I Used To Always Be The Rejection

Chapter 17

Dedicated to anyone who has ever had a best friend.

Chapter 17

Ella POV

I had only known Ashlynn for around two years, but it felt like Ashlynn and I had been friends since forever.  Truth was, Ashlynn and I hadn't become friends until... I shook my head, not wanting to remember what had happened.  

It took some time, but eventually, Ashlynn had opened up to me about her past, about her old life.  The life that broke her until she was nothing.

I have realized that I have had a rough life too, a life where I, also, have been broken.  But there was a big difference between how broken Ashlynn and I were.  True, I had been broken into pieces, but now, I was pieced back together.  I was a solved puzzle.  

I was whole.

But Ashlynn?  She had been rejected by the only person that could ever truly even make her whole.  And not only that, she had no one to go to when she broke.  Her whole entire pack shunned her.  Me?  When my parents divorced, I had my pack and my friends.  They supported me.  They were my family.  And then I got Max.  And now, my parents had come to understand me and who I was as well.

Compared to Ashlynn, my life seemed like it was easy.  Too easy, sometimes, now that I had Max in it.  It felt like there were no more obstacles coming my way.  The least I could do was help Ashlynn get through hers, or else what kind of friend would I be?

"Ashlynn," I said as gently as possible, resting a light hand on her shoulder, afraid that she would break right in front of my eyes if I wasn't as careful as possible, "People say that love can overcome all, that it can beat down everything in its path.  But sometimes, that's not true.  I've seen many people who have fought for love, but in the end be consumed in pain.  Hurt.  Betrayal.  Sadness.  You may think that the pain and hurt you feel right now is terrible, but I can promise you that that pain and hurt can get bigger,"

I paused, my hand on Ashlynn's shoulder turning into a single finger as I moved it down to her heart, "And bigger, and bigger,"

I put my other hand on my heart, closing my eyes, "It will get bigger, bigger, and even bigger, until it consumes you.  Until it devours you whole and is satisfied by how you will never ever stand or fight ever again."

Letting both of my hands fall to my sides, I stared straight into Ashlynn's blue green eyes that had become so bright and beautiful over the days that had passed by, "To stop that, you have to let some of the pain go.  And then some more.  Ashlynn, right now, you're balling it up inside of you.  You're tightening your insides more and more everyday as the pain and hurt builds up.  You need to let go of it before or else it really will break you,"

And by then, nobody would be able to help her.

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Ashlynn POV

I tumbled into Nick's car, my thoughts jumbled and messy as I kept on replaying Ell's words in my head.  How in the world was I supposed to let the pain go?  It was impossible.  Looking out the window, I sighed, my head throbbing with all the weight an pressure on it.

"Hey, you okay?" Nick asked as I turned around to face him, his bright emerald green orbs filled with worry and concern.

I pasted a bright smile on my face that felt fake, but I couldn't worry Nick.  He already had many responsibilities and complicated situations on his shoulders.  I didn't need to add my own onto the weight.