HAPPY THREE MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO THIS EMOTIONAL BOOK

She sat down his bed, contemplating it for longer than I think Dylan was comfortable with.

He had hung up with me, promising to call 'her' back in a short while, and had just finished explaining his plan to Alessia.

"Trust me," he said, "Ked doesn't hate you. Ked doesn't hate anyone." He assured her.

His plan was to send Alessia to Ked's apartment with his cousin, who gave him refuge after his parents kicked him out for coming out as homosexual in year ten. Ked had already agreed, and so it was now just down to Alessia.

With her eyes shut, she inhaled and then exhaled. "Okay," she said, opening her eyes. Dylan frowned, eyes searching hers. "I'll do it."

Dylan appeared to sigh in relief, hauling Alessia to her feet and embracing her tightly. "I'm sorry Alessia, I know you wanted to spend the night here, but I'm too worried to let this go." He told her, pulling away.

She smiled up at him wistfully, "No I get it, you care about her." Dylan smiled, averting his eyes and nodding.

I remembered this night vividly. Dylan hadn't necessarily stood me up after school, but there seemed to be some miscommunication, and so I ended up without a ride. Matt had assured me that he'd get me home safely. He did, and then he did the same thing Alessia had done to Dylan in the car. Except, worse.

When I didn't comply, he had locked the doors, preventing me from escaping as he tried to get my shirt off. When he realised that he wasn't going to get his way with me, he threw me out of the car and onto the floor, assuring me that the whole school would hear about how much 'of a slag' I was.

I was traumatised. And the only person I could think of was Dylan. And he suddenly wasn't there.

Alessia's sacrifice that night helped me massively, but her day out with Dylan also cost me massively.

Soon enough, Alessia was standing outside Ked's house, school bag in hand. Dylan rang the doorbell and Ked opened the door shortly after. He invited them in, and Alessia stepped into Ked's house, noting that it had a particular 'home smell' as she eyed the interior.

Ked told Alessia to make herself at home; she started to take off her jacket after leaving her bag in the hallway. As she slipped her shoes off, she watched Ked pull Dylan over for a private word.

"Alessia," Dylan said suddenly, attracting the girl's attention. She smiled at him, and he returned the favour.

"You don't have to say sorry again." She said, making him smile. He shook his head and walked over to her. Inches apart, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, stunning her, before turning to leave.

Dylan was, in my eyes, and it seemed in Alessia's too, a pure gem. He was a gentleman; he was a good friend, and a compassionate one too. It wasn't unusual for him to display intimate gestures like hand-holding, hugs or kisses since he had always done the same with me. Though, Kiara had always said it was only because he liked me. Then, there's Alessia; does he like her?

"Okay," Ked announced once Dylan had left, "pick a film from the shelves in the sitting room whilst I switch on the heating."

Alessia nodded, watching him disappear into what looked like a kitchen. She sighed, tying her hair back before hesitantly walking into the sitting room. She turned on the light, being instantly welcomed with a grey themed room, complimented with subtle whites. She smiled—like me, she could appreciate good interior.

Alessia found the shelves quickly, gaping at all the films Ked had. He had more than Dylan, she observed, eyes wide.

Ked came back into the room when she was holding two cases, and she turned to see him holding two mugs.

"I hope you like hot chocolate," he said, setting one down on either side of the sofa on small coffee tables. She flashed a small smile, nodding.

He gestured towards her hands as he turned on the DVD player. "You picked a film?" He asked, picking up the two remotes.

She looked down at the two films she was holding, pursing her lips. She handed her choice to Ked wordlessly, still afraid to say anything.

I knew from real life experience that Ked is one of the least judgemental people you could meet and, even if he was, he wouldn't be rude about it. He doesn't hold things against people; he likes to think the best about everyone. It's why he's so loved by everyone—sure, Ked holds a big place in our friendship group, but if he didn't have us, he'd be fine just hanging out with a new group every day.

Our friendship group had started out with just me and Dylan, and Ked was the third addition. I had met Ked in my drama lessons, and I remember vaguely Dylan being hostile towards him at first. Ked said that the above ceased to exist after Dylan realised that Ked was gay—he too believed Dylan liked me.

Ked invited Alessia to sit beside him on the sofa as he switched on the movie, placing bags of food between us on the sofa. Alessia sat rigidly, not moving.

Finally, she asked, "Is Olivia going to be okay?"

Ked looked up at her from where he had been opening a bag of popcorn. He smiled, holding up his phone to her, "Dylan is sending me updates."

Alessia nodded, turning back to the screen again.

"You want your phone?" Ked asked, placing his mug down after taking a sip. She nodded hesitantly, watching him reach for her blazer and pull out her phone, passing it to her.

"Thank you," she said timidly, watching as the opening credits displayed on the film. "You guys all sound like good friends," she said quietly, turning to see Ked grin and nod.

"We are." He said.

She smiled, nodding in response. Despite her facade, Alessia felt envious. She wanted a group of friends like that—unconditionally caring and loving, wanting only the same in return.

What Alessia wasn't aware of is that she isn't exactly friend material. She can't reciprocate a lot, and she often wants without giving. But, perhaps she'd change if she was actually given the opportunity to have friends.

As the film played on, Alessia finally found the courage to pick up a bag of popcorn of her own and start eating. When the film was finished, Ked and Alessia had finished all the food between them.

After pausing the credits, Ked stood up, announcing, "Right, let's get ready for bed."

After clearing away the empty wrappers and dirty mugs, Ked led Alessia to his cousin's bedroom, which he had tidied up, fresh sheets on the bed. Ked told Alessia that his cousin had a night shift at work, and so it was okay to sleep in his bed tonight.

Alessia knew it was only down to Dylan, but she enjoyed Ked's company and his ability to be so accepting. They did not know each other, yet Ked was not hostile towards Alessia; he was welcoming.

When she was ready for bed, Alessia was suddenly, and quietly, joined by Ked. It was uncharacteristic for Ked. Usually, he came bundling in, and even Alessia knew this about him. She frowned at him, waiting for him to begin speaking.

"Olivia's okay now, but Dylan's still concerned about her. He doesn't think she should go into school, but she's convinced she's okay." Ked explained, rubbing the side of his face—something he did when he was particularly stressed.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Alessia said quietly, surprised by her sudden flux of good intentions.

Ked smiled, "Goodnight, Alessia, and wake up early enough so that we can get your school books from your house tomorrow morning." He said, before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Alessia sighed, getting into bed and settling down. She was exhausted.

She felt different tonight. Light, loved, and safe. She wondered if this is what it felt like to have people who cared about her.

But she knew that she would never actually find out; she knew that this would be the last of it. She just knew.

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:((((((

I actually really like this book lmao

Let me have my moment of pride

Might even vote for this chapter oooops

Y'all can do the same if you want ;))

What do we think of Ked??

-he is Ked

ALSO THANKS FOR THREE GOOD MONTHS :))))))

FABULOUS SONGS

Songs that played when I was writing this chapter (in order):
To The Wonder - Aqualung
Carry You - Ruelle, Fleurie
Low Light - Aquilo
I Have Questions - Camila Cabello
Cold Heart Killer - Lia Marie Johnson
Nothing but a Heartbeat - Say Lou Lou
King - Lauren Aquilina
Low - Lauren Aquilina

END OF FABULOUS SONGS

Date written:
23/09/18
24/09/18

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Next update: Tuesday
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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO SPOILER:

Olivia is on standby in Alessia's life, but comes back to life in moments of urgency.

Say, like when Alessia's anger could set a room ablaze.

Or lead to the end of of her only good, healthy relationship.