Forever And Ever.

17

I walked into the house to be greeted by silence. My hand moved my hair out of my face and just listened to it. No one home, no Gallaghers screaming and shouting next door. It was pure unadulterated bliss. I enjoyed it for a few seconds until I suddenly got worried. Where is everyone?
My feet treaded carefully into the kitchen and to the phone. I dialed the number of the café. It was after school rush on a wednesday so I doubted anyone would answer.
"Hello? Sunshine Café how may I help you?" A womans voice calls. It wasnt my mother though. It was their other staff memember, Alan's neice Dorothy who was about twenty something. I always thought she was so cool, a ray of sunshine or whatever.

"Dor, its Jessica" I hurry my words out down the line "is me mam there? No ones home".

"No love, she popped by earlier, didnt say where she was going are your neighbours not in?" She asks. She had a proper farmer's accent like on Emmerdale.

"No, It doesn't sound like it" I reply, on the verge of tears. For a eleven year old I sure was sensitive, or maybe just afraid of abdonment.

She asks me to wait and puts me on hold for a couple of minutes. Then she comes back "apparently shes gone to see your da' with Terrance and Alfie will be back soon to look after you".

"Alfie? Where is he?" I ask. Just as I say that the front door opens and he comes walking in. "Nevermind. Thanks dor".

"Anytime" she replies and hangs up. I put the phome back and run over to Alfie, I hug him and then burst out crying.

"Hey, dont be silly" he kneels down to my level (he was tall for 16 going on 17) and looks at me. "What's wrong".

"I came back from school and it was quiet but... the house was empty and I thought yous had all left me" I say between hysterical breaths.

Alfie puts his hands on my shoulders and looks at me right in the eyes. "Jessie listen to me, no one is ever going to leave you, ever. Especially not me. We fuckin' love you man, so fucking much" he smiles and lets go of me, still kneeling down. "I know what will cheer yer up".

"What?" I ask, smiling through my sobs. He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

"This" he says. I go to take it off him but he moves it as I grab at it. "I know its your favourite. You can have all of it if yer promise to stop getting in such a state".

"I promise" I reply "now gimme". He hands me it and smiles.

"Dont tell ma, she'll have me guts for garters".

"I wont" I reply, opening it and nibbling like a mouse "thank yer, alfie. I love you too".

"I know you do" he says and stands up. He takes me by the hand "lets watch a movie and have a quiet night in shall we? Ive no doubt in my mind that Terry is givin' ma a run for her money". He leads me into the livingroom and we sit on the sofa, for a second, everything seems alright in the world.
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Noel looked at me with so much mad love buzzing about in his head, like he'd never seen someone so beautiful in his life. "You look fuckin' stunnin', baby, gorgeous". He had brought me a new dress for this cocktail party we were going to later in the day at stop numero six, back in London before we go up north (Ive purposely left out stops 2 through to 5 because nothing interesting happend, we went to brighton but I never saw no beach).

"Fuckin' stunnin', gorgeous" I repeat to myself quietly and then talk normal "i better go get dressed properly".

I put on my normal clothes and the cardigan Violet brought me (it was my new safety blanket at this point) and walked back out to noel. "Ready?" He asks. I nodded and we set off. We werent at supernova heights, but at a hotel in west london ahead of the upcoming show tomorrow night. But noel had asked to borrow a friend's car to drive me to the doctors near supernovas so i could get a check up and get my cast removed finally.