Broken things remain broken(on hold)

Chapter 1

Audrey

            I open my eyes and immediately smile. It may be Monday but a marvelous thing happened just a mere week ago. If you didn’t guess it was that I graduated from high school! Yes I, Audrey May Jones, graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Now is my time to relax and enjoy the summer of my life. I’m an adult, I can come and go as I please (okay not really but still). Leah and I are going to live it up these three months before she goes off to the School Of Visual Arts in New York City in the fall. I, myself, am taking a break this year and am going to enjoy myself. I turn over and try to fall back asleep, why do I need to wake up this early?

I guess I did fall back asleep, and Leah wasn’t so happy about it. I wake up to my phone vibrating ferociously next to my head. 13 missed calls and 6 texts, all from her. “What?” I answer sleepily. “It’s eleven, get up and come out to breakfast with me,” she says. I sigh audibly, “Why can’t you ever let me sleep?” “Because I’m bored. Evidently, mother-dearest thought it would be a great idea to drink her into the world’s largest hangover. Come get me, I don’t know where her car is,” she says. I groan and roll out of bed, “Give me half an hour and I’ll be over.” I shower quickly and pull on shorts and a t-shirt. I just pull my hair into a pony tail and do my make-up quickly. I slip on flip-flops and hurry out the door. “Where are you going?” Brian asks. Brian is my step- dad and has been since I was eight. “I’m going out with Leah for breakfast. I’ll be back later. Need anything?” I ask. He shakes his head, “Have fun.” I walk out to my car and drive over to Leah’s. Leah and I have been best friends since the very first day of kindergarten. We’ve had some rough patches but she’s always been there for me and vice versa. If she seemed rude it was just because after almost 14 years of friendship you kind of just get used to each other.

            I walk up to her doorstep and knock. I don’t bother to do it lightly just because her mom is sleeping, she won’t wake up from a simple knock if her night was as heavy as Leah insinuated. Leah answers with a smile, “Hey Dree.” ‘Dree’ is the dumb nickname she gave me in 1st grade and it’s stuck since. I give her the stank eye. She shrugs, still smiling, and locks the door behind her. “What time did she come home last night?” I ask, climbing into the driver’s seat. She shrugs, “I was up at two and she wasn’t home yet.” I nod. After Leah’s dad walked out on them, her mom started drinking and partying. That was five years ago, and Leah spent a lot of time at our house after that.

            “Where to?” I ask. “How about Panera?” she suggests. I nod, “Sounds good.” I pull into the parking lot. “What are you hungry for?” she asks. I shrug, “Probably a cinnamon roll.” She groans, “You get that every time!” “Well I like them! What are you going to get?” I ask. “Probably a bagel, yum,” she smiles. I laugh and push through the door. The air conditioning is a shock from the warm Florida summer- weather. I catch a glimpse of Leah in the window and realize how much she actually means to me. We’ve been through so much, and we turned out okay. Her face is baby-like, yet beautiful. Her short blonde hair frames her face and her dark brown eyes are a nice contrast from her light hair.

            She does land up ordering a bagel and I do end up ordering a cinnamon roll. I only eat a quarter of it and give the rest to Leah. I may be able to tell her a lot of things but there’s one I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell anyone. When she finishes we clean up the table and slip out back into the warmth of the sun. “Are you coming over?” I ask. She shakes her head, “I should probably go take care of mom.” I nod, “Alright. Have fun with that.” I drop her off and make my way back home.

            When I get there, Bryce is playing video games in the family room. It’s too late to try and not make any noise once I realize he’s there. I slammed the door and he’ll be here any second. I try to make my way up the stairs before he can come and greet me but I’m too slow. “Hey Audrey,” he says, tilting his head to the side, “Where were you? I bet you were with that girl… Leah right?” I keep my mouth closed tightly. “I bet you were eating, right? That’s all you do is eat, fatty,” he smirks. I keep my head down and mouth shut. He pinches my side, which makes me go rigid. “Disgusting,” he mutters, and drops his hand. I turn to walk up the stairs and he saunters back into the family room. Amazing.