The Heartbreaker Agreement

Chapter Nineteen: The Letters

The walk home was took forever; granted I naturally lived more than two miles from the school, and I was walking barefoot the last quarter mile. I had my house key in my bra and my cell phone's flashlight illuminating the road home. I was dead inside, and cold on the outside. Sarah and Jaimie were calling me, but the most insane phone call was Jaxon's.

His name would light up my screen and I'd just stare at it as I walked home. Eventually it would disappear and then I'd be stuck seeing his missed phone call message and then a text and then Sarah would call, and then Jaimie and the cycle would repeat.

When I was finally home, I was chilled to the bone and when I pulled my key from bra I felt a drop of rain fall against my head. I walked into my house and as a burst of warmth filled me, I called out for my mom before shutting the door and walking in the dark and to the kitchen. I dropped the shoes on the counter where the keys to my jeep sat and a note.

"You're officially un-grounded; Jaimie's dad and I will be back after a while if you got home early. - Mom"

I felt slightly depressed that my mother wasn't there, but then I was grabbing the shoes and walking to my mother's room when I took the shoes and walked to her closet. I sighed before taking my aching body and dropping to my knees. I reached into the back of the closet, under my mother's bright colored clothes.

I grabbed the box and sat back with a groan before leaning over and grabbing the shoes as I took the lid off with my opposite hand. When I looked back, the box was filled with different white letters that caught my eyes the moment I saw my name.

Dropping the shoes, I carefully reached into the box and took one of the thin letters in my hand. My name and address were written in awful print along with a return address of...London. I opened the letter with my nimble fingers, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath before pulling out the letter. I let the envelope fall to the ground as I held it and then my eyes opened slowly and I stared at a letter I never dreamed about.

"Dear Avalon,

Today is your sixteenth birthday, and I want to be there, to see my growing daughter as she becomes a young woman. I am beginning to have my doubts that you are reading my letters at all, or if you're even receiving them, but nonetheless, I'll continue to write to you. You're my daughter and I love you no matter what's happened between your mother and me.

I know that you're probably arguing with your mom every day at this age, but know that it was never completely her fault; I wasn't there for her like I should have been and over the past ten years I've learned that.

You're still my little cupcake, and I miss you more and more each day.

With Love,

Dad."

My heart stopped, there was no movement in my chest for a total of forty seconds before I dropped the letter and grabbed another one, and opening it to see its date. I continued until I found one encase in a pink envelope, shoved to the left and wadded up as if someone was tired of getting letters. Written on it were my name and address and a new return address...Paris, France.

"Dear Avalon,

I understand that it's the end of your junior year in high school and that you must hate me for having not sent a single letter, but I'm leaving you two tickets and my address in Paris. I recently moved here, and the land is beautiful, I think that you will love it. I want you to come just for the summer, if you don't then I understand. I'll quit sending the letters to you, just as I did your brother.

You'd love to see these things with me, Avalon, and I'd love for you to be here. Just take a while to think about it and then join me in Paris. The tickets expire for you and your closest friend by the beginning of August.