Sweet Adeline ✔

4 Years

The calls and texts eventually stopped. She never answer them, afraid of what they would say. Afraid they would scold her for not saying goodbye.

It was hard for her. She desperately wanted to see them, hear their voices, but she knew it would just be harder on all of them.

She had made a new life, in a small town. No one knew her here, or had even heard of her. It was perfect.

* * *

"Adi, are you ready?" Kirstie yelled from downstairs.

"Yes!" A little voice called.

Tiny footsteps trampled down the stairs as the girl ran down them, excitedly.

"How do I look?" She asked, twirling around.

"Absolutely beautiful." Kirstie said, smiling.

Adeline had picked out her outfit by herself for the first time. It wasn't exactly matching, but she looked cute nonetheless.

"Come on, let's go." Kirstie held her hand out.

The girl took it, starting to skip out the door.

Kirstie couldn't help but laugh.

"Where are we going?" Adeline asked.

"To the store to buy stuff for Halloween." She told her.

"So I get to see Ms. Taylor?" Happiness filled her voice.

Kirstie nodded, opening the car door for her daughter. Once they were both in the vehicle, she started driving down the road.

They was now living in a small town in Mississippi. There were only around 900 people living there, making it the best place for Kirstie to be with Adeline.

When they arrived at the store, Adeline practically bursted out of the car. Kirstie shook her head, going to chase her down.

"You can't run off like that, Adi." She said sternly.

"Sorry, Momma." Adeline said, looking down.

"It's alright. It's just that you could get hurt. You need to be careful." She grabbed her hand, leading her into the store.

As soon as Adeline spotted Taylor, she was off. Kirstie sighed, walking over to the pair.

"Sorry, she's a little excited today." Kirstie laughed a little.

"She's fine. How are you feeling today?" Taylor asked her.

Kirstie shrugged, "Stressed. Just like every year."

"Her birthday will be great, Kirst. Don't worry. Where are you having it?"

"I still don't know. I was thinking the park, but they're closed on Halloween." She told her.

"That's weird. They're never closed." Taylor said, furrowing her brows.

Kirstie shrugged again, sighing.

"If anything, you can have it at my house. It's big enough to hold all her friends that come." Taylor mentioned.

"You don't have to do that, Taylor." She told her.

"No, but I want to." She said.

Kirstie nodded. "Thank you."

"Anything for my best friend." Taylor said, smiling.

"Mom, can I get some chips?" Adeline asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." She told her.

She watched as the girl skipped away to the chip aisle.

Kirstie and Taylor talked for a few minutes until Adeline never came back.

Kirstie walked to the chip aisle to find that she wasn't there.

Freaking out, she walked around to the nearby aisle's, calling her name.

When she finally found her, she was talking to a man who she didn't recognize.

"Adeline, get over here, now." She said to her.

Once she was back with her, she could clearly see the man, realizing who he was.

"Darien? What are you doing here?" Kirstie asked.

"We're playing in Brandon tonight." He said.

"Please tell me the rest of the guys aren't here." She winced, not wanting to see them.

"They're back at the hotel." Darien told her.

"Okay, good. Don't tell them that you saw me, please." She basically begged.

"Kirstie, it's been 5 years, don't you want to see them?" He asked.

"Just- please don't tell them." She said, teary eyed, remembering what happened the last time they all saw each other.

"Okay... I won't." He told her.

"Thank you." She said, wiping her eyes.

"Come on, Adeline. We have to go home." She said, grabbing her daughter's hand, leaving Darien alone.

Kirstie dropped a few dollars on the counter, before telling Taylor goodbye and quickly leaving. She didn't know if Esther was with him, so she made sure she was barely seen.

Once they were in the car, Kirstie took her sunglasses off, looking back at Adeline.

"You can't just talk to random people, Adi. That man could have hurt you." She said, frustratedly.

"He didn't." Adeline told her.

"But he could have!" She yelled.

Adeline stared at her. Kirstie had never yelled at her before; she was scared.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell." Kirstie said putting her head in her hands.

Adeline didn't say anything, she only had tears in her eyes.

Sighing, Kirstie pulled out of the parking lot, driving home. If only Darien wouldn't have been there. Everything was okay before her past was brought back to her.