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"𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙁𝙐𝘾𝙆𝙎 𝙎𝘼𝙆𝙀, 𝙅𝙊𝙍𝘿𝘼𝙉."
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𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐀'𝐒 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐂𝐇, the last thing that Riz wanted was to be anywhere near Ackley Bridge College and, even more so, his fractured family. So when the Wilson twins offered for him to come over to theirs instead and binge takeaway pizza, he couldn't have agreed sooner.
The three teenagers sat around in the Wilson lounge, drowning out the sound of whatever soap was playing on the telly. Riz leaned back against the sofa with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't believe she did that." He shook his head. "Making a show of us in front of the whole school."
"Is your dad mad?" Cory asked with a mouthful of pizza.
"I have no idea." Riz shrugged. "He's been calling me all day, but I haven't picked up. It's a bit late for talking now."
"Well if it helps, you can stay here as long as you want." Mollie offered with a small smile. "Dad won't care, and god knows where Jordan is."
"Thanks for the offer." Riz said softly. "But I might go back home soon. I couldn't care less about dad, but I need to be there for my mum."
"Makes sense, mate. Just know that you're welcome here any time. You're basically my second brother at this point." Cory said supportively, reaching out his fist for Riz to bump. After receiving an appreciative glance from Riz, he turned back to Mollie. "Speaking of brothers, when was the last time you saw Jordan?"
"At school, when he stomped off and told me he didn't care about any of us." Mollie rolled her eyes as she remembered her brother's behavior, but she couldn't stop her face from softening slightly with worry. It wasn't unusual for him to disappear for hours at a time, but this time felt different. Biting down on her lip, she sighed. "He's not answering any of my messages, though. I'm getting a bit worried."
"He'll be fine." Cory said unconvincingly, trying to lessen his sister's anxiety. "He's probably at a friend's house, and his phone's dead or something. Jordan's street smart, he won't have gotten himself in any danger."
"I hope you're right." She sighed.
"I am, Mol. I know our Jordan better than he knows himself." Cory chuckled. "He'll be alright."
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𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. She loved the cosy comfort of settling on the sofa, cuddled up with a warm blanket and a cup of tea in hand. But what she loved most was that Sunday mornings were some of the only times that she could enjoy true peace and quiet in her house, as most of her family members opted for a lie in.
As she sipped her tea and let the warm, milky brew wash over her tongue, the sound of a sudden ping came from her phone.
missy💗
guess what
mum's agreed to help me get hailey back
we've got a hearing thingy next week
nas💜
omg no way!!
mollie💛
that's great news!!
missy💗
I know!!
i think she actually wants to try this time
she almost burnt the house down yesterday trying to make a cake, but ig it was a sweet gesture🤷♀️
mollie💛
tbf we can't all have the culinary skills of Mrs Paracha
my dad just makes beans on toast for us and thinks he's gordon ramsay
nas💜
LOL
I have to admit that mum's cooking is pretty great tbf
missy💗
tell her to give mine some tips pls
nas💜
yh I'll get her to bring over some recipe books
missy💗
pls do lol
especially before this hearing
all i want is my hailey back
mollie💛
don't worry miss, your girl will be back where she belongs in no time <3
missy💗
I hope so
Mollie couldn't help but smile softly and feel hopeful for her best friend. After Simone Booth had returned to the family home just days ago, Missy had become more determined than ever to reunite with her sister, and it finally seemed like it might be possible.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the sudden sound of the front door opening, and closing only a matter of seconds later. Given that her father and Cory were both still sleeping upstairs, she knew instantly who it was. Putting down her tea reluctantly, she made her way to the hallway to find Jordan starting to walk up the stairs, his head down and hood up.
"Jordan." She hissed, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough so as not to wake Cory or her dad. She figured that no matter where Jordan had been, the last thing he needed was his dad getting involved.
Hearing her voice, he paused mid step and glanced through the gap in the stair railing to look at her. He hadn't seen her since his outburst at the Open Day, and he knew she was probably mad at him. In fact, judging by some of the texts she'd sent him over the last 24 hours, it wasn't even up for debate. She was definitely mad at him.
But despite the many angry texts he'd received, she'd also sent him messages that were clearly full of worry and concern. He knew how protective Mollie could get, and if he was being completely honest with himself, he felt guilty for not replying and letting her know he was okay. And seeing her face now made him feel even more guilty.
Chewing on his bottom lip, he let out a sigh before turning around and walking back down the stairs. He paused a small distance away from her and stood with his hands in his pockets, unable to make eye contact.
"I know I messed up yesterday. I shouldn't have blown up like that, and I shouldn't have spoken to you like that." He said after a moment, finally meeting his sister's eyes. "I know I acted like a dickhead-"
"You can say that again." Mollie interrupted him, letting out a dry chuckle with a mutter and a roll of her eyes. "I was absolutely fuming, you know? I thought you were done acting like a little kid, and then you went and did that in front of everyone."
"But I was hurt, Mol. Candace broke my heart, and then to see her acting so casually about everything that happened and saying she was gonna come back...it hurt." He admitted. It took alot for him to say it, but he owed his sister an explanation. "All the built up emotion and frustration came out before I could even stop myself. I'm sorry."
Mollie bit her lip, taken aback by his honesty. She knew that Jordan had been through alot recently, but maybe she'd underestimated just how much it had affected him. To see him dressed so scruffily in yesterday's clothes with dark bags of sleeplessness beneath his eyes, and to hear him speak with so much vulnerability, it gave her a completely different perspective.
"You're a right pain in the arse, you know that, right?" She said with slight exasperation, before the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly and she pulled him into a hug. "But no matter what happens, you're always gonna be my pain in the arse. Alright?"
"Alright." Jordan replied, his voice muffled slightly by the hug. After a moment, he pulled away slightly with a grimace. "Although I did kind of did another stupid thing, though."
"For fucks sake, Jordan."
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"𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓...𝐒𝐎 𝐉𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋'𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐑?" Nas asked incredulously as she furrowed her eyebrows. "And then tried to run away with Chloe?"
"Yep." Mollie replied with a chuckle as she leaned against the school railings with Nas. It was the morning of Hayley's trial, and the two were waiting anxiously in the quad for the outcome. Deciding it was the perfect distraction from their worries, Mollie had just finished recounting the story of Jordan's failed attempt to escape Ackley for good. "I have no idea how they thought it were gonna work...running away with nothing to live on. I don't know if it's completely stupid, or kind of romantic."
"Hm, I think I'd personally lean more towards the side of 'completely stupid'." Nas chuckled with a nod of assurance, causing Mollie to let out a laugh.
The two continued to chatter when they were joined by Nas' younger sister, who leaned against the railings with a wistful sigh. "Don't you think Riz looks extra fit today?"
Mollie let out a chuckle, as she spotted the boy at the opposite end of the quad, standing with a group of his friends. Razia's crush on Riz was certainly not new information to her. Or to basically anyone at Ackley Bridge.
After everything that happened the Wilson girl made sure to check in with him that morning, only to discover that Mr Nawaz was leaving the family home and the future of his job was under consideration. While the whole situation was just as humiliating for Riz as it was hurtful, he did feel the slightest sense of relief that his mum finally knew the truth.
Mollie couldn't help the soft smile that instinctively crept onto her face as she watched him laughing from a distance. In the few months that she'd known him, she'd grown so close to him and now considered him one of her best friends. He'd been there for her when she didn't even know she needed him, and she'd done the same for him. She appreciated and trusted him deeply, and she also couldn't deny Razia's point that he was pretty fit, too. But that kind of appreciation was completely platonic, of course.
Before she could answer the younger Paracha's question, however, Mollie felt her heart stop when she spotted two girls walking through the quad. With matching purple blazers and blonde buns, there was no mistaking who they were.
"Hayley's back!"
The three girls descended down the steps quicker than ever before and engulfed the Booth sisters in a group hug. Jumping with joy and surrounded by her best friends, Mollie Wilson had never been happier.
Sure, adjusting to a brand new school wasn't the easiest experience and she'd already been thrown her fair share of drama, fallout and heartbreak. But in that moment, it all felt worth it, and she felt ready for whatever life would throw at her next.
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and just like that...series one is done!!
i felt like it was starting to drag on so i tried to tie up all the loose ends in one last chapter, hope it's not too bad!!
series two is on it's way and I've planned most of it out, but it might still take a little bit of time bc of my work. ive got the extended cast ready to go tho, so if you'd like i could publish that later today or tomorrow or smn??
sorry again for rambling but one last thing. thank you so so much for reading and supporting my lil old book. i didn't think we'd hit 100 reads let alone 11k. madness!!!!
hope you've enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it!! stay safe and so much love <3