Runaway Train

I'll Be There For You

Surprise! We're kinda sorta ahead of the game again?! Don't expect it to last lol. Aso PS. Check out the new cover Sarah made. Isn't it pretty? Be sure to praise her so she'll do it again.

T/w: mentions of eating disorders

Chapter Ten

I'll Be There For You

The two scrawny teen girls had finally fallen asleep, curled up together in a pile of blankets and pillows on the living room floor. They had entered dreamland somewhere in the middle of watching the movie 'Clueless' for seemingly the 10th time in the last week.

It had been a huge win for all of the adults in Amelia's corner to see her make a new friend so quickly upon starting her group therapy.

Jo Wilson was a young girl in foster care who was in Amelia's group, and she was just about the same age at thirteen. For her part, Amelia was considered quite small for being just barely fifteen; she was also a grade behind in school due to her circumstances over the past year. She had felt an immediate connection with the other girl and they had become fast friends.

Jo's foster parents were always happy to let the thirteen year old spend the night with her new friend in the care of two 'budding doctors' as they put it. Arguably too happy sometimes, but not so much that it was a concern. In fact, Amelia's new friend and her guardians had attended Amelia's recent birthday dinner.

Addison and Derek never minded having the girl over, especially since she seemed to have visibly raised Amelia's spirits and helped to coax her back out of her shell.

The two girls were practically attached at the hip, which slightly worried them when they considered the fact that Jo would start back up at public school in a week. They worried Amelia was becoming dependent on her friend and that she would backslide emotionally without her support.

Late January-Early February 1996

New Years came and went, and everyone hoped that a New Year meant new changes for the better. The two teen girls settled into their routines fairly well.

Jo started her freshman year at the local high school, and Amelia settled into being homeschooled with her new tutor. She was on an accelerated program that would allow her to catch up on what she had missed in her freshman year, while still finishing her sophomore curriculum on time with her former peers.

Everything seemed to be going well, both girls were following rules and meeting all of their school and therapy requirements. Additionally, Amelia was impressing both her tutor and her family with her above average academic prowess.

But of course, as with most young teenagers, curiosity and the need to push boundaries was always buzzing beneath the surface ready to explode. So it was no surprise that after yet another movie night, Jo declared to Amelia that they needed to do something fun the next day when they would be left alone for the first time in months.

"Ames, guess what?" Jo said, plopping down next to Amelia on her bed, causing the other girl to bounce a bit in response to the impact. Amelia looked up curiously, diverting her attention from the science textbook that was resting on her pretzel-crossed legs.

"There is a really cool new senior girl at my school named Megan, and she just joined the yearbook club I'm in. She said she is having a birthday / housewarming party today at her house, and she said I could come and bring anyone I want!! Isn't that cool?! Do you wanna go with me?" Jo bubbled with excitement, clasping her hands together and smiling hopefully at her best friend.