After We Were Friends

Chapter 1 - After

When the world changes, people change alongside it. When incidents happen, it can impact those involved forever. Change has a way of staying with people, living inside the very hearts they beat out of.

When Juliette died, so much changed. So much happened. It was as if her death was a catalyst for so many lives to evolve.

It is important to understand that everyone dealt with this grief differently. It impacted each person, even if it wasn't a direct correlation. And while Bradie had the letters, everyone else had the memories. Memories of Ettie that they would hold onto for a very long time. At least until those letters were dispersed. Dispersed to those who they were written for.

Indi's POV

September 20th 2023

I've always loved the ocean. It was my safe place. The place where, if I looked hard enough, I could be entranced by the crashing of the waves, and the movement of the seas. It gave order to a world that often seemed dysfunctional. A world that was often built on turmoil and chaos.

So, as I stared out the window, as we flew back to London, after a month of travel, I stared down at the water. Stared down at the peace I saw floating below.

"Are you alright?" Jill asked me, as she saw me entranced by the seas below.

"Yeah," I replied, smiling.

"What are you thinking?" She asked.

"A lot of things," I answered, smiling.

"It'll be okay," she reassured me, "everything will be okay." But will it be? Over the past month, so much had happened. So much had changed. But the worst of it was Ettie's death. Ettie died. She was fine, the last time I saw her. She was smiling, and happy. It seemed as if nothing was wrong. I had to come to terms that she was good at hiding things and I can relate to that. I most certainly can relate to that.

When we landed in England, the papers were still lined the streets with news about Ettie. I mean, who could blame them? One of England's greatest ever footballers had died. At a World Cup. But the new reports were all centred around her sister: Keira.

BREAKING NEWS: Keira Walsh, twin sister of late Juliette Walsh, announces sudden move to Barcelona FC ahead of new season

When I found out that Keira was set to move across to Spain, it was both unexpected and yet not at all. I thought she would've stayed in Manchester, close to family, but at the same time, I could understand needing to get away. I could understand not wanting to be surrounded by the death of her sister.

I was just glad that Lucy would be there too. Would be at Barcelona with Keira. I knew that Keira would need that. Would need that sense of stability within her life. Within her new environment.

I headed back to my apartment, to see it perfectly intact from when I left it many months earlier. My bed was neatly made, my kitchen was perfectly spotless, and my couch was just where it normally was. I knew that this normalness would return a sense of stability. A newfound feeling of being settled. It was different from what I was used to.

"So," Jill said to me, as we sat together on the couch, trying to not sleep as we were both quite jet lagged, "I have a few days here, then I'm back to Germany." Jill was still at Wolfsburg, and I was still at Arsenal. Wolfsburg and London. Germany and England.

"Well, we're going to make these days count then," I said to her, smiling. She returned it, as I leant into her, feeling her comfort around me.

We started the season later this year, due to the World Cup and the break, and so it was time to start our few weeks of preseason before the new season was set to commence.