Broken Home - a Thomas Sangster Fanfic

Forgetting Isn't Easy

Kaya's POV
"So, Payton," I started slowly, "I know this is a weird question, but do you have a boyfriend?"
"Haha..." She trails off and looks down at her feet.
"Oh I'm sorry. Sensitive subject?" Shoot. Now I've gone and made her upset.
"Not really, it's just... I never had one, and I don't really want too. Seeing your parents go through a divorce... It does some serious damage to a person's love life." She meets my eyes and smirks.
"I understand." This poor girl has been through the wringer, that's for sure.
"How do you handle it?"
She laughs, "Instagram. Really anything that takes my mind off of it."
"You are strong." I look at her eyes, trying to see past her smiling face, and into her broken soul. A single tear falls from her eye. She smiles.

Payton's POV
Kaya called me strong. I've never been called strong before, and she doesn't even know where half of my grief comes from.
I wasn't actually telling the truth when she asked if I had ever had a boyfriend. I did, until about three years ago. His name was James. I'd had a crush on him ever since preschool. When I was ten, he asked me to come to his grandparents' summer camp with him. He called me his girlfriend ever since. Three years ago, we were biking to the movie theater. I don't even remember what movie we were going to see. I just remember him showing off how he could bike with no hands on the handlebars. I thought he was so talented. His front wheels started to swerve and he quickly tried to regain control. It was too late. He had swerved into opposing traffic, and the truck driver didn't have time to brake. He was airlifted to the closest hospital, and despite the doctors tireless work, he was pronounced brain dead. His parents decided to take him off life support, and that's how I lost James. That's why I promised not to love anyone again, that is, until I met Thomas.