All Grown Up

"Sia!"

"Hi!"

I was a month into recovery, I guess you could say, and Ian had kept me close by. When he had classes he would call Niall or Louis and have them come sit with me. If they were busy, he would call Lilly. I was an eighteen year old being babysat. It was quite ridiculous to be honest.

"How are you?"

"When do you get your casts off?"

"Do you still hurt?"

"Has Ian been keeping you under lock and key?"

I laughed at everyone's rapid fire questions. This was what I missed. Being around people I cared about was what mattered to me most. I wouldn't trade it for the world. With my parents being taken from this world in the blink of an eye it made me cherish everything. Even the little things. My students and my friends weren't taken for granted. As cliche and cheesy as it sounds, they kept me grounded.

A grin lifted the corners of my mouth. "I'm fine, just a little banged up. Nothing I can't handle."

Toni handed me a gift basket. It was filled with treats, a few movies, some magazines, bath bombs and scrubs, etc. I grinned up at her. "We all chipped in and made you a get well soon basket," she explained.

"Well thank you." I went to say something, but I was cut off by Ian loudly clapping his hands a few times. "Get ready and get in your positions!" He shouted. "She gets her casts off in a few weeks, of course she still hurts, and yes I've been keeping her under lock and key. Now chop chop!"

It didn't take long for everyone to do as they were told. They switched their shoes out for clean ones, shed their parkas, and got in position. Ian motioned for me to hit play, so I grabbed his MacBook and hit play. My eyes were watching the dance and my ears were listening to the music, but I wasn't paying attention. My mind was somewhere else.

Today was my birthday. October second. I was nineteen. Another year had passed. Another year without my parents. Another year without my grandparents. Another year without my family. I didn't like celebrating anything without them. So every year since they passed away, I haven't celebrated my birthday. I didn't tell Ian or Lilly or Niall when my birthday was. I acted as if it was just another day of the year.

My phone vibrated in my lap. Unlocking it, I pulled down the notifications tab and saw someone I followed on Twitter had tweeted. I clicked on it and up popped my Twitter feed. The first tweets that I saw was from Niall.

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial
Coordinating Halloween costumes are horrendous.

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial
@AnastasiaBaby lets coordinate Halloween costumes.

The next one left me speechless.

Harry Styles @HarryStyles
October 2, 1994

How did he know about my birthday? I didn't even know his birthday. Why the bloody hell would he know my birthday? Nobody knew about my birthday.



Gemma?













"Okay, let's take a quick water break and then we'll pick up where we left off," Ian spoke. I quickly stopped the music so it wouldn't switch to the next song. Everyone scattered to their bags wile Ian came and sat down beside my wheelchair. He refused to let me walk. I did get the special treatment from everyone though. Especially strangers in public. They would hold open doors and let me cut in line and all that good stuff. I'm not ashamed to say that I'd be sad when it all ended.

"Want to order take away and watch AHS tonight?"

A smile graced my face. I wouldn't want to spend my birthday any other way. At home with take away, AHS Coven, and my best mate. "I'd love too."


It started at eleven pm. It ended at two am.

"Ana"

"Who is this?" I practically slurred. My bloody phone jarred me awake as it noisily vibrated against the bedside table. This conversation wouldn't be remembered in the morning. "It's two in the bloody morning."

"Why don't yeh talk to me?"

My mind was asleep. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. "What? Who is this?"

"Yeh don't talk to me anymore. Yeh don't like me."

"Harry?"

"I didn't want yeh to kill yourself in-in school. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I-I miss yeh."

He's told me this before, but it didn't matter to me. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing he did mattered to me anymore. "You're drunk, Harry. Go to bed and sleep it off."

"I'll only go to bed if you're here," he replied. Oh god. "Stop. Just stop. I don't care anymore. Go to bed and quit calling me," I snapped.

Before I hung up, I heard him say three words that I haven't heard in almost four years. It made tears threaten to fall and my heart tighten.

"Happy birthday, love."

When I'm alone, I think. When I think, I remember. When I remember, I feel pain. When I feel pain, I cry. When I cry, I can't stop.


Anastasia Foster @AnastasiaBaby
Lousy lovers pick their prey, but they never cry out loud

"Whose a lousy lover?"

"Christ almighty, Lilly!"

Her eyes stared into mine, waiting for me to answer. "No one," I replied. "It's a Fleetwood Mac song."

"Oh yeah, what one?"

My eyebrows rose. How can she not know what song it was? I only listened to Fleetwood Mac all the time. "Gold Dust Woman."

"I don't believe you."

I let out a scoff. "Okay. You don't have to."

"I think you're talking about the boy-toy you've been keeping secret from me."

Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't. Okay, there was no maybe about it, I was hinting about the 'boy-toy' I've been keeping secret. But she didn't need to know that. And she wouldn't if I had anything to do with it. There was no longer an 'us', it was just Harry and Anastasia. Two people by themselves. That was it. I was my own person and Harry was his own person. We weren't connected in any way. I refused to be with someone who didn't give me the time of day or tell people about our relationship. If he didn't put his all into it, then I wasn't going to either.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I replied calmly. "I don't have time for one."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I know it's Niall. You went to One Directions movie premiere with him. I'm not stupid."

I scoffed again. "Okay, whatever you say."

Seeing as I wasn't in the mood to speak to her, I plugged my headphones into my phone and put them over my head. She got the hint and left, leaving me alone in Ian's guest room. Time for some Fleetwood Mac therapy. Gold Dust Woman.

Rock on, gold dust woman
Take your silver spoon and dig your grave

Heartless challenge
Pick your path and I'll pray

Wake up in the morning
See your sunrise loves to go down

Lousy lovers pick their prey
But they never cry out loud, cry out

Well, did she make you cry,
Make you break down,
Shatter your illusions of love?
And is it over now?
Do you know how?
Pick up the pieces and go home

Rock on, ancient queen
Follow those who pale in your shadow

Rulers make bad lovers
You better put your kingdom up for sale, up for sale—

The music stopped and Niall's ugly mug popped up on the screen. I took my headphones off and set them beside my on the bed before answering his call. His words were shouted and nearly busted my ear drum.

"WHY AM I JUST NOW FINDING OUT THAT YOUR BIRTHDAY WAS YESTERDAY? I THOUGHT WE WERE BEST MATES?"

I quickly took the phone a few inches from my ear and rubbed it, before bringing it back up to my ear. "Who told you?" I asked.

"I heard Anne mention it when she was FaceTiming Harry before the concert yesterday," he replied. "Did you have cake and ice cream without me?"

"Niall," I started. "I haven't celebrated my birthday in almost four years."

"But—" I cut him off. "And I don't plan on it either."

He let out a little whine. "But why?"

I didn't necessarily plan on telling anyone about what happened to my parents, but I couldn't keep it from him forever. He was my best mate. He was bound to find out sometime. Now or never right? "Because my parents died three years ago; a month before my birthday. I haven't celebrated it since then."

He was quiet on his end. Then again it didn't surprise me. That's how most people would react after finding out their best friends parents died and they haven't celebrated their birthday since then. Celebrating my birthday without my parents meant that I was happy to be alive another year without my parents. And in all honesty, I wasn't happy to be alive when my parents were gone. They weren't supposed to die at thirty nine and forty. They were supposed to live to be a hundred and watch me get married and have kids and spoil their grandkids. But that wouldn't ever happen.

"I don't want to celebrate my birthday without my parents here," I mumbled. "It doesn't feel right."

"Oh Stasia," he cooed. "I'm sorry." Pity. Oh how I despised it.

A sigh escaped my person. "Don't. I don't need or want your pity. I'm fine. It's fine."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I chuckled. "Because you have a lot on your plate and you don't need my drama. It's not something I tell people."

"But I'm your best mate, Stasia. They tell each other stuff like that. I'm supposed to be your shoulder to cry on and all that good stuff," he spoke. "I'm here for you and I always will be. And so are the lads. Don't forget that."