Small Town (Sweet Magnolias)

1

"I'm so sorry Miss. Jones, I know that this is a lot of anyone to handle, especially for someone of your age." The police officer said as Alexandria sat there at his desk after receiving the news that her parents had just passed away in a car accident.

"How did this happen?" Alex asked the police officer as she tried not to break down at least not in front of the officer that is.

"A drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into them." The officer answered in a quiet tone.

"Oh..." That was all Alex could say as there was nothing else she could think of saying at that very moment.

"Is there anywhere you could stay? Any friends? Family?" The officer asked.

"There is one place." She told the officer and that is how she ended up on the Townsends front door step. She then knocked on the front door and the one person that she felt safe with and knew would be there for her opened the door.

"Alex?" Tyler questioned as he opened the door. "Have you been crying?"

"I have nowhere else to go." She said as she stood there with her suitcases.

"What happened?" He asked and before she could answer Tyler's mom interrupted.

"Ty? Who's at the door?" Maddie then stops at the door. "Alex? What are you doing here with your bags?" Maddie asked her.

"My parents died." She blurted out and this shocked both Maddie and Tyler. "I had nowhere else to go you guys where the first place I could think of going to but now it seems silly so I think I'll just go..." She stutters as she does often when she is nervous or scared and she was about to walk away when a hand touched her shoulder. She looks over to see Tyler who gave her a look and that was all it took for her to break down into tears and fall into his arms and sob. This was exactly what she needed in this very moment was to be with Tyler. They then pull away from each other as Maddie walks up to them.

"Alex, honey, I would love to have you here." Maddie said as she hugged her.

"Oh thank you Mrs. Townsend and I promise you I will get a job and try and find a place of my own." Alex told her but Maddie wasn't having it.

"No, you are going to live here for free." Maddie said this and Alex hugged her tight.

"Thank you Mrs. Townsend." Alex said as she pulled away.

"Call me Maddie sweetie." Maddie said as they went inside. Alex got settled into her room as Tyler comes into her new room.

"Hey if you need anything and I mean anything at all you let me know okay?" Alex just nodded as she didn't say anything she just scooted over for him to lay down as well. He then lays down next to her.

"I'm sorry this happening, Alex." Tyler said after they laid there for a while.

"It's okay it's just gonna be hard for a while, you know?"

"Yeah." Tyler then goes to get up but Alex stops him.

"Please don't go I don't want to be alone." Alex says as she lays there staring into his eyes as he stares back making him fall even more and deep down he knew that she needed him now more than ever.

Yeah. Okay, I will stay." He says as he lays back down not saying anything else knowing that talking isn't what she was really needing right now. Sooner or later they ended up falling asleep in each other's arms. Maddie comes in to check on them to see them asleep, she then puts a blanket over them and leaves the two there as she closes the door behind her.

The next morning Alex wakes up to find Tyler gone, she gets up and goes downstairs to find Maddie talking to some guy that she doesn't know.

"Oh, Alex I'm glad you are awake. This is Mr. Fuller he is with social services and would like to talk to you." Maddie introduced them as Alex then sits down.

"Now I was hoping to have a talk you about where you are going to live." He told the young girl who was confused.

"I was hoping I could just stay here." Alex told Mr. Fuller.

"We can have that arranged if that is okay with you Mrs. Townsend." Mr. Fuller said as he looked at Maddie.

"Yeah that fine she is welcomed here." Maddie said as she side hugged the young girl.

"I will get the legal side of it all done and talk to you guys soon." He said before leaving.

"This is all so surreal." She then gets up to leave but Maddie stops her.

"Hey! Umm...I got a call at some point we are gonna have to go and clean out your old house and I know it's soon we don't have to do it today or tomorrow but at some point we do have to go and do that." Maddie told her, Alex just nodded and walked away to go to her room.

One Week Later

It's officially been a week since Alex's parents passed away and the funeral had been the day before and they now have finally made it to her old house to clean it out. They had figure out what to keep and what not to keep. Alex was staring at a family photo of the three of them when Tyler came up to her.

"You guys look so happy." Tyler said as he stood next to her.

"We were." She said before taking the photo down and throwing it in the box breaking the frame. Maddie, Katie, and Kyle who were all there helping stopped what they where doing and watched the scene in front of them.

"Hey! Alex! Are you okay? That was a little aggressive don't you think?" Tyler said as he watched it break.

"Who cares it's just junk." She said not acting like she cared at all.

"Hey! It's okay to be upset and even more okay if you want to cry, okay? No one in this room is going to judge you. You are family and family are there for each other." Tyler said and this made Alex scoff.

"Really? Family is there for each other?" Alex asked which made Tyler nod. "How well did that work out for you?" Alex asked rudely.

"I'm sorry what? What does that mean?" Tyler asked shocked knowing this wasn't who Alex was and that she was just mad.

"You heard me if family is supposed to be there for each other then where is your dad? Huh?" Tyler looked shocked not knowing what to say. "I mean if family is supposed to be there where are my parents? Family doesn't just disappear and leave you all alone! Family is supposed to be there!" Alex yelled all mad.

"Hey! We are family! These people in this room right now are your family!" Alex looked shocked and kinda taken back as she looks at Maddie, Kyle and Katie before looking back at Tyler like she was about to cry about what she said. She didn't mean it she was just mad and sad at the same time. "Annie, Aunt Dana Sue, Aunt Helen! They are Family! Family isn't just blood! Family is the people who care most about you okay! And I care about you! They care about you!" Tyler said as he pointed to Maddie, Kyle and Katie. "Annie, Aunt Dana Sue, Aunt Helen they care about you too. Does it suck that my dad cheated on my mom and left us? Yes! Does it suck that your parents died? Yes! But we get through it together! As a family! Okay?" Alex then nodded as she started to cry and this made Tyler feel bad for yelling as he hugged.

"I'm sorry it's just hard to accept." Alex said as she sobbed into Tyler's shoulder.

"It's okay we are gonna get through this together, okay?" Alex nodded as they hugged before pulling away.

"Okay let's finish packing." They then finish packing up the house before they leave and close the door one last time on a chapter of life as a new one was about to begin.

"A lot a good memories here." Tyler said as he stood next to Alex.

"Yeah but that's the past now it's time to make some new with you guys." Alex said as they put their arms over each other's shoulders as they walked to the car.

"I love you and you are my best friend you know that?" Tyler said which made Alex have butterflies when he said that he loved her but she knew he would never feel for her as more than friends.

"Yeah and I love you and you are my best friend as well." She said as they got in the car before driving away from her old house.

Hey guys here is the first chapter of my new book for 'Sweet Magnolias" I hope you guys like it.