Healing Her Heart {Trilogy}

Chapter 1

Fiona felt like bricks were being thrown at a high force, hitting her straight in the chest. She felt cracked in half like a saltine cracker split in half before being eaten.

She had never felt this feeling. It was foreign, new, and it was most definitely an unwelcome feeling. Her whole world seemed to just come to a stand still, as cheesy and cliche as it sounded. Her mind wasn't taking in these words that were said to her.

"Fiona?" Martie scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, looking at Fiona. He had a frown on his handsome face, as if concerned. "Did you hear what I said?"

Of course Fiona had heard what he said. She was just taking a moment to keep herself from breaking down in front of Martie. She nods, not trusting her voice. She was afraid it would fail her, like her feelings were.

"Yes," Fiona managed to say once she found her voice. "Yes, I-I heard you."

Martie scanned her like he was scanning an interesting piece of artwork at a museum. "I've been thinking about it for a few days. I didn't take this decision lightly, Fiona, really."

Fiona looked down at her plain hands that were crossed with each other and released them from each other's grip.

"Did I do something wrong?" Fiona asked quietly, silently begging her tears to stay back for a while longer. She was determined not to cry. Not now anyway.

"No," he assured quickly. He ran his hand through his messy brown hair in guilt and frustration. "I..I just..I don't think this can work since I'm going to college all the way in Florida. I know how long distance ends, Fiona, and you know it too."

Martie was right, of course. Fiona would still be in Washington attending her senior year of high school while Martie moved all the way to Florida.

"There's no point in trying to pretend it can work out," Martie went on, tone gentle and comforting. Fiona knew the comfort was for her, trying to assure her that he did not want to end things badly. That he felt what she felt. "If we were to keep on dating a few months, things would get harder."

"I know," Fiona replied in a voice that said otherwise. She tried not to wince at how broken she sounded, how lost she seemed to be.

Martie swallowed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "This isn't easy for me either. But later in the year I'll be busy with homework and so will you, and we'll both have exams and finals.."

Once again, Martie was right. Fiona said, "It almost sounds like you don't want to break up with me."

"I don't," he sighed, looking tired and defeated. "But I spent days thinking. How could it work when we're thousands of miles away?"

"It's been done before." Fiona was foolish at attempting to change his mind. Martie very rarely changed his mind when he decides on something, so there was really no point. But Fiona still had a go at it. "There's couples who've pulled through."

"Fiona," Martie said in a tight almost forced tone, "my mind. It's made up. We can't be together anymore."

Fiona bit back a sob. Martie was everything to her. He had been her first dance her freshmen year in homecoming. He had been her first date later that same year for a Sweetheart dance. Before summer break he asked her to be his girlfriend, and then kissed her. Her first kiss. They had been together for three and a half years.

"Hey." Martie reached out, as if sensing her sad emotions. "I'm not leaving forever, you know."

Fiona didn't pull away from his touch, despite wanting to hate him. She could never hate Martie, though, she knew. She just wished she could so that she had a reason to be angry with him. A reason to be able to say goodbye easily, without the pain of knowing they'd never be together again.