Ava

Prologue

*NEW STORY*

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

I sat in the backseat of the car, my arms folded across my chest and silent tears streaming down my face. I was glaring at the stick resting on my lap. It was part of the reason I was in this tension-filled predicament. The answer just had to be the one I didn't want it to be.

"Ava," my mother whispered, her voice so broken it caused a crack to form on my heart.

"I don't want to talk about it, Mom," I sighed heavily, my throat aching and rough. The deep breathe did nothing to lift the boulder that was currently resting on my chest. Talking was the last thing I wanted to do. We had already talked enough.

"Please, Ava," she murmured again.

"Mom, no!" I exclaimed. "I don't want to talk! I'm done talking! I've said everything I have to say," my voice teetered out towards the end. The tears quickened and my voice cracked.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" my dad asked for the first time since we had left our house, his deep voice so calm and torn. His knuckles had turned white with the strong hold he had around the steering wheel.

"Dad," I cried softly. "I can't do this. Please, please understand that."

"We love you so much, Ava," my mom said, her eyes connecting with mine when she turned around to face me in the backseat. "Please, rethink this."

I held back the scoff that wanted so much to pass my lips. Our eyes stayed connected. Her eyes were such a magnificent green. Yellow flecks shone brightly when she gifted you with her beautiful smile. A smile so contagious you couldn't help but smile back. Her presence alone was enough to lift a small piece of your burden. But now, now they were dull. Red rimmed her eyes and the yellow flecks turned to a light brown. The green wasn't the vibrant green that glistened.

I tried to smile back at my mother, even though I didn't want to. Her sweet face looked so broken and I couldn't stare at it for very much longer. I couldn't feel anything from her.

"I don't feel the love," I whispered so soft I didn't think they heard. The soft gasp that escaped past my mother's pale pink lips told me they did though.

The words were out there and I couldn't grab them back no matter how much I tried.

I would never get the chance to apologize.