BROOKLYN and Avery both had different versions of how they'd first met, Avery's version like many things she remembered was heavily romanticised, hers started with the final week of her first year at Buttercup Primary when her teacher Miss Wilson had informed their class that they would have someone new joining their class, it had seemed odd to her even then that someone would be joining so late on in the year. 

She'd been the only one with a seat free next to her so she'd been assigned to look after the new student, Brooklyn Carson, she'd repeated his name trying to make it stick in her head, at ten years old she knew knowing people's names was important, the one thing that made her most angry was when people shortened her own name to something she didn't want to be called, people being her Father.

He had arrived that afternoon, in uniform that wasn't as clean as everyone else's, that had been the first question she'd asked him when he'd come and sat next to her, why his Mum hadn't ironed his school shirt, her own Mother Riley often complained about how much ironing she had to do. Brooklyn had been a quiet child and at first, he hadn't answered her, but she'd pestered him again and again, asking if he had any brothers or sisters, where he lived, why he'd joined their school and eventually he had let his guard down and told her his lip quivering that his Mother had gone to live somewhere else because she wasn't well.

And this was the most that they agreed on, Avery remembered squeezing his hand under the desk in hers and telling him that he could share her Mummy. Brooklyn remembered Avery breaking out into hysterical tears and telling their teacher that she couldn't sit with him anymore. Whoever was to be believed after that first meeting Avery had cornered Brooklyn in the playground and broke her chocolate bar in half, giving him the bigger half and from that day on, it was written in stone, wherever Avery was, Brooklyn wasn't far behind.

 India and Brooklyn were introduced into the Harlow family and it was as if they had always been there even if the two of them usually lived with their Aunt Lydia. The place where they received the most love was the Harlow household. They'd both secretly thought that it would be like that forever, that was until Brooklyn had professed his love for Avery at the age of sixteen and she'd reacted badly, really badly.

But we aren't at that part of the story yet.

As Avery watched her Mother hug Brooklyn with something resembling a lump in her throat she  realised just how raw his absence had been not just to for her, she'd been so consumed with proving Brooklyn wrong, with proving that the accusations he'd hurled at her weren't true, that she was completely fine without him that she hadn't even spared a thought for her Mother. Her Mother, who had clearly been breaking on the inside, who she'd selfishly not thought about whilst telling Brooklyn she never wanted to see him again, because in reality even though her Mother had biologically given birth to one child, she'd raised three.

And that made Avery think about India, sweet and sarcastic India who still hadn't opened a message Avery had sent her twelve months ago explaining how sorry she was, how mistaken she had been and how she wished every day she could do everything all over again and not break India's brother's heart. 

India was fiercely protective, always had been and once Avery had been under her protection but once she'd hurt Brooklyn, Avery had become estranged from the girl who had once felt like a sister, India wanted nothing to do with her and she was only just realising that having leukemia didn't change the person she was and always would be.

Others skirted around all the terrible things she'd done, the lies that had slipped out so easily from her lips because she was ill and no one had it in them to be horrible to someone who was in imminent danger of dying if chemotherapy didn't go her way. But just for once she wanted to be addressed like a real person who had done some crappy things, shaken until her bones rattled in her useless body and forced to confront harsh realities.

She needed to find a way of pushing Brooklyn away, making him run in the opposite direction because he didn't need her in his life. He was far better off without her and all the destruction she brought in her wake. But seeing him and her Mother she couldn't help herself, she wanted him close, wanted to cling onto the security and history their friendship was bringing already to her world which had spun so out of control.

Riley finally released Brooklyn with what seemed like a painful reluctance she sniffed three times, rifling in her bag for a tissue, she brought it up to her eyes and dabbed at them delicately, and then the questions began.

"What are you doing here Brooklyn? Last I heard from India you were happily settled in Orlando, and I think a congratulation is in order, it's not enough over messages!"

Avery's Mum seemed to realise that this might be an awkward topic as soon as the words had left her mouth, she hastily cleared her throat and Avery felt her heart contract, the day after Brooklyn had left she'd told her Mother never to mention him in front of her again, she knew India still stayed in touch with her Mum she just hadn't thought Brooklyn had too. Things were strained because of her, this was all her fault.

Her head buzzed with this new information, on normal days she felt fatigue at inconvenient moments, today it was far worse it was like her brain was trying to catch up with something that she should have realised a long time ago, her eyes travelled to his hand as if in slow motion and that's when she saw the silver band on his ring finger and everything perfectly imploded into a state of beautiful chaos.

There was an engagement ring on his finger, Brooklyn was engaged.