Chapter twenty-six

"Mitchie," another poke to the shoulder. "Mitchie, darling?" I rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. Paula was leaning over me. "Sorry if I woke you, dear, but I thought since it's gone twelve that you should contact someone and let them know you're okay." I rubbed my eyes a few times before looking at Paula, she looked slightly worried.

"Thanks, Paula, I can't believe I over slept this much. Last night was great, thank you so much for letting me stay, even when you barely know me."

"You don't need to thank me, Sean's taken a shine towards you and as his mother I felt like I could trust you enough," she smiled and handed me a cup. "I hope you like coffee, Sean's in the bathroom. You can freshen up after him."

"Yeah, I like coffee. If I say thank you again will you hit me?" I joked.

"I would feel like it," she laughed and shook her head. "Mitchie, you are welcome here any time you like, day or night, if you need a place to stay. I can always kick Sean out his room so you can sleep in here, not that it would work... he was meant to stay on the sofa last night but he ended up sleeping on the floor in here." She exited the room and left me to think. Sean slept on the floor? I felt bad for that, he could have slept in the bed with me, it's not like it would be weird, we've connected over the past - I looked at the clock - twenty two hours. Wow, I've been with him for nearly twenty two hours?

"Mitchie, do you fancy grabbing some breakfast?" Sean's head poked through the door and smiled once he saw me. "Unless you want to spend the day with Barry?"

I looked down and saw a cute bear on my lap. "How did I end up with your bear?"

"You're not going to say anything about the fact I have a teddy bear on my bed?" I shook my head. "You're the first person then, my friends thought it was weird," he shrugged his shoulders. "You grabbed it during the night and cuddled it; it was just as I was coming in from down-"

"Why did you sleep on the floor?" I realized I cut him off so I apologized.

He smiled, "because I thought it would be weird if I slept in bed with you..."

"It wouldn't have been. Is it just me or do you feel like we've known each other forever?"

He nodded his head, "I thought it was just me so I didn't say anything." We both smiled at each other before I climbed out of bed.

~

"Seriously, Sean, these doughnuts are the best!" I argued against him.

"No, chocolate doughnuts are way better!" I folded my arms over my chest and pouted. "Okay, okay. What about..." he put his finger up, in a one minute gesture. He ran in Dunkin' Donuts and came out a few minutes later with a box. I narrowed my eyes at the little box, what sort of doughnuts did he get? He wanted chocolate coated doughnuts while I wanted the ones with clear icing and sprinkles.

"I got us a compromise," I looked at him as he slid back in his car. He opened the box and inside was six doughnuts, the bottom half coated in chocolate and the top half coated in clear icing and sprinkles. "They cost a bit more and they weren't happy I made them do it but they look - and I'm sure taste - better." I bit my lip, I was going to give in, in the end, and let him have the chocolate ones but this was sweet, plus he paid more...

"Thank you, Sean," I leant across the seat and hugged him.

"You're welcome, Mitchie," he smiled and took a doughnut out. "Let's tuck in," he winked and I laughed but took one. It was a funny breakfast but, hey, we are funny people. Once we were finished I threw the box away and Sean started the car. "Address?"

"How do I know you won't stalk me?" I joked.

He looked serious as he answered, "You won't."

I nearly spat out my drink as I turned to face him, "w-what?"

He suddenly burst out laughing, "oh god, Mitchie, how could you think I was being serious? Plus that could be revenge for when you told me you had no clothes on." I ended up laughing with him, it was good revenge, I guess.

"Anyway, what do you mean 'address'?"

"Where am I taking you home to? Unless you plan on stealing my bed again tonight?" He smiled at me as he pulled out of Dunkin' Donuts.

"Oh, well, yeah, I better go home... let my neighbors’ know I'm okay." I bit my lip as tears stung my eyes, I tried my hardest to stop them but two managed to break through and travel down my face.

I felt the car pull to a stop. "Hey, don't cry, come here." Sean undid his seatbelt then mine and pulled me over. We sat like that for twenty minutes before I whispered the address to him. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I nodded my head. "Do you want me to stay with you?" Again, I nodded my head. "Okay, let's go then."

Thirty minutes later we were pulling into my road, he asked which number I lived at and I pointed it out. I sat in the car and didn't move until I heard Tony's voice.

"Oi, why you parking in Mitchie's spot?" I stayed slouched down; I could see most of the Johnsons turn round to look at Sean.

"What shall I say?" Sean whispered to me as he took the keys out the car.

"I don't even know what to say," I hissed back. He got out the car and began walking round to my side.

"I'm pretty sure my brother said something to you!" James shouted at Sean. I bit my lip as Sean unlocked the door, I really don't know why I bothered locking the door when he could have easily unlocked it again. "I think this kid has hearing issues," James hissed.

"Ready to face the music?" Sean asked me as he opened the door.

"Trust me, James is a singer and I doubt he will be singing his insults at me." I told him as I got out the car. I was surprised that none of the Johnsons saw me but they were too busy about to start on Sean that they didn't notice me. Sean walked round to the front of the car but I had to get my bag out the backseat.

"Seriously? You're going to ignore me?"

"What?" Sean said confusion clear in his tone.

"Me and my brother said something to you and you completely ignored us," James stepped in Sean's face. I froze as I saw everything play out. Kurtis said he was going to go get Phoebe or Rick, whoever was inside; Trent was placing the stuff they had out away; keeping an eye on his little brother at the same time. I didn't see the youngest Johnson but I knew he was in his room because the curtain kept moving, Lance was sitting on the step; looking depressed.

"James, leave him." Tony could tell his brother was about to lose it but before James could say or do anything I stepped in between them.

"James, back off, leave Sean out of it," I looked at him with a cold stare. The remaining Johnsons all turned when Tony practically shouted my name and hugged me.

"Mitchie? Mitchie!" Phoebe came running out the house, her hair was a mess and her clothes were the same from yesterday. "Oh my god, Mitchie, thank god you're okay!" I was pulled into a hug but I shied away from it. I felt Sean's hand on the small of my back and I automatically relaxed. It was something about Sean that made me feel better.

"I'm fine, Phoebe, I'm okay."

"Where the hell have you been?! We called the police and the boys were looking for you, we were that close to calling your father!" She looked at me before pulling me into a hug again. It took her a moment before she looked behind me. "You're the boy from the shopping centre? You knocked her over?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm Sean." He looked like he was going to put his hand out but just waved instead.

"Thank you for bringing her home. Mitchie, what were you thinking? Where have you been?"

"I've been at Sean's, and I was thinking that I was hated by my so called best friend. That reminds me, what the hell, man? How could you do that to me?" I got out of Phoebe's grip and marched towards James. I poked him square on the chest. "What the fuck, man? I thought we were best friends?" He looked at me and didn't say anything. I snorted. "And in case you forgot; you kissed me and left me in the rain, Tony kissed me and now he isn't talking to me, Zac kissed me and you scared him away and I never even kissed Robbie!"

He looked taken aback as he thought over what I said. "Exactly, James, you said that about me when people kissed me, I never led them on, I never told them to kiss me, did I?" I didn't wait for a reply as I walked towards my house, grabbing Sean on the way.

"If you want, you can leave once they've gone, I didn't want you to stand out there with them." I told him as I slammed the door shut.

"I can stay, if you want me to?"

"Since I stayed at yours last night, it's the least I can do. Fancy take away for dinner?" He nodded his head and we sat on the sofa, settling in for the night.

I woke up in Sean's arms, last night I had been scared of the film we decided to watch so I curled up and used Sean's arm to cover my eyes, the whole time he was chuckling at me.

"Time to wake up, sleeping beauty," I said, poking Sean. I looked around me and noticed we were downstairs, could of sworn we made to bed before we fell asleep.

"Five more minutes, mum."

I snorted. "Gee, Sean, you think I sound like your mum?"

Sean sat up straight and looked at me. "Mitchie?"

"Hey, Sean, you're awake," I winked and stretched. "Wanna get dressed and get something to eat?"

He nodded his head, "I'll be back in twenty minutes, roughly, and we can go."

Thirty minutes later I was showered and dressed in black skinny jeans, my Doc Martens and a long top that says 'Bring Me Luck'. It was one of my favorite tops. I was just brushing through my hair and pulling it into two plaits when I heard a car horn outside. I made sure I had my keys, phone and money to pay for us since he paid for us yesterday.

When I opened the door I saw Sean talking to James and Tony, I stayed back to watch everything.

"Please, man, you gotta help us, it's like torture not being able to talk to her," James said. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, probably.

"Maybe you shouldn't have said them things to her then," Sean replied. He spotted me but I shook my head, he nodded once in understanding before looking at the boys again.

"She told you?" Tony asked, surprised.

"She told me everything," Sean said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" James ran a hand through his hair.

"She told me mostly everything that's happened in the last year or two, everything to do with her family and a lot of it was about you guys." He squinted his eyes and looked at me. It was obvious he didn't know if he said too much or not, I just smiled to show him it's okay.

"You seem like you like her?" James questioned.

"Yeah, she's a great girl and we get along really well," he told them honestly. "Look, guys, all I can say is, say sorry to her and treat her nicely, by what she's told me; you've treated her like shit."

"I guess we have..." Tony looked at his brother then back to Sean. "Since she won't talk to us can you tell her how much we miss having her around? Lance misses her being around; he really came out of his shell when she started talking to him. Robbie wouldn't be with his girl if it wasn't for her and, well, me and James wouldn't be better people if it wasn't for her. We were jealous, I guess, that she has so many guy friends and when she started hanging around with them or talked about them we thought we were going to lose her." I bit my lip, Tony was admitting this to a boy he stopped talking to me over. James just nodded his head; I narrowed my eyes at him. Did our friendship mean anything to him?

"I don't think I need to tell her," Sean said and pointed over Tony's shoulder. He turned round and looked at me; I waved and walked towards them.

"Did you hear what I said?" I nodded my head and pulled him into a hug.

"I forgive you." I saw his grin before he squeezed me.

"Thank you." I nodded my head against his chest. It wasn't until I heard Lance say aww that I realized we had been hugging for a long time. Sean was smiling at me, he placed his arm around my shoulder once Tony let go off me.

"Everything works out, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. At least now I don't have to worry about being in London and having no one to talk to," I said.

"You're going London, as in, with your school?" I nodded. "No way, my school is letting certain kids go as well!"

"Please tell me you're one of them," I winked.

"Of course I am, I'm a good boy." We laughed and I think from that moment, I realized that everything could and would turn out alright.

~

Please VOTE and COMMENT #AJay.