Mine (Brad Simpson) {IN EDITING}

Chapter 23

BRAD'S POV

I woke up the next morning feeling much better than the day before. Alli made me feel loved, like it wasn't my fault that all this happened, that everything would be okay.

I looked down at the girl who had single-handedly stolen my heart to see her soundly sleeping looking angelic.

A knock on the door makes my head snap up.

"Come in." I call quietly, careful not to wake Alli.

"Hey baby." My mother steps into the room, smiling at Alli and I. "Can we have a chat?"

"Sure." I answer and carefully slip out from underneath Alli and pull the sheets up over her perfect body, placing a kiss on her forehead before following my mother down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I lean against the expensive marble bench and bite into an apple, watching my strangely nervous mother fiddle with her fingers.

"What is it?" I ask, swallowing.

"I... uh, I wanted to talk about the pills." She says and I instantly tense.

"What about them?" I say blandly though gritted teeth.

"Have you been taking them?"

How 5 words could affect me so much, I don't know. But what I do know is that they were last on my list of words I want to hear in the same sentence. I rub my hands over my face and angrily bite into the apple again.

"Bradley?"

"I DIDN'T TAKE THEM, OKAY!?" I boom, launching the apple at the door where it smashes into pieces.

"Why not?" My mother asks, not fearing me at all, looking in fact quite angry herself.

"Because..." I rack my brains searching for an excuse, but when I can't find one I sigh and begin to tell the truth, "They make me feel like I'm not myself. Everything's hazy and... muffled, sort of? I don't know. I hate them, there's so many and I have to down them all and they make me feel terrible. I don't know, mum, I just hate it, okay?"

My mother looks at me with understanding and loving eyes before sighing and rubbing her temples.

"I know, Brad. I know they're horrible but you have to take them, okay? They make you better and the effect wears off, like the doctor said. You know what happens when you don't take them, Brad, you don't want to be in that place again." She says. I know what she says is true, but I loathe those pills.

"I know. I'm sorry." I mumble, taking an interest in my bare feet. "I promise I'll try and take them."

"Thankyou baby." She says, softly kissing my forehead before walking up the stairs.

I can't believe how supportive she is of me, even though I am the way I am. It's my fathers fault that I'm like this, it sounds vain and like I'm blaming someone for my own problems but it's true. All of the things he's done in the past made me like this... he's the reason I'm-

"BRAD!" I hear Alli's voice call from upstairs and I instantly begin climbing the staircase.

"Yeah?" I call back.

"Can you come here for a second?" She asks and my heart rate begins to pick up.

"Where are you?"

"Your bathroom!" She calls and I almost have a heart attack.

She knows. Oh my god she knows. I told her not to go in there! Of course she would go in, why wouldn't I let her go in my bathroom? God, I'm so stupid. Everything's ruined. Fuck.