BROKEN BITS

“So class, now we are going to continue with the basics of logarithms and transformations…“

It’s gonna be a day worth remembering, I promise.

What did he mean? My head is clouded with innumerable unanswered questions and confused thoughts as I struggle to concentrate on my second class of algebra today and the previous three periods had been no different.

And the presence of that one troublesome male a few rows behind me is aggravating my situation.

When did he even take algebra? Does he even study here? Study as is not ‘come to college ’cause his name is on the roll’.

Study as in ‘open the book and read and understand and remember’.

“Hey, you listening to him?” Lily whispers beside me and I scoff.

As if. I wouldn’t like algebra on my brightest and sunniest of days with a crystal clear mind, let alone today.

Whoever created math? The only thing worse than spilt chocolate ice cream.

“You think?” I reply with an eye roll.

“Yeah, must be busy reminiscing the moment.” I glare at her angrily as I know full well which moment she’s referring to.

She smiles hesitantly before checking out her watch once again.

“I can’t wait for lunch break.”

“Makes two of us.” Food is definitely one thing I need right now. One thing to take my mind off from all these… uh, experiences.

“Dello?”

“Hm?”

“Where’s your locket?” I look down in shock and move my fingers around my neck to indeed find my locket missing.

I look around my desk and the floor, but to no avail. A gripping worry fills me as I suddenly stand up, making unwanted noise. No, no, no, no, no!

“Ah, anything troubling you miss?” All eyes turn to me as I see the teacher waiting for me to answer.

“Uh, I’m sorry, I need to use the restroom, professor. I’m not quite feeling well.” I must have dropped it somewhere. I need to find it as soon as possible.

“Good gracious then, off you go!”

I literally run out of the class stressing my mind to remember everywhere I’ve been. I reach the way towards the administration wing I had been to, earlier in the morning and desperately look for my it.

I can’t lose it. I can’t lose it.

Celia has an arm around me holding the umbrella above us and silently crying as I stand clutching my jacket. It’s cold today. Excessively.

I quietly check my pocket to assure myself of the three chocolate bars I carried. A big one for myself, one for Celia and one for mom. She loves dark cocoa. She always said that chocolate eases anxiety.

Dad is standing ahead of us, the rain drenching him. No one would tell me anything. Dad said we had to go to the church.

All around me, people are looking strange. There’s a big wooden box in front and the Father, in the white dress, is saying something.

Everyone prays silently and he lifts up the lid of the box. I tug on Celia’s dress, asking her who was in there. But she just cries.

I don’t like this place. I want to go home.

I lift my head up slightly to sneak a peek at the box -

“Mommy-y-y-y!!!!!” I shriek out wildly as I recognise the face lying still inside the box with closed eyes.

What is she doing there? Is she… Is she dead?

I run out towards it as Celia stops me, wrapping her arms around me and I fight against it with all my might, as my world silently falls apart around me.

“No let me see her! Mommy, no!” My knees collapse under me as Celia holds me, sobbing with my cheeks pressed against her chest.

I cry out savagely, tears stinging my eyes as I fist my pockets involuntarily.

I’ll wake up and she’ll be next to me. I know it’s my nightmare. This is scary.

I turn around silently hoping for the same, but find a clean ground with freshly wet mud and a stone with her name on it.

I take out my hands to wipe my face when I notice the crumpled chocolate in my pocket, and I sob yet again, uncontrollably.

Celia hugs me from behind, barely containing her own tears.

“Ssshhh, Dello. She’s right here. Mom’s right here with you. You see this…”

She holds out my locket to me, with a choking voice, “Mom gave you this, right? It says ‘A’ over here. The A is not for Adalanna, it’s for Avery. She gave you a piece of her name, not yours.”

“I’m not a kid, Celia!” I yell at her, while sobbing. Does she think I’ll buy her stupid childish lie?

But in this moment it seems to be the last, though stupid and childish, hope for me. I clutch it tightly wound my neck, while crying helplessly on Celia’s shoulder.

You’ll find it Alanna. You’ll find it. Check the hallway. Yes, you were there.

“Did you?” Lily grabs my by the shoulder as she asks me with concern to which I just shake my head. I reach my locker, though with a blurry vision now, as I fight back warm tears.

“Well well, we meet again, don’t we? Though I wouldn’t exactly call the last time a ‘meet’ really.”

The voice falls on my ears carelessly as I frantically scan the floor.

“This isn’t exactly the restroom now is it, Callister?”

“Not now, Zach.” I dismiss him immediately as I open my locker and desperately look for my locket. Maybe it got stuck, or it fell and I put it in with my other things accidentally.

“Looking for something, are we?” I hear a few of my things fall down but at the moment I really don’t care.

“She’s lost her locket, Zach. Have you, maybe, seen it somewhere?

It was a little ‘A’ shaped thingy, with a stone in the middle.” Lily’s description brings up the picture of my locket in front of me and I wipe my eyes ferociously so that I can see clearer.

“Boy, that’s a pity!

When you say ‘locket’, you don’t by any chance, mean this, do you?”

I hear Lily gasp and turn around to see my locket casually resting on Zach’s fingers that he has currently held out for display. I take a relieved breath with my eyes closed.

“That’s the one, oh my Go -, I was so scar -“ I walk up to him with silent gratefulness. I don’t know what I would have done, if I hadn’t found it.

“Uh-huh, not so fast, Callister.” I reach out for my locket but he simply removes his hand while walking a few steps past me with an eerie whistle. What is he doi -

“How do you have it, Zach?”

“Ha, how do I have it, now that’s an interesting choice of question. You do remember our earlier encounter, yes?

Of course you do, I mean it wasn’t something to forget, I know, but still.

You don’t really think I was actually building a moment, do you?”

I take in his words with slow analysis and dreadful realisation. How could he?

“You -”

“Took it off you, yes I did.” He speaks with amused confidence and I’m reminded of the last incident with him.

Why would he resort to such baseness? Could it be because of the basketball?

“Zach, this isn’t about earlier today, is it? Because if it is, then it’s not funny anymore!”

“Agreed, Callister. I don’t consider whatever ensued earlier today, funny at all, either, so keep your pricey opinions to yourself.”

He takes my locket between his fingers and starts to twirl it around in circles. He has no right to play with it like that!

“I was actually hoping that this locket of yours could afford me a ball, that you owe me, you see, but frankly…” He takes a careful, disgusted look at my locket and continues.

“… I don’t think it’s going to cover even my cab fare to the store.” He chuckles lightly, making my insides sick with restrained anger and hatred for the person in front of me.

The bell goes, breaking the looming silence and people begin to gather around us. He still stands with that smirk on his face, eyes smiling in gratification. He can’t bloody do anything! Not with my locket.

“Zach, you asshole, how can you do this? Just return it.” Lily protests in a shout which doesn’t seem to unfaze him at all.

“Preston. Shut up.”

“No, I won -”

“Zach, you have no idea what it means to me so I demand you give it back this insta -” I take a few menacing steps towards him as my voice turns into an angry shout.

“No, you know what Callister? You had no fucking idea what the ball meant to me either, so you don’t bloody get to demand anything.” He takes one step towards me as well and his yell is definitely louder than mine.

Lily jumps up a bit while I stand there, angry, yet helpless.

I am absolutely shocked at the lengths to which Zach will go, to hurt me. To boost his ego. And as much as I hate him, the only thought going inside of my head right now is that I want my locket back. I need it back.

“Zach, please. Please just give it back to me okay? I’ll pay for your ball. Please, just.” My voice breaks out as I beg him to return it.

“Give it back.” He pauses, and then merely smirks.

“About that. So you see, you deflated the ba -, you actually punctured the ball and it’s only logical, that, given the not-so-exquisite piece of this not-so-fine jewellery can’t possibly be punctured, I must find some other creative and equally savage choice of treatment for it. Don’t you agree?”

Fear shoots within me now. I don’t trust Zach one bit when it comes to ruthlessness and I know he can do anything. No, I can’t possibly lose it. I CAN’T.

“Zach, listen to me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for it. But please, just give that back to me, please!” I grab his collars as I make another attempt to regain my locket. His smirk disappears, and his eyes turn dead cold.

“You’ll never forget today, now.

You wanted me to apologize, didn’t you? Who’s begging now?

You’re going to pay for everything, Adalanna.” He walks me towards my locker, once again just like before, only this time he bangs his palm, the one that held my locket, too hard onto the metallic surface, just beside my face.

The deafening metallic bang resonates through my skull, and my ears go mute. No. He did not.

I feel hot tears pouring with my eyes shut involuntarily. I open them to see Zach staring at me intently after which he walks up to the window swiftly and throws out the broken pieces of my locket like trash.

“No.” I run like hell, all the way downstairs to reach the spot, a part of me breaking at the sight of the broken parts of my possession.

The stone is nowhere to be seen and the ‘A’ is irreparably broken.

I silently gather the pieces with a sobbing face and shaking hands.

“You look beautiful honey! It looks perfect on you.”

“I know. But you gave Celia one before me.” I pout angrily, playing with my locket and Mom laughs casually.

“Well how about we make up for it with some chocolate ice cream?” I giggle uncontrollably as she tickles me in the abdomen.

Her eyes shine magically as she laughs and I hear the sound of my own happy giggles. Her face is so beautiful. She is so beautiful, when she’s laughing.

And I feel so happy.

“Still want me to apologize, or will that do?”

Author's note:

I’m not that good at writing emo scenes, but I tried my best, of how a kid would feel. Do let me know your views.

Math is a pain in the EVERYWHERE, though. Tell me to choose between math and never being born, I’ll not even think twice.

And Zach, dude, take a break.

Like, vote, comment.

Love me some dark cocoa.