Nikes - A Blake Richardson (New Hope Club) FanFiction

At the campfire

In the evening we decided to spark a campfire in the garden. To prepare our meal for it I disappeared into the kitchen while the boys still worked on their song and tried to finish it.

I had asked Eva if she wanted to join us and she had accepted immediately. I was glad that she would come because I had barely seen or texted her the last days. Her school was very stressful already.

When I was almost done I heard the boys stop playing their guitars and a few seconds later the door of the kitchen opened. Four happy but exhausted boys came in and still talked about their song. I could hear how proud they were and had to smile quietly.

"Can we help you, Selena?" Reece asked.

"No, it's alright. I'm almost done, but thank you." I answered friendly.

"We can prepare the bonfire." Adam suggested and went out of the kitchen to look for some wood. Blake and George followed him.

"Hey uhm..." Reece who stayed said shyly. "It's because of yesterday. I'm sorry, I didn't expected you-"

I interrupted him. "It's alright Reece. Really. You couldn't know, it was absolutely not your fault. I appreciate that you want to say sorry but you don't have to apologize for nothing. I'm fine." I turned around and smiled at him.

"Really?" He asked carefully and I could see how guilty he felt. It was very cute of him but I meant my words how I had said them.

"Really. It's alright." I gave him a brighter smile to convince him.

A shy smile appeared on his face and he came closer to give me a small hug. "Then I am glad."

He gave me a last smile and followed the others.

I went into the garden to clean the table and put the bowls with salad on it. Right then I saw Eva coming and waved at her. "Eva! Here I am!" I yelled happily.

When she saw me she ran towards me and hugged me. "Hey! How are you doing?" She asked happily as well.

"Fine and you? How's school?" We parted and went into the house to take out some bottles of water.

"Too but don't talk about school. School is annoying." She said.

We had a nice chat until the boys came back and lighted the fire. They had trouble at first but then it worked. Eva and I had already sat down two meters away from the fire and when it finally burned Blake sat down onto my right hand side. Eva sat on my left hand side and on her left hand side Reece sat down. George sat next to Reece and Adam closed our circle at the opposite side.

We held our sausages into the fire and talked about everything and nothing. I enjoyed the evening a lot. I loved their company and the composition of these people was the best. We all felt comfortable and had a lot of fun. They were my favorite people, I got aware of that, and all I actually had in my life.

We laughed a lot and at the end of the evening New Hope Club played their new song again. Eva was very, very delighted and wanted to hear it again and again. Unfortunately it still wasn't completely finished so that they just broke up when they had played what they had composed yet.

When Eva had enough of the song the boys played some covers and it sounded so much better live than in their videos on YouTube. I marveled how good their voices sounded one more time. Even though I had heard them sing the whole day I still admired their talent.

Eva had to go earlier because of school but we stayed around the fire for about two further hours. But then George yawned and said he would go to bed. Reece joined him but before he went into the house he turned around and stared at Adam. Unfortunately I couldn't see his face but I could tell he wanted to say something to Adam without using words. I could imagine what he wanted to say. I was sure that I even knew it.

But Adam stayed. After a while he started. "Blake, would you mind leaving us? I need to talk to Selena..."

Before Blake had a chance to stand up I said to Blake, putting a hand on his leg, "It's fine, please stay." And to Adam I said, "He can listen."

Blake looked at me and asked only through his eyes "Are you sure?" And I answered in the same way "Yes."

"What is it?" I said then to Adam.

"We still didn't talk about yesterday..." My brother said then.

I moaned silently. "It's alright, really. I am fine."

"But for me it is not alright. I want to settle it. Look, I am truly so sorry that I had done that with Reece. I thought you were less anxious now. I thought the year in England helped. But apparently not. Selena, you can't live like that your whole live. Why don't you go to your psychologist again?"

I felt how Blake froze next to me.

"Because" I said determined, "he can't help me anyway. You can see it yourself, Adam. How many years did I go to him? And has something changed? No. Nothing. It is a waste of time."

"Oh no, you are wrong. Of course he helped you. Maybe you didn't see it but you made progress indeed. If you hadn't been in therapy you would be crazy now!" Adam pointed out.

Fortunately he didn't care about Blake's presence so that Blake could stay while Adam said exactly the same words like he would have said without Blake. I was glad that Blake was here when I had to listen to Adam's arguments because I doubted that I would have had the courage to stand his words and say what I thought without Blake next to me.

Don't get me wrong, I could always talk to my brother reasonably. But in that issue Adam was less compliable.

"Maybe you are right. But this was only for the first time. Now, nothing changed for years! He did what he was able to do but that's it. I mean, the year in England was good for me. I wasn't afraid there. But this was the only advantage there. You weren't there, Eva wasn't there and I didn't have nobody who understood me there. And now when I'm back, things turned back to how it had been. Admit it."

Adam kept silent. Then he said with a sad voice, "But this can't be a solution."

"It can. I'm fine, really. There is no other opportunity. As long as Blake, Reece and George are here it's alright, I can walk around with them."

Blake took my hand with these words and squeezed it to support me. My heart skipped a beat but I tried to stay concentrated.

"But what when they go again? You know, they are here for only six months." Adam said.

"Don't worry about what will be. Maybe I'll change until then. And if not we can still consider what we will do."

Adam didn't seem satisfied with my answer but there was nothing left to say for him but accept it.

He sighed and covered his face in his hands, massaging softly his closed eyes. Staying in that position he said, "Alright. If I really can't do anything to convince you to go to him again, I will wait. But there is one condition."

I said nothing to show Adam that I was listening to him.

"When New Hope Club goes," he explained, "and your fears still didn't disappear, you will go to the psychologist again. Without protest. Do you promise that?" Adam said hauntingly.

I hesitated a bit before I finally agreed, just to satisfy Adam. Six months was a long time, I would find a solution.

"Good." Adam replied only half satisfied. Then he stood up and went into the house. "Put out the fire when you leave." He told us before he finally left.