Dedicated to @grxavitybae25. Thank you so much for your reads and honest comments, they have really motivated me to finish writing this chapter! I really hope you enjoy it :) xxx

*Disclaimer: This chapter has not been proofread so please forgive me for any mistakes*

Enjoy xx

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The front door looked daunting in the late hours of the evening. Dark clouds have started to accumulate over my head, and the smell of a storm has seeped through the air. The slight wind that has developed over the last few minutes sent a chill through my body making me feel uneasy. The street is deserted and a few loose leaves are scraping the ground as they are blown on the pavement by the wind, making the roads look eerie.

Ever since the incident this morning, I have not spoken to Dylan or my auntie and uncle. I have a funny feeling that Dylan told them exactly what transpired this morning and now they are all waiting for me behind the daunting-looking front door to confront me. If it wasn't for the fact that my body has been itching for a hit, I'd still be avoiding the house like the plague.

Stepping towards the door I grab the door knob and twist it to the left to unlock the door. Taking a deep breath in I take the small step forwards and cross the threshold, wanting this to be over and done with.

The hallway is dark and silent with no sign of anyone; hmm maybe I'll get away with it after all. I took a quick look around the living room and then kitchen to make sure they really aren't waiting around for me anywhere to ambush me, but after seeing that the coast is clear I relaxed a little. Now I got a few more hours until I have to deal with this protective family so I can prepare some good believable story about why Cyrus was here in the first place.

Maybe he was just grabbing some books for one of our classes? No that won't work since Dylan knows we don't have any classes together. How about saying that he really wanted to be here early so he could go to football practice with Dylan? Yep that would work if only we didn't hide in the bathroom together in the morning.

"Ugh stupid" I muttered under my breath as I pushed the door to my bedroom open and turned on the light.

I paused in the doorway and a small shriek left my lips due to the surprise of the whole family sitting on my bed with stoic expressions on their faces.

"Oh my god guys you can't scare me like that! What are you doing here?" I questioned, briefly glancing towards the attic and thankfully noticing that the door remained closed. Good.

"We're just waiting for you to come home. You sure took your time this evening" said Dylan, his brown eyes squinting slightly when looking at me whilst crossing his arm across his chest. My guess is that he's trying to look intimidating.

I turned my gaze towards Olive and James who were both sitting on the right side of Dylan on my bed. Olive had a blank expression on her face which was very hard to read, whereas James just looked apologetic for his wife's and son's behaviour.

"So is this some sort of intervention? Have I done anything wrong?" I ask them, trying to act innocent and see just how much they know. If this is all about Cyrus then I can deal with that, but if they have ventured into the attic for some reason, then I honestly have no idea how I will explain what they have seen up there.

"Have you done anything wrong? Are you joking right now cous? Sneaking in Cyrus, having him sleep in your bed the entire night and then trying to sneak him out?! Ohh also don't forget that right now you are trying to act as if none of those things happened! What were you thinking?" Dylan's voice rises with each word that slips through his lips, resulting in him shouting by the end of his rant.

"Dylan that's quite enough! Either stay quiet or leave and calm down" this time it's Olive that speaks, her voice low and slightly strained; whether it's from shock or anger I'm not sure.

Dylan looks between his mum and me, huffs loudly and storms past me and out of my bedroom. I can hear his footsteps stomping down the stairs and next comes the slam of the front door, meaning he must have left the house to cool off.

I turn back towards James and Olive, an awkward atmosphere surrounding us after what has just transpired. This is not how I imagined my night was going to go.

"I'm sorry about him Amber, I was not expecting him to snap like this. He always wanted a sister so I guess this is his way of saying he cares about you" Olive has a slight smile on her face as she says that. From what I know, James and Olive always wanted more kids after having Dylan but because of their busy schedules, they didn't want their children to feel like they didn't love them. Dylan was always quite independent and he was okay with having some nannies taking care of him; he always knew that his parents loved him and that due to their jobs he would always have a comfortable life. Even though they weren't always around, he never blamed them because he knew that they were doing their absolute best.

I was so jealous of their relationship, of how much they cared about each other and how much they treasured each other. Ever since I've been here, I have never heard them argue. Well that is until tonight and it's all my fault. I'm an awful person.

"It's okay I know he means well" I told them both, my voice quiet and ashamed. I took a small step towards them but after that I stopped. I wasn't sure what they were thinking and whether they were mad at me or not, so I didn't want to risk it. I stayed rooted in my place, which was still very close to my bedroom door.

"You know what? I'll go check on him and make sure he's fine whilst you two talk" James announced, standing up from his spot on the bed and heading towards the door. On his way out, he lightly patted my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile, as if to say that everything will be okay. I must admit that it made me feel a lot better, knowing that James wasn't mad at me.

"Come have a seat Amber, I don't bite" joked Olive, patting the space next to her urging me to sit down. I hesitantly took small steps towards my bed and sat down next to Olive. As soon as I sat next to her, she took both of my hands into hers and looked me deeply in the eyes with a small smile on her face. "Look Amber, I know I'm not your mother and I have no business in your life, but I care about you and I just want to make sure that everything is okay" she says softly, giving my hands a little squeeze.

I breathe a slight sigh of relief at her soft, comforting words.

"Yes Olive I'm fine. Look I'm really sorry that Cyrus spent the night here, I know I should've told you straight away, but I promise we didn't do anything. We were watching a movie and we fell asleep that's all. When we woke up in the morning, he panicked and asked me to sneak him out because he didn't want to get me into trouble and then Dyl..."

"Amber, Amber sweetie, breathe. I've already heard the exaggerated version from Dylan this afternoon so I know the gist of what happened" she releases a small chuckle as if remembering a fond memory from earlier today when a concerned Dylan must have told her what he saw this morning, "I've known Cyrus since the beginning of high school, when him and Dylan met, and I know he's a good kid. I just wish you would have told me straight instead of sneaking him around my house. You are under my care and I need to know certain things, for example when a boy is sleeping in your bedroom" she nudges my shoulder at the end of the sentence and wiggles her eyebrows at me.

"I know and I'm sorry I didn't tell you Olive. I told him to come trough the front door like a normal person but I guess he really wanted to show off his parkour skills" I joked, happy that the conversation went well. I really like Olive and James, and I don't remember the last time I felt so cared for and loved.

"Okay fine but next time if you hide something like this from me, you're grounded capisce?

"I understand" I say and hug Olive tightly. She seems surprised at first, but snaps out of it and quickly wraps her arms tightly around me.

"So.... have you guys done anything yet?" she asks cheekily, waiting for my answer.

Oh how I love this woman.

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Walking to the front of the house through the front door, I see a hunched figure sitting on the front steps. The storm was very close as the wind was even stronger than before and small droplets of rain were already dropping from the sky.

As I was about to step down and join the figure sitting there, my phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans. There are some unanswered texts from Cyrus asking if everything is okay and wondering if Dylan is mad at me, however those are not the texts that draw my immediate attention. No, what does draw my attention is the latest text from my mother.

I think you should come back home - Charlotte

I pause my steps, not quite believing what I just read. Come back home? This must be some kind of a sick joke. Just when I'm starting to settle here with Olive, James and Dylan, just when I'm starting to make friends, just when I'm starting to get to know Cyrus, she wants me to go back home? As if I could ever call that place a home.

"Look if you've got something to say to me, just say it instead of creeping behind me like that" Dylan's voice snaps me out of my anger-driven thoughts. Shoving my phone back into the pocket of my jeans and pushing the thoughts about my mother to the back of my head, I approach him and sit down on the steps next to him.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, neither of us knowing how to start the conversation. I know he's angry at me, but I'm not entirely sure of where that anger is coming from. Yes, Cyrus stayed in my room overnight but we didn't do anything wrong. Olive said that they've been friends since high school so he must know that Cyrus is a good guy, right? Oh my god, unless he's not a good guy and that's why Dylan is so angry right now, because he knows he might hurt me. or do something to me. What did I get myself into?

"Okay look, I feel like I owe you an explanation. I'm not angry because of the whole Cyrus sneaking in thing. I mean, okay I'm slightly angry about that, but I'm mostly angry that you didn't tell me that you guys have been hanging out or that you were getting serious. I feel like you don't tell me anything, and I know that it's stupid because it's not like I'm your brother or anything, but you're honestly like a sister to me and I really want you to be able to trust me and tell me about everything and anything" it was getting to the point where I should really stop his speech because he was getting so worked up, bless him.

"Dylan Dylan breathe. Look I know I'm not the easiest person to get to know and open up but I really am trying. I didn't tell you about Cyrus because I had no idea that you'd want to know. I'm not used to people caring so much about me so I tend to keep my business and problems to myself, you know? But I will try to change that, and it won't happen overnight but I will work on okay?" I told him, really wanting his sad puppy expression to go away since it was melting my drug-infested, cold heart.

"And I will try to not overreact like I did today" he said with a smile and opened his long arms for a hug which I gratefully accepted.

"Dyl?" I whispered against his hoodie-clad chest.

"Yeah Ambs?"

"If it's any consolation, you're the best brother a girl could ask for" and the statement was the truest one I have spoken in a long time.

After the eventful day, I was exhausted so I headed upstairs to get my much needed rest. After getting changed into my pjs and doing my bedtime routine, I put my phone on charge and jumped under my covers.

Taking a quick glance at the attic, a small smile made its way onto my face and for the first time my body allowed me to sleep without the help of heroin.

Yaaay another chapter done!

This one was a little insight into the family life which Amber hasn't gotten to experience until now.

How was everyone's weekend? I mainly watched tv and relaxed before the busy week ahead with work.

What did you think of this chapter? Please let me know.

Vote and comment lovelies :)

Until next time xxx