Andrew chokes and laughs. “Thirsty, Jasmine?”
I smile, trying to lighten my mood. “Very.” My voice is low and seductive, and I receive a glorious smile for my effort.
“Want another?”
“Yes.” He fills my glass higher than the first. I mix in the cider and take another big swig, this time only drinking half.
“You feel all right?” Andrew asks, pulling off a partially concerned expression. I ignore his question and try to keep the conversation going.
“How was the rest of your day? What’d you do?” His daily activities are of little interest, if at all, but the topic is a void filler until our food arrives. I find keeping up with his babble isn’t easy, as a slight buzz from the alcohol kicks in.
I finish the rest of my drink, and Andrew is there to provide the next. Once our food arrives, I’m extremely buzzed. Since I’ve barely eaten anything, the alcohol is probably affecting me more because of it.
They provide fresh bread with dinner, and I eat as much of it as I can, trying to soak up some of the liquor.
By the time we finish eating, I’m so full, I’m afraid I’ll burst. I’m also slurring my words.
“Someone’s already ahead of the party.” Andrew smiles as he helps me to my feet. “Did you have a good time?”
Feeling free and numb from the liquor, I smile up at him. “I had a great time. Thank you.” I slide my arms behind his head and lean up to meet his lips.
“Mmm. Maybe I should take you out more often if this is the thanks I get.”
His tongue slides into my mouth. Luckily, I’m drunk enough that it doesn’t bother me. We stand next to our table kissing until the server coughs, trying to get us to move so she can clean up our mess.
We break apart, smiling and laughing. “Come on,” Andrew says, pulling me toward the hotel again.
“Where are we going now?” The hotel is the last place I want to go. I want to stay out and have fun.
“Molly and a few of her friends are meeting a bunch of guys at a bonfire, down at the beach behind our hotel.” Thinking about hanging out with Molly makes my head spin, but I’m feeling agreeable at the moment.
“Sounds fun.” I take his hand tighter in mine as we make our way toward the beach.
When we arrive, things are in full swing. People are dancing around the fire and laughing. I know some seniors, not personally, but they used to hang out with Jace. They’re nice enough, waving and saying hi as we pass.
Molly glares daggers from across the fire. She wants Andrew, bad; I can tell by the ravenous reflection in her eyes. Being drunk is creating a monster because I want to piss her off, so I grab Andrew’s hand tighter, and pull him to a stop. He glances over, questioning the sudden pause. A smile quirks, and he understands, pulling me close. Letting go of my hand and wrapping his arms around my body, he kisses me. His lips are warm but rough, aggressive. If no one was around, he’d throw me down and have his way right here.
When he leans back, my face is flush. I scan for Molly, but she’s gone, tired of watching the show. Plenty of other people have taken her place, though, watching us go at it.
“You want to go swimming?” Andrew asks, pulling down on my shorts, caressing the skin under my waistband.
“Not right now, but I would love another drink.”
“Your wish is my command.” He bows dramatically and pours his flask into a plastic cup.
I chug it as fast as the others. As the night goes on, we’re laughing and dancing around the fire with everyone else. This crowd isn’t as bad as I thought they were.
“What are you doing?” Andrew laughs as he stumbles into me, throwing me off balance. He’s been drinking, but not enough to make him stagger.
“Being free!” I yell loudly, not caring what Andrew’s game is at this point.
He laughs again as his hands roam my body, pulling my back to his front and asks, “You want to go down by the water so we can be alone?”
There’s no hesitation. I want to keep my mind free of worry. “Yeah.” I pull on his shirt to follow me as I lead him down to the water’s edge.
His hands find my waist when we’re a few yards away from the water. His fingers spark a tingle, but it’s not a shiver of lust or desire… almost a warning, that small voice of reason trying to fight through the fog. His hand slides up the back of my shirt and I squeeze my eyes closed, hoping he doesn’t notice the small marks from the belt buckle, but I needn’t worry. He only cares about pawing.
One hand dips down my shorts and cups my bare ass, while the other snakes its way up the front of my shirt, under my swim top. I suck in a breath, surprised. My inner voices are debating on whether I should continue, the sense of wrongness overwhelming. I rein in the urge to flee and push against him instead, egging him on. He pulls his hand out of my shorts and pulls up on my shirt. Since I have a swim top on, I figure it’s not a big deal, and let it happen.
Once he removes my shirt, he undresses, leaving only his boxers. “You want to go for a swim?”
Coming down from the last drink makes getting into the water the last thing on my mind, so instead, I sit in the sand.
“Not right now. You got anything left in that flask?”
His smile is mischievous. “Refilled it before we headed down.” He hands it over, sitting next to me in the sand, taking a couple of gulps. “Easy, Jasmine. You’re going to make yourself sick.” He pulls the flask from me and replaces it with his lips.
I lean back against the cool sand, and he takes it as an invitation. He lays himself on top of me and my hands trace his body. His hands roam up and down, touching everywhere but below the waist. He reaches behind my neck and unclips my top, pulling it down to expose my breasts, and I hesitate. Do I want this to go this far? My body is screaming, but the logical, still functioning part of my brain is telling me this is wrong. Andrew’s not the one I want here with me, touching me, sharing the most intimate aspects of myself. Trying to erase what I want from someone else is wrong.
Andrew’s mouth moves to my neck, then down to the top of my breast. Goosebumps rise on my skin, and I’m so caught up in this feeling that I don’t want him to stop. A battle is raging inside, and the alcohol isn’t helping. When Andrew’s mouth finds my nipple, my insides jump with anticipation. It feels so good. His hand slides in the front of my shorts, and I panic. I know where he wants this to go, and even though I’m wasted, I know that’s not what I want.
“Wait, Andrew. I can’t do this.” I give him a little push.
He’s too into groping and moaning while running his fingers all over my private area to hear.
I push harder. “Andrew.” My voice is more urgent. “Get off!
This time, I know he hears me because he looks right at me. “You want this,” he says and starts kissing my neck again.
“No, Andrew. I don’t.” I continue to push at him, but I get nowhere, he’s much stronger.
He grabs my arms and pins them above my head. “You want to get rough?” he asks. “We can do that.”
He’s strong enough to hold both wrists with one hand and the other roams over my still exposed breasts. My swim top is missing, stripped completely somehow.
“Andrew! I said stop!”
When his hearing fails again, instinct kicks in, and I knee him in the balls. He groans deeply and rolls to the side. Scrambling back, I grab my shirt and pull it over my head.
“Jesus, Jasmine! I was only messing with you. I thought you were playing around.” How could I have done this? I’ve officially become a tease.
“What was it about the word NO that you didn’t understand!”
I take a moment to look for my swim top, but my vision is blurring. I already have a shirt, so I leave, but the hotel is the last place I want to go. I’ll continue this party on my own.
“Come on, Jasmine. Don’t be mad.” He’s still holding his crotch.
“Fuck off, Andrew. Just give me your flask.” Surprisingly, he does as I say.
“I’m sorry, Jasmine. Please don’t tell anyone.”
I glare at him for a moment before I say, “Oh, come on, Andrew. I know the alcohol was a ploy to loosen me up, and I shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did. I just wanted to make out, something I’ve never experienced, so I take full blame. But you… you knew what you were doing. You had every intention of having sex with me, and getting me drunk would make it easier for you.” I’ve said my peace, so I stumble away and down the beach.
“Jasmine, you shouldn’t be wandering around drunk!” Andrew calls to me when he can finally stand.
“Kiss my ass, Andrew!” I yell back and laugh as hard as I can, taking another pull from my new best friend.
Andrew shows me his true colors when he doesn’t pursue, or call after me again. My heart constricts; a part of me is disappointed, wishing he cared enough to come after me. Wishing someone cared enough.
I stumble my way down the beach, losing my left flip-flop somewhere between the hotel and my current location. Annoyed with having only one, I kick the other off to the side, while making some sort of kung fu noise, “Heee-yaaa.” That’s another good thing about Hawaii, you never have to wear shoes. In fact, it should be illegal.
I laugh at myself and take another swig. I don’t know how much I’ve had to drink on an almost empty stomach, but I’m feeling light, happy, and carefree. Walking back and forth from the sand to the warm ocean water; the spray kicking up in my face when it laps against my shins.
I sing out loud. The song is a little demented; I have to admit, but Jace and I used to sing the Freddy Kruger song when we were little during hide and seek. It was our way of trying to spook each other. We loved scary movies.
“One, two, I’m coming for you.” I echo in a scary voice. We took out Freddy’s name for convenience.
“Three, four, you better lock your door.” My voice changes to an upbeat kid’s song as I skip. “I’m coming for you, Jace.” I’m going to play imaginary tag with my brother one last time.
“Five, six, grab your crucifix.” I’m laughing and can feel him closer to me than I have in a long time.
“Seven, eight, you better stay up late!” I twirl down the beach, splashing in the water, soaking my clothes.
“Ready or not, here I come! Nine, ten, you’ll never sleep again… because I’ll pour cold water over you while you’re asleep!” I say fast. I laugh so hard that I double over, remembering the time I dumped cold water on Jace while he slept. We used to give a reason after the song of why you would never sleep again, always being a silly prank we would pull on one another.
Jace had said one time, “Nine, ten, you’ll never sleep again… because I’m going to draw on your face.” He did, and with a permanent marker, writing the word loser on the side of my temple. Luckily, I got it off before school started a couple of days later.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are, Jace!” I yell as loud as I can.
I’m dancing around to the music that’s playing in my mind, but then I realize that it’s actual music coming from a group of people a few yards down from me.
I couldn’t care less. For once in the last two years, I feel free. I want to sing, dance, talk to myself. I want to live again, even if it’s just tonight.
A voice startles me when he asks, “Hey, baby. Out for a stroll?” He circles like a predator, causing my steps to pause. When I stay silent, he takes that as a cue to continue. “You could get hurt out here drunk and all alone.” A finger trails down my arm.
I stare at his hand as it drops back to his side. “It’s all right, because I’m free tonight,” I say, as if that explains everything. I take a drink from the flask while I watch this newcomer, wondering why he looks familiar.
He stares at me. Well, not at me, but my soaking wet shirt. I’m grateful it’s dark, because otherwise, my shirt would be completely see-through, nips and all.
“Yes. You. Are. You want to party?”
My gaze travels up and down. He’s not who I want. “No. I have my own party.” I hold out the almost empty flask and shake it around, sloshing some of the liquid.
“Are you sure?” He steps into me, attempting to wrap his arms around my waist.
I’ve had enough of guys trying to get their dirty hands on me tonight. “I’m sure, so get your hands off of me.” I try to sidestep him, but he blocks my path.
His face changes from polite to irritated. “A fine ass mamacita like you should be taken care of.” He acts as if those sincere words should seal the deal.
The expression I give him says he’s stupid, which only further insights his annoyance. I don’t know when to quit, so I tell him, “Chingar tu Madre.” Go fuck your mom. Yes, I know some pretty raunchy stuff in Spanish, just not enough to hold a civilized conversation. Thank you, Alex, for that one.
He’s extremely pissed… steam practically coming out of his ears. I laugh at his expression, which resembles someone eating volcanic peppers. “That was the wrong thing to say, puta.” He steps up to me like I’m a man and he’s about to knock the living daylights out of me.
“Whatever.” I fling my hand up, brushing him in the face with my fingers as I walk past, closer to the rest of his group. Tonight I’m not afraid of anything; liquid courage, I think they call it.
“Get back here.” He grabs my arm and jerks me so hard I feel it through my torso and cry out in pain. “You think that hurts? You wait…” He’s in the process of pulling me closer, when out of nowhere, someone dashes in front of us and knocks him to the ground, fists flying.