Unbreak the Broken by Phoebe Jacobs -COMPLETED-

October

Skyler

It's Saturday noon. I hop onto the concrete bench that rests on one side of the skatepark. I come to the skatepark on most Saturdays. Not because I like to skate, I have no clue how to skate. But it's usually quiet here, so I can read a book in peace. I hear some people approaching and look up over my book. It's just a group of teenagers who want to skate. I continue reading as I don't know them. The skate park isn't anything big. It's behind one of the big gymnasiums in our little city. It has a few barriers and skate ranks covered in graffiti. I'm deep into my book as someone plops down beside me. I look up and freeze completely. It's the boy, it's the boy. I stare at him for a minute while he scans the skate park, then he turns to me. He smiles. "Skyler, right?" I nod nervously. "I'm Jonas," he says and holds his hand out. Jonas. My heart is pounding in my chest. I never talk to boys, besides my brother, but that doesn't count. Besides he's never home anymore. He's 'out with friends', but I know it isn't true. When I was ten, he started spending an awful lot of time in his room. Went out all the time. I wasn't bothered at first, but I lost my brother even though he's still here. He's just not himself anymore. I realize Jonas is still holding out his hand I quickly take it and he shakes it gently. I look at the words scattered on the pages of my book and then close it. Is this a trap? Is this some plan from Charlotte? "We're from the same school, just to clarify, I'm not some freak," he rattles quickly. He lets out a 'heh'. I nod. "You can talk, you know." I nod again, then stiffen. "I know."

"You want to do something?" he asks. "With me?" he adds.

I blink a few times. "Like, right now?" I ask shy. "Yeah." He smiles a polite smile at me and gets up on his feet. He holds his hand out to me. I hesitate for a bit, but I take it and follow him. I let out a small smile.

It's a little later and we're walking through the park in the center of the city. Even though we're begin October, the sun is out and doing a great job at producing heat. All the girls are walking around in their crop tops and tennis skirts and their cute tees and high-waisted shorts. And I'm over here with my black long-sleeved shirt that covers even my hands and my black leggings with dirty ankle boots. "Aren't you dying of heatstroke yet?" he laughs jokingly. My heart flutters once again. Why is he asking this? I eye him. Why is he asking this as even he is wearing long sleeves? "I have a cold-," I rattle. "So, I'm feeling... cold?" I give myself an imaginary facepalm. Stupid, stupid, stupid. We walk over a small bridge, but he pauses in the middle. He leans onto the bridge's edge and gazes at the water, I go stand beside him and follow his gaze to the water where fish are swimming peacefully. "Beautiful, right?" he asks, still looking at the water. I nod and say a short "Yes." And we continue walking.

The screen of my phone lights up as I press the button on the side. It's almost three. That's been like one and a half-hour of awkward walking with Jonas. He tries to make small talk, but I just can't keep conversations going. But still, I'm starting to settle down a bit, get comfortable around him. There's loud noise all around us from the town's Saturday Market. I fiddle with my sleeves and walk slowly beside the tall boy. I come to a stop as my phone vibrates in the pockets of my sporty black leggings. The screen lights up, and I read the words carefully: 'Go kill yourself already!" I freeze, like a statue. My feet get rooted into the ground as I read those words repeatedly. "You okay?" Jonas' voice shakes me back into the real world. I look up at him. I shove my phone back into the pocket where it came from. "Yeah," I smile. "It's my mom, she wants me home."

"Oh," he simply says. "Well, can you write down your number on here? Maybe an address?"

I smile a fake smile and write down my phone number and address onto a small notebook he got out of his dark blue jeans. "Don't go stalking me though," I joke, he laughs, and then I laugh too. A genuine laugh. "I won't."