Healing Hearts ✅

1. Change

It'll be amazing they said.

A new start is exactly what we all need.

Things will be better.

I was such an idiot to believe them.

~ 💟 ~

*Six Months Earlier*

"Princess the car is leaving in five minutes" my dad shouts making me sigh as I take one last look around my bedroom. For years these four walls and my beloved bay window were everything I needed but now here we were, leaving it all behind for a new life.

"You ready to go sweetie?" my mom asks as she appears in the doorway of my bedroom.

"I just need a few more minutes" I reply as I hug Beary the Bear Bear to my chest. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay" my mom smiles tightly before walking off. I take a deep breath, wandering down the hallway to the one room we never went in since the accident.

I push open Auggie's door and my eyes linger on everything he owned. My heart drops as tears fill my eyes. I walk Beary over to his bed and place him down against the stack of pillows. "Goodbye" I cry as I take a step back and rush out of the bedroom and down the flight of stairs to the main living room.

"Riley. Now" my dad shouts. I turn and take one last look at the loft before walking out the door, away from everything I've ever known.

~ 💟 ~

The drive to Texas from New York takes forever and I'm bored out of my mind the entire time. When we pull up to the simple farmhouse that we now called ours I jump out of the car and savor the ground. I look around at the lush grass, the field around us making a smile pull at my lips.

"See" my mom smiles, "I told you that you would love it."

"Mhm" I reply nonchalantly as I follow her inside. Upon entering I'm met with a wide staircase that leads to the second floor and off to my left is our living room. The walls are a bland white but the dark wood of the floors is a pleasant contrast. I walk down a small hallway and find a half bathroom on the right, a few feet away from the kitchen. The kitchen is probably my favorite part of the house with it's pale yellow walls and lightwood floors. There's a breakfast nook and all the appliances have a rustic feel that I absolutely adore.

"Woah" I exclaim as I take it all in. I had to admit even though I was a city girl, this was amazing.

"Your room is upstairs Riley" my dad says with a soft smile. "Why don't you go settle in?" he suggests. I nod turn around, moving towards the steps befor skipping up to the second floor. I know my room is on the left so I waste no time in heading inside.

It's larger than my one back in New York but it's painted white. I was definitely going to have to talk to my parents about redecorating. I walk over to the bed and collapse against it.

I take a deep breath as I breathe in the country air, I had to admit it was a nice change...which brings me here. I guess I should explain a few things.

First, my parents are the two most amazing people in the world.

Second, I wasn't the most popular kid in school but I had a nice group of friends until.....number three.

My brother Auggie died in a car accident last year. He was on the way home from a play date and a drunk driver came out of nowhere.

My dad was driving and he's never fully forgiven himself, putting a strain on my parents but they're Cory and Topanga and they always prevail.