Uh oh… this isn’t going to end well.
I can feel Brady taking in deep breaths, no doubt to try and calm himself down. I give his arm a squeeze to try and stop him from going over and beating his ass, trying my best to keep Gavin in one piece. When he grabs hold of Sherri and spins her round to dance, she laughs out loud as he whispers in her ear, Oh god I’m not going to be able to hold him off if Gav carries on. Brady is stock still watching it play out, clutching his fists so tight I feel his knuckles crack. Gavin is harmless and loves to flirt with everyone, he would never take advantage of Sherri’s drunken state though, so I know she’s safe.
Feeling my back pocket vibrate, I pull out my phone to see a message I didn’t think I’d get tonight.
Hayley: Hey Becca, I know you haven’t been back in town long, but I miss you honey, I could really do with seeing you. He isn’t here tonight.
Putting my phone back in my pocket I move over to Sherri and Gavin “Shez, I’ve got to go, I’ve got to check on someone” I tell her, “Is everything okay? Is it your mum?” she asks, Sherri knows my mum can be a pain, but she doesn’t know the extent of how bad it is. If she did, she would know I would not go to her if she texted. “Yeh, she’s stuck at a bar, so I’ve got to go get her” I lie “Are you ready to go?” I ask, planning to drop her home beforehand “I can take her back Becca, No worries” Gavin answers with a smile. That is not a good idea “Erm, I don’t think so buddy” Brady pipes up, coming to my side. I didn’t even realise he’d followed me, but I should have expected it with how he reacted to Gavin dancing with her. “I’ll be taking her home” Brady declares as he pulls Sherri into his side.
Way too much testosterone in here.
I had expected her to tear him a new one, but now I look closer at her, she’s started swaying, which means she’s carried on drinking and is well on the way to being wasted. “You got her?” I ask Brady, knowing he will look after her eases my leaving “I’ll get her home babe. You know I will” nodding, I start making my way out of the house. Reid’s chair is noticeably empty as I pass, I try to ignore it as I leave the party and make my way back to my car.
Moments like this is when I’m glad I don’t really drink, only having that one rum and coke means thankfully I’m fine to drive. Starting my car, I turn on my Bluetooth and shuffle my playlist, I Prevails Breaking Down blares through my speakers as I make my way down to my end of the estate. I pass my house and park on the drive 3 doors down, looking up at a house I never thought I would end up at again. Locking the car, I walk up the path and use my key, letting myself in I notice how dark it is inside, something is up tonight.
Making my way through the hall I notice a figure on the sofa in the front room “WHOS THAT!” it shouts, “It’s me! it’s Becca” I walk over to the lamp on the other side of the sofa, keeping my eyes on her the whole time “I’m going to turn on the light Hayley ok?” I need to give some warning so not to spook her, learnt my lesson from that years ago. Switching on the light I see her under a blanket on the sofa, a book in her hand like a weapon. She visibly relaxes when she sees its me “Sorry Hayley, I shouldn’t have used my key. I didn’t mean to scare you” I feel awful that I gave her such a fright. But she wouldn’t have opened the door if I knocked, but we won’t mention that “Its ok pet. I’m just a bit jumpy tonight…..thank you for coming over, I missed you while you were away. Calls and emails just aren’t the same thing y’know” she says as she puts the book down and gestures me over for a hug, “Reid isn’t here tonight, so I hoped you would come by and see me. To be honest, he’s not here much anymore ever. He still comes by and checks on me…. but he’s not my little boy anymore” she says sadly. If Reid knew I was here he would probably have a fit, but his mum is the mum I’ve always wanted. She’s always been warm and comforting when my mother wasn’t, she took care of me when I was hungry and lonely. I promised her I’ll always be there for her, even if her son tried to banish me from both their lives.
“How are you doing Hayley? Bad day?” I ask, Hayley suffers with severe depression, some days are better than others, but getting that message from her makes me think she’s not coping today, “I won’t lie becks, the demons have been snapping at my heels today. Been exhausting keeping them at bay, but just having you closer to home is already making me feel better” she says with a sigh of relief. She’s such a strong lady, I’ve always looked up to her, she’s amazing. “I’ll put the kettle on” She’s going to want tea when we have our catch up, tea is life in this house.
I make my way through to the kitchen to flick the kettle on and grab the mugs. Looking around everything has stayed the same since I
