Journey of the Heart (Camila/OC)

Chapter Three

Your POV:

Flashback:

"This is an important event, Alexandra, so please... don't do anything to embarrass our name," my father spoke to me as we waited to make our entrance.

My mother turned towards me and gave me the same look my father was giving me... Disgust and distrust. I roll my eyes and ignore them. It's the same old, same old.

For most of my life, that's how I how I felt when I was with my parents. I was a blemish in their perfect lives. My mother had to stay behind during maternity leave, causing her to lose a position in a company she was working for. My father had to "pick up the slack" and stayed long hours at the office to catch up. I was a burden and a bother during their peak years and they didn't hide their feelings towards me, maybe their love for their only daughter but it's so hidden I couldn't tell if it was actually there.

We make our entrance into the grand hall of the charity event and I quickly make a beeline towards the bar. One good thing about charity events, they stock the bars with the best booze in order to open up the wallets and checks. It works. By the end of the night, the charity would probably make triple the amount they were expecting.

"A glass, please," I call towards an available bartender.

Second good thing... They don't check I.D.

Once the bartender hands me the glass, I quickly toss it back and ask for another.

"Going hard, I see."

I turn and see Tyler smiling down at me.

Tyler is my closest and only confidant in this rich and hectic lifestyle. We've known each other since middle school and have stuck together ever since. He understood everything I have been going through because he was going through the same thing. He was the prestigious son of a high end hotel corporation. Luckily for him, however, his parents had other children so they didn't really pay much attention to their youngest, unless he screws up that is. Which was quite often, since we liked to get into trouble. A lot.

"You look beautiful, as always," he whispers down as he wraps his arms around my waist in a heartwarming hug. "That dress fits you well."

What a flirt.

"So where's girlfriend number 3 tonight?" I ask when we pull away.

"It was supposed to be girlfriend number 2," he chuckles. "And she apparently has to study. I swear, college is scaring the shit out of me the more she talks about it. Lesson learn, never date someone older than you. It'll make you scared of the future."

"For you, anyways," I laugh. "I don't do relationships, remember Chapman?"  

"And what are we? Chopped liver?"

Sometimes I do wonder what we are, why we never gave us a chance beyond our friendship. We were two peas in a pod according to all of our friends, but we never thought to steer towards a relationship beyond what we had.

"Friends with benefits," I wink.

At that, we both laugh.

Tyler reaches over behind me and grabs two glasses from the bar. He hands me one and holds the other.

"Cheers to that, my friend," he says. "To the only relationship Miss McKenzie will ever have. To the benefits we will reap from it."

"Here's to a friendship that will surpass all relationships and will never die."   

We clink our glasses and chug down the glass.

End of flashback. 

A promise that we never meant to make, but a promise that we never thought we would break. 

I stand by my mirror in my room and stare at the black dress that perfectly hid the scratches and scars on my arms. The makeup that blended the color of the bruises that formed around my neck. The even heavier makeup that hid the scars on my face.

It's been a month while I was in my coma after the accident. It's been a month since I nearly lost my life and Tyler sacrificed his.

According to the reports, in the last few seconds before the impact of the crash Tyler had thrown himself in front of me to help soften the blow from the crash for me. Because of him, I was able to walk away from the accident with a few broken ribs and bones, as well as bruises and scratches.

In that act of heroism, Tyler's spine took the full blow of everything. Once we were hit by the semi-truck, the impact severed his spinal cord instantaneously. According to the doctors, he shouldn't have felt any pain because his death was instant. One quick painless death.

Funny. Knowing this didn't make it hurt any less. It didn't make the fact that he is still dead and not here with me making jokes about the whole situation. Instead, I was preparing to visit him at a place where he now laid in forever.

"Alex, are you ready?" Charlie knocked.

"Si, ya voy," I reply as I wipe away the tears that had escaped my eyes. I don't even notice that I replied in Spanish until I see Charlie's confused face. "Sorry, habit."

"When do you speak Spanish? If I remember clearly, you failed your Spanish classes," Charlie states.

"I do now."

With that, we make our way to the Chapman cemetery.