Fragile Heart

Jess is Gone

Four Years Later

Alex waited in the usual spot where her big brother meets her after school, even if Jess ditched school himself. So, it was odd when he wasn't there that day.

She sadly watched the other kids get picked up by their parents, mostly their moms, proudly showing off a test or art project and ranting off how great their day was. Liz always had to work late, so it was usually the siblings to fend for themselves until she could get off, and that's only if she wasn't picking up an extra shift.

It wouldn't be so bad since they were used to it. But over their summer vacation, Jess found some new friends and had been spending a lot of time with them. Who could blame him, really? Why would a seventeen-year-old guy want to hang out with his ten-year-old sister? Though Jess still found time to go see a movie with her or hang out at the bookstore together, since his new pals weren't much of readers themselves. Alex was already dreading when Jess moves out on his own, which was just a year away, and be just her and Liz, who still insists on doing mother-daughter things that Alex wanted nothing to do with.

The crowds of kids were thinning out and there was still no sign of Jess anywhere. It wasn't like him to forget about her.

Alex peered around the front of the school at the few kids waiting. He had been late coming home last night, too, after she had fallen asleep, which Alex was awakened by Liz yelling at him. She tried to ask when Jess came into their bedroom, but he told her not to worry about it and passed out on his bed, exhausted and was still sleeping when she got up this morning, forcing Alex to take the bus to school, alone. Guess she was taking it home by herself, as well?

Alex gave her brother more time in case he was just late. Maybe a little too late because she noticed the assistant principal out now. Whenever she's out, it's to gather up the few remaining students to call home and Alex did not feel like explaining to the woman why she has to fend for herself sometimes and let her stick her long, pointy nose in places that did not belong.

So Alex booked it for the bus stop before that could happen.

No one was waiting when she got to the bus stop, meaning a bus had already come by. So Alex grabbed a seat on the hard mesh bench while she had the chance. However, when an elderly couple showed up, with the man leading his wife like a gentleman, she stood up to insist on letting them have it and remained standing until the next bus arrived.

The elderly couple slowly but carefully got on first before Alex. She swiped her bus card and followed behind the couple until she spotted a lone seat and took it. Thankfully, there were two seats together for the couple to sit.

Alex's seat ended up being right next to a man who seemed to be talking to himself as if there was another person. It wasn't the woman sitting across the aisle from him since she was reading, paying the man no mind. Unless he thought she was.

Alex wasn't sure what the man was talking about, so she tried to pay him no mind as well. Instead, she looked to her right towards the front of the bus to watch for her stop. Alex had taken this route with Jess many times, who taught her street smarts since she was little, so she knew how to get around on her own.

Once she spotted her stop, Alex reached up to pull the cord to signal she wanted to get off. It was a relief since someone had gotten on at the last stop who smelled like her mom did whenever she would get high with one of her friends. Alex could not stand that smell so much it would make her gag and want to throw up, which Liz would tease how she was being overly dramatic, even though Alex had no control over when it happens. Truthfully, it seems to happen with anything that had a strong smell, including a strong perfume of Liz's she loved to wear a lot. Alex could not hug her mom without having to hold her breath.