All Your Fractures

Two.

"It's gonna be okay,"

No it wasn't.

5:20 PM

5 minutes was pardonable. 10 minutes came with a punishment, its degree depending on her mood. But 20 minutes... he might as well get a coffin ready. He shouldn't have let Israel coax him to stop for shawarma...

The 5th house on Carmine Street, that was where Jesse lived. It was also the root of his deepest fears. Looming high, towering and threatening, it waited for him to walk in so it could chain him inside again and suck the life out of him. In his head it felt like one of those haunted houses, with a storm loud and noisy crows and a barbed fence.

But it looked so normal.

The lawn was neatly mowed, the fence painted white, his sister's aloe veras grew in the flowerbed beside the wall, the scent of something burning wafted from a window, and a Toyota was parked in the driveway.  Inside, Jessika was probably pacing with the old cat in her arms, waiting for him to come home. His mother was probably on the couch. Her hair combed to perfection. Still in her work outfit. Rigid. Paranoid. Eyes darting here and there awaiting the outbursts.

"Hey," Israel squeezed his shoulder. "I'm here. You're alright."

Jesse snorted, getting off the bike and taking the helmet off his head. "You just get better at lying,"

"Hey hey, don't falsify my words. You're gonna walk in there, go up to your room, and blow me a goodbye kiss from your window."

"Amen brother,"

Israel smiled, a million twinkles danced like diamonds in his blue eyes. "I'll be waiting."

He walked in and closed the door behind him. The anticipated yells didn't come. Jessika was nowhere to be found, but his mother was there. Sitting at her desk, the laptop on in front of her, her eyes wide and unblinking. Soft snores came from her throat. She'd been doing it a lot lately; falling asleep with her eyes open. It was beginning to get disturbing.

He wasn't sure why Jessika wasn't home yet, but he sure was happy about it. He strode up the stairs into his small sanctuary, dropped his bag next to the bed and unlocked the window, pulling it up and leaning out. In blew a fresh fall breeze, and he breathed, letting it clear out his mind, dismissing the knowledge that the freedom he was feeling was only fleeting. Soon, she'd be keen on his every twitch.

Israel was still there, the sun disappearing in his jet black hair. He looked up, squinting as the wind blew against him, lifting up his unzipped jacket and whipping his hair around. Their eyes found each other and he smiled so brightly he shamed the autumn sun.

"You made it!" Like diamonds in his eyes. Beautiful. Jesse wouldn't be able to drop his own smile no matter how much he tried.

"Do I get my kiss?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Go away before she sees you," Jesse shooed, glancing around the street.

"Jeez, what an ungrateful brat. I'll put it on the IOU list! Sayonara, watashinoai!"

Jesse ultimately regretted teaching him how to say that. He watched him get unto the chopper, shoot him one last smile, and then he was gone. And Jesse was already missing him.

He shut the window. The chills went up his spine before he heard the voice that caused them. Her presence alone was a hammer to his shattered spirit, and right after some of the pieces had been glued together.

"I bet he's fun."

Now, the glue was gone. And she was back.