2~

Recommended song- Heroic- Arc North

Prologue

It's over.

It's not you, It's me.

Words hurled out with the intent to end and ease pain all at the same time. The effect, the complete opposite.

Not because of the norm. Nobody wanted the pain of heartache, the definitive ending of a relationship.

Few like Alexandra saw it as a courtesy.

A text message, a note, a letter, anything would have been better than standing alone in the middle of the St. Andrew's Cathedral, Tokyo as the jilted bride.

The looks of pity were a blur as she was being ushered out by a strong arm but she felt the sting of the looks. Her skin burned with them but she felt empty. She heard a distant argument.

Someone else was crying.

Her hand went for her throat. It hurt so much.

The church was in uproar, as the grooms family rushed out, but Alexandra couldn't process, she couldn't breathe. She tugged and pulled at her dress, the dress she thought, she spent hours fitting for her big day.

It was real.

Locke stood her up.

He left her at the altar.

She tried to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as his name bounced around inside her skull.

His face flashed through her head, a quick jolted memory of his flashy grin.

She recoiled.

"Alex?" A voice called.

"She's in shock, give her some space," Another distant voice. Arms reached out to grab her and she flailed.

"Alexandra! Look at me!" She was whipped around so fast her neck would most likely feel the aftereffects later. Her mother's hands framed her face, trying to get her daughter's eyes to focus on hers, that were already wide and riddled with humiliation.

Alexandra on the other hand couldn't focus because she wasn't seeing her mother. She barely felt as she was so stunned by the imagery in front of her, the shock seemed to slowly dissipate from her body.

It wasn't the looks from the crowd, not the people trying to get closer to console or pretend to console, either way.

She barely felt the throb of the pity looks on her skin, it was passed the crowd to the front of the altar that she saw.

It was the mirror.

The mirror Locke suggested, so he could watch himself with her as they vowed their souls together for eternity.

Her face was blotchy but her light makeup perfectly intact and her neck looked scratched and she realized because her throat hurt that she was the one crying.

She gazed as she saw herself for what she was at the moment. She was having a panic attack.

The shock of her reflection was enough to knock out any and all shock. Realization dawned. Her mouth slowly clinked shut as her mother let her hands drop from her face.

The crowd watched her.

Sadness. Humiliation. Pity.

It took every ounce of will Alex had to keep her eyes and her voice level. "Thank you all for coming out today, There will be no wedding. I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience."

She spoke like she didn't look like a hysterical bride and since her brain couldn't formulate anything else, she turned to leave.

No one moved to stop her.

She left the church wordlessly and wandered her way down the steps. She expected to see the media, the press, but all she saw was her best friend Thalia Leaning on a red Maserati.

No words were exchanged.

Alex bounded down the steps hands lifting her gown until she was face to face with the person she considered a sister more than a friend.

Someone she considered hers.

She held Thalia's gaze for a moment. "Let's get out of here." Thalia whispered.

Alex had no idea where Thalia was going once, they left the church and she couldn't be bothered to care.

She couldn't maintain a straight thought; her mind was jumbled and in disarray as she tried to understand why someone she believed in would do that to her.

Thalia kept sneaking glances at her but knew better than to talk right now.

Their stop was a little house on a hill overlooking the ocean.

Alex loved the ocean, but she barely acknowledged it.

As soon as she was inside, she let Thalia help her out of her dress, then headed straight for the shower.

"Where are we?" Alex asked as she stepped under the hot drops.

"A little place I got a while ago," Thalia provided casually along with a question. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"Alex-"

"No, Christ no Lia, I don't want to think about it for a few hours. I don't want to think about anything."

Thalia leaned against the shower door. "In my experience, it's best to deal with a wound when it's fresh to prevent infection" She teased.

"Oh yeah? With a bottle of tequila." Alex sneered in response.

Silence.

"I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Annoyed with herself, Alex turned of the shower and rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm not fit for company at the moment."

"You can take all the punches you want, I'm not going anywhere." Thalia declared.

Alex placed her hands on the shower wall and spoke carefully, "I'm trying to relax."

"You don't know how." Thalia replied calmly. "You need to get rid of your shock and accept the reality of what's happened."

She was silent for a moment, "We'll talk about it later." Alex said, her voice almost begging.

"I like now better. You got left at the altar."

"God, Thalia!" Alex exclaimed as she slid down, her back now against the shower wall.

"What he just did to you is unforgivable. You're in your own personal hell right now." Thalia kept on. "I can't pretend to understand."

Thalia opened the shower door and stepped in. "I can tell you one general thing though; when someone's heart is broken, they tend to cry."

At those words, Alexandra didn't break quietly, it was like every atom of her being screamed in unison, traumatized that she should exist with her heart detached from her body, without him.

Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore. From her mouth came a cry so raw that even the eyes of her best friend were suddenly wet with tears.

Thalia wrapped her arms around her to somehow contain her violent shaking while the whole world had already vanished for Alexandra, now there was only pain enough to break her, pain enough to change her beyond recognition.

She had gone from fight to hanging by a thread, a transformation no-one knew how to reverse.