Easily Breakable

Chapter 11

I got home, and as expected, Dad wasn't there. I walked inside and went upstairs to my room so I could start my homework. I set my bag down beside my desk chair and looked again at the picture that was just sitting there. 

       Mom and I were on the beach. It was the summer before she died and we had taken a trip to the Caribbean. The clear blue waters were behind us and I was on Mom's back, laughing and throwing up a peace sign with my fingers. She had her head tilted back to look up at me. Her milky white skin had always been flawless and smooth and her dirty blonde curls hung loosely down to her waist.

        My eyes watered at the happy memory, but I pushed them back. It was kind of a sad memory now, too. That was when Dad actually made time for us, so that he could take us on trips and be around to take pictures like that. It just reminds me that I'm not enough to keep him home.

        I turned away from the picture and sat down, pulling out my stupid calculus homework. I finished it after one frustrating hour and then moved on to biology homework. It was dark out at this point and when I was almost finished, I heard a soft tapping noise.

       I looked around and heard it again. I realized it was coming from the window. I cautiously walked over to it and moved the curtains back. Dani was on the ledge of my window and I opened it. He climbed inside and I looked down at the ground below. 

       "You do realize I am two stories up, right? How did you get up here and why didn't you just knock on the door?" He brushed something off of his shirt with a smile. "I got up here by climbing that tree, and I did knock on the door, but you didn't answer," he explained.

        "Why didn't you just text me and tell me to answer the door," I asked. He smirked. "I don't believe I have your number yet, love," he said. I looked around and tore an edge off of a blank sheet of paper, then wrote my phone number down.

       I handed it to him and he pocketed the piece of paper. "Nice pajamas," he said, his eyes roaming over my body. I looked down and crossed my arms. I was only wearing a thin white tank top and some short jean cut offs without a bra on. 

       "Give me a second," I said, going over to my walk in closet. I shut the door behind me and scavenged for some decent covering. I stopped midway while taking my shirt off. "You can't like… see through walls and stuff, right," I asked hesitantly. He laughed and said "No, but if I could, I don't think I would tell you." 

        I rolled my eyes and threw my shirt over my head. I pulled on a sports bra, a gray tee, and some leggings. I walked back out and he smiled. "What are you doing here," I asked. "My dad could come home at any minute and he would kill me if he saw you in here."

        "Calm down, Angel. Jackson has a meeting right now, so don't worry." I narrowed my eyes when I looked at him.

       "Are you going to answer the important question now? What are you doing here?" He had a brooding look on his face now. "Why do I sense that you don't like me that much," he said. 

       "I don't know you. So why should I?" His usual smirk played on his face again. "Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?" I cocked an eyebrow. 

       "Yeah. I've heard of it. In books and movies, but never in reality," I said. His smirk slowly faded as he looked directly into my eyes and it felt as though he was looking through me. 

       "What about your parents. Jackson fell in love with your mother as soon as their eyes met." I felt a pang in my chest as I remembered Mom telling me that story when we camping and we were sitting around the fire.