Short Stories by MissDaisyCrown

The Broken Hearts Club

The Broken Hearts Club
(Light short story)

My eyes scan the letters on my screen. I have read the words over and over again, but somehow it doesn't feel real. It feels like I'm dreaming, or perhaps more like I'm having a nightmare. A trick my mind is playing on me. I squeeze my eyes shut before opening them again and staring back at the display of my phone. Unfortunately the words are still there. Two years of my life thrown away with a simple text message. Did it mean nothing to him? But even with the daze, I'm annoyingly aware of the pain in my chest. Now I understand why they call it a broken heart. It literally feels like your heart is broken into two or perhaps multiple pieces.

I press on the home button, leaving the chat without replying. He can kiss my ass. I push the phone into my back pocket and walk to the living room. It's as if I'm on autopilot the way I'm walking through the living room towards the open kitchen where I turn the coffee machine on. I stare down at the small button that lights up and turns off again multiple times in a minute, indicating the machine is warming up. But as soon as the blinking stops, I turn the machine off again. I don't want coffee. I step over to the fridge and pull the bottle of wine I had opened last night with my friends out from between the sodas and pour myself a glass. I lift the glass up to my lips and let the liquid flow over my tongue towards my throat. A deep sigh leaves my lips after I've swallowed the cold wine. That's more like it. I grab the bottle of wine and walk to the living room, placing it on the table, the wine glass next to it.

For some reason my mind is completely blank. That's something that never really happens. If it's not the things I still have to do that race through my head, it's something else. The silence is both calming as unsettling. After I've let myself fall back on the couch I pull my phone out of my back pocket and place it next to me on the couch. The display lights up and my eyes find his smiling face next to my own. It had been a sunny day on the beach. We had both skipped classes at uni to spent a day in the sun. Before the picture was taken he had thrown me onto the sand after a swim in the sea. Soon after I had jumped onto his back, to annoy him with the cold water and he had taken the picture. Sand was still visible on my shoulders and arms and a few drops of water, that originated from my hair, were rolling over his chest. It had been a good day, merely two months ago. How could things have changed this quickly?

I unlock my phone and click on the photo album app. After quickly scrolling through it, I finally find a picture of my dog and set it as both my home as lock screen. I could use his presence right now, unfortunately he's an hour train ride away. Thankfully I've got the flat to myself at the moment. One of my roommates had returned home for the weekend because she'd be celebrating her mother's birthday with her family and my other roommate had gone for a run about ten minutes ago, she'll be back in about an hour. I turn the television on and start looking through the different channels, hoping to find something that might be able to distract me from the fact I just got dumped. What kind of person breaks up with someone they've been with for two years over text?

'An asshole, that's who.' Poppy states after I've asked her the same question when she had arrived home from her run. 'I can't believe he did that! He's such a wuss. I'll order him some bloody balls, perhaps that will give him some decency.' She hisses, anger washing over her flushed face.
I shake my head with a small grin. Poppy is the kind of person who would actually order balls and send it to his door. That's why I love her so much.
'Are you okay?' She asks, the anger leaving her eyes as she looks at me.
'I'm fine, just had two glasses of wine.' I tell her.
She chuckles. 'That will definitely soften the edge for now. Have you had an invitation yet?'
'An invitation to what?' I ask confused.
'Oh, I guess not.' She mumbles. 'An invitation to The broken hearts club.'
'The broken hearts club? I've never heard of that before. It sounds like a group of teenage girls that cry over their idol.'
'Oh, no, no it's serious, Olivia. It's a club where people help each other get through their break ups.'
'Like an AA meeting?'
'Well, sort of. It's a support system of people going through the same thing. The club helped me get over my bad break up last year. I was sceptical at first when I received the invitation, but I honestly think it would've taken me way longer to get over it if it hadn't been for them.'
'Is that where you were going?' I ask, to which she nods. 'How come I've never heard of it before?'
'Because you only get an invitation when your heart is broken. You apparently haven't had to deal with a broken heart before.' She shrugs. 'And the rule is not to talk about the broken hearts club. I think it might have something to do with privacy reasons.'
I slowly nod, not sure I'll go to this club even if I do get an invitation.
Poppy pushes herself off the couch and tells me she's going to change out of her "drenched with sweat" clothes and take a quick shower. I turn my attention back to the TV and take a sip of my wine as I zap through the channels again, until settling for a movie that is nearing its end. This'll do. I won't be paying much attention anyway.