The Problem

After a while standing there, Ava decided it was time to go home as it was getting dark outside. She reached the doorstep, as she was about to open the door, it flung open. At the door stood Ava's angry brother.

"Where have you been!?"

Ava ignored him and forced her way into the house. Her brother's eyes followed her.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"What do you want?"

Ava began getting irritated by Lucas, he just didn't understand how hard it was on her.

"Are you deaf? Where have you been?"

"Somewhere,"

Lucas scoffed and gave her a dirty look.

"If only Dad was here, he would have taken care of us, unlike Mom who just leaves us alone and doesn't even take care of us."

"How dare you! You might not remember this but Dad was the one who left us! He would always come home drunk and never take care of us. Mom would be going from job to job trying to earn enough money for us to go to school! So, don't go blaming it all on Mom because Dad is the one who messed everything up." Ava yelled.

They both glared at each other with anger in their eyes.

"Do you know what, maybe it is good that all of this is happening. Maybe it will snap you back into reality and you'll finally realize that you're just like Mom... worthless and useless." Lucas snapped back.

Ava looked at Lucas with tears in her eyes, her fists clenching.

"You don't mean that. Why do you hate me so much? Please tell me because I can't think of something bad I've done to you from the 12 years of your life."

Ava felt broken. She didn't know what to do anymore.

"You took Dad away from me. You took away the only person that cared about me. You chased him out of the house and he never came back because of you!" Lucas shouted.

"You've been seeing Dad, haven't you?"

Ava nodded slowly and looked at him.

"Whatever he said they're all lies." She stated.

The minute Ava finished her sentenced her mom walked in, she looked at them. As she was about to say something Ava ran upstairs and locked herself in her room.

Ava could hear them talking downstairs and when she heard what her brother said, her heart shattered.

".... she just started shouting at me and then told me I'm the cause that Dad left. She told me she hated me and that you are worthless and useless and I'm just like you. She has also been visiting Dad...."

Ava couldn't believe her brother. Lying to her mother's face like that. She couldn't stand it anymore. She wore some comfortable clothes, walked towards her window, and climbed out of it. She walked towards her and Annie's special place. She went towards the park and sat on one of the swings. She sat there just thinking not realizing that someone had walked towards her.

"Hey," the person said

Ava jumped at the sound of the voice and looked at the person.

"Oh, hey Noah."

"Sorry if I startled you."

"No, it's fine."

Noah strode over to her and sat on the swing next to her. Ava started playing with her fingers getting nervous by the minute.

"So, what are you doing here so late at night?" Noah asked

"I could ask the same for you,"

Noah lightly chuckled and Ava smiled a bit.

"Well, I was just out for some fresh air. Just to clear my mind," Noah explained.

He looked at Ava as if waiting for an answer from her.

"I just came out to think... and for some fresh air."

Ava looked at him and then at the swing he was sitting on. All the memories of her and Annie on that swing started coming back. She sniffled a bit catching Noah's attention.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah...I'm fine" her voice shaking as she said it.

"You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm here for you."

Noah looked at Ava in the eyes. Ava nodded and sighed.

"I miss her..." her voice cracked as she said those words.

That was when Ava realised, she had finally acknowledged that Annie won't be coming back. She was gone. She started crying, wiping away her tears as they fell.

"I miss her so much. I can't live without her."

Noah looked at her. He stood up and slowly walked to her and stood her up. He brought her into an embrace. This was the first hug she had received since the funeral. Everyone had been so focused on adjusting to their new lives they didn't think about her feelings.

"Everything's going to be okay," Noah said.

They stayed in a hug for a while and then they parted.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong. Come on I'll walk you home, it's getting late."

Ava nodded and they made their way back to Ava's house in a comfortable silence. When they reached Ava's house, they both stopped walking. Ava turned around and looked at Noah.

"Thank you for everything."

"It's okay, anytime"

Ava smiled a bit. She then suddenly remembered what happened at the canteen.

"I'm sorry about what happened in school."

Ava felt so guilty about it. She lowered her head in shame.

"Hey, don't worry about it okay? See you at school?"

Ava nodded and smiled. They said their goodbyes and Noah went back home. Ava was dreading meeting her mom and the last person she wanted to see was her brother. She walked up the stairs to her house and opened the door to be greeted by an angry Miss Salford. Ava knew what was coming.

"Where were you?"

"I was at the park."

"And how did you leave the house?"

"...I snuck out of the window."

Her mom shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Lucas looking over the sofa with a smirk on his face. She just ignored it knowing it wasn't worth the argument.

"I have made a decision."

Ava looked at her mom with a confused face.

"You are going to be seeing a psychologist. And no discussion."

"What! Why?"

"Why? Why are you going to play the victim here, Ava? You're my daughter, I know you better than anyone. Lucas told me everything you said, and I am extremely disappointed in you. And I also heard you screaming at night more than two times in a row now. You've been having nightmares about it haven't you?"

Ava completely ignored the question knowing what her mother was talking about.

"If you knew me so well then you would know that I wouldn't be capable of saying that. I wasn't the one that said any of that, it was Lucas. But obviously, you wouldn't believe me because you always defend him. And I'm not going to a psychologist, I don't need one."

"Ava, you do as your told and you don't talk to me like that!"

Ava stared at her mom sternly and walked away to go open her room door to find it unlocked. She was confused as to why it was unlocked but she ignored it anyway. She locked the door behind her and cried in her pillow until she fell asleep.