Star-Crossed Love: A Story of I'm Sorry's and I Love You's

Prologue: Jules

"Lily, things between Alex and I are done. He said so many awful things to me," I whisper into the phone as I feel my heart breaking again. I stare out at the peaceful fields as I try to calm the tears. But I couldn't stop the heartache. It felt like the aching would never stop. 

"Like what?" Lily asks gently as I plop down on the grass and the memory of the fight Alex and I had replays in my mind.

"I don't want to repeat them. It was just so awful and I don't think I can ever forgive him," I whisper as I imagine the look on his face when I had started ending things because of the words that were coming out of his mouth.

"He doesn't deserve you, Jules. He never has and he never will," Lily consoles me as I plop down on the grass. My body suddenly felt heavy with all the sadness and the shock of what had just happened.

"But, I loved him, Lily," I squeak, my voice cracking as more tears drip down my cheeks and Lily sighs on the other end of the phone.

"I know you did, honey, but he screwed up. We all know that he had been treating you absolutely terribly for the past, like, two months! He doesn't deserve the incredible person that you are now and the even more incredible person you are yet to be," Lily comforts me as I glance up at the sky and see nothing blue ahead of me. Everything had just changed in the span of a thirty-minute fight. How could it be that after a year of being entangled in each other, that I would have to let it all go?

"How am I going to let go of all that we were and all that I hoped we would be?" I gasp as the shock washes over me again and nearly drowns me in all the emotion.

"You will just give it time. And just keep reminding yourself, this is only your freshman year. I know it's the end of our freshman year but you still have so much ahead of you, Jules. You're going to do incredible things. I would know, I'm your best friend," Lily answers hopefully, bringing a small smile to my face as the tears finally begin to slow. 

"I'm trying. But I'm going to miss him so much," I rasp, my voice growing croaky from all the crying and sobbing that had been going on for the past hour or so. 

"I know you will. But once the next few years start, you'll forget all about him because of all the fun we'll be having. And then this will seem like a distant and almost forgotten past, I promise," Lily reassures me as I take a deep breath and try to daydream about the next few years and all the things I wanted to accomplish with my high school career. And slowly, sparks of hope begin to ignite deep inside my chest.

"Maybe you're right," I breathe as the tears finally begin to slow and a small smile inches its way across my lips. I slowly begin to stand up and I look out across the horizon, my mood lightening and determination dripping into my heart. 

"I know I am, Jules. You're such an amazing person. You're determined, hardworking, charismatic, kindhearted, goofy, intelligent, sassy, independent, resilient, openminded, and feisty. You're going to do so many things in your life, the next few years especially," Lily continues to fuel the fire that was slowly starting in my heart as stare out at the horizon and see the grass waving in the fields. Everything was bending to the wind except for me. I wasn't going to bend. It was time for me to rise.

"You're right. It's high time that I rise," I whisper determinedly as I fill my head with my goals for the rest of my high school career. 

"Yessss! That's right! You have so much ahead of you, Jules! You're going to do everything you could ever dream of! Alex is just a distant past! Just you wait, Jules. Just you wait," Lily assures me as I nod my head along to her voice on the other end of the phone call. My heart begins to race and I take a deep breath as excitement pumps through my veins.

"It's time to rise."