Broken

Chapter 4 [EDITED]

The next morning, as Alex and I are getting ready for school, I hear a knock at the door. I've trained myself to never open the door, since I'm technically deaf. But since Alex is in his room and my mom is hers, I look through the peephole and I see Danny. I open the door. "Hi."

"Oh, hi. I didn't expect you to answer the door," Danny rubs the back of his neck. "because you are supposed to be deaf."

"I usually don't. What do you need Danny?" I sound harsher than I mean to.

"A ride to school. I usually walk, but it's raining." He hooks his foot around the back of his other foot and slowly glides his eyes up to meet mine. I bite my lip and try to avoid looking at his eyes. He's trying to look sad so I'll take pity and give him a ride. Lucky for him it's working.

"Sure," I reply. I can't turn him down. I need him to trust me, like I trust him. I stand aside to let him in. After he passes me, I close the door. It's too quiet, so I decide to start talking. "Good thing you know where we live."

He laughs. Not like a fake petty laugh, but a real laugh. He thought I was funny. I laugh with him, although I don't know why. Maybe so he'll trust me? "I'm glad I know your secret. I'm glad I know the real you," he says, hesitantly.

"I'm glad someone else knows. Someone new. Before you, only the people I've known my whole life have known. Still, most of them are family. You and Emily are the only ones that don't live in this house that know the truth," I trail off. I have to keep it serious. "That is why it's important that you keep it quiet." I don't know what to do with my hands so I stick them behind me and I lean against the wall. Danny doesn't know what to do with his either. He shoves them in his back pocket and shifts his weight onto his right foot.

"I thought that your neighbors would know. Or at least more people than what, five?" He shrugs his shoulders.

"Seven, actually." I feel like I need to make him believe me, so I decide to list them off, "You, Emily, my mom, my dad, Alex, and my little siblings, Annie and Jackson. Seven." I hold up seven fingers, as if he needs a visual.

"Yes. I can count," he smiles at me.

I quickly put my fingers down. I bite my lip. I'm making a fool of myself. He's just another guy. Just another guy that knows my biggest secret.

We stand in silence for a minute before Alex comes out. "What are you doing here?" Alex doesn't keep his calm at all. He's angry. He comes and stands between him and me, thinking he's protecting me.

"Alex. He just needs a ride. Calm down," I put my hand on his shoulder.

He shakes my hand off. "So? He can find someone else!" Alex turns to me. "Or he can walk! Either way, he's not coming with us!"

I can't stop myself from cringing. Alex never yells at me. "Alex. Calm down. Nothing is wrong with him wanting a ride. He'd walk if it wasn't raining outside. It'll be fine. We have an extra seat anyway."

"How will it be fine?! What happened since yesterday, Lucy?! Yesterday you were scared of him!" Alex stares at me. "Huh?!"

"I've forgiven him, I trust him. Why can't you? Why can't you trust me?" I turn away from Alex and look down. "Don't yell at me." I walk down the hallway and close myself in my room. I sit down in front of the door. I pull my knees to my chest and rest my head on them. "Why is he acting this way?" I whisper to myself. I hear a knock on my door. "Go away, Alex."

"It's not Alex. Lucy, open the door," Danny says. I stand up and open the door. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know, Danny. He's never yelled at me before. I don't know what to do." I sit down on my bed and Danny sits next to me. "I don't know what's gotten in to him. He probably thinks he's protecting me, but he's not. He needs to understand that I don't need protecting anymore. I'm not a child."