Beautifully Broken

“No, I have a brother too. Jack is also twenty-six.”

“You’re a twin?”

“No,” he laughs. “I’m adopted.”

“What?”

He takes a sip from his water bottle. “My biological mom developed a drinking problem when my dad walked out. She tried the best she could for an addict, I suppose, but eventually the school caught on that something wasn’t right at home. I was seven when they put me in the system. She got behind the wheel after too many drinks and died in a car crash about six months later. Social Services tracked down my dad but he wanted nothing to do with me. The Coopers adopted me about two years after that.”

“Shut the fuck up!” I slam my hand over my mouth to stifle my outburst.

“I don’t really know how to respond to that.”

“No…I just meant, how did I not know this?”

“Well, now you do.”

“But you seem so well-adjusted.”

He laughs. “Why wouldn’t I be? I have a great family. Sure, I think about those early years every once in a while, but the happy memories I’ve had since overshadow any negative ones. I’m sorry that the people who gave me life are no longer in the picture, but I’m also glad that I have my parents. I can’t wait for you to meet them. I know they’re going to love you.”

“Why would you introduce me to your parents?”

He gulps. “Uh…I don’t know. It was just something to say, I guess. I wasn’t thinking. Of course I wouldn’t introduce one of my students to my parents. That’s ridiculous.” He crumples his lunch bag and throws it in the trash. “So, what about your family?”

“You’ve already met dear ol’ mom.”

“True…and you said you’ve never known your dad. What about the rest? Grandparents? Aunts or uncles?”

I shake my head. “My mom was an only child. Her parents were super strict and religious which didn’t mesh well with her wild-child ways. She ran away at fifteen and I came a year later. When she was drunk one night, she told me that she tried going home when she was pregnant but they wouldn’t take her back. They told her that they wanted nothing to do with a Jezebel and her bastard child. I’ve never met them. I don’t even know if they’re still alive.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, I come from a pretty stellar bloodline, don’t I?”

“Don’t,” he growls.

“Don’t what?”

“Stop putting yourself down. You?

??re so much better than that. Why are you so willfully blind? You’re capable of anything; you’ve proven that by overcoming your circumstances. You’re incomparable, Kat. Everyone around you is riveted when you walk into a room. How have you gone your entire life without knowing how truly exquisite you are? You’re easily the smartest, bravest, most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

I’m simultaneously breathless, speechless, and terrified of all the thoughts his words induce. I stand so fast that my chair topples over behind me.

“You can’t say things like that!” I shout.

Gavin looks toward the open door and lowers his voice before speaking again. “Kat, calm down. What did I say that was so wrong?”

I can feel my eyes filling with tears. I put my hands out to halt him when he starts advancing toward me. “Don’t come any closer!”

He holds up his hands and slowly takes his seat again. “I’m staying put. Now please tell me what’s going on in that head of yours. And unless you’d like to draw attention to us, I’d suggest you lower the volume.”

I look toward the door to make sure we don’t have an audience. Thankfully, everyone is still in the cafeteria or their own classrooms. I take a few deep breaths to calm down before speaking.

“You can’t say things like that to me, Mr. Cooper.”

“And why the hell not?”