Learning to Love

Chapter 6 - Meeting The Guys

I practically skipped up the stairs when we got back, desperate to avoid a heart-to-heart with Gerard, when his voice stopped me.

"Wait Taylor, did you forget what I said earlier?" I paused and turned around to look at him and tilted my head in curiosity.

"Mikey, Frank and Ray are coming by soon remember?" He rolled his eyes at me.

"What?" Zoe squeaked, looking at Gerard in fear. She's only just started to feel comfortable around him and Lindsay and now she has to meet the rest of her idols. Needless to say she was currently having a meltdown.

"You forgot to tell her?!" Lindsay glared accusingly at him, causing Gerard to cower away from her.

"Sorry it must have slipped my mind?" He said, phrasing as a question as if to ask 'is this what I have to say to stop you glaring at me like that'.

Lindsay sighed at him and shook her head before addressing Zoe. "Yes dear, they'll be here in about forty minutes."

She nodded in response, tight lipped and hands shaking. I knew what this meant.

"Can you excuse us both for a few minutes please?" I asked, giving them pointed looks and motioning for Zoe to follow me. They both nodded before we made our way upstairs, Zoe shooting past me and heading to her bedroom.

I opened the door that she had slammed in my face and found her on the floor near her bed with her head on her knees, arms wrapped round her legs and rocking back and forth, staring unseeing at her wall.

"Zoe remember what you need to do," I said, sitting down opposite her and making sure not to encroach on her personal space, that always made it worse.

"Deep breaths, in and out, focus on my voice and block everything else out," I went through what I usually say but it was worse then normal, meaning nothing happened. So I resorted to the method I use for particularly bad episodes.

I sung a lullaby to her in a low voice, the same one I used to use to sing her to sleep when she had bad nightmares. After a few minutes she started to hear my voice and slowly calmed down enough for her to talk.

"They're gonna hate me, I can't do this," she said in between gasps of air.

"They won't hate you Zoe, they'll love you just like Gerard and Lindsay do."

"No they don't, they already think I'm weird and broken."

"That not true, they think you're awesome. If they thought such horrible things about you why would they have spent the past three hours buying things for the two of us?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"I... guess..." She said, starting to look guilty, "I'm sorry, I just freaked out."

"Don't apologise Zo, it's not your fault, what matters is that you're okay now." I smiled at her, which she returned before asking her if she wanted to go downstairs.

"Sure," she replied, bouncing to her feet and smiling at me. Well at least she seems happier now I thought, before following her downstairs to the living room where the Ways where all sat watching Peppa Pig, much to Bandit's delight.

"Are we all good now?" Lindsay asked, looking up at us and smiling politely. Zoe nodded shyly, looking at the ground.

"Sorry..." she mumbled.

"Don't apologise dear, it's not your fault. This is all very new for you so we can understand it will be hard to adjust fully," she replied, Gerard nodded in agreement, smiling at the two of us.

Zoe looked up and smiled at the both of them. "Thanks," she said, looking a lot happier.

I smiled slyly at her, giving her my 'I told you so' look, causing her to pull a face and giggle. I chuckled at her, I always liked seeing her happy, she deserved a much better life than what she's been given.