And Life Goes On

Broken Enough Hearts (4)

Jenna's P.O.V
A few minutes later, a man walks over to us. I would recognize those eyes anywhere.

Blue Eyes.

And now I know his name. Sean. I feel oddly proud of myself for working it out.

He ambles over to the table and Lauren immediately grabs his arm and starts stroking it tenderly while I sit there internally gagging. Okay, so looking at his body from this angle, I can see why Lauren would be worried of someone stealing her boyfriend. He has wavy, surfer-dude style, black hair which flows around his head and almost covers one of his blue eyes. He's wearing dark jeans and a white T-shirt with a leather jacket over the top. He kind of looks like he's just stepped out of the 80's.

"... so maybe try those hand movements again." He looks at me expectantly and I realise he must have been talking while I was checking him out.

"Sorry?" I reply, and start to blush. I can feel Lauren's death glare burning into the side of my head. Sean sighs deeply and shakes his head slightly, but there's a small smile playing on the edge of his lips.

He takes a seat down at the table opposite me and tries again, "okay, Jenna, so when you're on the Cliff, you are not meant to be pulled here, you're meant to make a choice, Lauren already explained that. We think there might be something wrong with either the souls in charge of the Cliff, your death, or you. We're gonna test each of those theories, starting with you. So maybe try those hand movements again." I nod my head, even though I think it's pretty rude to tell someone upfront that there's something wrong with them.

I flick my wrist and move it around like before. Nothing happens.

"Okay, that's out. Lauren, can you go ask Ty to ask around the Keepers? See if any of them saw anything?" Lauren nods and stalks off. Sean turns to me.

"Jenna, if there's anything you know about this, you need to tell me now."

"Ugh."

"What?"

"Ugh. Stop talking to me like I'm a baby. I'm not a baby. If there was something I knew, I would've told you already. I'm confused and I have no idea what the fuck is going on!"

"Shhhh! You can't cuss in Sky!"

"Sometimes there's just no other word to use." He looks me up and down before extending a hand. I look at it questionably.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Sean."

I shake his hand, "Jenna."

"How old are you, Jenna?"

"I'm eighteen. You?"

"Twenty two, but I've been here for about twenty years."

"Woah, that's a long time." He chuckles sadly.

"Yeah... yeah it is."

"So you and Lauren make a cute couple." I say, trying to change the subject.

"Ha! We are not a couple! Who the hell gave you that idea?"

"Lauren. She said you were her boyfriend...?"

"Um... nope. She dated my brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah. Daniel. He got called to Checkout a couple of years ago. It's the place you go when you've lived out the years you had left on earth, so it takes you to heaven." I'm trying to figure out a way to comfort him, when Lauren comes back over to the table.

"I asked him, but he said it might take a while. There are a lot of Keepers this year." Then she turns to me "Keepers are the souls who look after the Cliff, by the way."

"I will say this one more time. I'm. Not. A. Baby." My comeback has the desired effect as Lauren stares at me for a minute, before looking back at Sean, then back to me.

"Honey, she can't talk to me like that." She walks over to Sean and grabs his arm.

"Lauren, go ask Ty to hurry up."

"But... Sweetie..."

"Lauren. Go." And she leaves, like a dog.

"If she thinks you're together, why don't you tell her you're not?" I ask Sean.

"I've broken enough hearts, Jenna."