Heart at War // JJ Maybank

Alternative Ending

I've been keeping this away from you all for a while... I thought maybe it should come out of my drafts:) love you all for the support and love you continue to give to my story.

Lena Boggs

The cool wind blew against my face as the clouds began to darken, I tighten my jacket around my body as a shiver crept up my spine. My world felt so small on the island now— I felt out of place.

My fathers' name was staring back at me from his headstone, shining in bright gold with a fresh bouquet of flowers right about him. I smile softly, despite the heavy weight in my chest. "Hi, daddy," I whispered.

Another gust of wind, this one more comforting. Almost like a hello in return.

My eyes glisten with tears as I bend down to run my fingertips along his name. "I'm sorry it's been so long." I apologize, even though I knew it was more than okay.

"Five years is a long time, I know..." I stand back up, wiping a tear that had managed to escape my eye. "But I like to think you're proud of me... I hope you're proud of me."

I know that he is. Somehow, I just do.

Arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back into a hard chest. I surrender to the touch immediately, relaxing into them. "Hey, you." He nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck.

His touch calmed my nerves, bringing me down from where I was and grounding me again. My body felt at home and as I blinked my tears away, I turned my face to the side so I could see his eyes.

"I'm happy you came to say hi." My nose rubs against his as he chuckles, eyeing the grave. "Hi, Mr. Boggs... I just wanted to say..." He stops, pausing to look at me and then backs away from me.

He holds onto my hands, pulling me away from my father. "You wait right here." He tells me, and although visiting my dad at the cemetery for the first time in five left a weight on my chest, watching his idiotic behaviour brought a wide grin to my face.

He always did have a way of making the weight of the world so much more bearable.

He bends down so he's on his knees, cupping his hands around his mouth. Hushed whispering for a few seconds before standing back up, "Thank you for creating her for me." My heart flutters in my chest.

He stands in front of me again, taking my hands into his. "We'll go when you're ready." He promises, and I smile with a soft nod of my head.

"With you? I'm always ready."

Life after high school was messy and chaotic. But in the best way humanly possible. Nothing compared to the new adventures I got to experience when I moved away from the island... Alone. As scary and as uncomfortable as it felt, it was something I knew I needed to do for myself.

I spent so much of my life putting others before me, missing out on experiences that I regretted. Worrying about how other people felt about me.

I wasn't Lena Boggs from The Cut any more. I wasn't Lena who was best friends with John B and... JJ. It wasn't Lena who was in love with JJ. I was simply just Lena.

Who I was, and who I turned into were two completely different people now. And here I am, standing outside of my childhood elementary school with my portfolio in hand and a tight pencil skirt with a blouse tucked in.

"Ms. Boggs, huh?" I jump at the new voice behind me, turning around to come face to face with those blue eyes I can never seem to forget. My heart thumps against my chest, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I sucked in.