BROKEN AND SCREWED(Broken_Part One)(75)

Then Angie gasped, her hand squeezed mine in a knee jerk reaction.
The camera was on me. Blood drained from me as I saw the tear-drenched cheeks, the swollen look of misery, and how even my eyes would have haunted me. But then I was switched to an off camera, a screen to the side stayed on me, and the slideshow continued of Ethan.
I saw the words scroll over the screen.
In memory of Ethan James Connors, the brother that will never be forgotten. November 24, 1993 - June 2, 2012.
I couldn’t stop myself. I shrunk in my seat and pulled my knees to my chest. I buried my head in them as I kept wiping the tears away. But I still couldn’t look away. Then I saw that the same camera that had found me in the stands was on my parents, across the court. My mom was crying and my dad had his arm around her. Malcolm was next to them. His arm was stretched across as my mom held onto his hand. The only one who was unaffected was Sabrina, as she yawned and fanned herself with the program.
I surrendered after that. I didn’t even try to stop the tears. As they slid down, I let them go. When the game resumed, there was no announcement of what had happened. I figured the commentators had probably talked about Ethan, who he was in relation to Jesse Hunt, and they probably even realized that I was his sister, but everything else went back to normal. The buzzer sounded and people started to watch the game, but I felt their eyes. People below us snuck back glances. I knew those behind were watching me, and the few in my aisle wouldn’t look away. Even when Jesse sank the last shot in and the buzzer sounded, everyone jumped to their feet, but the weight of their gazes wouldn’t leave.
As we left the stadium, I was recognized and stared at until we were finally outside and in the confines of a taxi.
And then a different set of tears came out.
Something had happened in that stadium. It was something beautiful that I couldn’t comprehend. I had left Ethan inside. I had left a part of me behind, and as we pulled away, I knew I would miss that. I would miss him, but a weird peace came over me. I didn’t welcome it, not altogether, but I knew it was there. I knew it was time.
“You okay, girl?” Angie asked in a soft voice. Her hand hadn’t left mine the entire time.
I nodded. I missed Ethan, but I nodded to her. I would be okay. I knew it then, and I knew Jesse and I were done. It was time to walk away. I’d been ready before the game, and that feeling was still with me. It hadn’t left.
It was time, but I still had my one night.



We went back to Haze. Angie wore a white dress while I wore a light blue one. The fabric was thin and loose. The ends tied around my neck and also under my arms around my back. It had been between this one and another, but Angie had picked the backless dress. She told me it was Jesse-to-die-for and even gave me a wink at the end of that statement. I knew she didn’t approve, but at least I didn’t feel her disappointment at the mention of his name.
When we got there, I hadn’t heard from him, but it didn’t matter. We got our drinks and headed to the dance floor. We stayed there the whole night; we moved and swayed when the tempo slowed and sped up. The beat was hypnotic. I was in a trance when a pair of hands slid around my waist. I didn’t have to look. I knew those hands. I leaned back against Jesse’s chest. His arms pulled me backwards and his hips moved with mine. His hands held me in place.
My hair was moved to the side as his lips settled in place. They nibbled on my neck and slowly began to move upwards. Heat flared within me. As his hand went around my waist and slid down, I gasped. I arched my back against him. My neck was exposed to him even more. He grasped the back of my neck and tilted me further out. My breasts ached for his touch. I knew he could see them through the dress. He could see them from the top as he had it pulled away from my body. His hand slid underneath and caressed the side of my stomach.