O'Malley's Sister

Chapter 68

"I am strangely nervous." Ellie says, as she smooths out her skirt. 

I chuckle lightly. 

"They're going to love you. I promise. My parents are very nice!" I assure her, looping my arm into hers.  "I've invited Matty, too."

I pause for a moment, looking down at my feet.

"Not sure if he'll show." I finish quietly. 

Ellie tilts her head to the side and hums. "He's been odd lately." 

"Yeah." I look down. "I'm quite worried about him." 

"He's hardly even reaching out to the boys." Ellie says. 

I glance over at her quickly. "What do you mean?" 

"Ever since George has been staying with Adam, no one has really heard much from Matty." 

I stop walking, so does she. 

"George has been staying with Adam?" 

She nods, her blonde hair shaking gently. 

"I didn't know that." I say as we continue to walk to my house. 

She hums. 

"I'll ring him later on." I note, mainly to myself. 

As we approach my front gate, I glance down the street to Alex's home.

It may have just been a reflection, but I felt that if I stared long enough, I could just see a lamp on in the window.

It's been a few months since I've actually seen the lights on, there. 

Since I was inside that home. 

I swallow and approach my front door, unlocking it and letting Ellie inside. 

"Mum! We're here!" I shout. 

"It smells so good in here." Ellie notes as she gently shrugs off her coat. 

"My mum is a wonderful cook." I mention, hanging my coat up on the rack. 

"Sarah, sweetheart! My mum comes from the kitchen, warmth and smiles coming off her. 

I give her a hug and when she parts from me, she turns to Ellie. 

"Nice to meet you, dear!" Then she leans in and gives her a hug as well. 

"Come in please, here, let me take your coat!" Mum says, reaching out to grab Ellie's coat. 

"Thank you very much. It's absolutely lovely to meet you, Mrs. O'Malley!" 

Mum smiles brightly at her. 

~~~

The dinner goes smoothly, and as I bring Ellie up to my room, I give her a "See? They loved you!" 

She smiles brightly. "It definitely went better than I thought it would." She pushes some of her hair behind her ear. 

I smile as I open the door to my room. 

"Here we are!" I say as we both enter. 

"Wow!" Her eyes go wide as she views all my posters and shelves. 

Her eyes scan the room, and when her gaze lands upon my The 1975 poster, she lets out a breathy laugh. 

"Your room is awesome!" she exclaims. 

"Thank you! I've worked hard at it over the years." I laughed. 

I suddenly felt a little sad. 

I'd be moving out of this room soon enough. 

I sat down on my bed, taking a look around. 

Ellie makes her way over, sitting next to me and grabbing my hand. 

"I know how you feel." She says. 

I glance over at her. 

"Moving out is..." she trails off for a second. "Really scary." She says, scrunching her nose up. 

I laugh. 

"When I first moved out of my parents place, I was quite terrified." 

"Really?" 

"Of course! You don't realize how used to being taken care of you are until you're out there on your own." 

I hum, looking down. 

"But," she nudges me. "You're not alone. You've got me!" She smiles brightly, squeezing my hand. 

I laugh and squeeze her hand back. 

I can't help but be excited for what's to come.