Just a little bit's enough
Just a second we're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again
It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars of our hearts
We're not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again.
Seasons 1-3
*Disclaimer:...
"Good tip. Thanks." She sips her milkshake. "Do you really have to go?" I nod.
"Yeah. FIT has always been my dream."
"But I mean graduating early. Does it have to do with my brother?"
"A little bit. And mostly because I'm ready to get out of here. After everything with Jeff and Hannah... I don't want to get caught up in anymore mess."
"Do you think something's gonna happen this year?"
"I hope not. But I wouldn't be surprised if something did."
<>
September
I flip the covers over my head and take a deep sigh.
One year. One year since Jeff died.
There's a knock on my door.
"Yeah?" Deran opens it. "Hey D."
"Are you going out today?" I nod.
"Just going to the site."
"Are you going to see his parents?" I shake my head.
"They took a trip to Hawaii this year."
"Do you want me to go with you?" I shake my head.
"No that's ok. Go hang out with Lauren today. I'll be alright."
"Okay." He shuts my door and I stay in bed for about another hour before getting up and going to the cemetery.
I get to his tombstone and immediately get an eerie feeling. I've never liked cemeteries or funerals. They always creep me out. I brush some dust off the top and tale a deep sigh.
"A whole year. A whole year you've been gone and honestly things haven't gotten better. If you were here, I would actually stay the whole school year. If you were here, all that shit with Zach never would have happened. We'd actually be happy. I'd be happy. I never should have let you get in that car Jeff. You didn't have to be the person to do the beer run, it could have been someone else. I'm sorry Jeff. I'm sorry I let you get in the car. I miss you desperately. Say hi to mom for me. And I hope you did a good job showing Hannah the ropes up there. I know she needed to see a familiar face. I hope you weren't too mad at her. Anyways, see you later." I leave the cemetery and go back to my car.
"I figured you'd be here." I groan.
"Not today Leah."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I'm not trying to start any trouble Jade. I'm just here to pay my respects."
"Great. Go pay them then."
"I'm sorry." She says.
"For what?"
"Being such a mean person to you."
"It's fine. I'm over it. Apology accepted or whatever. Can I go now?"
"You would have been good with him."
"Thanks. But we'll never really know will we? Good day." I get in my car.
~
The next day at school, I head to my locker in between my classes before my free period and I see Tyler standing at my locker.
"Hey Tyler. What's up?"
"Hey Jade. I was uh going through my stuff and I found this." He holds up a flash drive.
"Ok... cool. What's on it?"
"I don't want to sound weird but they're pictures of Jeff. Just stuff from around school and when he was playing baseball. I put them together after he died and I meant to give it to you but I didn't want to seem weird and then all that stuff with Hannah and the trial and then... me. I forgot." I take the flash drive.
"Are you free right now?" He nods. I take his hand and the two of us go into the computer lab. I load the flash drive into the computer and click the file. It opens and a bunch of pictures come up. Tyler and I go through them one by one and I can't help but tear up. "He's really photogenic." I joke.
Some of the last pictures are of him and myself just hanging around the halls. Seeing the smile spread across our faces with our arms flung either around each others shoulders, around each other's necks or me on his back as he runs down the hall. The last picture is the two of us at the Winter Formal on the dance floor.
The pictures end and I take a deep sigh.
"I'm sorry I didn't give this to you earlier." I look at Tyler and engulf him in the biggest hug.
"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know everyone thought you were a creepy cameraman but this... I'm glad that you did this. You have a real gift Tyler. Thank you."
<>
October
"So... how's it looking?" I ask Mr. Green as he looks over my grades and comments from teachers.
"Just a minute."
"Oh come on Mr. Green. You're killing me over here. Just tell me. Will I be able to get my diploma next month or not?" He sighs and looks up from his computer.
"Looks like... you will." He smiles.
"Yay!" I say happily.
"Your teachers have made some really good comments. They still can't believe you've done everything so quickly."
"That's because I really want to get out of here." I lean back in the chair and sigh.
"Don't relax yet. You're in the homestretch now. Just a few more weeks and you're out of here."
"I couldn't have done it without you--"
"Nope. Don't thank me yet. Not until you get that diploma." I roll my eyes. The bell rings for me to go to my next class and I leave Mr. Green's room. As I walk down the hallway, I pass by Zach and try my hardest to act like he's not there.
"Jade! Jade." Shit.
"Yes Zach?"
"H—how are you?"
"Wonderful. You?" He shrugs.
"Not bad. Just getting ready for the game."
"Fabulous. Is that all?"
"N—no. Look I was wondering, are you going to the Homecoming Dance?"
"I wasn't planning on it. Why?"
"Would you maybe like to uh go with me?" I raise my eyebrow.
"Are—are you serious?"
"Uh yeah."
"No. No Zach I will not go to Homecoming with you. Why don't you just take Chloe. We both know you'd prefer her. I mean are you actually insane to think that I would say yes to going to Homecoming with you? We broke up. That would be weird."
