Unbroken

Victory Call

*

We walk out into his garage after getting Oli settled in my room.

“Holy shit,” I say as I see this beautiful black and silver Harley. 

“What?” Ashley asks.

“I thought you meant bike as in bicycle, not motorcycle!”

“Is there a problem? You can hang on to me if you get scared,” he jokes.

“Okay, how are we going to fit both of our instruments and backpacks on here?”

“Very carefully,” he says, smiling. “Let’s go.”

We ride on the bike all the way to school, me behind him, holding both instruments, and both bags strapped behind us.

***

As soon as we arrive, my bus pulls up.  Deystinie walks by and says. “Why aren’t you on the bus today, faggot? Too scared to get hurt, again?”

“Fuck off,” Ashley and I say in unison.

“Ugh. Whatever,” she says, snapping her gum and twirling her hair.

“Bitch,” I whisper under my breath.

“Wanna go visit Ms.B?” Ashley asks.

“Sure.”

***

“MS. BARAKAT!!” I scream as I enter her class room.

“YES CARTER?” She screams back.  “Oh, hi Ashley.”

“Sup, Ms.B?”

“Nothing much, what are you two up to? I saw you pull up on a motorcycle,” She says, raising an eyebrow at me.

“That was mine,” Ashley said.  “Carter came over last night and fell asleep at my house.”

“Was it your mom again Carter?”

“Yeah,” I say, quietly.

“Oh, you know?” Ashley asked Ms.B.

“Yeah, I know most things about Carter,” she said, pointing to her stomach and wrist.  Ash understood.  At least he wasn’t the only one who found out my secrets.

***

(ASHLEY'S POV)

“Okay, happier subject now, please,” Carter said.  “Enough about me and my fucked up life,” she said, her voice quivering from being on the verge of tears.

“Oh, Carter, we didn’t mean-,” I started, pulling her in for a hug.

“Oh, Ash, I know, I just, it hurts that I can’t be a normal teenager, you know?”

“Yeah, but remember, ‘Being normal? What’s that? That’s a setting on a washing machine and no one wants to be that,’” I say, quoting the ever so awesome Ashley Purdy.

She started laughing. That got me laughing.  We both laughed and laughed until our sides hurt.

***

(CARTER'S POV)

We sat in Ms.B’s room at lunch. The bell rang right after “A.M.E.R.I.C.A” by Motionless in White.

“FUCK!” I screamed.

“MAYBE LATER!” Ash screamed back, laughing.

“You two are crazy,” Ms. B told us, cracking up.

“Yup, we know,” we said in unison, laughing.

“Better get off to your class you two,” Ms.B told us.