Healing Hearts

Chapter two

The crowd of people wearing black had begun to disperse as Katie stood over the grave, reading the tombstone. She had read it so many times she could recite it by heart.

"RIP
Stewart Lee Reman 1993-2015.
If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever."

Her mother held Katie in her arms as support, but really, her mom was the one who needed to be held. She lost a son. It had been a month and a half since Stewart's accident. The funeral was
today.

At first, Katie was in disbelief. She was held in the grasp of chocking anguish and as she ran and ran to the 5 mile drive to the highway, she wasn't sure what nearly drowned her-the rain or her reluctant tears.

She had never learned to cry with style, silently, the pearl-shaped tears rolling down cheeks from wide luminous eyes as the pretty girls on TV.

She wished she learned because that meant she could cry now, infront of her mom and people, instead of in bathrooms, in darkened shrubberies and in empty bedrooms, among the people she was sure would understand most.

But her cries were raw, like the pain was still an open wound. She tried to clasp onto anything for support on that fateful day. Anything; a table or the back of a chair, but then her whole body would shake with sobs.

As Katie stared at the grave of Stewart, she became the picture of grief, loss, and devastation. Her face was of one who suffered;
contorted with ugly vulnerability.

A single tear slid down from her warm, brown eyes and her thick lashes but she quickly wiped it away and tried to hide her wobbling chin. No, no, no she must not cry. Her mom was already crying and her eyes were swelled and red. Someone had to be strong.

As people held their hands out in their condolences, Katie hid her mottled distraught and smiled without her abject misery.

"Thank you, thank you, I will be ok..." Is what she would have to say in order to avoid the pity they would hand over if she even let out a small whimper.

Katie held her mom as the two glumly headed back to the car. They sat in painful silence. Her mom, who still had silent tears ribboning down her cheeks stared at Katie's expression. Don't cry. Don't cry.

"Sweetheart..." Her mom's voice cracked.
"Please, don't hide your emotions...darkness exists to make light truly count... Remember that."

"I know mom." Katie lied through her gritted teeth as she gave her best smile. The radio statio buzzed in mute silence. "Um. How about we go to that new buffet down town? We could use something to take our mind off."

Her mother shook her head and gave a smile as fake as hers.

"No, no. I want to go home. You can go. Enjoy yourself."

Katie nodded as she silently drove her home and then drove herself to her destination.

She didn't go in but instead parked her car in the lot, sat in the car, and looked down at her hands.
Is it better to rack your body with noisy sobs and let the world know of your pain, or to slowly release your emotion within yourself with silent tears?

What does one do when a loved one pasts? She didn't even say a 'I love you' or a goodbye.

Buts that the things about death.
Its the body or shadow that lurks in the dark, it
crawl under beds and is always there. It's a mist, with silent steps. And death never gives a second chance.Nothing was worse than knowing that Stewart wont be here. He won't laugh. He won't sing. He won't tease her. And he won't breath.

Katie checked her face in the side mirror and noticed how pale and flushed her cheeks were.
Her silky hair was dry now, her pale lips were cracked, and her eyes were absent of any life.

She let herself out of the car and entered the buffet. She needed to get her mind off and she didn't care if she looked like she was a zombie.
Her mind was hazed and lazy with thoughts. She needed coffee atleast.

Taking a seat with her cup of warm coffee, she took a look at the décor in the place. It was full of chattering people and the lamps gave it a heated cozy vibe. As her gaze laced through the room, her vision landed on the back of a boy.

He looked nearly her age. Maybe older by the way his confidence carried him. His golden locks stood well by his tan skin. And when he turned she could see his eyes and profile features. To say that his eyes were blue was like saying that the sun was yellow. Sufficient but not accurate to capture the burning.

His eyes were blue like the sky was right before the sun disappears-dark rich blue with indigo. It was the blue that seemed intense. They were eyes that were expressive and nipped at you to believe not only were his eyes like the sky, but that he has his own sky inside of him.

But when she leaned to capture a much better view of his handsome features, she tipped so far back that she stumbled off her chair.

"Ohmygod, Katie you idiot." She mumbled fiercely to herself as a few other eaters glanced her way. But what made her blush even more horrendously was that he was holding her in his glossy gaze. She felt soaked in embarrassment.

But for that quick moment when she saw his face fully, she felt every wisp of air from her lungs get knocked out. Not because she was in awe of his beauty, but because she knew this boy.

His name was Nate Price.

And she had known Nate since kindergarten. He was there when the teacher gave paper hearts and when Katie accidentally stepped on his mp3 player; he even saw he cry when her hair got stuck in her locker.

He was innocent as every little boy should be, but as time transferred on he had pounded in the rebellious bad boy look to his character. He was known in school as the boy no one liked and everyone avoided.

And he wasn't the bad boy most girls dream of where you would want to tattoo his name somewhere suggestive on your body and drive away in his motorcycle.

No, he was bad boy as in, 'if I hang with him, I'll end up dead somewhere in a lake!'

As his gaze skimmed her, she felt a chill slice through her body.

Nate had a girlfriend two years ago.

Everyone in school didn't even want to warn her of his destructive attitude in fear of Nate hearing and hanging their heads by his bed. And then one day, she disappeared. Vanished into thin air.
Nate didn't come to school for weeks and everyone figured he probably scared her off...or worse. Ever since then, Nate didnt date. He was seen with girls but tossed them aside like cigarettes. It disgusted her.

As Katie composed herself back onto her chair she couldn't help but glance at him again. She shivered when they made brief eye contact.

She then noticed a paper heart in his palm