Their Broken Pieces by Jessica Gomez
Chapter Forty-Eight
Jasmine
My heart is racing. Escaping from the parking lot without seeing Alex is a tremendous relief. My only downfall is coming home to Margret, which is like coming home to a night of terror.
I’m on the porch for twenty minutes before I go inside, deciding to face my fate with should back, and head held high.
Thirty seconds after the door closes, the shuffle of feet sounds from the second floor and draws closer. Without a visual, I know it’s Margret… that’s her purple pill shuffle. She stumbles down a handful of steps before giving up to stop and stare. Trying to concentrate on my face when she says, “Why are you coming home so late?” Her drunken finger is attempting to point at me, weaving a web in the empty air in front of her.
“I’m just getting back from the senior trip. The plane landed about an hour ago.” My voice is upbeat, trying to avoid any conflict.
She appears confused. “Is the school year almost over?”
Are you kidding me? Did she even notice that I was gone?
“No. We went at the beginning of the year this year.” I straighten the strap on my handbag.
“Oh,” she says, turning around and heading back to her lair.
“Welcome home, Jasmine,” I say under my breath in a fake, cheery voice.
My father has been asleep for hours, or I would have visited him first thing after arriving home. By the time I unpack, it’s past midnight, so I climb onto my soft, familiar bed and sit cross-legged.
I feel different… wiser, stronger. The last time I sat in this spot I was lost, sad, and lonely, but at this moment, I’m none of those things. The minuscule time I spent with Alex taught me many things. Love, romance, trust, passion, and heartbreak. These things helped warp the person sitting here now.
My smile is gigantic, thinking that if our lives were less deranged, Alex and I could be together. His behavior and flirting with that girl are all ploys to extract me from his life, thinking he’s done me a favor by ending things abruptly.
And it worked.
Forgiving him for how he ruined what was supposed to be one of my sweetest memories is something that’ll take time, because he stole that perfect moment, tarnishing our love.
Life will move on. It always does, whether or not you’re ready. We’ll play his game; the game that he decided was more important than our time together. Deep down, I know the truth. He loves me as much as I love him. I don’t for a second believe that everything from this week was a lie, but if this is what he truly wants, then it’s what I’ll give him… a life without me in it.
It’s crazy to think that our brief relationship was more real than most people experience in their lifetimes.
By one in the morning, I’m cuddled under my blankets and teetering on the edge of consciousness. There are three days until school ensues, so that gives me three days to forget all about Alex Navarro.
Yeah, right.