Every Broken Part (Series)

Chapter Five.

D E V I N

    I awoke with a start. My body was gasping for air as my hands went to my throat. I instantly threw the blankets off me, my hair pinned to my forehead with sweat. I wiped it away, stripping my shirt off and replacing it with a clean one. I touched my sheets, which were warm.

     Very warm.

    My hand came up to wipe my face again, until a realization occurred to me. I looked down at my hand, but there was no cut on it. I looked over at my other one, but they were both fine.

     Did I dream of hurting it?

    My eyes scanned the room for dried blood, or a towel, but I found nothing. I shook my head, taking a deep breath before starting my morning routine. Turning on the shower, I let out a sigh as the warm water hit my face. My mind went everywhere as the water made its way down my body. I still couldn't shake those silver eyes from my mind. Why did they have such an effect on me? Why didn't Jax see him? I must be losing my mind. Before staying in there forever, I turned off the water, wrapping a towel around myself.

    "Devin?"

    My eyebrows furrowed together as I heard Jax's call from downstairs. What is he doing here? I pulled the towel tighter around me as I ran down the stairs, going to meet Jax. Once his eyes landed on me, they went wide. He immediately looked away, the air between us becoming uncomfortable as I looked away from him. I cleared my throat, before opening my mouth to speak.

    "What are you doing here so early?"

    Jax let out a laugh as I said this. I only raised my eyebrows, clearly missing something.

    "Early? Devin, it's almost five."

    "Five? Five in the evening?"

    I gasped, running to find my phone. It was resting on the kitchen counter, with tons of missed notifications. I scrolled through, seeing countless missed text messages and calls from Jax.

    "How did I sleep in that late? I've never slept in that late."

    My heart was racing. The whole day was now gone. I felt uneasy as I stared down at my uninjured hand. My mind flashed back to the exact moment the glass found its way into my skin. I can almost feel the pain from the shards cutting against my flesh.

    How is it gone?

    "Let me go change."

    Jax nodded awkwardly as I left the room. I could feel his eyes on me as I made my way up the stairs. I quickly brushed through my hair, throwing on a sweatshirt and leggings before making my way back downstairs. Jax was going through my fridge, picking out all the expired food and finding the ones that were still edible. He instantly turned his attention to me as I came back into his sight. He gently placed the back of his hand onto me. I gave him a weird look as he did this.

    "Are you sick or something? It's not like you to sleep in past the morning."           

    I rolled my eyes as he kept feeling my forehead.

    "Well, you don't feel warm."

    He shrugged, before continuing to rummage through my fridge.

    "You don't have any food. Want to grab something before the party?"

    My head shot up as Jax said this. Party?

    "What party?"

    I felt a nervousness form in the pit of my stomach at the idea of a party. I had only been to a handful of them since my Mom died, having absolutely no fun at any of them. Before my world crashed, I used to go to one every weekend. I'd dance for hours, not having a care in the world. I'd drink until I was bent over a trashcan, puking my guts out. After her death, everything changed. It was like the whole entire outside world was still the same. They continued with their same everyday lives. Party every weekend, go to school every day.

    Not me.

    Everything I did was different. I didn't find joy in the things I used to. I had turned into a whole different person. Jax changed everything. I met him two weeks after my Mom died. It was at a support group of people who had lost their parents. Jax lost both of his. He moved here to live with his only uncle until graduation. He never really likes to talk about the death of his parents. All I know is they died in a fire. I can't even imagine the trauma and low points he has been through. That's why Jax and I clicked right away. We both get eachother and get what it's like to go through that pain.

    "Dev, you alive?"

     Jax waved a hand in front of my face, pulling me out of my thoughts. I flinched, lightly smiling at him as I pushed all my thoughts away. I simply nodded. I motioned for him to continue as he stared at me quizzically.

    "Anyway, are you coming tonight? Everyone is coming. It's one of the last ones before Christmas break."

    Jax took a step toward me, his eyes practically begging me to say yes. I rolled my eyes, leaning onto the counter behind me.

    "I'm not in the mood. This weekend just isn't the right time."

    I quietly said, implying what tomorrow was. One whole year since the death of my mother. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again. Jax was in front of me, pulling me into a hug as he rested his head on mine.

    "Okay, we can stay in then." He let out a soft smile as he pulled away from me.

     I raised an eyebrow, before I quickly shook my head.

     "No, go to the party. You already missed yesterday."

     I sighed. Jax looked away from me, as he made his way to the couch.

    "Yeah, the guys will be upset with me if I miss another one."

      Jax sighed, running a hand through his hair. I noticed distress in his face as he said this. It was almost as if he didn't have a choice in the matter. Jax has seemed closer to me lately. He's hugged me like six times these past two days. I shook away my thoughts as I brought myself back to our current conversation.

    "Then what are you still doing here? It's getting dark now. You should go get ready."

    I laughed, while pulling him up from the couch. He chuckled, before making his way out the door and to his car.

    "I'm only a phone call away if you change your mind."

    Jax let out a soft smile as he said this, his midnight blue eyes meeting mine.

    "I won't."

     I assured him, before giving him a hug goodbye. He held onto me for a little longer than I expected. I continued to watch him as he started his car and made his way down the road until he was out of sight. I sighed, making my way back into my house. I decided to catch up on schoolwork, as I sat down at the table.

    Almost an hour passed as my stomach let out a loud growl. I made my way to the fridge, finding it completely empty. My shoulders dropped as I checked my wallet, finding it empty as well.

    "Mason? Are you home?"

    I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the vacant house. I took the empty reply as my answer, before grabbing my keys and a handful of wrinkled dollar bills that were sitting on the counter.