Written In The Stars - First Draft (Published Under Immac PPH)

CHAPTER 07

Written In The Stars

Valerie's POV

"Mom deserves justice. It's been twelve years and I feel so bad because I couldn't give it to her."

We sat on the grass, it wasn't as moist as it was before. Before coming here, Tyler and I stopped by at the local convenience store to buy canned beer. The air was cold and I felt like I was slowly freezing. The stars shined bright, they were always so consistent. There was something melancholic in the atmosphere, something that felt heavy and I knew it had something to do with the way Tyler ached for understanding. He thirsts for justice, he wanted to know who took his mother away from them because it was closure for him.

He wanted to avenge his mother by giving her justice through sending that person in jail, but he's right, it's been twelve years and the case has gone cold. From what I have heard, the last information they got was that the man who shot Tyler's mother went missing after what happened, he disappeared, even his family had no idea where he was and they promised to cooperate once they get in touch with him again but sadly, after two years, they found out that the man was killed. Till then, the case was completely abandoned on the shelves. Only to collect dust.

It was hard for Tyler to cope with the loss and it was hard for me to see him that way. Every time he would open up to me before, I would run out of words to say. It was hard to comfort someone when you aren't in the same position as them, I couldn't bear the thought of being in the same shoes as Tyler because it would kill me. When he lost his Mom, he started to distance himself. He was so young at that time, it was more horrific for him because he saw and heard everything that happened. He only started to open himself up again when time slowly healed his wounded heart.

"You're a good person, Ty." I said before taking a sip on the canned beer. It wasn't that late yet so we both took the time to just sit and feel the fresh environment. "And because of that, I'm certain your Mom is happy up there. She's happy seeing you grow into a great and kind man. I'll always be certain of that."

"Damn, I don't want to get too emotional." He let out a short laugh while looking up. The stars were all bright. But there's one star I would want to see right now, it's more brighter and it could lift my hopes up just by seeing it. Tyler's smile. I would do anything to see him smile tonight, to feel carefree even for a little while. "Uh... I saw you and Mikhel at the parking lot once. You didn't tell me he was back. How are you?"

"I don't know?" I said in a tone as if I was asking him too. Honestly, I don't know what to feel aside from anger and at the same time confusion. I miss him for all the reasons why I should be missing him. But I get it, the point will just stop there, there will only be the feeling of missing Mikhel, love wasn't as strong anymore. "He never told me he was coming back... He just... appeared out of nowhere. I didn't even have the time to process things. All of a sudden, he was just right in front of me. As if he never left..."

"It must have hurt a lot," Tyler said in a soft voice. He was trying his best to be careful with my feelings, I could obviously sense how he's trying so hard. He is right. It did hurt a lot. It hurt enough for me to know I have to move on because if I stay there, I'd live a life being upset over someone who left without telling me why. I didn't want to waste the time trying to gain pity. I wanted to be stronger. "I saw how much you've cried those times... I'm proud of you. Looking at you now, makes me feel proud, you don't know how much you've changed Val. You're tougher."

"Yes, it did hurt..." I said while trying to stop my tears from falling. Normally, I don't cry about it anymore, I could even tell other people about my story with no emotion on my face unlike before. This time was different though, it hurt a lot because the topic was already heavy when Ty and I talked about his Mom. "But I am doing better now... I'm proud of myself too, I thought I wouldn't get over it easily but after a year, I'm starting to let go of the past. It felt like I was obligated to fix myself."