Page 84 of Broken

“Buying our prom tickets. I finally convinced him to give another school dance a shot. I don’t know why he was so hesitant. I mean, it’s prom.”

“It’s our senior prom,” Justin added. “A rite of passage.”

“Exactly,” Katrina agreed.

“Okay,” Lorenzo said as he rejoined Katrina at the table, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his. “We have tickets for prom. Are you happy?”

“You need a tux.”

“I can’t wear my leather jacket? Oh, wait, I’d have to get it back from you.”

“You love me, shut up.”

“For the love of all things holy, would you two stop?” Judith opened her bottle of water and took a drink. “You’re nauseating me.”

Lorenzo was fidgeting a little more than usual that day, wadding up the paper from his straw and unrolling it over and over. He swallowed once and said, “Hey, Justin...I’ve still got clothes over there, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“What, are you moving in?” Judith quipped.

“Nah, I just need them is all.”

“And your leather?” Katrina asked with a pout that he traced with his thumb.

“Sorry, babe.”

“Are you in trouble or something?” Justin asked.

“Or something,” Lorenzo replied, an easygoing grin now on his face.

***

As Katrina pulled intoher parking space at the office building she worked in, a lazy smile was on her face. They’d been so young, so carefree.

Or she thought they had.

But her next thought had her wondering something entirely different.

He’d been planning to leave.

He’d planned his getaway from the Torrences, down to getting his leather jacket back from her.

The bile of betrayal threatened as she gathered her things to go inside.

It was going to be a long day.