With All My Heart

Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Hi, my name is Kendall. You could say I'm your average 19 year old American teenage girl from Charlestown, South Carolina. Then again, maybe not. Yes, I have a Southern American accent, but not the obnoxious one your probably thinking of. I as well as my siblings grew up well off. Yes, we are as you call it, rich. Well, I'm not but my parents are. Growing up, through child-hood and school, we were looked at differently. You see, my dad owns a Major League Baseball team, the Atlanta Braves to be exact, and people only saw us for what we had, wealth. They never wanted to get to know us for us. They we're always after something we had or what we could give them, a handout of some sort. That's why my siblings and I are so close. At an early age we learned we could only rely on each other. Kennedy, my older sister by one year, and I were by far the closest. We did everything together. Well up until she graduated from high school. She decided she was tired of the states. So she packed her bags for England. Kennedy wanted a new start; a life where no one judged her, where you could start with a clean slate. All she wanted was to be a normal, average college student. She moved and began school at Oxford University, a place she always dreamed of. Going through high school my senior year with out her was devastating. It made me realize I needed a fresh start too. I was completely alone for a whole year. I had no real friends, well except for one. His name was Tyler. He was the only one that truly understood what being alone with no friends felt like. His family and mine we're the wealthiest families in all of South Carolina. We had been close ever since first grade. We had grown up together, and like me he got tired of people pretending to be his friend. I secretly had a crush on him, ever since the fourth grade, and apparently he had one on me too. In middle school he asked me out and we had been dating ever since. Besides my sister, Tyler was my best friend. He knew I was miserable in our hometown, so he pushed me to move to England with Kennedy after senior year. I wanted to, I missed my sister and I didn't want to spend another year in South Carolina. But I also didn't want to leave Tyler. It wasn't until he agreed to go with me that I said yes! So after our senior year, Tyler and I moved to the UK. He got his own apartment, and I moved into a house with Kennedy and her new friend Melissa.

A year had now passed since Tyler and I moved. And to be honest, I loved it. People here know me for me, not because of my wealthy family. My sister and I were as close as we've ever been. I loved the atmosphere, the city, the people. I loved it all. I even loved Oxford! And that's weird to me, considering I've never liked school before. I saw Tyler almost every day. Well minus the past few weeks. After being with him for eight years, it was safe to say I loved him! I had ever since tenth grade. He was my first true friend, outside of my four siblings. He was my first kiss. Tyler was my first boyfriend, my ONLY boyfriend. In my eyes, Tyler was my everything.

Tonight was our anniversary. It marked eight years of us officially dating. He had planned a huge dinner and was coming pick me up in about half an hour. I couldn't wait! Lately I hadn't seen him much because of his new job and school and stuff. But nonetheless, tonight was going to be perfect. Tyler said he had a huge surprise planned as of last week and was bugging me ever since. All that had been running through my head was the surprise. I hated surprises! Just the feeling of not knowing what's coming...it messed with my train of thought. It was good surprise, at least I thought it was at the time, but still, I couldn't think clearly.

I decided to put the thought behind me for the next half hour and focus on getting ready. I needed an outfit to wear, after all, I was still in a t-shirt and shorts. So I walked into my closet when all of a sudden...

"Ring..... Ring..... Ring....." my cell phone sounded from across my bedroom. "Ring..... Ring..... Ring....."

I walked over to where it sat charging at the foot of my bed. I sat down and picked it up. The caller ID read 'Tyler Carson'

"Why was he calling me?" I thought. "Is he picking me up early? Or running a little late?"

Tyler never called before dates. NEVER. He called after, to make sure I was alright, or to see if I wanted to hang out the next day. But this is the first time he's ever called before a date. Something had to be up.

I quickly composed myself before answering the phone.

"Hey babe! What's up? Is something wrong?" I spoke nonchalantly into the speaker.

"Um, everything's fine Kendall...it's just we need to talk" Tyler replied.

Only one thought entered my mind at this time...uh oh. Immediately I started playing back the few conversations we shared throughout the past few weeks. Nothing caught my attention as to why he would be this way. In the past whenever Ty said, "We need to talk" something was definitely up. He was usually fixing to say something I didn't want to hear.

"What about Tyler?" I asked, dreading to hear the answer that was predominantly obvious.

"Sweetheart, It's concerning us...our relationsh..." he trailed off. "I didn't want to do this, tonight, but it needs to be said." He finished.

Right as he finished the sentence I knew what was coming. Both from him and from me. Tears began to fill my eyes and trickle down slowly. I couldn't believe he was doing this. Especially now. I knew him better than anyone. Which meant I knew what to expect when he used those words. I wiped the tear drops from my cheeks and composed myself.

"I just have one question...Why? Why are you breaking up with me? Why now?" I voiced through the end of the phone.

"How did you know I was breaking up with you? Did she tell you?" Ty asked confused.

She? SHE? There was someone else? He was cheating on me? The whole time? I was overwhelmed with frustration, anger, regret, and sorrow towards him. We we're together for EIGHT YEARS! Tyler was my high school sweetheart. I thought he was the one. And now he just throws me away...like I meant nothing to him.

I took a moment to collect my words. He could tell I was pissed.

"She? No. She didn't tell me. I didn't know there was even a SHE. Tyler, we've been together for eight years...as of today...I can tell by the way you act. She didn't need to tell me. You already did." I said angrily, "I thought you respected me more to break up with me before running around with someone else...guess not."

"Kendall, I'm...I'm sorry. I'm not cheating on you...it's...it's just I met someone else and I want to be with her. There. I said it. I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you like this."

"Wow... You must of really loved me. Breaking up with me over the phone? On our anniversary... Some gentleman you are" my voice cracked. "I loved you Ty, I loved you. And you just push me aside cause I'm inconvenient?"

Those were the only words I could get out before the tears slowly rolled down from my eyes again. I had lost him.

The other end was silent, except for the noise of Tyler's steady breathing. After what felt like an eternity he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry. This is goodbye." And with that Tyler hung up the phone.

I sat there. SHOCKED. As I began to comprehend what just happened, I started to loose it! I threw the phone across the floor hitting the wall, buried my head into the pillow, and began to cry! My boyfriend of eight years, I had practically been with him my entire life, had just dumped me...for another girl... a girl he barely knew! Overwhelmed with emotions I just laid there, crying, thinking of all the good memories we had together. I loved him....or at least I thought I did. Now I wasn't so sure. He was the first guy that had ever truly cared for me, my best friend, the only one that knew all my secrets. But now he was gone, and I was miserable. I laid down and cried myself to sleep.