Broken

Chapter 11

"Thanks for letting me come over." Jean said. She kicked off her shoes and set them beside my bed along with mine. I flashed her a reassuring smile as I set my bag down on my chair by my desk.

"It's not a problem. It's my first sleepover with someone in forever." I told her.

Jean had asked to stay the night as her grandmother was out of town. I was going to ask her about her parents, but sensed that it was a delicate subject. She threw herself onto the bed, giggling. I watched as she stretched and clasped her hands behind her head, taking a deep breath.

"This is so nice." she murmured, a peaceful smile crossing her face.

I gave her a short laugh, tossing a pillow from my bean bag chair at her. "What, your bed not "bedy" enough?"

She sat up, clutching the pillow against her chest, crossing her legs under her. Her fingers played with the beaded tassels at the end. She shook her head, her red hair falling over one eye. "I sleep on the couch."

The confusion must've shown on my face because she laughed and scooted closer to the edge of the bed.

"Usually I stay with my grandma." she explained, swinging her feet over the edge. "She only has one bedroom, and her being as old as she is, she needs it more than I do. Besides, she lets me stay there for free even though I'm 18, so it's the least I could do."

I nodded. "That sounds like a pretty good swap."

"Oh you have no idea. Without her I don't know where I'd be." She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and the sleeve of her shirt crumpled at the end. I squinted my eyes, spotting a dark mark just below the bone of her wrist. She shifted and I lost sight of it. I shook my head, chalking it up to the shadows from the lamp.

"So, mind me asking about your parents?"

She went quiet, not looking at me for a moment.

"I mean, you don't have to. I was just-"

"No it's alright. If we're going to be friends, I want you to be involved."

I smiled at this, tucking a blanket around my legs.

"My parents are divorced." she started. "My mom moved away after it happened and I haven't seen her in nearly five years. I stayed back with my dad and let's just say we don't really get along."

"Which is why you're always at your grandmas?"

She raised a finger. "Bingo."

I nodded. The story was sad, but one you could expect these days. "Do you want to go down to the beach?"

The question surprised her, and I watched her gaze flick from me to the clock and back again. "It's past curfew."

I stood up and shrugged, slipping on my flip flops. I tugged on my jacket and walked to the window. "I think we could both use some air. No one will even know we've been there."

I saw the debate in her head before she nodded and proceeded to pull on her shoes. I opened up the window, the warm night air filling my room. I climbed out on to the roof and waited for Jean to follow before pulling it shut again. We climbed down carefully, landing in the grass below. We made our way across the street. The water was lit from the pale moon, the surface calm. I glanced down the shore to the house at the end of the street.

"You know, someone was watching me from that house."

Jean stopped, confused. She looked over to where my attention was pointed and I saw something in her face shift. "What do you mean?"