Page 4 of Every Broken Thing

They grappled for a moment, but Eric clipped his jaw with a poorly aimed elbow, causing him to stumble back and lose his grip on Eric’s shirt. Then Eric was gone, the sound of his heavy footsteps fading as Blondie straightened, rubbing at his chin.

Hugging my knees to my chest, I stared at the place Eric had disappeared, vision blurry. My breaths were short and loud in my ears, drowning out Blondie’s voice. I turned toward him,trying to focus, but he sounded far away even though he was crouched right in front of me.

I noticed his cool blue eyes first, like a vast ocean rippling with the promise of rapids farther in. His nose had a bump in the middle, like it had been broken in the past, and his thick eyebrows were pulled down in a harsh frown. I didn’t know him, but familiarity teased my brain, like I’d spotted him in the halls of the school from afar.

My broken brain processed that he was talking to me, but it didn’t sound like English. He shifted, and the scent of Irish Spring and spearmint chased away the cucumber melon clogging my nose. His mouth moved. Then his hand reached out, like he was going to touch my knee, and it snapped me out of my trance.

“Don’t touch me!” I cried, curling myself tighter.

Raising his hands in the universal sign of surrender, he spoke again, and I blinked several times as I tried to translate his words.

“…name?”

“Huh?” I furrowed my brows as I gasped in short breaths, trying to calm the adrenaline-laced fear pumping through my body.

Concern carved wrinkles into his forehead as he repeated his question slowly, in a soothing voice reserved for a cornered, wounded animal. “Everything’s gonna be okay. What’s your name?”

My name?

My tongue felt heavy, but eventually, I was able to stutter out a pathetic, “S-Silas.”

“Hi, Silas. I’m Ben.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cellphone. “Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance or just the police?”

The question sent a different kind of panic racing through my veins. Police? Was he insane? There was no way in hell I was calling the police! Everyone would find out; the whole school would know, and I had enough problems already without adding on something like this.

And who would believe me anyway? A guy getting assaulted? Yeah, right! Without physical proof, it was my word against his. Ben was crazy to think I would breathe a word of this to anybody.

Rubbing my palms up and down my thighs, I shook my head. “No.”

“No, you’re not hurt? That’s good, Silas. That’s real good.”

I shook my head again, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was punching numbers into his phone.

“Listen, my coach is still here. I’ll go get him, and we can tell him everything while we wait for the police.” His thumb hovered over the green call button, like he was waiting for my permission.

“No,” I said again, and he cocked his head in confusion.

“No, what?” he said.

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

My hand shook as I reached up and grasped the edge of the sink counter. I pulled myself to my feet, cringing away when Ben reached out to help steady me. He pulled away without touching me, phone still in his hand.

“Don’t call anyone,” I croaked. “I’m fine. Just forget it.”

“Forget it?” His concern morphed into astonishment. “Am I crazy, or was he just trying to—”

I interrupted him before he could say the word that would break me, the word that made this all too real. “Jesus Christ, would you let it go? I said I’m fine!”

Smoothing out my shirt, my fingers brushed the open button of my jeans. I fought off the strangled moan clawing its wayup my throat as I forced my trembling fingers to close them. I couldn’t remember Boyt undoing my pants. My stomach roiled. Oh shit, I was going to throw up.

I shuffled around Ben, ensuring our bodies didn’t brush as I retrieved my backpack from where it had fallen during the scuffle. The tremors in my hands made it hard to grab the straps, and I shook out my hands with another choked sob.

“Come on. Fucking work.”

“Silas,” Ben said from close behind me, and I rounded on him, gesturing wildly.

“Stay the fuck away from me!”

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