The Art of Breaking

It has been a little over a month since there was a sunny day. Jasper was at home with the rest of his vampirian family members while I wandered the hallways of New Port High with one arm in a sling and the other gripping the strap of the backpack slung over one of my shoulders. It was been two months since my arm was paralyzed by a crazed vampire set on my destruction. It had led him to his own demise by the hands of my gloriously golden haired boyfriend, Jasper Hale.

“Hey Lacey,” my old friend Brandon said at my side causing me to jump a little. I had been staring off into space completely oblivious to my surroundings once again.

“Hey,” I said back looking over to see him frowning at me. “Did you want something?” I asked with false curiosity in my voice.

“Nothing I just wanted to talk,” he answered looking a little offended.

“Oh,” I said and turned my head to look straight ahead.

I was about to walk into my next class but Brandon grabbed me by the arm keeping me from going any farther. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked with worry in his eyes.

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe it’s the face that I have no family left or maybe it’s that I have a useless arm,” I cried angrily. My throat felt tight and my eyes burned with anger or was it tears? Either way a lot of people stopped in the hallway watching me as if I was a freak in a one man circus act.

I turned sharply away from Brandon ready to stalk into the classroom but he gripped my arm once again keeping me from leaving. “Lacey, I’m sorry,” he said and was about to continue when Ryan came over.

“Let her go,” he growled in a calm manner so as not to attract any more attention, but I thought it was all the more terrifying. Brandon seemed to agree seeing as he dropped my arm like it had burnt him.

“Sorry,” he muttered his eyes glazing over and he walked away quickly.

“Are you ok?” Ryan asked turning to me with his soft brown eyes. I was about to tell him that I was fine and that I didn’t need his help but I bit my tongue.

“Actually no, I’m not ok and I really don’t feel like going to Calculus 2. You want to ditch?” I asked as I started walking towards my locker and away from my classroom door. I didn’t bother to wait for his answer because I was leaving regardless.

“Lacey, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he replied trailing after me. I spun on my heels to face him making him stop abruptly.

“No one said you had to come along. I was simply inviting you,” I said and continued to my locker before he could respond. I spun the combination lock several times before finally opening it.

“I’ll go,” he finally answered grabbing my back pack and helping me grab all the books that I needed.

I closed the locker and he helped put the strap of the backpack over my shoulder. “Great, because I’m going to need you to help me if I fall into the lake again,” I stated as I headed out to Ryan’s truck.