Shattered Glass Unbroken Soul Chapter 03
I bought a hot coffee in the waiting area.
I had just snapped the lid on when someone slapped my shoulder hard.
Hot liquid sloshed out. Scalded my knuckles.
I turned around. Drew and Piper were standing right behind me.
Drew’s coat was buttoned wrong. Sweat dotted his temples.
Piper was still clutching her Cancun boarding pass. She was panting too hard to form a complete sentence.
“Alright.” Drew reached out and took my cup. He felt the cardboard sleeve, then shoved it back into my hands. “At least you bought something hot. You’re not freezing, are you?”
His tone sounded like he was coaxing a child. It also sounded like an official announcement that our fight was over.
“We’re not going to Cancun anymore. We missed our flight looking for you. We’re even now. Come home with me.”
Piper finally caught her breath. She rested her hands on her knees and looked up at me.
“Avery, why did you run to the international terminal? Are you seriously pulling a runaway act like in the movies?”
I looked at Drew.
“How did you know I was here?”
His eyes flickered.
“The shared card had a delayed notification for the unlinking. The charge for your coffee just popped up.”
“So you tracked my spending?”
“It’s called worrying about you.” Drew frowned. “Don’t make normal concern sound so ugly.”
Piper reached out to grab my backpack.
“Let’s go. I’ll carry it for you. It’s so bulky. You didn’t just stuff it full of winter clothes, did you?”
I clamped my hand down on the strap.
“Don’t touch it.”
She froze. That little pleading smile vanished from her face.
“Why are you being so mean today? I’m not a stranger.”
Drew lowered his voice.
“Avery, there are people everywhere. Don’t make a scene in public.”
I met his gaze.
“I’m making a scene?”
Piper suddenly yanked my backpack strap.
“I want to see. I bet Drew on the way here that your bag was completely empty. You’re just putting on an act.”
She pulled with all her strength.
I instinctively yanked back.
The strap dug into my fingers. The zipper burst open from the force.
The next second, my backpack slammed onto the hard floor.
The protective sleeve slid out. My laptop crashed directly against the marble tiles.
A sickening crack.
The screen splintered. The metal corner of the chassis warped outward.
All the noise in the terminal seemed to get sucked away.
I dropped to my knees. My fingers brushed the shattered screen. Tiny shards of glass pierced my skin.
A harsh ringing pierced my ears. My heart started hammering out of control. That familiar, suffocating panic washed over me in waves.
I blindly patted my pockets. The two backup anti-anxiety pills were gone. They must have fallen out during the struggle.
Piper took a half-step back. Her voice trembled.
“I didn’t mean to. Why did you pull so hard? Besides, if the laptop is so important, why didn’t you pack it better?”
Drew crouched beside me and clamped his hand on my shoulder.
“Avery, calm down. If it’s broken, we’ll fix it. There are tons of data recovery places. Worst-case scenario, I’ll buy you a new one.”
I forced myself to look up, swallowing the nausea.
“Do you know what was in there?”
He paused.
“Your artwork. I know it’s important.”
“No. You don’t.”
It wasn’t just artwork.
It held the raw, layered files I hadn’t synced to the cloud yet. It held the backup sketches I needed to rebuild my portfolio after the Aurora Fellowship disaster. It held the first batch of drafts I had to submit to my advisor for the Iceland residency.
Piper burst into tears.
“Avery, can you stop looking at me like that? You’re scaring me.”
Drew pulled her behind him. His face turned thunderous.
“The laptop is already broken. Scaring her won’t change anything. You know she’s timid and gets frightened easily. Do you have to force her into a breakdown right here?”
The overhead speakers crackled to life. The announcer stated that the delayed flight was ready for re-check-in.
I scooped up my mangled laptop. Took a shaky breath. Stood up.
My arms were trembling, but my voice was dead flat.
“Move.”
Drew’s expression twisted as he watched me head toward the ticketing counter.
“You’re still leaving? Your laptop is destroyed. You need to go back and handle the data.”
“I’m going back for my backup hard drive.”
Piper’s head snapped up.
“Then we’ll go with you.”
I stared at her.
“You don’t deserve to step foot in my home.”
All the color drained from her face. She sobbed even harder, playing the absolute victim.
Drew’s eyes turned to ice.
“Avery, you’re being way too harsh today.”
I didn’t answer.
I clutched the shattered laptop to my chest and slowly walked to the counter.
A message from Professor Alder lit up my phone screen.
*Do you need me to contact the curator in Reykjavik to pick you up? His name is Elias. He’s near the airport.*
I stared at the message. Typed a quick reply.
*No need. My laptop broke. I’m heading home to grab my backup drive first.*
The message went through. I shoved my phone back into my pocket.Â