Angels Without Hearts

Chapter 4

My eyes shot open. It took me a moment to figure out where I was. Back in my room. James was sitting on the edge of the bed. Looking at the door, it was fine. No scratches, punches or pieces missing. "Are you okay?" James sounded worried. My mind was racing. Did any of that really happen? Was I dreaming it up?It had to be real. I was awake for all of that. "David tried to kill me. I jumped out of my two-story window to get away from him." He raised his eyebrow at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You called me saying that you wanted to talk. Once I came over, the door was locked. I had to use my key to get in. Then I found you by the staircase. You had a small bump on your head. You must have slipped and knocked yourself out." My hand felt around my head. On the back, there was a bump. I was confused. I know I'm not going crazy. Right? James touched my face. I got out of bed and headed downstairs. James followed me as I went into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and chugged it. My hands rested on the sink as my eyes gazed out the window. Looking at the perfect night sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. James took in a deep breath. "Jess." His voice was unsteady. As if he was walking on egg shells with me.

"I'm crazy, aren't I?" James fell silent. I chuckled. "I mean I have to be. I always think someone is trying to harm me. Mostly David for some reason." My hands started shaking. James took a couple steps closer. My hands grabbed my hair and started yanking. "Why am I thinking like this?" Tears formed quickly. "I want to be normal. Why can't I be?" His hand touched my shoulder. I cried a little.

He took a deep breath. "You are normal. You're probably stressed out. I know you've been missing your parents a lot. Today you found out the bank is taking their house back. You've had a lot on your mind. I know that you've been trying to keep it together. I get it. It's okay to be stressed." I turned around and cried into his chest. His hand rested on my back. He let me cry for a few minutes. James pushed me away, so I could face him. "Will you talk to me?"

I sniffled. "About what?"

"Your parent's. How they died." My heart dropped. I never told anyone what happened. I wanted to die with that secret. I shook my head. "Maybe talking about it will help you feel better." I didn't want to. My heart felt like it was being pulled every which way and direction it could be pulled towards. James helped me walk into the living room. We sat on the couch. He didn't say a word. Using my hand to wipe my face, my eyes gazed at the wall. There was a big picture of my family hanging over the fireplace.

Mom and Dad.

They were so happy. That was the last picture we took together. I didn't want another picture, but they insisted. I'm glad they did. It was on our summer trip to the beach. Right next to the old lighthouse on the island. My eyes met James's. "I can't. It's too hard..." More tears escaped.

James grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "I'm right here Jess. Take all the time that you need. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'm all yours."

I sniffled. His thumb ran up across my hand. What if he didn't want to be with me after this?

"It was a few days after we broke up. I was miserable. They could see it. They kept questioning me about it. Asking about school, my grades, you. I shut down and just refused to answer after a while." I wiped the tears away. "My dad had a business party coming up that weekend. My mom wasn't going to go because of me. But I insisted they go out and have some time without me." I held my breath. If I started crying, I'd never get through this. Slowly releasing the air in my lungs, more tears escaped.

"They booked a hotel in the mountains and left that Friday night. I had the number to the hotel and could call them. My mom said they would call when they arrived. Saturday morning, they called and said the business party started at 5. They would call again after they got back." My heart sunk in my chest. "They never made it back." My breath got heavier. James rubbed my back to calm me down.