Answered Prayers (a Hunter Hayes Fanfic)

Chapter 1

Three Months After Prequel

Kaylee's Point of View:

Fairytales. The kind of books a child would read and wish to be a part of in reality. When I was a little girl, my father used to always tell me that I could be like the characters in the fairytales, get my happily ever after and have anything my heart desired.

For years, even as a young adult, I believed that his notions were true. That if I believed in it enough, I could really live a fairytale life.  

The fact was now simple. Fairytales do not exist past the pages of a children's book.

"Kaylee, honey, you have to come out of there now. You have to eat something." My best friend, Kellie said after leaving a knock at my bedroom door.

"I'm not hungry!" I yelled, wiping the tears that streamed down my face.

The question was, if fairytales somehow existed in the real world, would everyone live happily ever after?

My answer to that question was no.

"Kaylee, open the door." Kellie said calmly.

"Why?" I cried.

"Because I want to help you sweetheart. I'm here for you!" She said.

The truth was, no one could help me. I was far past the point of accepting help from anyone. I didn't have the strength to ask for it, let alone accept it from the people who cared most.

"I'm fine." I lied.

I was getting far to great at lying now a days. It was the way I blocked out the world. My pain. Everything that had shattered in front of me so quickly. Those two little words seemed like the easiest cover up from my true feelings.

The truth being that I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breathe, gasping for air to enter my lungs, but it just wasn't coming and I was barely hanging on by a thread. 

"Michael wouldn't want you to feel this way." She said soothingly.

That was the breaking point.

I stood up from my bed, walking to the door and swinging it open.

"Michael is dead!" I yelled through now pouring tears.

It was true. Michael Carter, my Prince Charming, the man who gave me a fairytale love, was gone.

[Flashback]

"Are you coming to Daytona or not?" Michael said softly. 

"No." I said.

Just like that, without a second word or acknowledgement, he grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door. 

I sighed softly and spoke even though he would no longer hear me. 

"Be safe, my love."

Michael and I had fought about his racing career and the fact that it scared me due to how dangerous the sport was. I didn't want to follow him to Daytona. I didn't want my greatest fears to be a reality.

__

A day, almost two, had passed since Michael left for Daytona to go to his race and I found it strange that he hadn't contacted me. I knew that we had fought but Michael and I never had the tendency to stay mad at each other long. We weren't that kind of couple. We didn't like to see each other upset, no matter the situation was.

The worry began to set in but I trusted him enough to know that he would call me as soon as he got a free moment. Although it was unlike Michael to not reach out via call or text message, I also understood the busy schedule he tended to have while he was away on these kind of trips.

To calm myself down and lessen my worries, I decided to make myself a cup of tea before sitting one the couch to catch up on Grey's Anatomy.

Although I had drama in my life, the kind that Meredith Grey had was always so much more dramatic and that fact oddly made me feel better about my own personal life.

I snuggled under a blanket and put my dog Cooper in my lap before flicking on the television. It was on the channel eight news and it caught my eye ... in the worst way.

There it was, on the screen, my greatest fears coming to life in the blink of an eye.

My entire body tensed as a photo of a crashed race car from Daytona appeared in the upper left corner of the screen, on the right side was a picture of my Michael. The man of my dreams. The love of my life.

The reporter confirmed my worst nightmare.

"Breaking news: Michael Carter, twenty-four dead on hospital arrival after a devastating crash on the race track."

I swear my heart had stopped for a fraction of a second. My entire body froze as my coffee mug crashed to the ground, the sound of breaking glass echoed through the room.

My every fear had become a reality. My love, my light, my rock, was gone.

My mind was reeling and tears streamed down my cheeks as the reporter spoke again.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Michael Carter. More updates to come on this breaking news story as the information unfolds."

[End of Flashback]

Kellie walked into my room after I had yelled and gone to sit back on the bed. I avoided eye contact, clinging to Michael's sweatshirt for dear life, thinking to myself that maybe if I clung to his belongings tight enough, it would bring him back to me. In the part of my brain that was still rational, I knew that Michael would never come back to me, but the idea of losing that hope and letting go of the person I loved more than life itself was just to heartbreaking to come to terms with.

"What can I do for you, Kay?" Kellie sat beside me on the bed, "How can I help you?"

"Can you bring Michael back to me?" I looked at her through my teary eyes.

She stayed silent.

"Yeah. Didn't think so" I let a tear fall off of my cheek and onto the fabric of the sweatshirt I was clinging too.

"Can I just sit here with you?" She whispered.

I nodded silently. Although I didn't want to speak about the accident or admit that I needed a person to lean on, it was comforting, in the smallest way, to have someone by my side.

I put down the sweatshirt and looked at my side table to see a half empty bottle of vodka sitting there.

I grabbed it and unscrewed the cover of the bottle, lifting it up and pressing it straight to my lips.

For a moment, as the bitter alcohol made its way down my throat, it felt as if all of my heartache and sorrow was getting washed down with it.

A\N: Hey everyone! Chapter one is posted and I am so excited. I know that I said that chapter one would take place one year after the prequel but it made much more sense making it take place three months after. Anyway, I know it was pretty deep for the first chapter but I hope you all loved it. Please leave feedback in the comments! XoXo ... Kay