How He Broke My Heart

Chapter 5

(Song- Medusa by Kailee Morgue)

I jump up and down as I pull on my black jeans, the bleached wood groaning beneath me. I swipe a shirt from my bag and slip it on, looking down to see the words 'Moon Swoon' across my chest in a flower-child font. It looks vintage but it's not, and the end reaches the button of my jeans which annoys me. I used to think such shirts were flirty because when I'd reach up, the shirt would expose my midriff. Nothing says sexy like a pale, starved stomach.

The sounds of my family preparing to leave put me back on track, so I pull on socks and shove my feet into a pair of dirtied white shoes. The laces used to be white, and now they're a dull grey. My mother asks me to wash them, but her idea of washing shoes is shoving them in the washer and dryer. I've let her ruin too many by now, so these will stay forever dirty unless I become excited enough to scrub them, which is unlikely. Having white shoes is the least important thing on my mind these days.

I jog out of my room and walk past them to the front door, acting as if I don't see them. "You're leaving?" My mother asks, shrugging on her jacket. "Be safe. Be home no later than twelve-thirty, okay? Do you have your phone?"

I peek back and nod. "Yeah." No, I don't have my phone. It is still laying lifelessly on the dresser.

"Alright. Call if you need me." I open the door and make a move to leave, but she stops me. "Hey, and no drinking, okay? Nothing bad. I'm trusting you, Emma."

"I know, I know. I'll see you guys later." I walk through and close the door behind me before she can say anything else. Climbing up on the porch fence, I swing my legs over one by one and jump down, squatting behind the hydrangeas. I lean against the house and wait impatiently for them to leave as well. After a minute or two, the three walk onto the porch and lock the door behind them, chatting as they make their way to my Aunts car. I sit in panic as the engine sputters and as they wheels grind against the pebbled driveway until the sounds disappear down the street.

I jump out of the bushes like a horror-movie killer and dash to the front door. How did I not think of this? I yank on the handle a few times before making my way around the house, looking for an open window. I test every one, slapping my hands against the glass and trying to push it up, but they're locked. Defeat sneaks up behind me as I near the last two.

My heart sparks as I spot the kitchen window cracked open, so I run to it and reach up. It's too high. I'll have to find something to stand on. I scavenge the area and end up carrying a chair from the porch to the back of the house. The legs wobble when I place it down on the patchy grass, not balancing well on the slope. I step up anyway and attempt to push the window up more so I can fit through, but to my surprise, it doesn't budge. Confused, I pull it down and push it up again, using more force. It comes to a halt, and I notice a smooth stick of wood stopping it from the inside. A collection of hushed curses leave my lips and I slam the window down, taking out my frustrations.

Like a terrible tightrope walker, I come crashing to the ground as the chair turns on its side. I hit the ground hard and make no move to get up. No, I'm not actually injured, I can stand up if I want to, but before I realize it, I lose my grasp on myself. My nails dig into the sand and my face scrunches up, tears dribbling down to my ear. My hair is in the grass, my side hurts, and I feel powerless. I bite my lip and flop onto my back, staring up at the star-littered sky. "Really?" I cry softly to whatever is up there. "Really?"

Milo held me as we sat in his car staring out at the water far below us. He smelled mature, fully ripe, a fruit ready to be bitten into. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, his long hair hanging over the seat. I gazed up at him like he was some fallen star. Without looking at me, he said, "Dump your boyfriend." I told him that I didn't have a boyfriend. He looked at me then. "You're all mine, then," he said.