Beautifully Broken

Chapter One

  Who Is That?

  Noah

  "Would you pick one already, Noah? We've been here all day," Luke grumbled impatiently, pinching the bridge of his nose. We had been best friends our whole lives-frankly, he shouldn't have been surprised this was taking so long.

  "Patient," I grumbled back, continuing to skim through the grocery store shelves stacked with cereal boxes.

  "I'm going to go find chips," he said, shaking his head at me. "Since you won't pick up the pace. Knowing you, you'll be standing here until the store is closing."

  He slapped my back hard before walking off.

  Eventually, I decided on Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Snatching the family-sized pack, I turned to go find Luke.

  "Woah-"

  Stumbling backwards after walking right into another body, the box of cereal had slipped out of my hands.

  "Sorry about that." I bent down to grab the two boxes that had fallen.

  Standing back up, my eyes locked with hazel ones. Grey-green with a lighter brown around the pupil, light like honey. Ashen pale skin with hollowing bags under her eyes, like she hadn't known the luxury of sleep. Dark hair, long and wavy like she just stepped out of the ocean.

  The hoodie she wore, hood up, shadowed on her face.

  She snatched her cereal box out of my hands. "Could watch where you're going, hot-shot."

  My eyebrow quirked-maybe amusedly, maybe out of surprise. "Hot-shot?"

  She had already began walking away, maybe not even having heard my question.

  "Why?" I called out after her. To hell with it, really.

  Halting, she turned slowly. Straight expression with tired eyes, she looked as though she wanted to be anywhere but here. Or perhaps, she wanted to be nowhere at all. "Excuse me?"

  "Hot-shot," I repeated, my head tilting. "What makes you call me that? Of all things. I'm sure there's plenty one could dub me."

  "You have a look," she spoke dully.

  "A look?"

  "Like you're waiting."

  "Waiting?" My eyes narrowed confusedly. "For what?"

  "For me to drool-or maybe drop to my knees for you. Staring with twinkling eyes like that's everyone's appointed reaction."

  Tone bored as ever with entirely no filter, no care to give. A force to be reckoned with.

  My expression contorted into one of-loss, really. Eyebrows raised high, I was taken aback.

  I tucked the cereal box under my arm, taking small steps towards the sullen girl. "Are you angry?"

  This time, her eyebrows raised, not having expected the question. "Excuse me?"

  I shrugged. "Well, are you?"

  "Why would you-"

  "You seem angry."

  She blinked, stupefied. "Do I? I would call it uninterested but perhaps your ego refrains you from considering such a thing."

  My lip curled upwards in amusement. Bitter and perhaps unusually harsh, I couldn't help but revel in this unexpected encounter. She was something I had never known before, something so different that I couldn't help my curiosity from wandering.

  She didn't spare me a second longer of a glance as she turned and walked away before I could come up with a response.

  "Who was that?"

  Luke came up from behind me, standing beside me as we watched her disappear down the aisle.

  "Just... a girl."

  Turning, Luke's eyes narrowed on me. His smirk was peeving. "A girl, huh?"

  Rolling my eyes, I shoved his shoulder as I walked past him to leave. "Don't be an idiot. I don't even know her name."

  "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo!" Luke's loud and ever-amused voice yelled from behind me.

  All I could do was shake my head.

  "Did you forget to bring me my textbook back, again?" Groaning, I rummaged through my bag to find the Physics textbook that I had lent Luke.

  "Uh..."

  "Luke."

  "I'm sorry!" Holding his hands up in defense, Luke offered a sheepish smile-but I knew the boy held no remorse about it. "I may have... lost it."

  Sighing, I zipped my bag back up. "The school is going to make me pay for it at the end of the year if it isn't returned. You know that, right?"

  "You could buy the whole school." Luke retorted with the slight roll of his eyes.

  "I had notes written in that one. Jackass." Shoving his shoulder, I pushed him out of the way to shut my locker.

  "Lovers quarrel?" Jade pushed her way between the two of us, leaning back against the lockers. "Always arguing, you two are."

  "It's hardly arguing," Luke smiled as he swung an arm around her shoulders. "It's just Noah whining."

  "Oh, shut up."Reaching past Jade's shoulders, I flicked the side of his head.

  There were seven of us.

  Luke and I had been best friends our entire lives-quite literally. The one who knew me better than I knew myself. The clown of the bunch. Sunshine itself. Never anything but a smile to be seen from Luke.

  Jade; the epitome of that which is beautiful. An old soul with young eyes; vintage heart, beautiful mind. Her presence itself was one that could calm souls.

  Leo, on the soccer team along with the rest of us boys. Wild spirit with a secretly soft heart; the real life of the party. Not an ounce of fear in his body, Leo could be outspoken and sometimes, hated for his blunt honesty.

  Charlie, the golden boy. Coming from an excessively wealthy family, you'd expect him to be the opposite of everything he is. He was the calm in the middle of a storm, the one who kept everyone else grounded.

  Kai and Joy-our teen beach movie couple. The best word to describe Kai would be zen. The baby of the group, though he didn't show it-it was only known to those close enough to him.

  Joy; whiskey in a tea cup, a wildfire to be reckoned with. Loud. Rainbows and unicorns type of bullshit but it was impossible to anything but love her.

  That had been our group for as long as any of us could remember. A tight-knit bunch.

  Ezra came along-new and not entirely part of the group for he was reserved and always keeping to himself but being Charlie's cousin placed him within the circle when he recently transferred here.

  "Has anyone heard from Charlie all weekend?" Leo asked, appearing with Joy and Kai.

  "He wasn't at school on Friday," Luke said, eyebrows furrowing.

  "He missed practice on Friday too."

  "When I asked him if he was coming, he said he was busy with his dad," Luke explained. "Not sure what that was about. I didn't talk to him again all weekend."

  "He was supposed to give me a ride to school today but he texted last minute and said he couldn't," Jade said confusedly with the slight shrug of her shoulders.

  "Is he even at school right now?"

  "Ezra would know. Where is he-we can ask him," Jade said, pushing herself off the lockers as Luke's arm fell back to his side.

  People scattered along the hallways, chatter floating throughout. Classes would be starting soon and Charlie was never one to miss school. It was safe to say, this behavior was unusual for him.

  "Maybe they're-"

  "Who is that?" Luke's eyes narrowed as he peered down the hallway. "I found the lads but-who is that with them?"

  Down the hallway, Luke motioned towards the group of three. Ezra and Charlie heading in our direction but they weren't alone. Between the two, was a third person who nobody recognized.

  The boys talked to her in hushed voices as they walked down the corridor, all eyes on them. Whispers unsubtly floated around the three, the crowd parting like the red sea as everyone speculated who the new girl with the Golden Boy is.

  Charlie's smile was sheepish as the three stopped in front of us. "Hey guys," he drawled awkwardly.

  My breath hitched.

  It was her.

  Those hazel eyes.

  Cereal girl, the girl from the grocery store was the new girl walking alongside one of my best friends.

  Lifting her gaze, her eyes flickered across the group of us-lingering on me for only an extra second.

  "Meet my sister. Tiffany."

  "Your sister?" Jade and Luke repeated simultaneously.

  "Since when do you-a sister?" Leo's eyes narrowed, confusion drawing his eyebrows together. He wore the same baffled expression the rest of us did.

  I've known Charlie since our elementary years and never once has he mentioned a sister. That's far too big a detail to leave out.

  An opposing pairing, from what I had seen thus far. Walking around with the weight of the world on her shoulders while Charlie was the most mellow person I knew. She was evidently reserved and closed off whereas Charlie was entirely approachable. They're siblings?

  Ezra leaned back against the lockers, arms crossing over his chest. He snorted a laugh, amused by everyone's combination of perplexity and shock.

  "Did you say sister?" Luke asked, head tilting confusedly. "You said sister-right?"

  Charlie laughed sheepishly but didn't seem surprised by the reactions. "Twin sister."

  "But-we-" Jade sputtered. "We've known you for years and you've never-well-how could we not know you have a sister, Charlie?"

  Tiffany sighed deeply before clearing her throat, all gazes shifting onto her. "I'm flattered to see you've been talking about me, big brother." She turned to look at Ezra, none of us being offered even a glance. "Show me where homeroom is, Razzi."

  We all watched. Tiffany and Ezra turned and headed down the hallway as Ezra showed her the way.

  Dumbfounded, to say the least.

  Slowly turning, Leo turned towards Charlie. "Explain."

  "We'll talk at lunch," Charlie glanced down at his watch. "I'll see you guys in class." Offering a faint smile, Charlie had already turned to leave.

  The rest of us-we stood there gaping, trying to connect the dots and make sense of the news that had just been shared.