Chipped Heart

Chapter 4:

Monday was always everyone's worst day of the week, but Brianna found comfort in them. "A new beginning" is what she would say even though the week technically started on Sunday. No matter how rough life got for her, there was always a smile on her face. One of the many things I've always admired about my sister.

Ethan would be at school today, and I would be able to check on him. All day yesterday, his calls were going to voice mail. I would've driven to his house if I knew where it was. Even though we barely met, there was something about him that made me want to know more. Nobody else seemed to carry that level of sadness with them like I did, or they were great at hiding it.

Walking into history class was the first time I'd looked forward to anything in such a long time. To my surprise, no one was in the seat next to mine. All during the class period, I was alone with my thoughts. There was no sign of him during lunch. Trevor had asked me if I seen him, so there was no way they were together. Panic started to wash over me. What if something happened? What if his dad killed him?

Before thinking about it too long, I decided to skip our final period. No one would notice or care. A few teens snuck around the security guards while I just barged straight past them. None of them said anything to me. One of the ladies even said "that's the one who lost her sister last year" so none of them followed me.

At my car, someone with a gray hoodie kneeled beside it. I gasped as they gently pulled me to the ground. Ethan was right there with a carefully put smile. Relief washed over me, and I hugged him. A loud wince came from him causing me to let go to see what's wrong. Only a sad, empty person stared back.

Two black eyes crowded his face as I took the hoodie off. "Ethan" came out in a whisper while slowly placing a hand to his cheek. One single tear fell, but was wiped away before passing his nose. "It's okay. You don't have to hide from me."

"Yes I do. The other night was embarrassing for you to see me like that. Especially since we don't even know each other." He pushed my hands away from his face while rising to his feet. "Forget I came here. Don't worry about me."

I ran in front him while almost tripping in the process. "No! You came here for a reason, Ethan. You need help, so let me help you." We exchange a meaningful stare that sent several butterflies through my stomach. Everything around me stopped, and it's only us. One hand resting on his chest while the other rests on his face. The feel of his even breathes calms me. "Come on before those security guards change their mind about letting me leave."

We get inside of my car, and start to drive to no particular place. Passing by all of the beautiful parts of this town makes me somewhat calm. Fresh air blew across my face as the windows were rolled all the way down.

Every so often, Ethan would sing along to whatever song was playing on the radio. We giggled while continuing to sing along together. I smiled, and it felt partially genuine. There was no need to force anything. All of the joy came naturally.

The emotion was strange to me. It was something I hadn't felt since December of last year. Sadness had taken it's place. Smiling and laughing was like inviting a disease inside my body. It scared me for a second, but Ethan calmed me down without even realizing it.

As we pulled into the beach parking lot, Ethan changed the radio. Jazz started to play. My heart stopped. Everything came crashing down. I felt my head spin as the song continued to blast in my car.

Ethan noted my sudden change in mood, and placed a hand to my shoulder. "You okay?" I shook my head while trying to calm myself down. Every piece of my heart broke all over again as he continued asking me. After several seconds, Ethan turned the song down.

Oxygen filled my head again. Tears were still threatening to come out, but they were manageable. My heart started to beat again. People started to become actual figures instead of blurs. I adjusted my eyes, and seen Ethan staring at me with intense eyes. "Let's go."

Sand covered our shoes as we walked. A beautiful sun hung above the us , and different places in the ocean glistened. Kids ran around playing with each other, and adults swam in the water.

Food was being distributed in a family nearby. They smiled at us as we walked past. I focused my eyes on the ocean trying to control all of the emotions roaming through my head. Loneliness slowly consumed me again. Cool breezes blew causing me to shudder slightly.

Ethan kept his eyes on me. His brown necklace shining even more in the sunlight. "So wanna tell me what that was in the car?"

His voice caused me to slightly jump. "Just some memories. Painful ones of my sister who died...because of me." I finally looked at him. "An accident." The gentleness in his eyes caused me to look away.

Silence overcame both of us. Hanging out with a murderer surely would scare anyone. Any second now, Ethan would find some way to leave. I'd be a freak in his mind just like everyone else. Any chance of normalcy was gone.

Instead of leaving, he inhaled deeply. "My mom started drinking because of me. All of the stress in our household was too much for her. Whenever she was gone, dad would start hurting whoever was near. Turns out I make a really good punching bag." He chuckled darkly.

Sympathy filled me. All of this time of feeling sorry for myself could've been spent of helping someone else. He had it way worse than me, yet here I was sad.

"You shouldn't laugh about that kind of stuff. What he's doing to you... it isn't right." I said while stepping in front of him.

"Whatever." Our eyes met. Deep, hazel eyes were shining in the evening sky. Countless scars buried deep behind them. "When he was normal, he gave me this necklace. It was passed down from generation to generation. I wear in hopes that one day he would return to that same man. Weird, huh?"

Ethan lifted the necklace with his finger and closely examine it. Carefully placed cotton helped shaped the smooth necklace. Small words read "Henderson" at the bottom.

People started to disappear from around us since nighttime was near. The sun began to sit perfectly on top of the ocean. A beauty too hard to comprehend.

My hand slowly reached up to touch the necklace. I traced my finger along Ethan's shoulders, and the necklace. His eyes were focused on me. Out of fear, I kept my eyes on the necklace. A part of me wanted to look up so bad, but my eyes stayed down.

Suddenly, a soft hand was on my chin. A huge lump started to build in my throat. Was this really about to happen? Sad eyes stared back at me as our eyes met. I gasped a little bit at the sight of him.

A messy, broken person who still had an enormous amount of beauty in them. How could such a person exist? Ethan was living proof of it though. Parts of me wished that I was the same way, but I knew that there was no hope for me. Every part of me was broken beyond repair.

Everything was disappearing slowly. Nobody else was able to get my attention. Only he had it. Our bodies gravitated towards the other as we both slowly closed our eyes.

Soft, tender lips met mine with care. Ethan rested a hand at the back of my head as we continued to lock lips. Butterflies were pounding in my stomach, but it was in a good way. I smiled as we drifted apart. "Whoa." My voice whispered.

Ethan chuckled before wrapping an arm around me. We walked back to my car, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.