When Worlds Collide

For the next week Lois had as little to do as possible with her new group of friends, trying to make the conflicted feelings that Brian had caused to go away. Ellie understood what she was going through and told the guys and Shannon that she wasn't feeling to great and that she needed a lot of rest. She would get the occasional text from Jimmy asking if she was okay and if she needed anything or if she wanted some company, but Lois would always reply that she really wasn't well and didn't want to pass the bug to any of the guys. Meanwhile Brian started to grow nervous, he knew that she wasn't really sick because he would be out in the back garden when he would hear music coming from Lois's room and see the shadow on the wall of her dancing. It was eating him alive knowing that it was him that had made Lois act like this.

------

Nearly two weeks had gone by and Lois was in her room dancing to one of her favourite lyrical pieces that had landed her the spot in the dance college. She was facing the window and had her headphones on, so she failed to notice Jimmy, Matt, Ellie, and Shannon all standing in the doorway watching her as she glided, turned and leapt round her room before coming to a halt in the splits.

"Looks like someone's feeling better then" Jimmy said making Lois freeze while taking out her earphones. She slowly got up from the floor avoiding all eye contact with the four teenagers standing in her doorway.

"Well now I know what type of dancer you are, but why you been avoiding us all this week Lois?" Shannon questioned crossing her room to sit on her bed.

"Yeah spill it dancing queen!" Jimmy chimed in.

Lois was torn, she hated lying to people and didn't want to lie to her new group of friends.

"Brian." Ellie said breaking the silence that had fell over the room. All their faces turned to one of knowing and understanding as they caught onto what the redhead meant.

"Aw hun come here." Shan said wrapping Lois in a tight hug.

"What's he done now?" Matt spoke up, his fists balling and his jaw tightening.

"He kissed her and then just walked away." Ellie filled in for her cousin again.

This time it was Jimmy to radiate anger. "He did what?"

Finally finding her voice Lois told them what had happened after they all left the beach. "And then when we got back he just kissed me and then walked up the drive to his house without looking back at me."

The room was silent as they all took in what they had just been told.

"Okay, so what Brian did was wrong, but why did you hide out here for nearly two weeks? We missed you dancing queen" Jimmy asked crouching down in front of her and cupping her hands in his. Sighing Lois decided to tell them what had happened in the past to make her act like this.

"Well when I was 16, I was in a relationship with one of my best friends, we had been friends for almost 7 years and we'd been together for about a year and a half. He was really into music and he played guitar really well, and he joined a band, he was much younger than all of them and was easily persuaded to do stuff. He started drinking really heavily and doing drugs. One night he came round to mine, and he was high on something, but for him when he was high he went really truthful and said that he only went out with me for a dare to prove to his mates that he could get out of the friendzone, and that this whole time he had been sleeping around with multiple other women. That completely crushed me and my confidence when it came to relationships. I ended it that night but a week later he showed up completely off his face when I was at a party with my friends, he came over to me and grabbed my hair saying that I was his and that he wanted to give us another go. I refused and he tried to hit me but my best friend floored him and had some of the other boys take him outside and drop him home. I had a restraining order put on him as he kept calling me over and over." She finished off to see Matt, Shannon and Jimmy staring at her, mouths hanging open. "That's why I acted the way I did, I can't handle being used again."

Matt bent down and took Jimmy's place. "Look Brian can be a bit of an asshole and a cocky one at that, but trust me once he's in a relationship he's committed and will do anything to make it work”

The others nodded in agreement.

"We won't tell Brian what you've been through but we'll be the first in line to hurt him if he ever hurts you." Jimmy assured her. Lois felt her heart expand at those words, never in her life had she met such genuine and honest people and she felt lucky to be able to call them her friends.

"Thanks guys, think we could go out this afternoon? I've missed a lot and I want to get out of this house. Not that I'm bored but I need some fresh air."

"Yeah sure, wanna go get some pizza?"

"Please, I've yet to try proper American deep dish."

The others giggled at her statement and made to go out the door. "Guys I forgot to tell you all something." Ellie rounded on herself blocking the door and smiling over at Matt. "Me and Matt are now together" She said smiling while Matt came over to her and placed his arm around her waist.

"It's about fucking time!" Jimmy yelled.

"JAMES OWEN SULLIVAN WHAT HAVE I SAID ABOUT SWEARING IN MY HOUSE!" Alison called up the stairs making Jimmy pale and look down at the floor.

"To not to, sorry Momma A" He called back down to her. Shan was hugging Ellie while Jimmy was talking to Matt. "Lois, come hug me!" Jimmy yelled, "We can be single together!" Lois got up off the bed and into the arms of the tall lanky boy.

"Jimmy, you swore earlier, how did you get away with that?"

"I was quiet, so shush about it" He added placing his finer on her lips indicating to be quiet. Lois tried to bite him but with no luck.

"Pizza. Now" She pouted pointing to her stomach.

"Lets go, my dancing queen is hungry." Jimmy said before picking Lois up over his shoulder and running down the stairs and out into the street to where his car was parked.