The Beautifully Reckless

Chapter Twenty One

Mila-Rose's POV

My eyes widen in fear at the voice coming from my phone. "Mom? How did you get this number?" I ask, trying not to sound scared. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I'm calling to see how you are." she purrs. "Since when have you ever cared about my well being?" I snap. "Listen her girl. You aren't eighteen yet. I can regain custody and have you shipped away from your friends and your precious boyfriend." she growls. Fear runs through my veins like ice and I go silent. "I knew that would get your attention. If you don't listen to me, you'll be hearing from my lawyers. Are we clear?" Her even tone rings out. "Y-Yeah." I stutter. "Good. Now your dear old mummy needs to pay some people back. And you are gonna be my help." she says. I don't notice my hand shaking as she continues to talk. I agree to her plan and she hangs up. My phone slides from my hand and onto the grass. My knees give out from under me and my whole body goes into a state of panic. My body is shaking and my vision is blurry from tears. I hear someone call my name but it's muffled.

My body is lifted up from the ground and I can faintly make out Jonah's features. People are talking but it all sounds like buzzing. I'm set down on a soft surface and pulled into someone's arms. They quietly start to sing and more voices quickly join in. The person holding me strokes my hair and holds me close. The voices become less muffled and I can hear the boys singing clearly. Someone is wiping the tears off my cheeks and my body stops shaking. "You okay Milly?" Jonah asks. He has me pulled into his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around me. "N-no." I mumble. He hushes me and rocks my body. I lay my head on his shoulder letting him and the boys sing lightly. Once I'm calm enough to function I ask someone to call Logan. Jack leaves the room with the phone held up to his ear. "What happened Mills?" Daniel asks. I shake my head. "Wait until Logan gets here." I say. He nods and we sit in silence until Jack walks back in. "Logan is on his way over. He knows its urgent. And everyone is hoping you're okay. They know that you need space right now." he says. I nod and lean my head on Jonah's chest while he runs his hand through my hair. The room is filled with a thick silence, until we hear a door slam open in another part of the house.

Logan bursts into the room a couple seconds later, Brendan close behind. "Are you okay with Brendan being here?" Logan asks. I nod and pick my head up. "What happened Mills?" Corbyn asks. I look down at my hands as they start to shake from the memories. A large hand grabs them and holds them. I look up and lock eyes with Jonah. "We can leave if you don't feel comfortable with us in here." He whispers. I shake my head. "Stay. Please." I whisper. He nods and kisses my head. "Mom called." I say, looking at Logan. "What could she have-" he starts. "My biological mother called. Not Pam." I say, cutting him off. "What did she want?" Zach asks. "She threatened me. She needs money because she owes people. And she knows about my fame. And if I don't give her the money she's taking us to court to regain custody of me. She'll make me loose contact with all of you. I can't go back. I don't want to go back. She hurts me and I can't go back to having panic attacks every hour. And crying myself to sleep. And the abuse. The drugs. The cutting. The blood. The blacking out. The fear." I say. Warm tears run down my face and my body is shaking. Logan picks me up off the couch and into a hug.

He holds me for a minute before setting me back down. Everyone has tears in their eyes. Brendan and the boys didn't know the full story. They only knew bits and pieces. "We won't let you go back to that Mills." Daniel says, grabbing my hand. "She'll have to go through all of us. I may not be the strongest but I will fight until my very last breath." Zach says. A tiny smile sneaks onto my face and I hug him. "Thank you Zach." I mumble. "Mills don't worry about a thing. We'll be here every step of the way." Corbyn says. "You won't go back. No one will text me stupid things at two in the morning if you leave. That and I love you and I'm not gonna loose you little sis." Jack says. I grin and hug him. Logan and Brendan tell me similar things, both saying that I'm not going anywhere.

"We've been dating for one month because of Logan. It may have started out as a joke but once I looked at you as more than a friend, I couldn't look at you any other way. You flew my family out here because you knew it would make me happy. I can remember your In and Out order but I can't remember your full name to save my life. You have the voice of an angel. When you do something you put one hundred and ten percent into it, nothing less. You put others before yourself and you want everyone around you to be happy. You've accomplished more at seventeen than most people do at seventy. You've gone through hell and you are one of the strongest people I know. That lady has another thing coming if she thinks you are going anywhere. I love you way too much to loose you." Jonah says. A tear falls from my eye and his face drops. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Happy tears." I say. He relaxes. "I love you too. I didn't realize it at first. I knew I liked you ever since we went on our 'first date' and we had a splash war at the beach. But I knew I loved you when we sang that duet the day you found me in the planetarium and you kissed me. All I could think when you kissed me was how much I loved it and how I didn't want to kiss anyone else because it will never feel the same." I say. He grins and kisses me. "Ew! Cooties!" Zach yells, running out of the room. Jonah and I break away, laughing at Zach's childish ways. We all file out of the room and Jonah holds my hand. Everyone looks at me, making sure I don't break down again. "You don't have to tell them anything if you don't want to." Jonah whispers. "They are family. They deserve to know." I say. We all sit down and I start telling everyone my story, from the very beginning. Now everyone knows everything. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Mrs. Herron says, rubbing my hand. "I'm not. It made the person I am today and it made me stronger. Plus if it didn't happen I wouldn't be where I am now. I have a awesome family and a boyfriend I love." I say. Jonah smiles at me and a smile instantly make it's way on my face.

"So now what happens?" Zach asks. "Happens with what?" Logan asks. "With the deal Mills made with her mom. If she doesn't get any money we go to court. And she probably knows people who could win any case. No matter the cost." he says. A sigh escapes my lips. Zach is right. "We go to court then. And we fight. If that isn't enough then we don't stop. Milly means a lot to each of us. We can't let her go that easily." Jonah says. "He's right. Mills won't go back. Not with everything that happened. Any judge with a heart will  do the right thing." Corbyn says. "I hope so. Cause if I go back, I'll loose myself." I say. "Well we aren't giving her any money. We wait and go to court." Logan says. I nod. "Can you call mom and Jake?" I ask him. He nods and leaves the room. I lean into Jonah and he wraps an arm around me. Logan walks in a few minutes later and looks at me. "Jake said he'll help in anyway possible and mom said she's will always be there for you, no matter what." He says. I nod and look at Jonah.

"What do you wanna do? We can all head back to your place and relax. You've had a long day." He says. I nod and everyone, minus Logan and Brendan, heads back to my place. I immediately change out of my clothes into something comfy as do all the others. Mrs. Herron and all the boys siblings head to bed, leaving me with the boys. I text Rosa, Mariana and Lillian and they come over too. I smile at the eight people I have surrounding me. These people are part of my support system. I don't know what life would be like without them. "Thanks for being here for me today. It means a lot to me." I say. Jonah kisses my head and I smile. Lillian and Jack are happily talking in the kitchen and Daniel and Rosa are talking on the couch. Zach is sitting on the floor next to Mariana, while she teaches him to braid her hair. She laughs as he messes up and has to start over.

I'm sitting on the couch, curled up in Jonah's side while he plays with my hair and talks to Corbyn. My head rests on his chest and I can faintly hear his heartbeat. The constant thumping of his heart and the comforting voices of my friends slowly lulls me to sleep, knowing that I'm never alone in any situation.