broken strings. ➳ payne. [slow updates]

Chapter One. - Old Memories and Sad Hearts

Aurora’s POV

I watched all the buildings and alleyways rush by me in a blur. The speed in which he was driving was a bit concerning, but I was sure he would do nothing to put us in danger. I could feel the car beginning to slow down, and I drifted my gaze from the window to the windshield to see why the vehicle was slowing. There was a stop light turning yellow, then shifting to red.

But I seemed to focus more on what was behind this stoplight. Off to my right side, was a hill with a lone tree standing on top. I could just make out the rope dangling from one of the limbs. That rope had been there longer than I could ever imagine, but held a good majority of my childhood memories. I closed my eyes and allowed one of those memories to come back.

I could see the light yellow falling below the skyline, shinning one last time for that day. Behind it laid an ocean of bright oranges, pinks, and deep purples. I pushed as hard as my legs would allow, trying to beat him to the top of the hill. Unfortunately his longer legs gave him the advantage I wanted to take from him. He reached the rope first, his left hand grasping it as he spun himself around to watch me catch up, just like every other time. He had a smile worn proudly, though this one seemed to be very different than his usual victory smile; this one seemed to be apologetic and forced.

As I neared him, my paced slowed so I walked up the hill, my lungs trying to inflate with the necessary oxygen my body was lacking.

“I beat you again. God I am so good at this.” He said, falling backwards to lie on the grass.

“This is rigged. You run track and what not. Like how is racing even far for me?” I pouted, but copied his actions.

“It’s good practice for me. Plus I’m sure you’ll win one of these days.” He said, turning to his right to look at me, a small smile on his lips.

“Pft. The only way I would win is if you were in a wheelchair. But I don’t think that is happening anytime soon.” I said, still looking at the interweaving branches.

He laughed next to me and the sound of grass rustling told me he moved his head back to look up. We sat in a comfortable silence for a long while. The sun had dipped below the horizon, going to shine on another section of the Earth. The night sky had captured us, glittering with white, sparkly stars. I heard him move beside me and I turned my head to the left to see what he was doing.

He sat with his legs crisscrossed in front of him, staring blankly out into nothing. I knew he was thinking about something that was bothering him. I also knew that if I pestered him long enough about it, he would tell me.

I sat up, kneeling beside him. I stared straight ahead, just like he did. I was about to speak, but he did it first.

“Aurora, you know you’re my best friend, right?” He inquired, still looking out in front of him.

“Of course I do –“ I started to say, but he cut me off, turning his head towards me and capturing my blue eyes with his brown ones.

“No, I need you to know that you are my best friend and that I don’t want you to ever get hurt. You mean too much to me, and I don’t know what I would do if something ever happened to you. I need you to promise that you will always be my best friend, just like I will always be yours.” He spoke softly, and that concerned me. He only spoke softly when he knew something bad was going to happen and did not want me to be alarmed by it.

I nodded my head while I stuttered out, “I promise.”

Another small smile took his face and he held out his left hand while his pinky was sticking out. I smiled at this gesture, something we had done since we were young. I wrapped my pinky around his, squeezing with all my might. At the same time, just like old times, we both breathily spoke, “I promise.”

Someone squeezing my hand brought me back from my thoughts. My eyes popped open and tears were eagerly waiting to fall, but I refused. I fought them back as I looked to see him glancing back and forth between the road and I. I plastered a smile on my face and nodded to his question of “Are you alright?”

It was a lie, and I knew he knew that, but he would not press it. He would wait until we were home, before he started asking questions. He always asked them, even if I gave no sign for there to be any. But he knew there was always something bothering me, well more like some one.

But none of it mattered now because it was three years ago. Actually, it was over three years, so I should have felt nothing, but I couldn’t. I was one of those unlucky souls who felt everything and could never let anything go. If I got a reason out of why it was done, I could move on. But that was if I ever got to speak to him again, and that seemed unlikely. He was gone from this place, while I was perpetually stuck in it. And it seemed like he would always be the winner of the never-ending game of life.

Third Person’s POV

Aurora had thought that he had forgotten all about her when he left. And some could argue that he did, but he didn’t. He never forgot about her. His mind pushed her to the back, but that was only because he had to focus on other things, more important things. And when time came that his heart reminded his mind of Aurora, it was already too late. Too much time had passed and he was sure that she knew his secret. Hell, the whole world knew who he was.

He knew Aurora would never forgive him; her stubborn ways always enabled her to hold grudges. She had held grudges on him before, but they never lasted long, his smile and big puppy eyes allowed him the access he needed to get off the hook. But he knew that it would not work on her this time. He knew that if one of his friends had done what he had done to her, he would never forgive them.

But he was sure that if Aurora did it to him, he would forgive her in a heartbeat. His heart had always fancied her, since she moved in across the street to be precise. Her American accent was foreign to him, but sparked his curiosity. As soon as their friendship formed, his heart latched on to her, and never let her go. No matter whom he was with, she was always on his mind.

He cursed himself for not trying to make an effort of even give her an explanation and when he returned home, he found the house across the street had been occupied by a new family. When he asked his family what happened, they thought it would be best for Aurora to tell him.

Even after three years, his parents pushed him to find her, reminding him that she was the one who should explain everything. His parents had only heard the rumors, and didn’t want to taint his mind with possibly inaccurate thoughts. His parents had felt guilty about aiding his secret. Aurora was like a daughter to them and to shut her off was something they could never forgive themselves for, even if she did.

While Aurora thought he forgot all about her, he searched and searched, but he only came up empty handed. He vowed to never give up on finding her, he owed her an explanation and he promised himself he would die trying to give it to her. She deserved so much more than what he gave her and he knew that.

He feared that Aurora gave up on everything she loved, only to fit in. He remembered making her promise to never lose sight of what she really wanted in life, and something in the pit of his stomach told him that she broke that promise. And he wanted to be mad at her, but he couldn’t, because he broke his promise too.

On his way back home, he sat and thought about how to find her. His parents confirmed that she was still living in their hometown, but that was all they would give. He took responsibility for his actions, and promised his parents he would do this without their help. They were not the ones who caused Aurora so much pain he knew he caused her. His four best friends, who were now more like brothers, aimlessly chattered while he sat deep in thought. His best friends knew about her and promised to help him find her. But what his friends didn’t know was that he had already signed them up to help mend their broken friendship.