✔️Soundtrack to My Youth (18+)

Otherside

No matter what I did, the outcome was always destined to end the same way, with Bridget and Amber being separated, exactly like that had been the first time around but instead of it happening when they had finished school and going off to university, where they could sneak away from the watchful eye of Amber's parents, it was being brought forward a lot sooner.

I felt so guilty, I had encouraged Bridget to act upon her feelings for Amber, I knew they were careful to not get caught out around Amber's parents, when they were together at Amber's their actions were always kept platonic, so to never raise suspicion and it had been working, up until My Mother decided to extract her revenge on Bridget in return for not dropping the court case.

We all thought it was an empty threat she was throwing around, much like the million others she had tried in the past but never followed through on, none of us expected her to actually be so cruel by destroying her own daughter's relationship. It made me feel sick just thinking about the damage she had caused and, as per usual, Susan would walk away unscathed by what she'd done.

I knew first hand the pain of losing your first love, how it can leave you with wounds that take a long time to heal and scars that will be with you for a life time. I knew what it was like to never want to try again, to lose your trust, your hope. I never wanted that for Bridget.

Bridget loved romantic movies, she believed in all the magic of two characters falling in love yet the girl sitting across from me at lunch looked utterly defeated, destroyed by the one thing she was once so passionate for.

"I think we should go visit the koala park" I threw out the suggestion in the hopes that it might be a good distraction for Bridget, her bedroom was littered with thousands of plush animals that she collected and named so getting to hold an actual, real life koala could cheer her up, surely.

"I think that sounds like a brilliant idea" Dad agrees, finishing off his steak and washing it down with a cold beer. The day had brightened up considerably from the frosty morning we experienced, perfect weather for doing a spot of sight seeing.

"I wanna go home" Bridget pouts, dragging he fork through her uneaten bowl of pasta. She hadn't spoken much since we left Amber's grandparents, Dad had taken us to get ice cream, the international food of the broken hearted, he then left us to wander around while he went to visit the golden guitar statue and see where all his favourite country music artist play each year before meeting up with us at the pub for lunch.

"Can you excuse us?" I asked Dad and Sam, they both nod and walk away from the table. I look around the almost empty dinning room, hoping that no one is watching us, last thing Bridget needs is an audience. I come sit beside my sister, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders, she lets out a heavy sigh and hangs her head.

"I hate this place, it's just a reminder of the fact that Amber will be living here and I'll be going home without her." Fresh tears fall down her soft cheeks, landing in her pasta bowl.

"They can't stop you from keeping in contact with each other, well they can try but I highly doubt that her grandparents would know how to check emails" 

"I doubt her grandparents would even own a computer though" She says, turning to face me, "but there would probably be computers at her new school, I could email her and tell her to keep it secret"

"And I'm sure she will visit her parents during school breaks and you both already know the best places to hang out without getting caught"

She smiles at me, it's only small but it's like a ray of light coming through the darken clouds.

"I still wish we could have a relationship that's out in the public, like you and Sam do" I hear the sorrow in her voice, she's tired of having to hide who she is from the world and she shouldn't have to hide, she's not hurting anyone by loving Amber.