Keeping Jemima

Date night

Jemima

It was time to pack up and go back to Australia, it was nearly Christmas and the boys wanted to be back to see their families, that and they were constantly complaining about how cold it was, I'd roll my eyes every time at them. Just leaving the house with them was a huge ordeal, it had started snowing last week, I told them they were lucky as we didn't always get snow and it wasn't usually until later. They'd layer up and put on woolly hats, scarves and gloves, they looked comical. I'd laughed so hard when they went to buy vests and thicker winter coats, I called them my old men, much to peters amusement, we'd gone and bought them long johns at the local market, they were so confused holding them up asking why we'd bought them leggings or tights milo had thought we'd bought him.

Matty had taken me to several specialists while we were here, I always felt more broken leaving than when we'd stepped in, it was hard to come to terms with the fact that years of neglect and physical abuse had left a lasting toll on my body as well as my mind. We'd gone yesterday to see a specialist on malnutrition and long term neglect, after we were done Matty and I sat in a park in silence for two hours, our faces were frozen and our cheeks bright red, I couldn't feel my fingers or toes despite the mittens and thermal socks William had purchased for me. after I kept placing my icy cold feet on William in the middle of the night and he'd Yelp awake which was always followed by Matty checking he wasn't up to something, Matty had bought me fluffy night socks to wear, I caught William dramatically and sarcastically thanking him the next morning after he'd stayed the night, my brother laughing telling him no worries mate.

I was procrastinating over packing up, trying to fit all my extra stuff I'd accumulated over the few months we'd been here.
"you alright there?" I looked up to see Matty smiling sadly at me "you having trouble my little Jem or you just avoiding packing up?"
"Bit of both" I sighed
"You wanna talk about yesterday?"
"Not really" I shook my head
"You tell william yet?" I shook my head "I didn't tell the boys either. We'll be alright Jem, you'll be alright, I promise baby sis, I'm here to look after you now. If I know william he's already figured most of it out and he won't care Jem, he'll still love you just the same."
"I'm stupid and broken beyond repair."
"No you're not, you're just......."
"Hey" max popped up next to Matty "am I interrupting?"
"Yeah mate we were just..."
"No, what did you need max?" I flashed him a fake smile that he saw straight through, looking between me and Matty concerned

"Errr mate why you wearing your man tights?" Matty looked down at Max's lower half laughing hard at him "BOYS! Max has decided to leave the band and become a ballerina!" Matty called out still laughing. Three faces appeared on the stairs peering over the landing.
"What the hell max!" Milo joined the laughter "I can see everything you've got mate!"
"You look gorgeous mate, give us a spin" Ed joined them
"Hey don't knock it until you've tried it! it feels strangely comfy" he wiggled his lower regions in an odd manor "weirdly liberating."
"Dude baby sister in the room" Matty shuffled past him covering my eyes "put some trousers on if you're gonna wiggle your man bits around. Jesus Milo's right they're very figure hugging mate" Matty looked away "please tell me you got underpants on under there dude!"
"I got my dinosaur stretchy ones on if you must know! Although look boys it has easy access buttons!"
"Jeans or sweatpants! now!" Matty turned me around still covering my eyes
"Matty I've seen him in swim trunks and his underpants before! Although I'm yet to see these famous budgie smugglers I've heard so much about. Besides I doubt he's gonna just whip it out and give us a demonstration." I laughed "you could just turn the heating up if you're cold Max."

"I'm taking you out Emmy" max cheesy smiled at me "dress warm"
"Max, no. It's far too cold and we've got to pack! We're leaving soon!" Matty scolded him
"Not till tomorrow! I got tickets and everything" max whined holding up his printed tickets "I figured out the printer all by myself!"
"Where the hell you going? Look it's snowing again!" Matty complained pointing out of the window.
"I made a max promise" he shyly smiled at me "I'll look after her Matty. We're going to go and queue" he said chirpily
"Why the hell would you want to go and stand in a queue in the damn snow!"
"I'm not sure" max scratched his neck looking confused "but I got tickets!" He held up his paper up again to show Matty "I didn't choose the later time to queue, you English like to queue. You're weird but my Emmy wanted to go, I think you queue in a garden while you look at lights and plants I presume?" He asked puzzled, looking at his paper