I'll Carry You Home Tonight
Chapter 8
I glared over at Rachel as the room fell into a tense silence, she had a smug grin fixed to her normally angelic face and I could hear her trying not to snigger,
“you think this is funny?”
I growled
“Actually I do”
I marched towards her
“No Rachel do you know what’s really funny?”
she was now stood straight up toe to toe with me
“what’s funny is you think its okay to torment an already damaged human being for you own sick satisfaction just because you like to create a drama out of your own insecurity! The really funny thing here is your life! It’s a joke!”
Her jaw dropped open and tears brimmed in her eyes as she suddenly stang the side of my face with her open palm. I looked at her ready to explode until my mother came between us and cupped my sore cheek
“Jack I think Amber is lovely looking regardless of her past if you are happy with her you look after her, now go find her I’d like to have her over to dinner tonight”
I smiled slightly feeling victorious over Rachel. My mum leaned in and kissed my forehead having to tip toe slightly.
I grabbed my jacket and car keys and pulled away. My hunt for Amber lead me down several streets many of which I didn’t even know existed until now. As I pulled around the corner on to Ambers street my heart came in to my mouth as bile rose from my stomach at the sight of an ambulance.
I parked in the nearest space and began to sprint down to Ambers front door, as I approached two police officers tried to stop me from going in the ruined front door,
“Sir there is a body we can’t let you through”
The younger of the two said he was tall and muscular with dark blonde hair and was pushing me back by my shoulder
“please I need to get through my girlfr-…my friend is in there! I need to see if shes okay!”
As I said that her ashen face appeared behind them, her skinny arms folded over her fragile body, my hold world froze for a second as I realized what had happened. Amber glided towards me as if in slow motion and gently pushed her way through the two officers and in to the day light, I stepped back in shock. It seemed as though the vivacious passionate girl I had shared my bed with last night had crumbled away in to an emotionless fragile wreck, her red puffy eyes showed that she had been crying.
I slowly opened my arms and willed her to come in to my embrace using my eyes, she slowly stepped towards me and rested her head on my chest as I gently enveloped her in to a cuddle and allowed her to break.
After hours of tedious and emotional police questioning Amber was released from her own home with out suspicion, I wrapped my jacket around her and lead her to the car, she didn’t say a word her bloodshot eyes staring directly ahead, her limbs limp like a dolls as I tried to fasten her seatbelt around her.
We pulled up in the drive at mine and Amber slowly walked up the drive and through to the back garden, I locked the car and went in to my father not knowing what to say or how to react.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we talk?”
He looked up at me bemused “Sure son, whats on your mind?”
“It’s amber, Her nana passed away in the early hours of this morning”
“Amber who was here last night?”
“Yeah, and I don’t know how to look after her now or how to make her feel better, surely there’s a quick fix?”
“Surely Jack that’s down to her parents?”
“Nana was her parent, her dads dead and her mum is AWOL”
“That’s a tough one, so where is she living now?”
“No where, Her nana only rented the house she was living in”
I felt fear grown inside of me as I realized that Amber could be homeless.
“Dad? Can she stay here?”
“That’s a big one you need to ask your mother”
I sighed heavily and thanked my dad for listening, I walked through the empty kitchen and noticed the back door open, I walked out on to the patio and saw Amber sat cross legged staring out across the lawn absent mindedly smoking a cigarette in silence.
I quietly walked towards her and sat on the cold concrete next to her, she remained silent and unmoving as I gently draped my arm over her tiny shoulders. Footsteps behind me made me spin round quickly to see my mother walking towards me, he thick dark hair tied back in a lose bun and her white dressing gown wrapped tightly around her defending her plump body from the cold.
“Amber sweetie?”
My mum gently tried to get a response from her as she sat down on the other side of her
“Rick has spoken to me and honey you are more than welcome to move in to this house hold and be a part of this family”
Amber looked over at her, her thin chapped bottom lip quivering slightly as she broke again letting out loud, long sobs in to my mothers shoulder.
My heart broke knowing there was nothing I could do but sit and wait for her to want me to be there for her.
I hardly slept that night waking every so often to check on Amber, she was sleepy soundly her eyes still slightly swollen from shedding so many tears through out the day. I ached to look after her and make her feel better but I feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that it wouldn’t be that easy.
“you think this is funny?”
I growled
“Actually I do”
I marched towards her
“No Rachel do you know what’s really funny?”
she was now stood straight up toe to toe with me
“what’s funny is you think its okay to torment an already damaged human being for you own sick satisfaction just because you like to create a drama out of your own insecurity! The really funny thing here is your life! It’s a joke!”
Her jaw dropped open and tears brimmed in her eyes as she suddenly stang the side of my face with her open palm. I looked at her ready to explode until my mother came between us and cupped my sore cheek
“Jack I think Amber is lovely looking regardless of her past if you are happy with her you look after her, now go find her I’d like to have her over to dinner tonight”
I smiled slightly feeling victorious over Rachel. My mum leaned in and kissed my forehead having to tip toe slightly.
I grabbed my jacket and car keys and pulled away. My hunt for Amber lead me down several streets many of which I didn’t even know existed until now. As I pulled around the corner on to Ambers street my heart came in to my mouth as bile rose from my stomach at the sight of an ambulance.
I parked in the nearest space and began to sprint down to Ambers front door, as I approached two police officers tried to stop me from going in the ruined front door,
“Sir there is a body we can’t let you through”
The younger of the two said he was tall and muscular with dark blonde hair and was pushing me back by my shoulder
“please I need to get through my girlfr-…my friend is in there! I need to see if shes okay!”
As I said that her ashen face appeared behind them, her skinny arms folded over her fragile body, my hold world froze for a second as I realized what had happened. Amber glided towards me as if in slow motion and gently pushed her way through the two officers and in to the day light, I stepped back in shock. It seemed as though the vivacious passionate girl I had shared my bed with last night had crumbled away in to an emotionless fragile wreck, her red puffy eyes showed that she had been crying.
I slowly opened my arms and willed her to come in to my embrace using my eyes, she slowly stepped towards me and rested her head on my chest as I gently enveloped her in to a cuddle and allowed her to break.
After hours of tedious and emotional police questioning Amber was released from her own home with out suspicion, I wrapped my jacket around her and lead her to the car, she didn’t say a word her bloodshot eyes staring directly ahead, her limbs limp like a dolls as I tried to fasten her seatbelt around her.
We pulled up in the drive at mine and Amber slowly walked up the drive and through to the back garden, I locked the car and went in to my father not knowing what to say or how to react.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we talk?”
He looked up at me bemused “Sure son, whats on your mind?”
“It’s amber, Her nana passed away in the early hours of this morning”
“Amber who was here last night?”
“Yeah, and I don’t know how to look after her now or how to make her feel better, surely there’s a quick fix?”
“Surely Jack that’s down to her parents?”
“Nana was her parent, her dads dead and her mum is AWOL”
“That’s a tough one, so where is she living now?”
“No where, Her nana only rented the house she was living in”
I felt fear grown inside of me as I realized that Amber could be homeless.
“Dad? Can she stay here?”
“That’s a big one you need to ask your mother”
I sighed heavily and thanked my dad for listening, I walked through the empty kitchen and noticed the back door open, I walked out on to the patio and saw Amber sat cross legged staring out across the lawn absent mindedly smoking a cigarette in silence.
I quietly walked towards her and sat on the cold concrete next to her, she remained silent and unmoving as I gently draped my arm over her tiny shoulders. Footsteps behind me made me spin round quickly to see my mother walking towards me, he thick dark hair tied back in a lose bun and her white dressing gown wrapped tightly around her defending her plump body from the cold.
“Amber sweetie?”
My mum gently tried to get a response from her as she sat down on the other side of her
“Rick has spoken to me and honey you are more than welcome to move in to this house hold and be a part of this family”
Amber looked over at her, her thin chapped bottom lip quivering slightly as she broke again letting out loud, long sobs in to my mothers shoulder.
My heart broke knowing there was nothing I could do but sit and wait for her to want me to be there for her.
I hardly slept that night waking every so often to check on Amber, she was sleepy soundly her eyes still slightly swollen from shedding so many tears through out the day. I ached to look after her and make her feel better but I feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that it wouldn’t be that easy.