MUSIC: Charli XCX - Break The Rules

Jade above^ (Charli XCX)

/ / / /

Amelia's P.O.V:

/ / / /

After I confessed everything to Ryan we stayed in his room for a little longer. We didn't talk, we just sat in silence as we hugged. It was a nice change and I was glad he didn't ask too many questions. He told me he'd fix what had happened but I didn't know if it was possible.

I believed in him, though.

I did freak out a little bit after i'd told him. My phone had buzzed with a text and I thought it would be Gilbert, telling me that he knew i'd told Ryan and that I was going to pay for it, but it wasn't, it was only Cher. I'd called her and told her everything. I told her that Gilbert had attacked again and I told her that I told Ryan. She was upset and started to rant that she would go to the police but Ryan took the phone from me and calmed her down. He told her that we shouldn't do anything drastic and to just wait. She listened to him.

A few hours after, and a lot of tears later, my phone had lit up with a call from Lilly. My parents wanted me home from dinner. It was a rare occurrence but I knew I had to go. I couldn't go around causing trouble any more. At least until I knew everything was over forever.

It had been about a week since everything and I hadn't seen Ryan since. We bumped into each other occasionally but we never stopped to hang out. He was busy with his family and I was busy trying to make amends with mine.

I figured it was time I grew up. I'd apologised to Lilly already and we'd started to talk more. My Dad, however was a different story. Nothing I said seemed to make him say more then a few words and it was doing my head in.

My phone pinged and I looked down to find a message from Ryan. 

Was it bad that I felt nervous, in a good way?

RYAN: Party tonight, you up for it? XX

Me: Yeah sure, pick me up? XX

RYAN: Of course, at 7? XXX

Me: At 7 XXXX

RYAN: XXXXXXX

I smiled and my Dad huffed from his place on the sofa. He looked tired. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was going grey. He'd never looked so stressed since the day he signed the papers to legally look after me again. I frowned at the memory.

"Ryan right?" He asked and I nodded. He wasn't looking at me, though.

"Yeah."

"How is he?" My Dad asked. He still didn't look at me but I knew he was trying.

"He's good, great. He's asked me to go to a party tonight, can I?" I asked quietly. I'd never asked to go out before but I didn't want our conversation to stop.

"Since when did you ask?" My Dad asked and I sighed. We sat in silence for a while before he spoke again. "Are you two dating?"

"No, Dad." I said and he looked at me in shock. It must have been the first time in months i'd called him Dad to his face.

"But you want to?" He asked and I swallowed. I felt awkward. I'd never been one to share my personal life, especially not to my Dad.

"I don't know. I guess." I mumbled and he grinned. It was the first real smile i'd seen him give me on years.

"That's good then." He muttered and looked back at the TV. I nodded. We fell back into silence and I texted Cher to ask her to help me find something to wear. She told me she'd be over as soon as she could. My Dad's eyebrows furrowed and he sighed. Lilly was in the kitchen, making something for dinner.

"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly. I couldn't believe I was asking. It felt so weird to talk civilly. I guess i'd come to terms with the fact that my Dad couldn't help the fact that he didn't love my Mum anymore, I had to accept it and I think talking to Ryan about everything had helped. I was nearly 17, I needed to grow up and treat people properly. It wasn't my Dad's fault my Mum died, it wasn't my Dad's fault I was sent to Gilbert. I'd started to accept it and I knew that our relationship wouldn't magically be healed, but I was determined to work on it. I knew that now wasn't the best time, with Gilbert back in my life, but I needed to at least let him know that I didn't hate him.

You only get one Dad, after all.

"I'm sorry Amelia." He said and I looked at him, confused.

"What for?"

"For not being a better Dad to you. Ever. I shouldn't have ever let you go into care, I shouldn't have let that...monster care for you. I should have cared more when I got you back. I should have tried to help you, care for you, make sure you felt okay. I should have made sure you were happy and I never did that. I was never going to be the best Dad, I knew that. But I didn't try my hardest when I should have. You're my daughter and I know that I blew my shot with you but I just want you to know that i'm sorry." My Dad explained and I swallowed the lump in my throat. It felt so nice to hear that but I didn't know what to say.

"Where did this come from?" I asked quietly. He sighed again.

"I guess seeing you so happy recently. With Ryan. Ever since you met him you've been so much happier. You've been smiling, laughing, having fun. I guess I just kidded myself into thinking that the way you were before was normal, and seeing you so happy has made me realise that it wasn't right."He said and I nodded.

"I'm sorry too. You never deserved the way I treated you either. It wasn't your fault Gilbert took care of me, and it wasn't your fault Mum's gone. I just needed someone to blame and you were there. You probably think I hate you but I don't." I mumbled and he looked at me and smiled.

"I don't hate you either Amelia." He said and stood up. He went to leave but stopped.

"Will you stop for dinner before you go out?" He asked and I looked at him.

"When will it be ready?" I asked.

"About 7."

"Not today Dad." I said and he nodded.

"Alright, i'll make sure Lilly leaves some in case you get hungry when you come back." He said and I nodded. When he left a huge smile came onto my face.

That was good enough for now.

====

"Okay, you look hot and it's nearly 7." Cher said and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Thanks Cher, I look amazing."

"You know I never thought pink would suit you but it's really your colour." She said and I grinned at her.

"Me neither. It's different but I kind of like it."

"It's quite girly." Cher said. I was wearing a pink miniskirt that hugged my waist, I tucked in an off the shoulder black top that clung to my body. I had on tights and some ankle boots, and threw my leather jacket on over it all. Cher did my hair and make-up, she chose my outfit too. She did my make-up differently, I had a brown smokey eye, eyeliner and pink lipstick on. She threw my hair into a medium-height ponytail and let any bits of hair that were too short fall out and frame my face. I actually kind of liked the look, even though it was girly.

" I know, that's why i'm surprised I like it."

"You like it because you look hot, don't try and be humble." Cher said and I smirked.

"I do look pretty good."

"Exactly. Now, it's ten to 7 and Ryan's never late. Here's your bag, i've already packed your phone and purse. Sure you don't want me to pack anything else?" She asked me and winked. I gave her a disgusted look.

"No, i'm good. Get your mind out of the gutter." I scolded and she laughed.

"I missed you Amelia."

"I missed you too Cher." I mumbled and took the bag. She gave me a sad smile. "What's wrong?" I asked and sat on my bed with her.

"Nothing, I just... I really hope we can sort this out and finish it." Cher mumbled. She was referring to the Gilbert mess.

"I know, me too. I probably shouldn't even be going out tonight." I sighed and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You're with Ryan. He's the best person to be with if Gilbert shows up." 

"True." I mumbled. I paused. "Cher?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you..." I stopped. I was debating on whether to ask her.

"What Amelia? Just ask it."

"Do you think I could maybe talk to your brother at some point?" I asked. " I mean, I really want to thank him for what he did because I never had the chance, and I was thinking, maybe he could help us? I don't want to get more people involved obviously, but if Gilbert wanted to hurt him he would have done it already. Your brother could have some advice since he'd been in my situation before and I-"

"Of course you can talk to him about it. Don't be stupid. I'm sure he'll be happy to talk. I'll ask him tonight, but for now. You go out and you have fun with Ryan. Don't let Gil-fish ruin your night." Cher said. She had decided to call him Gil-fish due to the fact that his name had 'gill' in it, like a fish. 

"Okay Captain." I said and I heard the doorbell go.

"Ryan's here. Now go see your boyfriend." Cher said and pushed me out of my room.

"He's not my boyfriend-"

"Yet. He's not your boyfriend yet. With the way you look tonight it wouldn't surprise me if you come back as a couple." Cher laughed as we went downstairs. I stopped as I saw my Dad talk to Ryan.

I don't think they'd ever spoken before.

"Of course I will, Mr Russell." Ryan said and my Dad patted him on the shoulder.

What were they talking about?

I carried on walking and once I hit the bottom of the stairs Ryan looked at me.

"Right well i'll be going. See you love birds later." Cher called and pulled her shoes on. She gave me a quick hug and then fist bumped Ryan before she left. My Dad nodded at me and went to the kitchen. The only people left were Ryan and I.

"Hi." I said and he grinned at me.

"Hey, you ready to go?" He asked as he eyed my outfit.

"Yeah." I said and waked towards him. "Bye!" I called and didn't wait for anyone to reply. I pulled Ryan from the doorway and shut the door behind me.

"You look gorgeous tonight." Ryan said as we walked towards his car. I smiled at him. I felt nervous but I didn't know why.

"Thank you, you look nice too." I said. He was wearing a button up shirt and black trousers. I noticed he still wore his vans though. I smiled at thought.

"Thanks." He said as we reached his car. He opened the passenger door for me and I slid in. It was weird, it felt like we were on a date, but we weren't. He walked around to his side of the car and got in. We started to drive and the radio played softly in the background.

"So who's party is it?" I asked him as he changed gear.

"I'm not actually too sure, it's not a house party though. It's in this garden place with live music and stuff. There's still loads of teenagers going but it's just a bit more classy." He said and I nodded.

"Sounds cool." I mumbled and he nodded. We sat in silence for the rest of the journey. It was like there was a tension between us but there was no reason for there to be one.

We pulled up at a huge house. All the lights were off, but we could hear faint music from inside the car. Ryan parked among the other cars and we got out. We started to walk up the stone pathway and Ryan's hand hovered on my lower back as he guided us. We walked to a back gate that was left open and entered. There were people ranging from young teenagers, to young adults. There were hundreds of people and a band were playing music on a make-shift stage. There was a large table in the corner filled with food, and next to it there was a bar. We spotted two deck chairs in front of the house, away from all of the chaos and headed towards them. I sat in one and Ryan put his leather jacket over the chair.

"I'm going to go and grab us some drinks, i'll be back in a sec." He leant down and whispered in my ear. I nodded and headed towards the bar. 

The place was beautiful, there was a patio-ed area nearer the house, where most of the chairs were set out (including the ones Ryan and I were sat on). In front of the patio it was just grass, then further down the garden was the make-shift stage.

"Hi guys my name is Jade and I will be performing for the rest of the night! Enjoy!" A girl said into the mic on the stage. The band behind her started to play music and I nodded along. Not long after Ryan sat back down and handed me a drink.

"What is it?" I asked and he smirked at me.

"You never usually care."

"True." I mumbled and took a sip. My face scrunched up at the vile taste. "What the hell? That's disgusting!" I exclaimed over Ryan's laughs.

"Your face!" He laughed out and I glared at him.

"Have your stupid drink. I'm taking yours." I muttered angrily and took his drink from his hand. I replaced it with mine but he didn't care. He eventually stopped laughing and I took a sip of his beer. He made sure I was watching him as he took a sip of the drink i'd given back to him. Hie eyes held mine captive and I glared at him when his face didn't even twitch at the taste.

"It's nice." Ryan said and tried to hide his smile.

"You're just an alcoholic I swear." I muttered and he laughed again.

"Sure I am." He said and I rolled my eyes. I looked at the stage and watched the girl perform. She looked familiar from the distance but I wasn't too sure. I stood up and took my jacket off; Ryan gulped.

"Lets dance." I suggested and held my hand out for him to take. He eyed it wearily before he sighed and took it. He stood up and I pulled him to the grassy area where people were dancing. 

"The things I do for you." He mumbled and put his arms around my waist. I rolled my eyes.

"I know you wanted to. I was just doing you a favour and making it look like I wanted to." I scoffed and he laughed slightly. I put my arms around his neck which brought us closer together. He looked down at me and stared. I stared back. 

He was beautiful.

His hair was tousled but looked perfect. He was clean shaven and his eyes bored into mine. I smiled at him and he smiled back. 

We danced for a while, in silence. We just listened to the music and relaxed. It was a nice change. Things with Ryan were always complicated but I loved it nevertheless. Having something simple was a change that I appreciated. With everything going on it was what I needed. 

The night went on with no drama, we stopped dancing occasionally for a drink but other then that it was a night of small, meaningless conversations that I would probably forget, and a night of bliss.

"Thank-you for listening today guys! I'm Jade, thank you!" The girl shouted through the mic and Ryan's head whipped to look at her. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"What?"

"Is that?" He stopped. He let go of my waist and dragged me by the hand. The girl moved from the stage and towards the car park. Ryan followed her. The closer we got the more familiar she seemed. She had pitch black hair that was in small curls and had a red, checked dress on. Ryan jogged slightly as she rounded a corner. "Jade!" He called. The girl stopped and turned around. Ryan stopped walking and recognition flashed on his face. She gasped.

"Ryan!" She squealed. She ran up to us and threw her arms around him. He wrapped them around her waist and they hugged. I moved away from Ryan to give them space and waited awkwardly. I saw a flash of her face but couldn't place where she was from. As she pulled away from Ryan it clicked.

Jade, Ryan's sister.

"It's been years oh my god. How are you?" She asked him as they pulled away from each other.

"I'm good. How are you? How is everyone? How's Uncle? Mum? Everyone?" Ryan asked excitedly and she grinned at him. He'd never looked so happy.

"They're all, uh-"

"Never mind." Ryan interrupted as she stuttered. "How come you're down here?" He asked her and the smile re-appeared on her face.

"I had a gig. Usually I don't travel but the money was worth it for this one. I can't believe you're here oh my god." She rushed and let out a breathy laugh.

"You've changed so much. Last time I saw you you looked so different!" Ryan exclaimed as his hands rested on her shoulder. I smiled at the encounter. It was nice to see siblings re-united. "Are you free? How long are you down here for?" Ryan asked her and she grinned.

"Well I was going to start travelling home tomorrow morning but I can stay for longer-"

"Yes! You should! We have a spare room you can stay there so you don't have to pay for a hotel or anything." Ryan said and Jade grinned.

"That would be amazing, thank you." She said. They fell into a short silence and I decided to make my presence known. I cleared my throat.

"Um, hi." I said and both of their heads turned to me. Ryan smiled even harder and moved over to me. His hand slipped around my waist and the movement didn't go un-noticed by Jade.

"Jade, this is Amelia my girlf- My friend." Ryan stopped and cleared his throat. My eyes widened. Did he nearly call me his girlfriend? "Yeah, my friend." Ryan clarified awkwardly. Jade smiled politely.

"Nice to meet you." She said and held out her hand. I shook it.

"And you." I said. She looked weary of me and I didn't know why.

"Jade, she's fine." Ryan said and she looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, i'm sure. She's my best friend Jade, she knows everything." Ryan said and Jade let out a large breath of air.

"Thank god."

"Um, I'm confused." I mumbled and Ryan squeezed my side.

"I'll explain later." He said and I nodded. "So do you want to come back with us now?" Ryan asked and Jade nodded.

"Yeah, if that's alright with, with...Dad." Jade stuttered slightly. Ryan swallowed. She looked upset.

"He'll be fine Jade. He might be shocked but he's getting better. We're all getting better." Ryan said and Jade let out a sigh of relief.

"I really hope so."