Where Hearts Might Heal

Chapter 1

I looked up at the school with a sigh. I frowned. I'd be the new girl and was starting two months late. Great. Marcy smiled at me. "It'll be fine. You have me and I'm sure you'll meet some new friends." She tried to assure me. I just sighed again.

"You've been my best friend since third grade. I'm trying to believe you." I whispered. She put her hand on my arm and lightly pushed me towards the doors.

"I have to get to class, but the office is right as you walk in the doors." I nodded and watched as she walked away. I took a deep breath then walked through the doors only to bump into someone.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. The person made a noise causing me to look up. "Jay?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. The guy rolled his eyes then looked at me like he was annoyed. His eyes widened.

"Blaire?" He asked in surprise. I smiled at him. "What are you doing here?" He asked, still looking shocked.

"Oh, um... I just moved here. Today's my first day." I replied. He nodded. He made a face as the bell rang.

"I have to go to class. But if we don't see each other throughout the day, wait for me out front after school." I nodded as he walked away. I sighed again then turned towards the office. I still needed my papers.

It took thirty minutes for me to get all the papers I needed. The principal sent one of the kids helping in the office to show me to my classroom. I smiled and thanked her before knocking on the door. I slowly pushed it open then walked in. The teacher smiled at me.

"You must be Blaire Montgomery." He stated. I nodded. "I'm Coach Watkins. Welcome. Just have a seat." He motioned towards the desks.

"Blaire?" Someone asked. I looked around and smiled when my eyes landed on Day, Jay's twin brother. He patted the desk next to him. I rolled my eyes but sat down beside him. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Going to school." I replied, causing him to give me an unimpressed look. "I moved here." I told him. He nodded.

"Are you still playing soccer?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know yet. I kind of want to, but at the same time, I don't. I was going to talk to the coach and stuff first." I replied. He nodded again.

"Sit with me at lunch?" He asked. I thought about it then nodded.

"Sure." I mumbled. It's not like I had anyone else to sit with.

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I looked around the lunch room. There were so many kids everywhere. How was I supposed to find one person? I jumped as a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to look back at a concerned-looking Jay with wide eyes. I took a deep, calming breath then smiled. I couldn't even say I wasn't happy to see him. "I was hoping I'd get to see you again." He told me.

"Yeah, I have a class with Day, but I was hoping to see you." I agreed. His smile widened.

"Hey, you found her." Day said walking up. I smiled at him. "Come on. We'll introduce you to the ones you don't already know." Day motioned for me to follow him. I glanced at Jay then followed Day with Jay right behind me.

I smiled widely when I could see everybody at the table. Nat squealed when she looked up and saw me standing between her cousins. She jumped up and pulled me into a hug. "Blaire?" Marcy asked. I glanced over at her. She looked between all of us confused from across the table.

"Oh, hey Marcy." I said as I pulled away from Nat. She opened her mouth then closed it. She glanced toward Jay's other brother, Tate. I could see the sadness in her eyes.

"I'll talk to you later." She whispered. I nodded looking confused. Why did she look at Tate that way?

"They used to date." Jay whispered. I nodded as we all sat down.

"It ended badly." Day added.

"Hey, Blaire." Tate whispered. Some guy sat down across from me with a smile. He looked down at his food then quickly looked back up at me.

"Who?" He asked. I glanced at Jay.

"Ross, this is Blaire, a friend of ours. Blaire, this is Ross, Nat's brother." Jay introduced us. I nodded.

"Wait, you know Nat?" He asked. I nodded. "How come I don't know you then?" He asked.

"She used to come over to grandma's. You know? Where you never came." Nat replied. He nodded with a weird look on his face. I looked at Jay confused. He just shrugged and shook his head.

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I looked around as everybody began leaving the school. School was over and I was waiting for Jay. After lunch, he'd asked me to still wait for him after school. Unfortunately, I didn't have any classes with him. "Hey." Jay called as he walked up to me. I blinked. He was wearing his baseball uniform.

"You look hot." I blurted out. He chuckled.

"So do you." He replied. I looked down as I felt my cheeks heat up. "Come on. You can watch the rest of practice then we can hang out." He offered. I nodded and let him lead me to the baseball field. "We'll probably be about another hour." He told me.

"That's fine. It'll give me time to do my homework and stuff." I told him. He nodded with a smile then ran to the field with the other guys. I smiled as I watched him play. I'd known Jay for as long as I could remember, but something was different with him. I couldn't put my finger on it though.

My grandma and Jay's grandma had been neighbors since before we were born. My dad and his mom had grown up together. Jay and I spent a lot of time at our grandma's house. She had pictures from when we took baths together. We'd even had a wedding where Day was the preacher. Then Jay and his family moved away.

He'd always come to visit during summer. At least until he was about twelve. Then he didn't come that much. The last time I'd seen him was two years ago when we were sixteen. He'd come to visit just for my sixteenth birthday. Something had happened between us then. He went home at the end of summer and we hadn't even talked that much. Just a few texts here and there. His grandma had even moved away not long after that. I hadn't seen or heard from her since.