New Beginnings.

4

When we pulled up in the apartment parking lot, we saw Derrick's jeep still there.

"You okay?" Liam asked as he opened the car door for me. I nodded sheepishly, still feeling a little embarrassed.

"Oh, before we go in...be prepared, we have no furniture." I grabbed onto the doorknob.

"No furniture? Why?" He looked confused.

"It hasn't arrived yet; it should be here on Monday." I pushed the door open and immediately slammed it back closed. "Maybe we should go for a drive?" I squeaked out.

As Liam stood looking even more confused, Derrick pulled the door open, standing there shirtless with his pants unbuttoned. My cheeks had to be beet red!

"Sorry, guys." He smiled, holding the door open. Stacia had got up and disappeared from their compromising position on the floor. I was shocked at my friend; everything in the last 48 hours had been such a whirlwind, I was feeling so overwhelmed. I suppressed my emotions at the moment and went into the apartment. Liam quietly followed; when I turned around, he was giving his brother a questioning look. Derrick kind of smirked before grabbing his shirt and going down the hall to the bathroom.

I raised my eyebrows at Liam. "I guess they were really having fun."

"It would appear so." He laughed nervously. "Sorry, not my best idea."

"Not your fault at all. Come in, have a seat, make yourself comfortable." I gestured around the floor, laughing. He smiled wide. "Can I offer you a drink?" I teased.

"I'm good, thank you."

Stacia came back into the room as Liam and I were sitting down on our pillow couch. She smiled big, trying to hide her embarrassment. After years of knowing her, though, I could tell she was thoroughly embarrassed. Derrick came out behind her.

"How'd the date go?" He asked, trying to divert attention.

"It was very nice. Your brother is quite the gentleman." I praised him.

"You did go out with him, right?" He pointed at Liam, laughing. Liam just shook his head.

"How was your evening?" Liam raised his brows, looking at me with a smirk.

"We had a wonderful time." Stacia giggled, getting drinks from the fridge and bringing us all one.

I excused myself to change into something more comfortable. As soon as I hit my bedroom, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. I pulled off Liam's hoodie and slid down onto the floor, and began to sob. I felt silly for crying, but the emotions of the last day and settling in had just been too much for me. I had worked so hard to get to this point, studying hours on end and working two fast-food jobs to have money. This all felt so surreal and also terrifying. Stacia was already acting differently than before, and honestly, if this didn't work out for her, she would be fine. She had her family to go back to. I had no one, and I was so scared of letting anyone in. I pulled out my phone, seeing all the funny texts that Derrick and Stacia had sent to Liam; they had also sent to me. I had a text from Tarran asking about hanging out tomorrow at a coffee shop and another text from an unknown number. I opened the message and immediately wished I hadn't.

-Avery, it's Mom. I'm out of rehab and doing great. Miss you.-

My stomach turned just reading it. This was probably her sixth time in recovery, and honestly, even if it was her first, I still had no desire to talk to her. My life was such a mess, and I was sitting here on my apartment floor, not knowing how to act like a normal young woman. I suppose I had been gone a while because Stacia came knocking.

"Ave, you okay?" She pecked at the door. I stood up, trying to wipe my tears, and let her in.

"What's wrong?!" She looked scared, grabbing me in for a hug. "Did Liam do something?" She questioned, starting to get angry before I could even answer.

"No, No. Not at all." I walked over to my closet, grabbing a long sleeve t-shirt and shorts. I began changing as I talked. "I was just having a pity party for myself. I feel like such an idiot like I don't know how to be a normal almost 19-year-old, and then my Mom texts me." I flung my clothes over to the other side of the room and slipped into my more comfortable clothes. Stacia stood just staring at me.

"Avery. You are not an idiot, and you are mostly normal." She teased. "The only thing you need to work on is relaxing. Life sucks, sometimes bad things happen, but you are proof that no matter what, you can survive and overcome, look at you. You only get one life and one college experience, so enjoy it. As for your Mom, just ignore her; she'll get the hint. You owe her nothing." She started brushing my hair out, helping me pull it back into a pony. "Now, we have two super hot guys sitting in our living room, on the stupid floor, waiting for us. Why are we wasting time in this bedroom?"

"I know. I know. Thank you. You always know how to shake me out of the funk." I hugged my friend tight.

"I'm awesome, I know. Now c'mon. Liam's gonna think you don't like him."

"Sorry, I'm not rolling around on the floor with him already." I teased her after catching her and Derrick. She smirked at me and walked out of the room, me close behind.

"Everything okay?" Derrick asked, looking up. He was sprawled out on the floor, making himself at home. Liam was propped up against the wall on the other side, playing with his phone. Stacia answered Derrick as I came in; Liam looked up, smiling so warmly at me. It made my heart do flip-flops. I took a deep breath and tried to brush all the insecurities and questioning away.

"Sorry about that, just wanted to get changed," I explained, doing my best to control my words.

"No worries." Liam smiled. "You look cute." He leaned over, whispering. I felt myself blush. Wearing a plain grey long sleeve shirt from my high school and a pair of workout shorts, he thought I looked cute.

"You guys want to watch a movie or something?" Stacia asked. I checked the time; it was nearing midnight.

"I'm down. My first Saturday off in like a month might as well enjoy it." Derrick scooted closer to Stacia. Liam looked at me, silently asking my permission. I smiled.

"Sure, as long as you two behave." I teased, grabbing some of the pillows and making a more comfortable spot. I got smacked in the face by a pillow thrown by Stacia. Liam grabbed the pillow and placed it across his lap, patting it for me. I hesitated for a moment but decided to get comfy and lay my head in his lap. His arm laid down on my side, we snuggled in perfectly. I had to admit it felt perfect. Stacia turned on Serendipity. I'm sure the guys just loved it. Stacia snuggled in with Derrick; it wasn't long before they were making out. Fortunately, that's all they were doing. I laid with my head on Liam's lap, watching the movie and letting myself relax. I could feel his arm on mine, his fingers softly tracing circles on my wrist. I glanced up and saw he was watching the movie, with a half-smile on his face. He seemed content; I slid my hand to his and linked my fingers in his, giving him a slight squeeze and snuggling up. I soon slipped off into a deep sleep.