Broken

Chapter IV

CHERISE'S POV

Walking towards the open area in the park my eyes instantly find Jay-P resting his head on the table. I find myself smiling. He seems to be deep in thought as I walk over because he doesn't acknowledge my presence behind him.

I place a hand on his shoulder and he looks up at me before getting up to stand next to me. He looks at my outfit and a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips. Unlike when Levi looked at me my heart flutters. His eyes meet mine and he turns his head away from me and I see the colour rise in his cheeks.

I let out a laugh as I register that he was blushing because I caught him staring at me.

"Hi," I say to him quietly, not really sure what else to say. He looks back at me again and gives me a nervous smile.

"Hey," he replies to me in his deep voice. His eyes flit across my face as he reads my expression. He can tell this is all making me uncomfortable.

"Do you wanna sit down or walk around," he asks me gently. My heart almost burst when he says this, he is trying so hard to get me to feel comfortable around him. I don't know why he is being so sweet but it's a change to how boys usually act around girls nowadays.

"Let's sit down here," reply to him after thinking about it. I turn around and gesture to where he was sitting before. He sits down first with his back against the table and I follow his lead sitting a couple of inches away from him.

In anticipation of the conversation that I know is coming next I shiver involuntarily. Jay-P just being himself notices my small action and I watch as he searches inside his back. He pulls out the hoodie that he was wearing earlier when I met him on the track. He pulls his phone out and hands it to me without saying a word to me. I stare into his intense green eyes and take the hoodie from his outstretched arms.

I shrug of the bag that was on my shoulders before stretching up to place the hoodie over my head. Jay-P's hand suddenly reaches out and he strokes his palm over my shoulder and I turn my head to see to scarlet marks where my bag had been placed on my uncovered skin. I hadn't even noticed that my skin had begin to rub.

I look at Jay-P and notice that he seems to have tensed up at the sight of my shoulder. My heart melts and I instantly feel more comfortable around him. I don't say anything to him but move close enough that our legs are pressed up against each others.

I pulled the hoodie on and felt the tears welling in my eyes as I remembered the events of the past. The events that had left me in the broken state that I am now in. Looking down into my lap I feel Jay-P's hand wind around me and pull me closer towards him. Why do I feel so comfortable around. It's almost like he understands me and I haven't had to say anything to him.

"Whenever your ready Cherise," he says in a calming tone. "Take your time." I sit u slowly and look into his eyes.

" I'm ready." I say to him and get lost in his eyes as I recollect the episodes of my past.

TRIGGER WARNING

It hadn't always just been me and Darion with our parents at home. I had another brother, Asher. He was 14 when all this happened. When I killed him.

I feel the tears spilling down my face as I retell the painful story. Darion came out as gay when he was 13. He had told me previously that he liked a guy in his class, but I hadn't read into it. Like my dad and my brother I thought it was just a phase. Asher would come home with black eyes and cuts all on his face and body. They would get so bad that he would end up wearing thick sweaters and hoodies inside the house even if it was the middle of summer.