City Secrets

Chapter 1

Frozen in the icy cold grip of my dark apartment I sit, a curious fury etched into the lines of my skin. The powers been cut - again - and my patience is waning as I wait for a mother who would rather support her addiction than her daughter's basic needs.

The fumbling of keys alert me to the arrival of an unwanted guest and I get up stalking too the front door, to welcome my mother after a long night out on the town... sort of.

I'm not surprised at the sight of a Andrew half carrying my drunken mother through the door. All the while managing to pin her arms to her sides, and attempting fruitlessly to stop her from half crawling up his body to place a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek. He often lends a helping hand, and to my dismay those hands are mostly helping my mother up to our apartment in her drunken state.

"Thank you Andie, I don't know what I would do without your help." he gives me a soft smile and my cheeks light up at the pity that I recognize in his eyes. "Jenn you know I'd help anytime, I'm just sorry that I can't stop her. But your mom always knows when I water her drinks down, and if I don't serve her... well we both know she'll find somewhere else." Andrew's apology reminds me of how I felt about him in the beginning, How could he live with himself knowing that he helps push alcoholics further into oblivion? But now I know those thoughts as useless, I can't blame bartenders for my mother's actions.

We've had this place for nearly two years, ever since mom saw a sign in the window advertising a two room, one bathroom apartment above the bar. "Apartment" is hardly the right word, the second "room" is lingo for a sleeper couch in the living room with hardly any breathing space.

Of course living above a bar isn't ideal when your mother is an alcoholic but the place was affordable and at least the bar and by default my mom is always close.

"Andrew," he settles my mother down on the couch, and turns to me in the dark. I can hardly see him in the dark but I still know he's wearing his favorite Guns and Roses black T, faded from years of wear and tear.

His charcoal eyes see right through me and I jump into action before he sees how vulnerable I am, "I wish she could at least find her own way up a few stairs and stop bothering you."

He runs a hand through his hair and puffs out a deep breath of air. "You know I'd hate for your mom to get hurt." the weight of the silence between us sits heavy on my chest, "I know you blame her drinking on yourself..." he shifts his weight before shuffling over and surrounding me with a bone crushing hug, "I'm sorry Jenny, I wish I could do more for you." he mumbles into my neck and then pulls back.

He wishes he could do more? As if he doesn't mean the world to me. I pull him close untill I can feel the heat emanating from his skin, "You have done more for me than I could have wished for."

After a few more minutes of clutching onto each other Andrew extracts himself from my embrace, wiping a few stray tears from my cheeks and then he leaves withought another word.

The pain I saw in his eyes threaten to crush me and I try to convince myself that he didn't leave because of my crushing rejection that still rings clear in his mind. In these last two weeks it has become nearly impossible for Andrew to be around me.

Just friends. That's what I told him. I couldn't handle being more than just friends, at least for now... But in all honesty there was just no spark of attraction between us.

And despite knowing how I hurt him I would still never wish that our friendship, a friendship which had started through his younger brother Travis, would have grown any other way.

Travis was only a year my junior but I instantly felt the need to protect him after he'd been dragged behind a building by the school bully. Afterwards he told hia older brother and the next day Andrew used all his money to buy me the most ridiculous bunch of flowers I've ever seen and the rest... was history.

After five minutes of standing alone in the dark silence I turn to find my mother sprawled over the couch unconscious, We'll I guess I'll have to take the bed, the thought slipps through my mind as I arrange the blankets on top of my mother... I make my way to the bedroom and in the last moments before my head hits her pillow I contemplate what seems to be the end of a chapter in my life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N

Hi my lovely readers! I do dearly hope you are having an awesome day and want to thank you endlessly for choosing to read my story.

It is a re-write of an old story I used to write and I'm hoping to rekindle the fires of my love for writing. I hope you enjoy reading it and that my characters find a special place in your heart.

Peace, Moose out!

PS. Please vote, like and comment!