Shattered

15: For You

  "You do realize he was using you, right?" said Brooke flatly. Andrew looked up at her in mild surprise.

  "Care to elaborate?" he asked in a slightly quieter voice; his eyebrows raised expressing his curiosity.

  "How long had it been since you heard from him, before he showed up on your door just last week?" Brooke inquired, feeling like a detective. It was not a good feeling, but she felt that she needed to provide this man with the truth.

  "I don't know," said Andrew, sighing as he tried to remember. "Four, five years? But what does that matter; he moved to a different state, I didn't expect him to be back every weekend."

  "Mmm," said Brooke, her voice complimenting her aggravated emotions, "you wouldn't expect something like that, would you? But five years. my my my. You would think there would be a postcard; a letter; an email; something in those five years."

  "Look, I know you're mad at him and all, but you don't have to try to get me to turn on him," said Andrew quite calmly, but on the inside he was fuming.

  Brooke shook her head, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm not trying to get anyone to turn on anyone. Believe it or not, I'm not that kind of person. What I am trying to do is present you with the truth, because I believe that the truth is generally preferable to lies."

  Andrew smirked; covering up a laugh. "Nice Dumbledore reference. Harry Potter fan, are we?"

  "Since I was kid," said Brooke, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and awkwardly looking down at her lap.

  "I never knew that," said Andrew, smiling delicately, as he looked away from Brooke. "Aside from that quite off topic topic," he continued, finally setting normal eye contact on her, "thank you. Thank you for...caring, in your own sort of way."

  "No problem," said Brooke quietly, taking a sip of her coffee - which had gone cold - as she felt her nerves disappear.

  Andrew nodded. "Also, if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know. If you like need to talk to someone, or just - anything, don't hesitate."

  "Oh, well...thank you," said Brooke, not sure how to respond to an offer such as that one.

  "And, uh, you seemed kind of tense when I watched you sitting here," said Andrew. His eyes bulged immediately, and his tan cheeks were flushed. "I wasn't watching you! That sounded so creepy. I mean, I was looking in your direction, and now...you're laughing. Why- why are you laughing?"

  "I'm so sorry," said Brooke, burying her face in her hands to subdue her laughter. "That was just hilarious. Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I just...can't stop laughing now."

  Andrew joined in on Brooke's hysterical laughing - though he still did not see what was so funny - and soon they had the attention of the entire shop.

  Shortly after, Andrew stopped laughing, for he noticed that Brooke was not laughing anymore, but crying.

  "Wh- what's wrong?" he asked quietly, leaning forward, trying not to draw attention. "Did I do something? Are you okay?"

  "No!" said Brooke through her heavy sobbing, "I'm just a wreck. I've been doing this so often, just randomly breaking into fits of sobbing. I can't control it, and- I'm so sorry."

  "I'm sorry, maybe I can help?" asked Andrew, hating the fact that she was crying. He felt that it was his fault, even if Brooke did tell him otherwise. He hated seeing anyone crying, and it was especially hard to handle in a public place.

  "Thank you, but, I think I'll be okay," said Brooke, after taking a deep breath. She wiped the tears roughly off of her face, and exhaled, trying to regain her sanity. "I really should be going anyway; my coffee's gone cold."

  "Oh, mine too," said Andrew, sniffing his drink as if to prove his sincerity. "So much for the three bucks, huh?"

  "Yeah..." said Brooke, standing up and straightening her sweater. She began to walk toward the trash can, when he caught her arm gently.

  "This is awkward, but I think this whole conversation has been: Could I walk you home? I mean, since we live in the same building, it'll be awkward walking back but pretending like we aren't walking at the same time. Does that make any sense?"

  "Not really, but I think I understood the first part," said Brooke, removing herself from his gentle grip, and tossing her half drunken coffee in the trash can. "I'm already high on this crap cup of coffee, so sure, why not?"

  Andrew rolled his eyes good-naturedly, as he walked out of the shop with Brooke next to him, feeling exceptionally pleased with himself. Brooke had no idea what made her agree to such a thing. An hour ago, had she not despised the man? And then she was agreeing to walk home with him? If asked, she could not have put her reason into words. The only thing she decided she should do, was to wait and see what happened.

  It was dark outside then, and the streets were empty as usual. "Typical Jennings" Andrew commented, as the two began walking down the sidewalk. They were silent for a while as they walked, but it did not bother either of them. It was definitely better than walking alone, they both thought to themselves.

  "I think I'm going to go back to school in the beginning of the year," said Andrew, as he strolled with his hands in his pockets. "I never finished college, and it's come back to bite me."

  "That's a good idea," said Brooke, satisfied with the topic he had chosen to discuss. "It's hard to find a decent job around here with a college degree; much less without one."

  "That's why I want to move," said Andrew, nodding in agreement at her statement.

  "Just wondering, why move?" asked Brooke, staring up at the starry sky. It was a change to have someone new to talk to. It opened a whole new door, and she was enjoying herself.

  "I've been here my whole life," said Andrew. "It's a fine town, but I'm sick of it. There's nothing here. Absolutely nothing. I want to get out of here, see the world. Do something with my life. I've screwed up everything, and I really want to start changing everything."

  Brooke smiled. "That all sounds nice when you say it, but I just don't think like that. And may I ask what made you decide to change?"

  Andrew sighed; his exhaled breath creating a fog amidst the cold night weather. "Well," he said, "Bradley."

  Brooke raised her eyebrows and snorted involuntarily. "Let me guess," she said, "you saw how screwed up he turned out to be, and you decided you wanted to end up better than that."

  Still awaiting a reply, they walked up the steps of the apartment building. They stopped in front of the door to Brooke's apartment, and she looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

  "Actually, no," he said, with smiling eyes. "He stepped over the line of fear, and he made something of himself. The damage he inflicted when he stepped over the line? Well, I know your family. This is not the end."

  He casually saluted her, and turned to head toward his own apartment. He left Brooke breathless, and beguiled by his words; the last sentence ringing in her ears.