Unguarded Love

16-The Accident

Persephone 

Eight years ago my world came crashing down. 

I went from knowing what my future looked like to not even knowing if I could walk tomorrow. 

People love to say everything happens for a reason but sometimes I wonder if they're talking out of their ass. 

Like did they experience something so awful that you sit and wonder how that could possibly happen to you?

Losing my mom and my career in one day....that doesn't sound very optimistic.

I can still see the news coverage on it, the articles that were written. 

The taglines to get people to read the articles. 

I had lost so much that day.

"Babe are you still coming with me to the house?" Peyton asks and I feel the bed dip beside me. 

I lay on my bed staring down at my knee. At the jagged scars that run up and under my knee cap. Those scars aren't just external and they run deeper than just my knee.  

"Maybe you should come and not wallow-"

"I'm not wallowing." I mumble and I hear her sigh, "You do this every year, aren't you tired of it?"

I look up at her, "Tired of it?" I scoff, "Just go without me, please." I plead softly. I'm not in the mood to fight with her because she can't understand what I'm going through or how much pain this day holds for me. 

She sighs "Fine but I think you need to stop this. Every year its the same, you lock yourself in your room and cry. It's not very healthy."

I don't respond and she takes that as her queue to leave. 

"If you change your mind I'll be hanging with the guys." She tells me and when I don't respond I hear her release another sigh. 

I hear the door open and shut, leaving me alone to throw my pity party. 

"Why did this have to happen?" I'm still staring at my knee, "Why did you have to leave me mom? Why couldn't I have gone with you?"

Then I let the tears fall. Rain starts to patter against the window and it feels fitting. 

At least it's not snowing. I hate the snow. 

Asa

When Peyton enters the house I notice two things. 

One, she looks upset and two, she's Percy-less.

"Where's Seph?" Miles asks before I have a chance too. 

I think it's a good thing, that girl is messing with my mind to much. 

Just yesterday we spent half the night in hysterics because of some crap indie movie she found online. 

I have never spent so much time with a girl and it not leading to us getting naked. 

You let her get close to you man, I know that. 

She doesn't know that she's the first girl to ever be on my mind constantly. I need it to stay that way, which is why I swore Ridge to secrecy. 

He may know how I feel but I also know he's got a thing for her best friend. A girl who's very much in a relationship. 

"Oh she's uh..she's busy." Peyton says but I am sure everyone in this room can see through her. 

Percy was right, she's an open book.