Free Beautifully Broken by Amanda Bennett

it felt ridiculous to
me. I couldn’t quite grasp, how talking to a piece of marble would make me feel
better.
     
    I glanced beyond the next
hill of grass and caught sight of Gray and his mother. Both looked unbelievably
happy. There were no tears falling down either of their cheeks. I turned back to
my parents, deciding that I needed to at least try to talk to them. Even if
they couldn’t hear me, I knew I could and that made me feel better. I sighed
before beginning. I glanced in every direction to make sure no one else could
hear me.
     
    “I’m not quite sure what to
say. I hope you guys can hear me, but even if you can’t I think you’ll get the
message. I miss you guys terribly.” I could feel the tears welling up, but this
time I just let them fall. “Not too much has been going on since you left. I graduated
from high school. I hope you got to see it. I was the valedictorian. I think I
gave a pretty decent speech, but Gray teased me mercilessly afterwards.
Something about how it was too cheesy for his taste.” I let out a small laugh.
     
    “Hannah and I didn’t talk
for a while during the summer, but we’re fine now. Gray and I finally decided to give our relationship a chance. Of course, we decided to do
this right before he is about to leave for the police academy in Virginia. That
should make the two of you happy. I know how much you both loved him. It’s hard
though. I’m finding it even harder now than when you guys first left me. I
haven’t changed a single thing in the house. I know how mom loved everything
just the way it was. Oh, I start classes next week.”
     
    “I’m going to stay at home
while I attend. I’m not sure how I am going to deal with Gray leaving right
now. We just started dating, and now he has to leave for twenty-two weeks. I
know that if our love is true, we will make it work, but I’m scared. I’m so
afraid that he will realize that he deserves someone better than me. Someone
who wasn’t completely and emotionally broken. I just want to make him happy,
and that’s hard to do when he is that far away.”
     
    “I miss you guys more each
and everyday. All the things that happen, I just want to share with you. I want
you to be here to share in all of my joy and sorrow. I love you guys more than
ever. Be kind to one another and I promise I will be back to visit. Don’t
forget about me.” I wiped the stray tear from my face with the back of my hand.
I kissed my fingers and pressed them firmly against the headstone. As I stood
to find Gray and his mother, his hand pressed against my lower back.
     
    He pulled me into a soft
embrace, kissing the top of my head. “You are more than I deserve, Bennett. You
make me the happiest I have ever been. Don’t ever doubt that, not for one
minute. Your parents will never forget you. They are looking down on you at
this very moment with nothing but pride and love for you. Can’t you feel it?”
     
    I nodded and tilted my head
back to look into his sparkling blue eyes. “Don’t break my heart Gray, please!”
     
    He shook his head and
whispered “never” as I pressed my lips against his. He stood there and held me
for a few more minutes, before we headed back to the car. His mother had
already taken her place in the passenger seat. Gray and I smiled at each other
before releasing our hands from one another. They weren’t our fake emotionless
smiles from earlier. No, these smiles lit up our eyes like the Fourth of July
and mine stayed there across my face the whole car ride home.

Ten
     
    “Ow Baby! What do you want?”
His hands flew up to protect his face from another assault.
     
    “Turn off the alarm, GRAY!
Did you seriously not hear it the seventeen times it went off before?” I was
already ornery and I was barely waking up. Gray’s alarm had been going off
since 5:30am, and I was at my wit's end with the racket it was making. I rolled
over towards my bedroom window, purposely taking the comforter with me. If I
had