Almost Broken Read Online Free PDF

squeaky.
    “Seventeen,” he replies.
    I look to my right and out the corner of my eye I see more pictures on his wall. “May I?” I ask. I hope he doesn’t think it’s intrusive, but who am I kidding? I can do it while he’s here and deal with a little awkwardness or shuffle through his things after he leaves and potentially deal with even more awkwardness if he catches me.
    “Yeah,” he says quietly. I walk over to the Wall of Christopher. There’s a picture of him when he’s about six in a little league outfit. He’s adorable, his chocolate brown curls peeping beneath his hat. There’s one of him near a lake where he looks about twelve or thirteen. I’d bet it’s the same girl from the science fair photo, but this time with a blonde boy with piercing blue eyes.
    “How old are you here?” I ask. He’s leaning on the chair behind the desk his eyes on me, and I feel uncomfortably excited for just a moment.
    “Thirteen. That’s Lisa again and my other best friend Aidan. He’s doing a tour in Iraq. He’s been one of my closest friends since he moved here from Chicago in second grade. His dad was in the army, and they always moved around a lot. But his grandmother never left, and he came back to visit every year. She has to be going on like 80-something now. And he’s obviously not as scrawny.” He chuckles and I smile.
    “You guys all grew up with each other, huh?” I ask curiously.
    “Yeah, I’ve known Lisa since pre-school. I met Aidan when I was around seven. Lisa went to visit her dad the summer Aidan’s parents moved in with his grandmother. When she came back, it was awkward. It was pretty much a fight over who was my best friend. Turned out, Aidan and Lisa had a lot more in common than I did with either of them. They liked to fight. They’d throw tantrums if they lost at anything and basically would get into as much trouble as possible. When they figured out they were more alike than me, they implemented voting on everything, which was two against one from then out.”
    I smile at him being so open about his past with me. That’s definitely not something I’m used to. “So you were all little trouble makers?” I ask with a giggle.
    He shakes his head. “They were the trouble makers. I was caught in the middle.” He chuckles.
    There’s another picture of him and his dad, sitting on the porch. He looks about 19, same green eyes, longer chocolate hair, his build a little more defined than the last teenage version of him. Then there’s the infamous pie-eating contest with his dad. The clarity of this one much better, of course. I start to turn away, but before I do, there’s one last picture that catches my eye. It’s him and the blonde I met the other day. Who am I kidding? I know her name; it’s burned into my brain.
    Jenna.
    He’s next to her, dressed in a black suit and a bow tie. Cal wouldn’t be caught dead in a bow tie and his hair is obviously styled back. He looks almost suffocated in the suit. He’s smiling and maybe I’m just jealous, but this picture isn’t reminiscent of Cal or the Chris standing next to me...
    “Her dad is a renowned Doctor. He wins a lot of awards, so lots of sitting in uncomfortable suits,” he replies like he’s reading my mind or maybe my expression. I think I’ve seen enough pictures for today.
    “Is she coming for dinner tonight?’ I ask, the thought almost making me dizzy. His best friend is coming. Who knows who else they’ve invited.
    “Not likely,” he says, pressing his lips together. I can’t imagine she’d want to sit down and break bread with the wife of the man she’s in love with just like I don’t want to see her.
    “I’ll let you get to your nap,” he says, leaving the room. I nod before he shuts the door and let out a deep breath. I look at the bed once more before sitting on it. It’s really soft. I let my back fall onto it, look at the ceiling, and wonder if this my new normal. Am I doomed to trying to be polite,