Beautiful Girls Really Are The Loneliest (James Bourne)

8- "Clean Up"

⚠️- Trigger Warning.

Britney went quiet as soon as they reached the door. James opened the door and gestured for Britney to walk in first. She did so hesitantly. James watched Britney closely, but she was trying not to notice, she could hear voices. They seemed to be coming from the front room. She knew that that's where James was going to take her next. James closes the door and walks to face Britney, she knew he was trying to study her face in the dark. She drops eye contact which wasn't hard as he is much taller than Britney. He took her hand, she was shaking. He let her stand in the doorway slightly behind him. Britney heard that it was five men sitting on the sofa apart from one of them. James clears his throat but the men are still stuck in conversation. "Erm... guys... this is Britney" As soon as James said Britney's name their heads shot round. Britney knew who they were all right, but they seemed to know who she was too and that scared her. How did they know? What did they know?

Britney didn't want any of them to see her face, she didn't know how she was going to explain it to all of them. Then the nerves kicked in even more. What if they didn't like her? What if they think I'm weird? That her family is mental? Including her? What if they think it was stupid of her to run away? Each thought she forgot to breathe and fell to her right. Two arms caught her, "Are you okay?" James whispered to her. She nodded, that was a mistake. Her head began to pound.

"Are you sure?" Tom asked, she nodded again. She was afraid if she spoke she would throw up. The problem with that is that she felt rude.

"If you don't wan to talk it's okay" Danny said.

"I'm... okay" Britney said as soon as she stopped feeling sick but she guessed it would come back. She forced a smile.

Bullshit, James thought, "Your not okay, Britney." Britney tried to say that she was but James was having none of it. "You nearly fainted. I can see blood on you hand and in your hair. Not to mention your stitches are bust" He took a deep breath as if he was holding that in for a while. He moved his hand from around me and to my hand, I pulled it back in pain. He lifted it up gently, "You have glass in your hand." He was shocked and confused. Britney looked to Tom, Danny, Dougie, Matt and Harry. Each one of them sadness was clearly visible on their faces. It hurt Britney inside a little to see them looking so sad. Looking at her like that.

Britney looked to her feet and mumbled, "I guess you want to know why I'm here."

"Yes" He said sternly, "and what happened. And don't make it up" He said slightly louder and Britney flinched away, snatching her hand away. James instantly felt guilty.

"Do you want the long version or the short?" Britney snapped at James, looking him right in the eyes. 

"Mate, don't you think she should sit down and get cleaned up first?" Matt asked James, who was looking guilty for raising his voice at her. She was glad Matt had said something because she was far from ready to talk. For Britney it was still sinking in. James was already watching Britney closely when she looked to him. Matt moved to the floor to let her sit on the sofa.

James had cleaned the blood off her face and was now truing to get the blood out of Britney's hair the best her could, while Dougie was taking the glass out of her wrist after he had cleaned the blood off the other. Dougie then surprised Britney by running his finger over her other scars on her arm, they were just above the glass cuts. He looked to her with a sad smile, but he was understanding ans concerned at the same time. He was wondering how old they were. Britney offered a smile to say she was okay but Dougie wasn't even close to buying it. "James, I'm sorry, there were only two places I could go, here or Jenny's" Britney finally spoke. He stopped brushing her hair and then picked up the cloth again to wipe it.

"Why didn't you go there? She's your friend right?" Tom butted in and James didn't look happy, they all noticed apart from Britney.

James stood up and crouched in front of her, taking hold of the hand that was free, "I'm glad your here, it means your more than safe with the six of us here, Britney, it's okay" He kept eye contact as he spoke, Britney didn't know what to say or do.

"We'll look after you" Harry said.

Danny nudged Tom, "Yeah we will, sorry" Tom said and added while smiling, "I didn't mean for that to sound like it did." Britney nodded as if to say 'it's okay'.

"Or James will kill us" Harry whispered, he thought only Danny would hear but they all did, even Britney. James was blushing, but he was trying his best to hide it. Britney wondered why he was blushing.

They all knew her father and what his did, they knew all about her past, the police officers had told James while they were at the hospital. They had told him because he had witnessed Jennifer trying to cover up bruises nearly everyday, and he had witnessed her being bullied at school. Now he knew why. James had also went to the Head Teacher for more information but he already knew everything they had told him, he even knew more. And he had to tell the guys. They were the only ones he could talk to.

James coughed awkwardly and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" He was still kneeling in front of her.

"Well..."

"It's okay" Dougie soothed, and continued to run his thumb over her hand. James noticed and felt a little jealous.

"I was dropped off by Jenny and her mother, they wanted me to go with them... Anyway, I walked in the house and my dad asked me where I had been, I told him the hospital..." Britney told them everything, every little detail.

"So you've brought everything?" Dougie asked, he glanced back down at her arm and then back to her face, he was trying to figure it all out.

"Yes, I've had most of my things in my locker for a while now... I saw it coming but I just didn't wan to believe it" Britney said. Britney watched as all five of them nodded in unison, she wanted to laugh, she found it funny.

"I'm going over there" James sprang up.

"No! He'd kill you" Britney said, she didn't doubt that either. "He'll know where I am then" She added which made him sit down again. Britney sat down. The realization that she was now homeless, she was wrong about her father, so very wrong. She took her hand out of Dougie's and wiped the tears that were falling. The others didn't know what to do. They had all realized that she was now so vulnerable and at so much risk. She was a danger to herself, was what Dougie was thinking. James pulled Britney into a hug and whispered something that she didn't quite catch. She hadn't cried like that since the day of her mothers funeral.