Promises

Chapter Three

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1151

September 9th, 2007

It had been almost a month since Tyler left, and there was no doubt in your mind that it had been the worst month of your life. All of your friends from high school were packing and moving off to college while you stayed at home, spending most of your days in the hospital with your dad. Time was moving slowly, and you weren't sure what you were looking forward to anymore.

"Sweetheart?"

"Huh?" you asked, turning to face your mom in the driver's seat.

"Is it alright if we pick up some food on the way home? I'm feeling too tired to cook tonight."

"Yeah, that's fine," you answered, turning to look back out the window.

The sun was sitting over the hills in the distance, coloring the sky a bright orange color. Summer was coming to an end, and you weren't looking forward to the cold months ahead.

"How's the job search coming along?"

You looked down at the beat up shoes on your feet. The two of you had come to the agreement that as long as you were at home, you needed to work. You had applied to a number of places, but very few of them were willing to hire someone without any experience.

"The clothing store hasn't called me back, the shoe store said they were already swamped with applications, and I watched the guy at the electronics store throw my resume into the trash as soon as I walked out the door."

"Well, I noticed that the bookstore had a help wanted sign in the window when I walked by earlier this morning. You might be able to get a job there, they'd probably have pretty flexible hours so that you could still visit your dad pretty regularly. Plus, you like books. It might be good to be surrounded by them all the time, help boost your mood a bit."

You shrugged, "I'll look into it."

"You'll have to get a job eventually."

"I know, Mom."

You grabbed your half of the food that you had picked up on the way home and headed upstairs. Not wanting to sit still since you had just been in the car for close to an hour, you wandered around your room as you ate. You hesitated as you walked by your desk, letting your eyes wander up the corkboard that was covered in pictures of you and Tyler. For the past few weeks, you had acted like it wasn't there, as if everything you had done with Tyler was just a dream.

You reached out and adjusted a picture that been pushed at a weird angle. It was one of you and Tyler when you were younger, taken during one of your joint family trips. The two of you were sitting in the dirt, making small mounds covered in leaves and twigs. You both had the biggest smiles on your faces.

The phone started ringing downstairs, drawing your attention away from the picture. In one swift motion, you set your food on the table and went sprinting out into the hallway.

"I've got it!" you yelled as you made your way down the stairs as fast as humanly possible without tripping.

You scanned the number on the phone as you reached for it. It was a number you didn't recognize, but if it was Tyler, he could be calling from anywhere. Your heart was pounding as you hit the green call button and brought the phone to your ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi. We're calling for a Y/M/N."

Your heart sank as you realized it wasn't Tyler.

"One second."

You passed the phone to your mom and went shuffling back upstairs. With a sigh, you grabbed your food and flung yourself down onto your bed. It squeaked a bit as you did so, but you couldn't be bothered.

There was a knock on your door a few minutes later.

"What?" you grumbled.

"Can I come in?" your mom asked, poking her head in.

"I guess."

You tossed your wrapper in the general direction of your trash can, but it bounced off the side and rolled along the carpet unceremoniously. Your mom walked in and took a seat on your bed next to you.

"That was the insurance company," she sighed. "Not who you were hoping for, huh?"

"I'm not hoping for anyone to call," you said, crossing your arms.

"Sweetheart..."

"I'm not! I don't have any friends that would be calling me."

"You and I both know that you're still upset about Tyler leaving."

"It's fine, he's free to do whatever he wants with his life."

"Yes, but those were your plans. You remember how excited you got the day you told me that you were going to be able to make it work?"

You nodded.

"It's ok to be upset about someone you care leaving you."

Your eyes began to fill with tears. As much as you hated to admit it, Tyler leaving had basically ruined you. It was like a piece of you had gotten up and left with him.

"I just don't understand why he did it," you sniffled.

"Come here," your mom said, holding her arms open.

You slid into your mom's side, resting your head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around you and began to stroke your hair, something she had been doing to calm you down since you were a child.

"Sometimes people do things that we don't understand, and we just have to live with them."

"He told me that he was always going to be there for me, no matter what. And now my life is the worst that it's ever been and he's gone and he won't answer any of my calls no matter how hard I try," you sobbed.

"I know," she cooed. "You deserve better than that."

You continued to cry into your mom's shoulder for a considerable amount of time. When you finally calmed down, your throat was raw and your eyes were puffy. Your mom grabbed your hand and walked you downstairs into the kitchen. You took a seat at the dining room table while she made you a cup of tea.

"Sometimes things happen for a reason," your mom said as she put the kettle on the stove. "Maybe Tyler leaving is meant to teach you something."

"Yeah, just like how Dad getting sick is supposed to teach me something too," you scoffed, kicking the chair next to you.

"I know it's hard right now, sweetheart," she said, coming over and sitting in the chair next to you. "But things will get better."

You leaned over and rested your head in your hand. Your mom always used that phrase with you when you were sad, and you couldn't be too mad about it. So far, she had always been right, things had worked out.

"Things will get better, they always do."