Broken Silence: A Young Adult RH Coming Of Age Romance

by Jarica James

  My day seemed so empty without them here.

  "I missed you, Charlie girl. Abby tortured me with her useless art knowledge the entire time," he says with an overdramatic sigh, moving his hands and stepping around. "Ow!" he whines as she punches him on the arm.

  "Hey." Abby greets me with an innocent smile that has me shaking in silent laughter. She lives for torturing Cole, so I know he isn't even exaggerating.

  "Did anyone give you homework?" Cole asks, noticing my books are all in the locker. I give a happy shake of my head and he grins.

  "Oh, good! Let's go do something!" Abby says, linking her arm with me after I shut my locker. We walk down the hall to leave; Sophia's car should be waiting for me.

  Sophia looks up when we get closer, a grin breaking across her face at the sight of us. She parks the car and climbs out, knowing that we won't all fit in her little bug. She flicks her gaze from Cole to Abby, knowing one of them will tell her what's going on.

  "We need to stop by Adam's first, but no homework tonight. Can we steal Charlie for the afternoon?" Abby asks excitedly.

  "We promise to return her by curfew," Cole adds. "Unless she wants to come read bedtime stories to the twin tornadoes again."

  "If she wants to, she can. Text me and check in occasionally, and I'll load some spending money on your card when I get back in the car," Sophia offers, focusing her attention on me for confirmation. I smile and nod, typing a thank you on my phone. With a grin and a hug, she slides back in her car and drives off.

  "That was the easiest kidnapping I've ever seen," Trent jokes as he and Alice join us, putting his arm around my shoulder and turning me toward the student parking lot where they always park.

  "Where should we go?" Alice asks, not looking up from her phone.

  "Why? You aren't even paying attention. How's lover boy?" Abby teases, and Alice's cheeks flame at being called out.

  "He's good. He's supposed to be in town for a basketball tournament next week." Her voice is laced with excitement; it’s probably the most worked up I’ve seen her.

  "Does this mean we get to meet him? Don't your best friends get to give him the usual scare tactics?" Trent asks, giving me a wink. He keeps his arm around my shoulder, and Abby casually takes my hand. I fight back the feelings when my heart reacts to the simple gestures, but the fight is starting to drain.

  "No scare tactics, I like this one," Alice threatens, glaring around me at Trent.

  "Has anyone heard from Adam? Is he actually sick, or is it his mom again?" Abby's tone turns hard and my curiosity is piqued.

  Trent makes an angry sort of sound, drawing the entire group’s attention. His eyes hold shadows, making my heart clench. His arm tightens around me. "His mom is an alcoholic. Some days he ends up missing so he can take care of her."

  The rest of the walk to the car and the drive itself is in silence. I hate the thought of Adam having a rough night and day, taking care of an incoherent mom. And they never say what kind of drunk she is so I’m even more worried. It makes me realize just how much I still need to learn about them all.

  A moment of self-doubt hits me, because I can’t just hold an easy conversation with them. How many things are we missing out on because of me? As if she can hear my thoughts, Abby reaches out and tangles her fingers with mine, bringing my hand to her mouth and giving it a soft kiss and squeeze, before settling it back in her lap. The moment was so small and likely insignificant to most, but to me it means everything, my stomach going crazy with butterflies.

  Adam must have heard us pull up because he walks out the moment we arrive, dark circles under his eyes and looking downright miserable. My heart breaks for him, knowing that their suspicions are true. When Cole parks his car, I unbuckle and scramble over Trent to open the door. I don't bother waiting for the others, instead running up to hug Adam.

  He gives me a tired smile as I approach, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my head. The others stay in the car, giving us a moment to ourselves and I’m grateful for it. When he pulls back, I tug him down and give him a soft kiss that he practically melts into. His expression is softer as he gazes down at me.

  "You're too good to me, Charlie. All the shit you've clearly been through, and yet you still find the space in your heart to care about my shitty night," he whispers and hugs me tight again. I pull away so I can look into his eyes. They look haunted today, and I hate it. I move my hands from his sides to rest on his cheeks.

  'For you, always,' I mouth the words, silently, but he still understands them.

  "We're lucky you found us," he reveals, kissing me on the forehead. The others walk up after that, clearly done waiting.

  "Hey, man,” Cole says, giving Adam a fist bump. “Need a break?"

  "Yeah, but I'm tired,” Adam replies, shoulders drooping like the weight of the world rests on them. “Can we just go to Charlie's and watch a movie or something?"

  "Cram in, let's go," Trent says, ushering us to the car.

  "I need some space; I'll walk and meet you there." As soon as he says it, I snatch his hand in mine, not wanting him to be alone right now. The others all pile into Cole's car and drive off, leaving us alone.

  "You didn't have to walk with me." Guilt nearly bleeds from his eyes, and I throw him a mock glare, not willing to let him push me away. It was always one thing I wished that someone had done for me when I was at my lowest, and I would never let him feel the same.

  We walk down the block in silence, his fingers intertwined with mine, and I reach over with my other hand to rub his arm. I may not have the right words to say, or any words, but I want to offer comfort in some way.

  "Charlie, I really like you," he whispers quietly. I squeeze his hand to acknowledge what he said, before stretching up and kissing his cheek. His smile widens but he doesn't say anything else, letting me process his words instead.

  When we finally reach the house, their car is empty in the driveway, so we head inside. Everyone is sitting in the kitchen, talking animatedly to Sophia. When we open the door, the voices stop before the conversation turns to food. I'm guessing they were filling her in on Adam’s life from the angry look on Trent’s face.

  "Why don't you head in there, and Charlie can help me decide on food. Call your parents and let them know you're here for dinner," Sophia orders. They give a chorus of yes ma'ams, before filing out.

  "Is he okay?" she asks immediately, clearly already up to date on his mom's situation.

  'Yeah, he was just apparently up late. He looks really tired,' I write on the paper, my eyebrows furrowing as I consider what else to say. 'I don't know how bad he has it, they didn't tell me much.'

  "They told me a bit. Apparently it's bad when his dad is away on business. They gave me his dad's number. When he's away, she does this a lot. I'm going to go to my office and give him a call. I'll let you know how it went after they go tonight. I'm sorry, I can't just let him go through that," she says, her eyes begging me to understand. I don't want him dealing with it either, so I give her a hug in thanks.

  'Chinese?'

  She nods, pulling out the menu and taking it with her to her office. I join the others in the living room, where they’re already playing a movie. The only spot left is between Adam and Abby, so I plop down between them. We don't even make it five minutes before my hands are wrapped in theirs, and I smile to myself, unable to stop it.

  Sophia walks in a few minutes later, her eyebrows drawing down at our clasped hands but doesn't react any further. Though, knowing Sophia, she'll bring it up later. For once, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’ve never been this happy or liked anyone as much as I like them. It may not be conventional, but for us it’s perfect.

  She watches part of the movie with us, waiting for the Chinese to get here. I glance over and notice the hard edges to her eyes, knowing that something with the conversation didn't go well. She’s not a fidgety person, but the way she twirls her rings and shifts in her seat have me worrying even more.

 
The doorbell rings, disrupting the movie. Alice pauses it, and we all head into the dining room to wait for Sophia. I stop in the kitchen and grab a stack of plates and napkins before joining them. Despite trying to keep myself busy, I find myself watching Adam as he picks at his food. Abby and Trent are trying their hardest to keep the conversation flowing around us, but my stomach is full of nerves and I barely touch my own food.

  The moment the movie starts back up, Adam drifts off, his head leaned back against the couch. The others all say their goodbyes and leave quietly, before Sophia repositions him comfortably and covers him up, motioning for me to follow her to the kitchen.

  "I spoke to his dad. He claims he had no idea it was that bad. He asked for Adam to stay here until he gets home. He said he can wrap up his meetings, and he'll fly home tomorrow. He'll come to get Adam tomorrow night," she explains, sighing and sitting down.

  'Do you think things will change? Will he get in trouble for this?' I ask, worried Adam will get punished when his mom finds out.

  "No, his dad really did sound shocked. So I think things may change for him. At least I really hope so," she says, rubbing her hand over her eyes. "Go get some rest, he'll be all right down here."

  With one last glance at her, I nod and blow out a breath before walking away. I stop in the living room long enough to kiss him on the forehead and head upstairs.

  As I get ready, my mind doesn't stop shuffling through all of the things going on. One part of me is still worried about the case. It lingers in the back of my mind and never really leaves. The other is worried about Adam. And an even bigger part keeps turning over the changes in our group and what I'm going to do. After hours of my thoughts circling, I eventually drift off, no closer to the answers I want.

  Friday

  Afternoon

  Charlie

  “You’re going to be amazing, Charlie girl,” Cole murmurs, confidence infused in his words. It’s his attempt to encourage me as we walk out of the instrument room to perform our song in front of the entire class. Mr. Hill moved the piano and violin into the main room for us. It's the first time I've ever done any sort of performance, and I'm practically bouncing on my feet with anxiety.

  Cole situates himself at the piano, and I sit on my stool with the violin. Our eyes lock together as we wait for Mr. Hill to finish talking, that singular moment grounding me enough I feel like I can breathe again.

  “And now, Charlie and Cole, you may begin.” Our teacher gives us a nod, before taking a seat with the class to watch.

  Cole counts us off and we begin. As soon as the first notes take off, I can see the smiles on some of the students’ faces, their faces lit with recognition. This is why we chose a more modern song, in the first place.

  Once we find our pace, everything slowly fades away except the sound of the piano and my violin. My tension drains with each swipe of my violin bow, the song unfolding in front of us easily, like this is second nature.

  We finish the last few notes, and the classroom bursts into applause. I can't keep the grin off my face as I pull my violin away and glance at Cole, his smile matching mine.

  “Fantastic work!” Mr. Hill praises as he ushers us back to our seats. As soon as we’re at a table together, Cole tugs me forward and crushes our lips together, the kiss passionate and insistent, but it’s over in a flash as Mr. Hill calls up the second group.

  They play a classical piece. It's really well practiced, but it's not as exciting as ours apparently, since whispers and glazed eyes fill the room. As they finish, they also get applause, though not as enthusiastically as we did. And honestly, I’m so proud of us that I can’t find it in me to feel bad for them. It's the perfect end of the semester.

  “What should we do during break?” Cole asks as he takes my hand. I mime sleep, and he laughs. “That does sound nice, but not very exciting,” he jokes.

  “Really, Cole? You're with the mute?” Callie’s awful high-pitched voice practically screeches. I roll my eyes and keep walking, but Cole stops. He does a slow turn and glares at her. Oh shit, here we go.

  “She's beautiful and twice as genuine as you could even dream of being. And yes, Callie, she’s my girlfriend now. Don’t be jealous that I wouldn’t give you a chance and Adam doesn’t want you anymore,” he says, his voice icy and low. I'm honestly just thankful I'm not in her shoes. “Maybe this is why you’re single.”

  “You don’t even know me,” she growls, but he’s already turning back to me. Her eyes meet mine and I give her a smug smile, not feeling the least bit sorry for her.

  “Ready, beautiful?” he asks as he leads me away. Wanting to be closer, I take my hand out of his and lean my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around my waist and guides me outside.

  When we reach the front doors, I pull out my phone so I can type for him. ‘Want to ride with me and Sophia? We can head over to the coffee shop or something?’ I turn my screen around for him to read.

  “Sounds good,” he agrees with his signature half grin. When Sophia pulls up, I gesture to Cole, and she smiles and waves him in. We're about halfway home when Cole speaks up to save me from typing out a message.

  “She wants to go grab a coffee, and I want to hit up the music store, is that cool?”

  Sophia’s smile grows wider, and she winks at me in the rearview mirror.

  “That’s fine. I have a lot of work to do tonight anyway. You can hang out at home afterward and order in dinner if you want,” she suggests. Though I have my suspicions she's suggesting it so she can keep an eye on us. That thought doesn’t bother me at all… it’s kind of nice having someone who wants to watch out for me.

  She pulls into the closest empty spot and we climb out, waving to her before she backs out. “So, where to first?” Cole asks, glancing around at the shops in front of us. “Coffee or music?”

  Not quite ready to sit down, I point at the music shop and he pulls me that way.

  Cole and I stop at the record store first and we both part ways. The fact that we can enjoy things without having to be in each other's faces all the time is really nice. I walk around the shop slowly, taking my time. I add a few CDs to my collection as I go along, even picking one out for Abby. Her style of music was definitely different, but she’d mentioned wanting to get this one, so I couldn't resist grabbing it. It was nice that we all didn’t just rely on our phones, I thought I was the only one left who still appreciated physical copies over just digital.

  “Oh, have you checked them out?” Cole asks as we meet in the middle of the display. I shake my head no and he picks one out, handing it over. “You should. They’re a good mix of punk and pop; even Abby likes them and she wrinkles her nose at every other musical choice I make.” If it’s actually something we can all listen to, then I definitely want it in my collection, so I add it to my stack. He brushes his hand down my arm as he moves to my other side, like he can’t help but touch me as he goes.

  When we finally finish scouring every shelf, we quickly check out and head next door to get our coffee. The music store is like a time warp, every time I go in I lose no less than an hour, if not more. And now it’s getting close to dinner and I don’t want Sophia to worry.

  Cole already knows my coffee order, so when he goes inside, I snag us a table on the patio. The line at the register is packed, but the streets are pretty quiet still. It's too early for the dinner crowd, so we'll actually get to enjoy that peaceful time of the day in between.

  I'm still waiting for Cole when I notice a slightly familiar, surly man walking down the sidewalk toward me. The moment it clicks in my head who he is, my blood runs cold and I panic, jumping up from my seat. I don’t think I'll make it to the door in time, but I have to try. The man lunges forward and grabs my arm in a crushing grip. I whimper in pain, kicking out at him and looking around for help, but it's useless. The patio is uncharacteristically empty and now I’m at his mercy. He clearly isn’t stupid, taking me at a time when he’d have least resistance.

  “I’ve got
a gun, and you know I will use it without hesitation,” he whispers in a deep voice I still hear in my nightmares. He starts to drag me toward the alley, and I fight and kick with everything I have, purposefully dropping my book bag so Cole knows something’s wrong.

  As soon as we round the corner, the man steps past the dumpster and slams me against the wall. His fingers wrap tightly around my throat as he pins me to the brick, the pain nearly sending me into a flashback I wanted no part of. He leans so close to my face that I can smell his rancid breath and would have gagged if I could suck in a full breath.

  “So I just heard that your family’s murder case was reopened. I thought I could let you live, but clearly that was a mistake. Now you are going to come with me, without a fight, or I’ll kill that pretty new mother of yours. She’s a lawyer, right?” His voice is low and menacing, sending shivers down my spine, but it’s the threat that has tears welling in my eyes. I can't let him hurt her. The thought that he had to have been stalking us and waiting for me here, scares me even more.

  As he loosens his hand, I know that it's now or never, and I'm at a point in my life that I no longer wish I can join my family. I have one shot at this, since he doesn’t think I can talk. Once he knows that it’s possible, he won't be so forgiving. So I take a deep and shaky breath before screaming with everything I have, “COLE!”

  My voice is awful and raspy, and the pain is so bad it nearly brings me to my knees, like knives being scraped through my throat over and over again. But in my desperation, I manage a loud enough volume to be heard down the street… or at least I hope so.

  Relief floods me as I hear the pounding of footsteps coming toward the alley as the man snarls and jerks me away from the wall. He tries to run with me, but I manage to throw an elbow and struggle harder, my fight renewed at the possibility of living through this. He thought he’d found the compliant and silent girl he’s seen me be, but under all that, I’m a fighter and I have three years of anger and revenge to put into this. I'm not a victim, and I refuse to let him succeed.