Hotline

Chapter 27

Liams POV

Saturday - Night of the Not-Date

Disclamer - I'm aware I have some younger readers and some readers that may find the following chapter hard to read. The following chapter may not be appropriate or may be upsetting to many of my readers as it includes the mention of violence and drug and alcohol usage.  

We were sat in the car in a park Ivy had directed me to. She hadn't moved, hadn't said anything since we got here about two minutes ago. She was sitting next to me with this look on her face, a look that screamed pain. I felt awful, I had obviously hit a nerve bringing up her parents, I didn't even realise. Over the phone she had always managed to direct the conversation away from family. I should have noticed, I should have kept my mouth shut.

"I'm sorry," Ivy whispers so quiet I almost miss it.

"No, no, it's fine, it's okay," I lean over the console to take her hands and fortunatly she doesn't pull away.

"I want to tell you," Ivy continues, I go to tell her that she doesn't have to but she stops me, "I want to tell you." I pause but eventually nod my head. I didn't want to make whatever she had to tell me any harder than it obviously already was. I'd wait here patiently for her to tell me and if she decided she didn't want to, i'd be okay with that too.

I just wanted her to be okay, to be happy.

"Christmas Eve four years ago, I had snuck out of the house. I was young and I was stupid and at the time I had hung around some pretty bad influences that partied 24/7. Christmas Eve, I had been..." Ivy trailed off as wet fat tears streamed down her face. I grabbed her hand again, letting her know I was here for her, "I never once took anything, never took any drugs or drank alcohol and that angered my best friend at the time. That night, he hit me. He hit me Liam and not just once. I called my dad in tears and begged him to come and get me. Nothing like this had ever happened before, I was shocked and I was upset and I needed my dad, he was my role model, it was because of him I had the courage to stay clean and stray from the peer pressure."

Ivy stopped talking as she burst out into tears. I unbuckled my seat belt and completely turned my body towards hers so that I could hug her. I held her head close to my chest and just repeated it's okay over and over.

"It's not okay Liam! because of me, because I called my dad, because I was stupid enough to believe that those guys were my friends, that they really cared for me, he had gotten into a car accident. He was speeding to get to me and a truck hit him side on. I shouldn't have even been there and because I was and because I asked for help, my dad paid the ultimate price."

What Ivy just told me was a lot to take in. It seemed unreal that the apparent happy and bubbly girl in my arms had been through such a tortue.

"Ivy, hey, you cannot blame yourself for something like this. You may think that this is your fault but it's not. It's okay to ask for help and your dad, he would have loved you so much-"

"Please stop," Ivy interrupted, "please don't give me this whole speech on how this isn't my fault. My mum, she refuses to talk to me, she wont even look at me. I shouldn't have trusted those guys and I sure as hell shouldn't have been with them on christmas eve of all days. I don't deserve to be happy, I don't deserve to have people like you in my life."

I started shaking my head, I couldn't let her think she was the reason her father was dead. It was an accident, a horrible, unthinkable accident and it wasn't her fault. 

"Ivy, what happened was not your fault and everyone deserves happiness, especially you." Ivy just sat there with the most impassive face, it scared me.

"I should go home," Ivy declared, "be warned, we kinda live in a shithole, after dad... well we couldn't afford our old place." I nodded, I understood. After Ivy had given me her address I was on the road. It was obvious that tonight no matter what I said Ivy would not listen but I vowed, from that day onwards, I would prove to her that she is deserving of happiness and I would try my hardest to help her deal with all she'd been through. I would be her rock, supportive and present whenever she needed me. That was my promise. 

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Sorry for such a heavy chapter, it's definitely different to my usual stuff. I've had this as a draft for a really long time, it has taken a while for me to work the courage up to publish it. I want to say that if anyone is going through a hard time or if any of my readers are struggling, feel free to inbox me, sometimes talking to an absolute stranger is helpful. If not please talk to a close, trusted friend/family member. Stay strong guys, there's light at the end of the tunnel. 

Xx Skittle Lova