Forget My Name - H.S

CHAPTER 7

CALLIE PRESTON

I take a deep breath before turning the key in the lock and opening the door. I quickly look over my shoulder, waving at Niall in his black BMW before he nodded back and drove off. I was still wearing his t-shirt and shorts, my own black converse on my feet. I open the door fully, stepping inside the house. Immediately I was met with the sounds of people arguing. I walk through the open doors into the living room on the left. The TV was playing Peppa Pig and my youngest sister was sat on the sofa staring at it with her mouth gaping open. Two of my other sisters were on the floor, rolling round and pulling at each other's hair.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it!" I shout, leaning down and prying them off of each other. They look up at me with rosy cheeks and angry faces. They fight all the time and I'm always having to split them up.

"You're back." I hear a voice behind and turn my head towards it. My sister was standing in the doorway wearing grey tracksuit bottoms and a pink hoodie, dark blonde hair in a messy bun. She looked at me with glossy eyes as if she were about to cry, something I never saw her do.

"Yeah. Look don't cry, please." I say, leaving the two previously fighting children on the floor and walking over to her. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her head down onto my shoulder.

"It has been so hard without you Callie. I know you go out loads and I'm usually fine, but Isla and Evie won't stop fighting. Bella's been mostly fine, but she keeps crying because mum's gone again." She speaks in between sharp breaths and cries. I know I shouldn't have gone to that party.

I live with my 4 sisters. Sophia is 16 and closest in age to me, Isla and Evie are 8, and Arabella is 4. Sophia and I have the same parents but the other 3 have a different dad to us. Neither of them live with us though. It's just us 5 girls and my mum, who apparently has disappeared again. When it gets too much for her, she runs off, without a phone so we can't contact her. It's difficult for Sophia and I, we have to look after 3 children as well as ourselves, but it has been like this since my mum was 5 months pregnant with Arabella so were used to it now.

I pull back from Sophia, tucking a loose strand behind her ear and kissing her on the forehead. I feel awful for leaving her here but when I left last night my mum was still here and everything was under control. My mum has weeks when she's brilliant and everything seems perfect, but then there will be one thing that goes wrong and she'll go without even thinking about the rest of us. Taylor and Stella are usually really good, they know my family well and always come over to help us when our mum goes. But I feel bad, this isn't their family, they shouldn't be helping me when they have their own lives and things to worry about and since mum has been disappearing more often now, I haven't been asking them for help.

"The chicken nuggets and potato waffles are in the oven and the peas are boiling. Do you mind watching it whilst I take a shower?" Sophia asks, looking down at her hands nervously. Her face was damp with tears, but she had stopped crying.

"Of course, I've got it now. I'm here and everything will be okay." I say, hugging her once more before she walks off towards the stairs.

*

"Tell me everything!" Taylor says through the screen. His face was bright with excitement but there was really nothing to say.

"All we did was watch movies all day before he took me home." I shrug my shoulders and lean back so my head meets my propped up pillows.

"So you were practically there for a whole day and didn't have sex once?" He asks, pulling a confused and shocked face.

"No we didn't. I'm allowed to just have a chilled out day with my friend without any funny business. And he also lives with 4 other boys, so it would've been a bit difficult." I reply, holding my phone above my face.

"Alright, alright. I believe you."

"Who were the other boys? Were they at the party?" Stella asks from the other icon on my phone. We never usually FaceTime, we're usually at one of our houses, but with everything that's happening I thought it was best to just call them instead.

"Yeah. Louis was at the party and so was Harry. I think the other two were but I'm not quite sure, I was very drunk as you may remember. Thank you by the way, Stell. Did you not see them when you helped me at his house?" I say, looking at them both on the phone screen.

"Well I was there with you towards the end of the party and saw Louis and Harry. But Niall and I went off in a taxi with you and I don't know where the others went so no, I didn't see them." She replies, propping her phone up on her desk and leaning back on her chair.

"Sounds like you two had a fun night then." Taylor says, "Sorry I wasn't around much."

"Yeah, from what I remember it was good. Tay you can stop apologising now, it's been 3 days, we don't mind where you went as long as you had fun." I reply with a smile.

"Thank you, babe."

"You know I think one of the boys were saying that they were throwing a party soon, Cal. And if they all live together I assume it's at their house. Maybe you could get us invited." Stella says with a smirk on her face.

"Firstly, I don't want to go to another party. Secondly, I've met Niall once and don't know if I'm on party at his house level yet. Thirdly, you know what happened last time, I can't go out until my mums home and I know she's not going anywhere. So by all means, get yourself invited but count me out." I have a serious tone in my voice, hoping they'll understand that this is my final decision and I'm not changing my mind. I can't risk anything happening to my sisters just because I want to go out to a party with some boys. If I weren't in this situation, I would definitely go. I loved parties and would go to them all of the time with Stell, Tay and Layla but my mum keeps on getting worse and as the kids get older, they get harder to manage so I have to stay here and help out.

"I understand. Hope everything's okay, Callie. Tay and I are always free to help out if you need us, okay?" Stella replies, her voice calm and soft.

"Thank you." I say, appreciating her offer but knowing I couldn't let them get involved with my chaos. It's just not fair on them.

"We're always here Callie, whatever you need. I promise. I've got to go pick up Jack from rugby so I'm going to go now. Bye, I love you both!" Taylor says, hanging up the call so it was just Stella and I.

"Cal," Stella speaks so softly it's almost like a whisper. "I love you, okay. You'll be fine." I nod my head, not in the mood to reply. I know they were always there for me and I loved them both endlessly, but I really didn't know if everything was going to be alright.

I didn't know if I was going to be fine.