All the Broken Pieces

0.1

Six Months Earlier

ARIA

I wake up to the sound of my mom yelling at me, "Aria Dawn Taylor! Get your butt down here now before I drag you out the door myself! I refuse to let you be late for your first day back at school!" Ugh. I had completely forgotten about that.
"I'm coming, Mom," I yell down the stairs. The only thing that will get me through this day is my best friends, Amber and Archer. I have known Amber since we were little, except then we hated each other. But now, we can't do anything without each other. Archer on the other hand, has always been my best friend and he has always been there for me. I decide to text the both of them before I start getting ready.

To Amber, Archer: OMG. Guys, I am so not ready for school. Help? :-(

I send it and start to get ready for school. But now that I think about it, I realize I haven't been to school for almost five months and that I have nothing acceptable to wear. I'm going to have ask my mom about that later, if I can remember it. I start digging through my closet and I come across something I haven't touched during those five months. A small toy firetruck. It was my brothers favorite toy, I remember the last day he had played with it. That day was the worst day of my life.

"Hey! No fair! Mom, Aria took Charlie!" Toby, my little brother, yelled to my mother. I snickered at the name he gave to his toy firetruck.

"It is so very fair! You have to come get it yourself because Mom can't always help you!", I yell right back to him. He starts jumping up and down to try and get it from my raised hand. He keeps yelling for Mom but she just laughs, along with my Dad. Toby decides to poke me in the side and I start to crumple to the ground in laughter. He then reaches for the toy and runs to the kitchen with it to tell my parents about his victory against the "Big Meanie", as he so dubbed me when he was five.

"Mom! Dad! I did it! I finally defeated the Big Meanie!", he exclaims while doing a little victory dance. I walk in and turn to them and say glumly, "I didn't think he would ever beat me, let alone by poking me to death." They burst out laughing at my sarcastic attitude and Toby makes a face at them.

He then runs over to me and says in a low voice, "I promise i won't tell anyone else that i beat the Big Meanie by tickling her to death. I promise. I love you, sissy." I smile to myself and whisper in his ear, "Thank you, Toby. I love you too."

I start to cry and cover my face with my hands. I run to the bathroom and slam the door, sinking to the ground as I do so. I can't handle all these memories running through my head all day, it's not fair. It's not fair that Toby's gone. It's not fair that my Dad's gone. I have lost so much this past year and I don't think I can take it anymore. I hear feet pounding up the stairs and my mom starts to bang on the door.

"Aria! Aria! Open the door!", she calls out in a frantic voice. I slowly open the door and let her in. I start wiping my eyes, but its no use because I keep crying. She runs in and pulls me into a hug and whispers, "I know it hurts. It hurts me too. I miss them just as much as you, but we have to move on. It's been almost a year. We will never forget them though, they will always be in our hearts. Always." I pull back a little and look at my mom, she's still young, but her face is weathered from all the heartbreak in her life. I'm not the only who lost them, she did too. She tries to stay strong for me, but at night I can hear her crying herself to sleep. I wipe my eyes and smile a little.

"I know. It just hit me this morning, but I'm okay now. I promise. I love you, mom.", I say to her. She looks down at me and smiles a little. I can see tears forming in her eyes, but she just wipes them away and continues to smile at me.

"I love you too, Aria.", she says gently while walking me back to my room. I smile and head back into my room to get ready. I check my phone and see a few new messages.

From Archer: You can do it, Aria. I know you can. I'll be there in a few to pick you up. Amber's running a bit late. See you in a few :-)

From Amber: OMG. Aria. I heard there's a new guy at school and he is SMOKING HOT. I can't wait to meet him. Yay! But it'll be fine, Aria. I promise. You are a lot stronger than you think you are. See you later! :-) :-)

I smile to myself and set my phone back down. I pull on some yoga pants and an old hoodie and slip on my converse. I put my hair into a messy bun, grab my phone, and run down the stairs to the kitchen. I grab a granola bar and a water, then I run to my mom and hug her.
"Bye Mom! See you later! Love you!", I yell as I let go and run to the door to get my bag and keys. She yells back, "Ok, Love you too honey! Have a good day!" I smile and walk out of the house. As soon as I walk out, I see Archer's car pull onto my street.

"Here goes nothing", I say to myself as I start walking towards the sidewalk. The car stops directly in front of me and I hop in. I'm so not ready for this day, but I'll try to make it through for my Mom, my best friends, and myself.