Third Love's The Charm [PUBLISHED]

Chapter Seventeen: Save Her

Leon's POV

(The first time back)

Everybody wore black and even though many brought umbrellas in preparation for a spring drizzle that was promised by the weatherman, the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

I mused that it was because of her. No matter how miserable she has felt, she always tried to be a sunshine in everybody's lives.

The preacher was reading off the eulogy while the casket laid there, waiting for it to be lowered in the dug up hole. Her mother was crying hysterically, being hugged by somebody who I assumed to be Zoey's mother, judging from the similarity in their features.

And speaking of Zoey, she was a mess. Her hair wasn't combed, mascara was running freely down her face, and she didn't even bother to wipe away her tears. Her eyes were so cold as she stared at the casket, probably feeling numb because she couldn't fathom what has happened.

Her best friend was ripped away from her.

Then there was Sasha and Mia. Both of them were clutching onto each other for their dear lives, even when our other classmates tried to comfort them, they both shooed them away. They wanted to be amongst themselves and nobody else.

And Pat, the poor guy I called my best friend, was standing next to me and I could feel the immense guilt radiating from him. It was clear as day that he blamed himself, that he thought that everything happened because he decided to break up with her.

But that break up shouldn't be the reason why Avery would have done that. It might contribute to it, but I don't think it was the sole reason.

I couldn't pull him out of his room with anything, this was the first time he went outside since the day we got the news. I didn't know what to do so I visited him every day, sitting there with him and even if there were times that neither of us spoke, I just wanted to show him that I was there for him.

And besides, I think I saw those moments as a sense of comfort for myself as well. If I left myself alone, I don't think I would have been able to handle the grief. What he didn't know was that when I go home from visiting him, I was as big of a mess as he was. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I refused to talk to anybody. I leaned on him as much as he did on me.

The pain was unfathomable. Never in my entire life have I cried that hard before.

Because Avery held my heart, even when she didn't know.

I could still remember when I first met her. It was the first day of middle school and when she waltzed into the classroom, I immediately knew that that girl only spelled trouble for me. Just from one look, I was speechless.

Because she was a beauty, in every shape and form of that word.

And I was too much of a coward to properly speak to her. I was so afraid that she would find out about my feelings for her, until unknowingly, I pushed her away. Instead of making her think that I was approachable for her, the results were the complete opposite.

She thought that I disliked her.

If only she knew just how captivating she was to me. How every movement of hers drew my eyes towards her. How I hung on to every single word that came out of those lips. How every day I looked forward to seeing her face.

I wanted to curse the heavens when she started dating Pat. In the end, I knew that I had no one else to blame but myself. Anyways, she looked extremely happy with him so I let them be, even being supportive whenever he came to ask for my advice.