BROKEN AND SCREWED(Broken_Part One)(43)

Eric wouldn’t ask me out for awhile again and I could hold onto the promise I’d given Jesse, even though I knew I didn’t need to. I wasn’t going to be his girlfriend. That wasn’t what I was holding out for. I was waiting for one last time to be in his arms, one last time to be connected with him again. And it wasn’t about sex. It was more than that for me.
I shivered in anticipation. Christmas break couldn’t come quick enough for me.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

My mom came home a month later, in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, when the bell rang on that last day and I knew I had four days of freedom, I wasn’t thrilled. Everyone else was giddy. They loved the days away from school. They loved being able to sleep in and they loved all the food and family time.
Not me.
School was my retreat from the house. And sleep still escaped me most nights. As for the food and family time, I overheard my dad on the phone in his office one night. He was booking two plane tickets for the Caribbean. I knew I wasn’t included with those tickets. He was planning a weekend getaway for him and my mother. The two of them could heal together and escape another Thanksgiving without Ethan.
The one thing I looked forward to was Jesse’s basketball game. It was going to be televised on Friday. I had the whole day planned. I was going to sleep as long as I could, I was going to get coffee, maybe some popcorn, and then I was going to take my blankets to the couch. I would wait for his game for the entire day if I had to.
As I headed to my car on Wednesday, Marissa bounded up to me and hooked her elbow through mine. She panted and gave me a silly smile while she smoothed some of her sleek black hair down from the wind. “Whatcha doing, buddy?”
I hid my grin. She’d been cautious with me since she had started dating Eric. The two of them had been enjoyable to watch at bowling that night. She’d been flirty and seductive while he had stumbled over his feet more than a few times. It was a month into their relationship. She seemed happier than I’d ever seen her.
“Not much.”
Her smile kicked up a notch. “Okay, can I ask you a favor?”
When wouldn’t she? I shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
“Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
“Besides eating turkey with my parents?” I had to fake it. No one knew how pathetic my family life had become this year. “Not much. Why?”
“Can I tell my parents that I’m going to have Thanksgiving at your house? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I got two tickets on discount for Vegas. It’s not Hawaii or anything, but it’s something special. I really, really like Eric. He’s going to tell his parents that he’ll have his meal at your place, too. It’ll be like a friends thing with your folks. Can we do that? Can we use your place as an excuse? You’ll cover for us if they call?”
Sometimes I had to shake my head at my own stupidity, but I nodded. “Sure.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Alex!” She bounced up and gave me a tight hug. “This means the world. You don’t even know it. Both of us have alibis for Wednesday night and we’ll spend the night at your place on Thursday. Then I’ll tell them that I’m going to stay another night at your place and Eric’s going to stay at Justin’s. We won’t even have to come back until Saturday, maybe even Sunday if my parents buy another lie.”
The glow on her face was unmistakable. I couldn’t help myself from asking, “Do you have something special planned for the trip?”
Her mouth clamped shut and her cheeks reddened. But her eyes sparkled. They seemed so alive, unlike the time when Cord had shattered her. They had lost some of their spark that day. I was glad to see it back.