Hearts On Fire {Alex Gaskarth}

Chapter 30 Epilogue Part Uno

*June*

Grace

"Welcome home!" I said throwing my arms in the air (like I just don't care) and threw confetti. My mom and Robert just walked through the door holding hands and smiling. They smiled and Robert put down the duffel bag that he was holding.

"How was your trip?" I asked, my mom squealed and showed me the wedding band that sat under the giant rock on her finger. "We got married!" She exclaimed excitedly. I couldn't help but let a smile crawl onto my face. She was happy and I liked my mom happy.

In the back of my mind was a nagging voice about how I was unhappy I was at the current moment. Then, my smile slowly started to fade and I was just staring at my mom who was talking. She was talking excitedly, but I couldn't hear a single word that was leaving her mouth, instead I only heard myself thinking.

Hellooo I thought to myself, disappointed that there wasn't some sort of echo.

I told Alex when this whole thing started, that I was scared there wasn't going to be that one night when I'm thinking about him and he's off with another girl. I told them directly about that fear. He promised me that there would be no one else and he promised that I was the only one on his mind.

Look on the bright side, he thought he was sleeping with you that night. That doesn't make the pain anymore tolerable though. That doesn't mend my heart back together. It doesn't ease my mind, or help me sleep better at night. It doesn't matter that he wasn't cognitive. He still cheated.

It's been two months now, not a word spoken to him, not one. Not a wasted breath, I was heartbroken, my heart shattered, but I learned to move on, I think.

Just like that I decided that it would be over. Absolutely done. I won't accept that kind of treatment. He was only gone for a week, a week. That makes me wonder, what if I stayed with him and he was on one of those year long tours. If he couldn't stay faithful for just this week, then what's loyalty mean to him when he's gone for that long? The answer is simple, it means nothing, absolutely nothing.

I got a letter recently. A college acceptance letter. Right after graduation I would be on my way, not bothering to stay for the summer. It would be too painful. Metaphorically speaking of course.

In the kitchen is a bunch of balloons set up and a cake that I made in the middle of the counter. It said I got accepted! Then, I felt like I was being too self centered so at the bottom I added a simple and you got married! I didn't want all of the attention to be on me.

"Gracie?" I shook my head quickly and looked at my mom who was staring at me curiously "Zoned out for a second huh?" She said laughing.

She walked away with Robert following behind her and I prayed silently that she would be happy for me and not cry or anything. If there's one thing that I absolutely hated, it was seeing my mom cry. I can't explain it, I don't fully understand why, but I literally cannot stand the sound or sight of seeing my mom cry, it makes me very uncomfortable.

"OH MY GOODNESS GRACIE!" I heard her squeal in pure excitement. I cringed a little and turned around to see her running at me with her arms wide as she embraced me in a hug.

"You got accepted, oh my gosh!" She said kissing me all over my face. I squeezed my eyes shut and let her continue with her torture.

"I'm." Kiss. "So." Kiss "proud." She said quickly.

"Ok mom that's enough." She nodded and stepped back and still squealed in excitement.

"You go on upstairs and I'll cook a special dinner." She said pushing me up the stairs. Even though I felt it was unnecessary to do that, I trudged up the steps anyway.