AFTER ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES: A SHORT STORY

LENNON

I press my thumb on the screen to end the half hour phone call with Silas and look at Jada, who is sitting on my bed with her legs crossed. She's leaning forward as if I have the best and juiciest secret.

"Silas doesn't think he wants to come back."

It's been two days since Kyler walked from San Antonio, Texas to Spring Hill. He refuses to talk to anyone except me or his sister, Macy. Silas, Austin, and Emmett are all waiting to see what will happen with the band. Without Kyler, they're just dust. There is no fire.

Silas has begged me to help.

So, I, Lennon Rae Davis am about to willingly get on a plane.

Yes.

I'm shocked, too.

But some things are worth fighting for—even if your biggest opponent is yourself. Kyler is one of those things. He's helped me believe in myself more times than I can count. It's time to return the favor.

I'm getting good at kicking my own ass. Kyler points it out all the time and he needs me. Not like the sun needs the moon, or the bees need the flowers or like he needs the very air he breathes, but he's forgetting to believe in himself and he needs me.

So, I, Lennon Rae Davis am about to willingly get on a plane. Never would have seen this coming. My father has use of a private one for work and has somehow, on a whim made this possible. That part kind of terrifies me, I'll admit. Aircraft mishaps are almost always some small and insignificant plane going down. But I'm flying to Springhill Texas, not through the Bermuda Triangle, so I remind myself of that.

"Ready?"

Jada grabs the pull of my small luggage as I throw my backpack over my shoulder. "Ready as I'll ever be."

As she's wheeling the suitcase from my room, she turns and gives me a smile so large, it could solar power a football stadium. "This is so romantic," she gushes.

We leave my room and when I come around the corner to the kitchen, Dad hands me travel documents with a wad of cash. "Have fun, be safe. Be smart. Text me when you land and when you arrive at the hotel."

"Got it," I say. "I will."

"Tell Kyler we said hi," Claire adds.

"I'll tell him."

I put my suitcase in the back of Jada's car and climb into the passenger seat. Not that long ago, I'd be panicking right now. I wouldn't have sat in this car, let alone allowed Jada to start and then drive it.

But I fought to sit in this car. I won this right.

He needs me.

I won't let him down.

I don't ritualize once. It doesn't cross my mind because I have laser focus. I just want to get to Kyler. My dad programmed Jada's GPS and we head to a completely different area of the airport. No United Airlines here. Only small, privately owned luxury tin cans with wings.

Jada parks her car and we both exit. We hug, and she pops the trunk, so I can get my bag. "Good luck!" She gushes. "You got this!"

I throw my arms around her. She's one of my truest, most beautiful friends. "I do. I got this."

I believe both of us.

I board the plane, which, as one may guess belonging to the huge corporation my dad works for, is more like a living room in the sky than a death trap with wings. I wait for a trigger. Something. Anything. A horrible dread to grip me and squeeze until I can't breathe but it doesn't. That's both new to me and a little strange. I'm not complaining. The less frequently my episodes happen, the stronger I feel. That's not to say I'm free and clear. They still happen. I mean, the freak out when my dad and Claire told me Kyler got into an altercation and was missing was well deserved. But nobody's perfect and normal is boring.