War of Hearts ▷ Quil Ateara

EPILOGUE

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EPILOGUE

     SHE IS NOT FRAGILE. She is not a woman made out of glass, created to be treated carefully. Her only job is not to give birth to children or listen to her husband.

     June Haight will not allow Quil Ateara or Jacob Black to break her down. She will stand tall with her head up high, showing them what they've lost. She will narrow her eyes as she strides past them at First Beach, her body swaying in a seductive motion.

     She's had her experience with heartbreaks, but who hasn't? The boy she loved betrayed her without a second glance, and the boy she thought she could start anew with followed in his friend's footsteps. She was left alone. Bella reunited with her boyfriend and his family, leaving June's concerns in the dust. All of the girls she communicated with at school fawned over the La Push 'gang,' exclaiming they would date any one of them whether they were taking steroids or not. Although June had admirers, she couldn't quite find her place or a friend like Quil.

     La Push didn't feel like her home anymore.

     "Mom?" June rounded the corner of her house, entering the living room. Marah Haight heard her daughter's small steps, recognizing them from the day she turned two and learned she could crawl out of her crib to explore the house. She wasn't aware of June's situation. She only knew that Jake wasn't going to be her son-in-law, which devastated her.

     "Yes, June Bug?" Her mother addressed her by the nickname that June didn't appreciate very much. She blamed her uncle, Eddie, to this day for allowing it to slip out at a family gathering.

     "Remember that job offer that dad got in New York?"

     At the mention of his name, Gilbert Haight popped his head in. "Did someone call me?"

     "I didn't even say your name, dad."

     He chuckled and walked over, kissing his daughter's forehead. "Sorry, Hurricane. What's up?"

     "Have you guys ever considered moving?" June questioned, squirming slightly. It might've been selfish for her to ask her parents to pick up everything and leave their home, but she didn't know if she could last another year.

     "A few times, yes," her father responded. "We viewed some houses in Forks before we settled here in La Push."

     Marah, who was dusting the shelves, ceased her movements. The glint in June's eye indicated she wanted something. "Why do you ask, honey? Is this about Jake?"

     "I just want to know if you two ever wanted to move elsewhere, like a place out of state?" She spoke timidly, taking baby steps. Her parents weren't people who loved change, but since June was their only child, her happiness mattered most.

     "June Bug, if you really don't want to see Jake, we'll move you to the high school in Forks."

     "It's not that, mom. I feel out of touch with La Push completely. It's not my home."

     Before Marah could argue, Gilbert stepped in. He placed his hands on June's shoulders and pushed her backwards gently. "Go upstairs, Hurricane. Me and your mother will converse about it, okay?"

     So June walked up the steps, picturing her new life in the bustling city of New York.

thank you guys for voting for war of hearts at twilightffawards and winning best quil ateara story! forever grateful