Shattered

Chapter 12 -- part 2

The car was quiet as we made our way down my street in the dead of night. Michael’s breathing was heavy, but after what he just told me, I couldn’t blame him. I stared out the window and the car slowed as we neared a new neighborhood. Michael pulled into the driveway of a dark house and turn off the ignition.

“Why are we here?” I asked in a low whisper.

“So I can explain… this is my aunt’s house.” He spoke. “I have something I want to show you.”

We got out of the car and he led me to a gate that connected to the backyard. Small lights lit a pathway that led up to the back patio. There was an underground pool and a few lawn chairs set up around a table. We continued walking until we reached a set of stairs on the other side of the house.

“The upstairs bedroom is kinda like a loft,” Michael told me as we began climbing the stairs. “The window leads to a deck. They’ve given me the entire upstairs area while I stay here.”

When we reached the deck, I noticed a window that led into the house. There was a small solar light above it that lit up the area. We walked over to a hammock like bench and sat down. We stayed quite for a moment before Michael stood up. “Wait here.”

I watched as he walked towards the little window and giggled as he bumped his head climbing through. He returned shortly with a small journal.

“What’s that for?” I questioned.

“Remember  when I told you I played guitar?”

“Yes?” I said raising an eyebrow.

“Well I write songs on occasion too… but that’s no just what this is for.” He said handing me the book. “It’s my story.”

“I don’t understand?”

“This journal has been through hell with me. A friend of mine gave it to me years ago. It’ll help me explain everything.” He could tell that I was still confused and let out a deep breath before he spoke again. “I’m from Australia. That’s where my mum and dad live, that where my friends are… that’s home.”

“Okay?” I shifted in my seat not sure what this had to do with his behavior.

“The reason why I’m staying with my aunt…” he paused for a long time before continuing. “is because I was arrested for public intoxication and physical assault.”

I placed my hand on Michael’s knee as he continued. “I was in a bad place and my parents though that it’d be best if I got away for a while. So they bailed be out and sent me here. I wasn’t always a bad kid though…”

“It’s okay.” I whispered as his voice trailed off. We were quiet and Michael ran his hands through his hair before talking again.

“Her name was Grace…” I felt a lump in my throat as his voice broke. “She um…we met freshman year and she was my best friend. I’d never been so close to someone Scout-“

His brought his hands up to his face covering his mouth and nose. My body tensed as Michael grew weaker beside me. I felt the tears roll down my face. “What happened…”

He brought his hands down, taking the tattered journal from my lap. He slowly flipped through the pages, stopping when he reached a page that kept a picture and large letters scribbled underneath it. The picture was of Michael and a girl, who I assumed to be Grace. Michael had fluorescent pink hair and the girl was kissing him on the cheek. Underneath the photo were the words ‘To The Moon’.

“Senior year… senior year she got sick. And –and I thought that they could save her, that I could save her… but it was too late.” He took a deep breath and flipped through a few more pages until he reached another picture. It was taken in a hospital. Grace had a tube in her nose and her short brown hair was now gone. She smiled as Michael kissed her on the cheek, but you could see the pain in her eyes. “She died a few days after this was taken. She was alone…and I hate myself for not being there.”

He closed the book and stood up, leaving it in his place beside me. He slowly walked towards the railing and rested against it. I understood now, why he shut me out. He was afraid. I lifted myself up from the hammock and walked towards Michael. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him from the back and rested my head against him. “I’m sorry Michael. I-I can’t imagine what you went through.”

“I dropped out of school afterword.” He said lifting his head. ”And I got drunk a lot. It helped me numb the pain. I didn’t leave my house much either. Some of my best mates thought it’d be better if I got out, so they took me to a party. Everyone there gave me strange looks and I heard some guy make a joke about Grace… I lost it. All I remember is being on top of him and hitting him and hitting him and I didn’t stop. I-I almost killed him, Scout.”

He turned to me and I saw the emotion in his eyes. “I thought that coming here was just going to be another disappointment you know. That no matter where in the world I was, Grace would still be gone and I’d be alone. But that changed. I met you and-“

“Please…” I whispered shaking my head as the tears proceeded to stream down my face.

“You’re different. You’re shattered too. I can see it when you look at me.”

“Michael…”

“I don’t think about her when I’m with you. But when we kissed…that’s when I knew I was ready to move on.”

“I’m not… I don’t want to replace her.” I looked up at him, seeing the tears in his eyes.

“And I’m not asking you too. But I don’t want to stay here without you.”

“What’s going to happen when you leave?”

“We can figure that out when the time comes.” He said, taking my hands in his. “But for now… I’m not going anywhere.”

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so that happened.... umm im not quite sure what i just wrote but yea, thats michael story. scout will tell hers a little later on. i hope you enjoyed this update and sorry i split the chapter in half but i feel like it worked better that way. anyways, thanks for reading! and as always, keep smiling :}

[ps: Grace isnt that large of a character in this book but if you wanna know who i based her image off of look up Paloma Kwiatkowski]