Only You

Chapter Fifteen!!

[QUOTE FOR CHAPTER]

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way."

-Pablo Neruda

-chapter fifteen-

After the date I marched upstairs and grabbed anything that reminded me of them. Anything.

I grabbed the box full of Morgan's clothes and dumped it on the floor. I stuffed the shirt Drew got me in there and Jesse's shirt, that I never gave back. Natalie walked in and gave me an odd look.

"What are you doing?" She kicked off her shoes and sat on my bed next to the almosy full box.

"What's this?" She reached in and pulled out a silver bracelet. "It's cute. Why is it in here?" She held it up and the diamond piano twinkled. I snatched it from her and dropped it in the box. "Bryson bought me that for my fourteenth birthday. I was obsessed with playing the piano."

She smiled as I explained.

"What?"

I tossed a stuffed monkey that Drew won me at the fair into the box. I could have sworn I threw that out. "You just smiled like a goober when you said that."

I rolled my eyes and set the rose Jesse gave me on the monkey. "Whatever." She laughed and reached in the box.

"How bout this?" She held up a shirt I got at a concert.

"Neely dragged me to go see that concert and Bryson bought us that." I shoved it back in the box and taped it shut.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to dispose of my past." Natalie rolled her eyes and held the door open for me. I dragged the quite heavy box down the stairs and took it to my car. I set it on the backseat and slammed the door.

"Everything alright." I looked up to see my mom walking down the porch.

"Fine mom."

I sat on the hood as she walked up to me. "Kendall Jean Hale. I am your mother." She hopped up on the hood beside me and nudged me with her elbow. "Come on." She didn't take her eyes off me a I tried to avoid them.

I sighed and set my head on her shoulder. "Mom, I think I only love Jesse because he was there for me after what happened."

She nodded slowly then cleared her throat.

"Honey, did I ever tell you how I met your father?" I shook my head. "Nope." She clasped my hand and squeezed it a little.

"Well I was eighteen at the time and your grandpa had just passed away. He and I were really close so his death was pretty devestating. Your grandma shut down and pretty much didn't care what us kids wer up to. I had a few drinks and I was so wasted." I covered my ears.

"Mom if this is a one night stand with dad story I'm leaving.''

She rolled her eyes. "Let me go on. Anyway, I was drunk and I was already depressed so I went to the bridge, just down the road from grandma's, to jump. I stood there for a few minutes and when I finally decided to jump, somebody pulled me away from the edge. It was your dad, he was so scared when we met eyes. I remember thinking, "who does this guy think he is? He just saves random depressed girls from jumping off bridges". Turns out he'd been watching me since I got there. He was on his way home from his girlfriend's, at the time, and he heard me crying.

Something in me told me this was fate and I fell in love with him because he saved me. He never let that go either."

She sighed hard and threw her arm around me. She let out a sigh, like it was a weight lifted from her shoulders.