Beautifully Broken (2 page)

“I don’t like that guy Bennett.
I don’t know, something about him screams psycho-crazy-stalker guy.” He was
glancing down at me when I slapped him playfully on the chest.

“You don’t even know him Gray.”
I slipped through the door to Mr. Bowen’s class and we took our seats.

After the fourth period bell
rang Gray and I headed off to the lunchroom. As we were standing in line, I
flashed back remembering the first time Gray and I met.

It was the summer before fifth
grade and we had just moved into the house right next door to the Weston’s.
Gray’s parents had made him come over and introduce himself to me when I first
jumped out of my mom’s Tahoe. I stood in the grassy front yard twirling and
doing cartwheels repeatedly. I hadn’t noticed when he first walked up, mainly
because I was enjoying my brand new freshly manicured lawn.

We came from Arizona and all I
had ever known was rocks and dirt. The Connecticut lawns were amazingly full of
life, and brilliantly green. I remember wanting to do nothing but run my
fingers through the long blades that stood below my feet.

In the middle of one of my
careless twirls, I ended up hitting him across the chest with my outstretched
arm. I instantly turned around and began crying. I had felt so badly for
hitting this poor brown haired little boy standing in front of me. I took the
two steps it took to reach him, and threw my arms around his shoulders in a
deep hug. I continued to cry and apologize profusely. He just simply hugged me
back and told me that he was okay, and not to worry.

I had looked up at him through
my glossy, tear-ridden eyes knowing that we were going to be the best of
friends. He told me his name was Gray and all I could say was, “like my eyes”
as I pointed at my hooded eyes. I told him my name was Bennett and he gave me a
quizzical look that I knew all to well. I explained to him that it was my
mother’s maiden name and that I would never meet my grandfather, whom she
absolutely adored, so she bestowed the name onto me.

We remained inseparable for our
whole childhood. Our parents became the best of friends as well, and we rarely
spent a meal apart from each other. We stayed outside playing in either of our
yards until the streetlights came on, and then we headed to our individual
houses. There were many nights that our parents would let us stay the night
with each other, and we never knew anything different.

Holidays and birthdays were
always
spent
together. We knew each other like the back of our hands and I never questioned
what would happen if one of us should move. Our childhood was surreal. Our
parents were wonderful to us and to each other. I loved Gray’s parents almost
as much as I loved my own. It’s amazing how one little event can change the
lives of everyone around you. I never pictured my life without my parents,
mostly because I was young and naive. Gray’s and mine idealistic lives would
change forever in the months before and after our sixteenth birthdays.

“Hey, what ya thinking about so
hard over there?” Gray playfully bumped into my shoulder, instantly bringing me
back to reality.

“Oh nothing.” He knew I was
lying so I revised my statement. “I was just thinking about the day I moved
next door to you.” I smiled at the fond memory and so did he.

“Who would’ve thought that my
very best friend would end up being the annoying, cry baby little girl from
next door?” He laughed as he leaned down to kiss me on my forehead.

“Ha ha, very funny Gray. I could
say the same about you.” I started laughing uncontrollably as I headed towards
our spot under the oak tree, where Hannah was patiently waiting for me. I would
say that she was waiting for ‘us’, but when Hannah and I became friends in the
eighth grade, Gray took to not liking her immediately. I think he was jealous
that I now had to split my time between the two of them, when he was so used to
having me all to himself. I walked a tiny bit faster to get to Hannah before
Gray, but I failed miserably as he was right by my side the whole way.

“Hey Han, how’s your day been so
far?” I rolled my eyes towards Gray trying to make the conversation light. I
hate it when they can’t be civil towards each other. Hannah has never minded
Gray. She never took a liking to him like all the other girls in town, but she
put up with him and played nice for my benefit. I loved her even more for this.

“Hey Bennett, hey Gray. My day
has been okay but it’s the last day, so, I mean how bad could it really be?
How’s our valedictorian on her last day of high school? You finish your speech
yet? Her face beamed with pride and I beamed back at her knowing I could have
never made it this far without her- oh and Gray.

I sat down on the grass next to
her and Gray. I noticed he was trying to ignore us, the best he could. I knew
Gray all too well, and I knew he was just patiently waiting for me to bring up
the hot guy in the hall.

 “I’m great. I finished my
speech last night. I would love it if you could come over after school and
proofread it for me. I’m so nervous it’s unreal.” I could feel Gray’s eyes
boring into the back of my head with jealousy that I didn’t ask him to read it first.
I just ignored him and smiled at Hannah.

“That sounds good to me. I
wanted to bring by a couple of dress choices for graduation so you can help me
pick one anyway. Gray you can come over and help too if you want. I know how
much you can’t
stand
to be away from Bennett for
too
long.”

“HANNAH!” I shouted. “Behave.” I
shook my head, “You know I still don’t understand why the two of you can’t just
get along, at least for my sake.” I shook my head in disbelief while eyeing
Gray through my eyelashes.

“It’s okay Hannah. I’m sure
whatever you choose to wear, you’ll look just as plain as always.” He growled
as he headed off in the direction of the other members of the football team.

I rolled my eyes at his petty
behavior. I looked over and saw that Gray’s words had hurt Hannah, more than
she even thought possible. Hannah isn’t ugly by any means, or plain. She
doesn’t stand out amongst the sea of pretty girls in school but she can hold
her own. She was only about five feet four inches tall, but she was extremely
petite and slender.

She didn’t have very many
curves, but it fit her small body not to have them. She kept her shiny black
hair cut into an A-line hairstyle, and she had amazing emerald green eyes.
Hannah didn’t wear much makeup but she didn’t really have too. Her face was
flawless, sprinkled with the smallest amount of freckles and her ivory skin,
making her hair and eyes stand out unbelievably so.  I think that’s why
Hannah and I got along so well, we are one of the same, cut from the same
cloth. It was a non-materialistic cloth and I wouldn’t have had it any other
way.

“I’m sorry Hannah, for Gray. I’m
not sure what his issue is. He was fine up until I ran into some guy in the
hall.” It instantly clicked in my head. That was exactly why he was moody. I
didn’t quite understand why, we’re best friends and he has never been jealous
before. “But the guy I ran into, literally was sex on a stick Han. He was
absolutely, unbelievably gorgeous.” I smiled a wide mouth grin as I continued
to tell her all about him. How he didn’t introduce himself, and how he said he
was sure he would be seeing me around. We laughed and giggled and I couldn’t
help but be over the moon excited to find out how I would see him again.

Hannah and I finished lunch
without Gray. He never came back over to walk with me to our next class, and I
found this to be rather odd. I searched the halls for him before entering Mrs.
Crow’s classroom, but couldn’t find him anywhere. I told Mrs. Crow that I was
going to run to the restroom real quick, and that I would be right back. I took
off down hallway C to look for Gray. I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted
whom I could have sworn was Gray. I couldn’t be sure because he was making out
with a girl in the corner by the exit doors. I started to walk closer when my
mouth literally fell to the dingy linoleum floor in shock. Gray was kissing
Hannah! How the hell did this happen?

I shook my head in disbelief. I
could feel the tears starting to prick the back of my eyelids, as I turned to
run as fast I could to the closest restroom. I wasn’t quite sure why I was
crying, but the tears would not stop rolling down my cheeks. I was almost in full-blown
hysterics, when I heard the girls’ restroom door open. I grabbed some toilet
paper blotting my eyes, trying to keep my crying to a minimum.

I really didn’t need the whole
school knowing I was crying over Gray Weston, of all people. I couldn't grasp
why I was even crying. I mean, Gray and I are friends and so are Hannah and I.
I only want both of them to be happy, but I felt betrayed. The two most
important people in my life, which treat each other like shit in front of me,
are actually, what? In love? Dating? Sleeping together? The possibilities were
endless and none of it made any sense. I finished blotting my eyes and emerged
from the stall, only to come face to face with, GRAY!

“What the HELL are you doing in
here Gray?” Disdain was seething from my mouth. I looked at him with wide angry
eyes, until he finally stepped back hanging his head. He looked sad and all I
wanted to do was put my arms around him and comfort him, but I didn’t. I
couldn’t keep putting his feelings before my own.

“I know you saw us.” He mumbled
under his breath. “I saw you running to the bathroom. I’m
so
sorry Bennett. I should have told you.” He refused to look me in the eye, and I
couldn’t help but release all my pent up anger on him.

“You’re sorry? YOU’RE SORRY?” My
voice was getting louder and I was now yelling at him and waving my finger back
and forth. “How dare you say you’re sorry. You two walk around and treat each
other like shit all day. You can’t even get along with her when I ask you to do
it for, MY sake. You are something else Gray Elliot Weston.” His face paled at
hearing me use his full name, but I was beyond caring at this point.

“How could you keep something
like this from me? I thought we told each other everything; apparently I’m the
only one who stays true to that. Well, you want the truth? You are a horrible
best friend.” I regretted saying the words the minute I heard them pass my
lips. I reached out for Gray but he was backing away, heading out of the
bathroom. “Gray wait, please come back and talk to me.” He kept walking. “I’m
not the one in the wrong here Gray, you are.”

I ran back to Mrs. Crow’s
classroom to grab my bag and left. I ran full speed out to my car, barely
catching a glimpse of the taillights of Gray’s truck roaring out of sight. I
had just ruined the only relationship, with the only guy I have ever trusted,
with my shitty words. I climbed into my car and made my way towards home. I
knew exactly where to find him.

I could see Gray through the old
dilapidated fence that connects our two houses, as I pulled into the driveway
of my house. I put the car in park and grasped the steering wheel with both
hands before letting out the breath; I didn’t realize I was holding. My words
from earlier were coming back to haunt me, and I could feel the hot salty tears
start running down my cheeks. I knew I needed to make things right with Gray,
even if he had started this whole thing first. I was staring through the bug-ridden
windshield out towards my house, wondering what my life would have been like,
had I not met Gray. The thought was overwhelmingly sad and I continued to cry.

I slid my hand into the metal
door handle and stepped out onto the driveway. I took in a deep breath and
walked toward the conjoining fence, our parents had put in on our eleventh
birthday. That was a day to remember. We had a huge party in “our” backyard,
because that’s what it had become.

Our parents decided to buy us
one of those commercial grade tree houses. They had the guys who delivered the
set tear down the property line fence, before installing it. I remember Gray
and I watching out of my bedroom window, perched on the edge of my bed in such
anticipation we thought we would die. It was the greatest thing I had ever
seen. The whole process took about four hours and we didn’t move, not one inch
that whole time.

Gray would drape his arm across
my shoulders and smile down at me through those thick black, beautiful lashes.
I was in awe of him then, but not in that way. I interlaced my fingers through
his hanging hand and continued to stare outside, until our fathers decided it
was time for the surprise.