Adeline|New Hope Club|Blake Richardson|

6: Brooks

After heading home from the hospital and bidding farewell to Blake's mates, the three boys laid down on the couches in the living room. Reece had a bandage over the left side of his forehead but there wasn't much else wrong with him. He'd gotten three stitches and the nurse said there would be minimal scarring, which was good to hear considering he had so much face time with the fans. Reece thought about asking Blake what he'd meant when he'd said he'd seen a ghost but he wasn't exactly sure about how to go about doing so. George and Reece had been texting throughout the ride home about what Reece had witnessed and both boys felt uneasy about it.

As the telly was blaring some gossip show that none of the boys actually cared about, George exchanged a glance with Reece. With Blake completely oblivious, Reece nodded and both sat up and this caused Blake to put down his phone and look at his two mates. There was something in their eyes that was rubbing Blake the wrong way. Unconsciously, Blake prepared for anything that could have happened. Deep down, he knew this would be about Adeline. Reece saw right through him.

"So, mate," Reece scratched the back of his neck feeling uncomfortable in his own skin, "About what you said at the hospital, do you want to talk about it?"

"Because if you do, we're here for you," George adds in, hoping Blake wouldn't shut them out, "We know you're battling your own demons and all of that mumbo jumbo, but we just want you to know you don't have to go through it alone. You're not alone, mate."

"I know," Blake sighed, looking both of them in the eyes and making up his mind, "I saw Adeline there. At the hospital. She told me I shouldn't have been there and she told me to leave her alone."

Blake sat there, hunched over on the couch with his hands in his hair, finally letting all of his frustrations rush in. He didn't know how to explain to his best mates what had happened. He didn't know how to explain to them that he'd been such a horrible person to Adeline. He didn't know how to explain to them that he'd left her without a second glance. Blake didn't know how to explain any of it. Especially how hollow his heart felt when he thought about her.

"I've just lost her," Blake finally said as his voice had gone soft, "And there's not a bloody thing I can do about it."

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," Reece tried to reason, seeing the look on the brunettes face, "You two were close, right? I'm sure if you explain it to her, she'll see why you-"

"She won't," Blake exploded, standing up from his seat and staring daggers at both of his supposed best mates, "Because I haven't got a fucking reason behind leaving her! I was mad at her but that's no excuse to leave without a word. I didn't even know where she went! One day my mum called and told me Adeline had left! And you know what the first thing I thought? It was my fault!"

"I left her and then she left too. I drove her away while being in a different city. I don't deserve to even be near her. I promised her I'd always be there for her when she needed me and then I completely disregarded her for a year! A bloody year," Blake was pacing now, talking more to himself than the others, "She has every right to hate me. I just wish I knew where she'd gone off to but I don't even deserve that. I broke my promises and she doesn't owe me anything. So no, she won't just understand. I've got nothing to explain to her. She doesn't need to hear any of it."

"I'm going out," Blake said after his diatribe had finished, not even taking a second to glance at the two boy's facial reactions, "Don't wait up."

Blake needed to talk to someone who understood the whole story. He certainly couldn't talk to Adeline or Sienna; he couldn't even talk to his own mum about it. Blake let out a frustrated sigh, got in his car and slammed the door so forcefully he was sure the two could hear from inside. Blake's hands crashed onto his steering wheel, sounding the horn. Although, he could care less about what anyone else was thinking about at that moment. Blake started his car and soon enough, he found himself crossing the tracks into the other side of town. He passed Adeline's house and it took everything in him to not look in its direction. A few minutes later, Blake pulled into a painfully familiar drive and parked his car.