new girl (part 2)

chapter 5

DREW’S POV.

I find her in the meadow. Our meadow. She sits there, the sunlight shining on her black hair making it look brown. Her legs are crossed, her back to me and she’s bent over something in her lap, her arms pulled in them. I drop behind her, arms coming around her torso, legs on either side of her crossed ones, and I pulled her closer against me, so her back rested against my chest.

She sighed peacefully as I drag my lips against her shoulder. She rubbed her thumb against her scarred wrist.

“What did he want?” she asked carefully as I watch her touch her marked arms.

“He just wanted to win you over.” I tell her, burying my face in the curve of her neck, not knowing how to ask her about him breaking her heart.

“Oh?” she reaches up and runs my hair through her fingers. I groan and she giggles.

“He was talking on the phone to someone when I got there. Saying something like, ‘what would it look like to her if I’m talking on the phone to you.’” I know that wasn’t really it, but it sort of was.

“Who?” she asked, still playing with my hair, I close my eyes.

“Never asked,” I said, my voice muffled.

We’re quiet for a while and she sighs, dropping her hand from my hair. I take my face out from her neck, peering at her.

“What’s wrong, Drew?” Valery asked, her grey eyes wide.

“Tell me what happened.” I stare into her eyes.

“What?” her eyebrows pull down and together.

“What happened when he broke your heart? He told me to ask you.” I tried to touch her face but she sits back up, her back to me.

“What did he tell you? How did he start it?” Valery asks.

“He started with the Fourth of July and an ice cream shop.” I touch her shoulder, trailing my finger along it.

“The ice cream shop, huh?” she chuckles, “He brought me there after seeing the fireworks at the town fair. We bought one cone so we had to share. I got my favorite, vanilla. After we finished, we rode some carnival rides.” She turned around, so I could see her face. She smiled weakly at me before continuing, “And then we went to his house.” Valery looked down at the grass picking at it.

“To do what?” I braced myself for the answer.

Val looked up sharply, red color crawling across her cheeks. “What do you think, Drew?”

I looked at the flowers around us, “Oh.”

“We, uhm. We didn’t do anything. I haven’t…I’m still a virgin.” Val coughs and continues, “Anyways, we got in a fight. About my parents.” This makes me look at her, and she’s already staring at me. She quickly looked down at a flower I picked. I hand it to her.

She takes it, “They died in a car crash when I was in eighth grade. On Fourth of July. They were both drunk and drove off a cliff…so, Kale made a comment on how he was sorry that all Fourth of July’s gave me bad memories, and he was going to make this one better. And I told him I didn’t want him to make it better, I wanted to remember all the pain. And he called me emo, knowing I cut myself sometimes.

“We got in a big fight. I told him I knew about him cheating on me, and that it hurt me. And we woke up the neighbors and I barely remember what I said but what he said next was painful. And, I’ll never forget what he said.” Her chin trembles and tears fall down.

“Val-” I reached out to her. She shook her head and pushed my hand away.

“No, let me finish.” She took a breath and wiped her tears away, “He told me, ‘Maybe you’re parents meant to drive off that cliff. Maybe they wanted to get away from you. Maybe you’re the problem.’ And I yelled at him. And he just kept going, ‘Maybe they wanted to die and they committed suicide. Just like you’re trying to do. So when you do, you better not mess it up and when you get to Hell, tell your parents I said ‘hi.’ I’m breaking up with you, and I hope to god I don’t see you again.’” She lets out a sob.

Rage fills my entire body, and I clench my jaw so hard I feel like my teeth are going to break. I wish I just punched him when I got the chance. I pushed my rage aside, I had to get to Val. I reached out to her, rocking onto my knees.

“No! Just stop, Drew!” Valery yells, still sobbing. She shoves me back on my butt.

I let out an ‘oomph!’

“Valery-” I crawl to her, but she kept backing up, almost crab walking.

“Stop!” She dropped down on her butt, sobbing harder, “Look at me! I’m just a broken piece of…of…of broken.” She brings her face in her hands. I crawl slowly closer to her.

“My stupid ugly scars, I wish I were dead. I wish I never met you Drew, goddamn you. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me alive and all I want to be is dead. Dead. Dead.” She makes a weird noise between a groan and a sob.

“You’re so stupid, and I love you, Drew. I love you so much. And I know you’re gonna break my heart soon, and that’s good. Then I can die in peace.” She pounds on my chest. I let her and I lay back, letting her sit on top of me, pounding my chest and crying.

She gets exhausted quickly and collapses against me, hiccupping. She takes shaky breaths and hiccups. We just lay there and I realize how late it got so fast. The sun was almost gone.

“I’m sorry, Drew.” Valery says weakly, and I look down at her head rising and falling with my breaths, against my chest.

“You know what you said about being a broken piece of broken?” I asked her, bringing my arms around her body. I breathe her in.

“Yeah.” She croaks. Another hiccup. She buries her face in me.

“I think we’re all a piece of broken. We just have to find another piece of broken to fix us.”

Val brought her head up, staring into my eyes. Her black makeup trails down her face.

“I hate you, Drew. I hate you so much.” She wiggled up my body and kissed me, and I smiled.

“I love you.”