Wednesday 16:43

Kevin watched the cars zip around the track on the TV. He'd had this race recorded for months and although he was well aware of who won he suddenly possessed the desire to watch it. Although he isn't really watching it, it is simply a disguise, a mask slipped over his face so that he can get lost within his own thoughts without interruption.

However an interruption comes as the front door is slammed shut and Kevin can't stop himself from wondering if they will be in need of a glazer to put new glass in the door. He doesn't turn around as the new comer slams the next door shut with as much force as she can manage. Because he knows without a shadow of a doubt that it is his youngest daughter Sophie. Kevin doesn't look in her direction until she has started thundering up the stairs. He opened his mouth to, talk to her but she shuts it again. What would he say? She was experiencing her first heart break and Kevin has nothing to offer her. On the night it happened he had wrapped his arms around her but his little girl had pushed him back with so much force he stumbled and his arms had remained empty ever since.

Kevin wanted to tell Sophie how he'd begged Sian not to go, how he had called her stupid and foolish before she bolted through the door. But he knew his words would offer his child little comfort so he bit his tongue.

It had always been him and Sophie; she had always come to him with her problems. He still remembered the evening she'd confessed about her and Sian, even though right now it felt like a life time ago. He looked at his daughter and saw a complete strange, what hurt Kevin the most was that he was powerless to help. You always believe that as a father you can fix any and every problem your child might have; a daughter's knight in shining armour. Kevin's armour was rusty and falling apart inside his castle. Everybody on the street seemed to be grieving something or someone and all Kevin wanted to do was ease his daughter's heart ache and he didn't even feel selfish about it.

Kevin sighed and wished he could just snap his fingers and stop time, everything was changing so quickly and he wanted it to stop for just a moment so he could take it all in. He thought of Sophie wondering when she went from a little toddler to a young lady, it seemed to happen when he wasn't paying attention, it slipped past him without his knowledge or consent. His daughters innocence had been ripped away from her, she was learning the hard way that the one person who won't let you down probably will, even if they don't do it intentionally. Kevin wanted to tell her, that it got easier, that there would be new loves, better loves. But he realised that would be patronising her. So as he heard her music turned up he focused back on the TV. A silent tear rolling down his check for Sophie.

*****
Four weeks earlier

Sophie lay on top of Sian on her bed, her ear was placed against Sian's chest. "Jesus your heart is going crazy!" Sophie chuckled as she 'bo boom 'bo boom'ed along with Sian's heart.

"It only does that around you...well it use to go like that when we were forced to do the 1500 in P.E." Sian smiled as she ran her hand through brunette hair.

"That was total child abuse."Sophie chipped in.

"I do love you Sophie Webster." Sian said as Sophie looked up and blue eyes met blue, the brunette smiled gently.

"I know."

"I was looking for a different 3 words." Sian replied playfully.

"A different three words? I'm not sure I kno-" She was cut off however when Sian leapt up and proceeded to tickle the girl until Sophie thought she couldn't breathe.

"Sto- stop." She choked out through laughter.

"Then say it!"

"I love you, I love you!" Sophie shouted desperate for oxygen to hit her lungs, and just like that Sian stopped her attack and when back to laying down.

"No need to shout." The blonde said as Sophie collapsed next to her taking mouthfuls of air. The younger girls hand collided with her abdomen. "Ow." Sian exclaimed although it didn't hurt even if she did proceed to rub the point of impact. "I will love you forever." Turning on her side she looked over at Sophie who had her eyes closed and a huge smile upon her face. "No matter what the church says or what other people think. I will love you." Sophie gave Sian no warning as she sprung over to the blonde and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"You promise?" Sophie asked into her ear.

"Easiest promise I've ever made!"

*****

Wednesday 20:03

Rosie stood at Sophie's open door, the sound of smashing at stopped five minutes ago and the oldest Webster sibling thought it was finally safe to venture to her sisters room. Sophie sat against her bed surrounded by the disarray of her room. Pictures were broken, the bookshelf was empty its contents now splayed across the room. But the thing that appeared to be the most broken was Sophie, she looked like a shell of her former bubbly self. She was staring off into space, her eyes completely lifeless and Rosie had to watch for the slightest movement to know her sister was still breathing.

Rosie contemplated entering, but she had no clue what to say. She knew she was tactless, saying things before she had a chance to think them through and she did not want to course Sophie any more pain. After all she had just lost her first love, which Rosie thought was probably one of the hardest things to get over. She couldn't go marching in and comfort Sophie with 'I know how much this must hurt' because the truth was she didn't. She had experienced hurt and knockbacks but she knew that what Sophie was going through surpassed it all.

She listened as the base filled music suddenly changed to a more slow mellow song. And before the tune even had a chance to get going Rosie watched at Sophie threw something at her stereo. The iPod tumbled out of the docking station and fell to the floor silencing the room. Only then as she looked down at her crumpled sister did she notice the bottle of whiskey on the floor, half empty. Granddad had brought it for their dad last Christmas and it had not even touched; until now. She
wanted to go in and pick the bottle up, empty the contents down the sink, and tell her sister it wouldn't make it easier. But she didn't. Rosie simply didn't have the heart to.

When it came to first love you are completely innocent, untouched by the horror of betrayal or trauma of deception. Love is what you hear on the radio and see in fairy tales. Love is happily ever after and you never for one brief moment think it is ever going to end. So when it does, when that rug is firmly pulled out from under you that first fall to the ground is the hardest. The sting of that fall will stay with you until your last breath on this earth. So that was why Rosie stood at the door unable to enter because in reality what can you possible say to make it better.

With a small sniffle she walked back to her room to phone Jason; because she would never admit it aloud to him but he was everything Sian was to Sophie.

*****

Three weeks earlier

"I like diamonds." Sophie declared as they walked to the bus stop.

"Don't want much do ya?" Sian laughed as she bumping their hips together playfully.

"Well I would ask for Cheryl Cole but..." she trailed off as Sian stopped walking and looked at her in mock shock."I'm kidding." The brunette laughed as she slipped her hand into Sian's.

"You wanna be. Plus hello I only just got you a necklace."

"That was like two weeks ago for my birthday, this is Christmas."

"Dating you will bankrupt me." Sian joked as she stroked the back of Sophie's hand with her thumb.

"What about you, I get Christmas out of the way then bang it's your birthday three days later."

"Sucks to be you eh?"

"Not one bit." Sophie stopped and tugged on Sian's hand drawing the girl closer to her as she kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"Oh you are cheesy Webster."

"But you love that about me right?" She questioned as she snaked her hands around Sian waist, all fear of being caught gone. There was a new maturity to their relationship; they weren't going to hide it, no matter what.

"One of the many things I love about you." Sian said leaning up and kissing Sophie's forehead.

"And you call me cheesy." They laughed as they continued to walk swinging their interlocked hands back and forth. "So what do you want for Christmas?"

"I have no idea. I don't even know what I'm going to do for Christmas this year. It's not like I can go to my dad's and my mum hasn't rang me for the last three weeks I'm not even sure she's in the flamin' country."

"You'll be here with me on Christmas day."

"It's Christmas, you should spend it with your family. You don't want me gate crashing it."

"Last Christmas was rubbish, like the worst Christmas of my life. But this year my mum is healthy, I have you and I want that all under one roof." Sophie rolled her eyes. "You're gonna call me cheesy again ain't you?" She laughed but Sian's face still held no flicker of humour and Sophie frown at her.

"Not for one second. I want to be with you on Christmas day." Sian answer as she kissed Sophie's cheek and the brunette could not stop the blush.

"That's settled then." Sophie responded with a firm nod of her head. "Now back to my diamonds."

"How about I give you a hug for Christmas?"

"I get them all the time." she chuckled.

"But they're priceless!" Their laughter carried out into the crisp afternoon air. Anyone who had been privileged enough to see them that morning had only smiled or waved, while they'd silently thought about love young dream who had the world at their feet.

*****

Thursday 2:51

Sally had heard Sophie leave the house just before eleven that evening. She had jumped out of bed and raced to the front door to call her daughter back, but there had been no sign of her. Sally hated to admit it but she was glad because she really had no idea what she would have said, there were no words to offer her daughter. So she could only allow Sophie time and space to get through her pain.

Sally always thought she'd be happy with Sian out of the picture. But she would do anything to mend what was broken, to have Sian come back into her daughter's life and have everything back to normal. She knew that Sophie's pain was horrible, there was no solution, no easy answer all her youngest child could do was breathe deeply and wait for the pain to subside. She knew that the pain of losing her first love would stay with Sophie forever, the smallest twinge, a bit of soreness the
random bursts of pain it was what she would have to live with forever. Bur right now Sophie was trying to out run a level of pain so great that it would block out everything else, make the rest of the world fade away. And there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

She heard the front door slam shut and then her daughter stumble in. She was drunk. Sally didn't even need to look to know this fact. Sally sat at the kitchen table biting her cheek to stop herself from shouting out at her child. Demanding that she think about herself and what she doing, Sian wasn't worth this, wouldn't want this but all she did was bite her cheek, even when she heard her daughter's heart breaking sobs. Standing up she walked quietly over to the cove between the living room and kitchen. The sight before her stopped her blood cold. Sophie was a crumbled mess on the floor in front of the stairs. Her body was shaking uncontrollable, her hand fisted at her chest another over her mouth trying to stifle her cries.

When Sally dropped a glass or one of her plates on the floor it makes a loud smashing sound. When Rosie threw her hair drier at the window it shattered, when Kevin kicked the table leg it broke, and when Sophie had knocked the picture off the wall it fell to the ground breaking into pieces; every one of those instances made a noise. But when a heart is breaking it is completely silent. Sally couldn't help but think that something so important would have the loudest noise in the world, or at least a ceremonious sound like a symbol or a ringing of a bell. But it is silent and Sally wished there was a sound to distract Sophie from the pain she was in.

Her mothering nature took over as she rushed to her daughters aid and wrapped her arms around her tightly. The sudden contact seemed to shake Sophie from her anguish and she shrugged her mother's touch off, as though it burned her. Sophie shot back onto her buttocks crawling backwards a disgusted expression on her face.

"Don't touch me." She said slowly each syllable coated in venom; pushing herself up she bolted up the stairs. Sally sat on the ground watching were her daughter had just ran, Sally cried. For Sophie, for Sian, for the street, for Kevin and for the sorrow plaguing the street.

Two weeks earlier

"We don't have to do anything." Sian said with a small smile as she interlocked her fingers with her girlfriend's, who was nervously fidgeting on the bed.

"I want to." The youngest Webster finally spoke. But she was unable look up from the bed sheets.

"Hey Soph," Sian called in a husky tone that she's never heard from the blonde before. "Relax." The older girl kissed Sophie gently. "It'll be okay, I promise." With that she kissed her again, pulling them both down onto the bed. This time, Sophie kissed back, tentative at first, but eventually getting into it.

"Sian," Sophie whispered when they broke apart. She ran her hands through the blonde's hair and pushed her head so that they kissed again. Sophie moaned and Sian ran her hands down the smaller girl's sides. Quickly finding the bottom of the brunette's shirt, Sian pulled it up over Sophie's head. The blonde couldn't stop the smile that played across her lips on seeing her bra clad girlfriend. For a
brief second she feared that her heart had stopped at the sight.

Sophie bit her lip and tried to fight the instant reaction to cover herself while a blush crept up to her face from her neck. "You're beautiful." Sian said as if sensing the girls' embarrassment.

Sophie smiled feeling more secure as Sian cupped the brunette's breasts, caressing them through the smooth material. "I'm going to take this off now, is that okay?" Sophie nodded and arched her back to give Sian room to reach behind her. The blonde removed the girl's bra and teased Sophie's nipples with her fingers.

The brunette moaned. "Sian."

"Yes?"

"I want to see you."

The blonde lowered her mouth to one of the Sophie's exposed nipples and sucked hard. The younger girl gasped and arched her back, wanting more contact. Sian's left hand teased and pinched the other nipple. The brunette moaned heavily.

Sian released Sophie's nipple with a loud pop, and moved to strip herself of her own shirt and bra. She smiled lazily at the brunette before chewing the corner of her lip. "Wow." Sophie breathed as she reached out to pull Sian back on top of her. "You are gorgeous." Sian grinned into Sophie's neck before kissing the skin beneath her, sucking and nibbling on the flesh.

"Fuck," Sophie swore as Sian sucked gently on her pulse point. "That feels so good."

"Sophie Webster, was that a swear word?" The teenager mocked. "I never thought I'd hear that from you."

"Sian," The young girl called out, eager for more contact.

The blonde smirked, before she became tentative again. "Can I take your skirt off now?"

"Please," The brunette begged. Sian just smiled tenderly as she opened and pulled off Sophie's skirt. She also quickly pulled off her own jeans so both of them were only clad in their knickers. Sian kissed
eagerly down the shorter girl's body, paying plenty of attention to her inner thighs. She tugged on brunette's waist of the brunette's underwear and Sophie raised her hips to allow her to remove them.

Sian quickly settled in between the Sophie's legs. "Are you sure that you want to do this? We can stop. We don't have to do it tonight." Sian said as she leaned up on Sophie's tight stomach.

"Sian, please. I love you. I want this, I want you."

The blonde smiled softly "I love you too." She said before gently placing a kiss on Sophie's inner thigh. "I'll go slow." Tentatively, Sian flicked her tongue over Sophie's clitoris and she was rewarded with a loud moan. Sian smiled and got more aggressive stroking and circling the brunette's clit with her tongue. As Sophie moaned, the blonde gently pushed one finger into Sophie. The blonde moaned at how tight the petite girl was and the sound even surprised herself. She started to gently thrust in and out of Sophie who quickly began to buck her hips in time with Sian's movements.

The blonde pulled her face away from Sophie's thighs. She knew that she needed to watch the younger girl's reaction as she inserted a second finger into the girl and pushed passed her hymen. Sophie winced as her eyes grew wide.

"Sian," The girl immediately yelped. "It hurts."

"Do you want me to stop?"

Sophie thought for a moment. "No. Just let me get used to this."

Sian smiled gently. "Okay. Tell me when it's okay for me to move."

Sophie let out a few deep breaths and then nodded. Sian gently pumped her fingers in and out of the brunette and returned her mouth to the girl's clit. Sophie didn't move at first. She just lay there as Sian moved inside her. But, after a few minutes, the girl began to rock her hips in time with Sian and began to moan. Both girls got so caught up in the moment that they were both shocked when Sophie cried out as her muscles clenched around Sian's fingers and came undone.

Sian crawled up the bed to lie next to the girl, and held her until Sophie's breathing became normal.

"Wow that was...wow. So that's what all the fuss was about." She chuckled gently.

"Yep."

"It was worth the wait."

"You were worth the wait." Sian replied sweetly as she kissed rosy lips. Sophie took the moment to her advantage and rolled on top of the blonde. "What you doing eh?" she asked with a smirk.

"It's your turn."

"We don't have to."

"It would be a shame to waste the empty house." Sophie explained while her lips attacked the blonde's neck.

"Well that's true."

*****

Thursday 10:29

"You should go see if she's changed her mind." Sally said to Rosie as she straightened Kevin's tie, her face had been expressionless the last week and Rosie found herself missing her usually opinionated
mother.

Rosie slowly made her way up the stairs already knowing her sisters answer before she even reached her bedroom. She had briefly seen Sophie that morning her eyes red and the bags under them heavy and black. She'd heard Sophie stumble up the stairs in the earlier hours; Sophie was using the alcohol to numb her pain, to make the pain go away.

She stood at the doorway just like she had the previous day while she self-consciously ran her hands over her black dress. Sophie was lying in bed, her duvet pulled up high to her chin, a lifeless expression on her face. Her eyes were open but they stared off completely void of anything.

Taking a deep breath Rosie gently knocked on the open door. Sophie didn't respond, didn't even lift her head, only kept her eyes trained forward. She took a step into the room being careful not to step onto the mess that still littered the floor. She heard a crack under her shoe and as she lifted it she realised it was a picture frame; the photo inside was of Sophie and Sian at the younger Webster's 16th. They both looked so happy and although one might have believed it was the alcohol they had drunk, Rosie knew better. She knew those smiles were due to the other girls company, the arms that were tightly wrapped around each other. The photo broke Rosie's heart. She picked it up and smiled at it fondly before placing the shattered frame upon Sophie's dresser.

"Soph is there any chance you've change your mind?" Rosie asked as she walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed, Sophie didn't even acknowledge her presence.

"No." Came the short, sharp reply.

"I-we all think that you should come with us."

"No." She repeated it again and Rosie noticed her sisters eyes start to fill up with tears. Instinctively she reached out her hand to squeeze Sophie's arm, but the young girl ripped her limb back. "Don't."

"I know you're in pain Sophie but please just get dressed and come with us."

"I'm in pain?" Sophie scoffed as a few stray tears managed to escape. For the first time in a week blue eyes fell upon her and she could see a world of hurting behind them. They had once been filled with love, compassion, understanding and warmth but now they seemed dead.

"Soph..." She started but realised she had no follow through for the rest of the sentence.

"Pain would imply I feel anything. And I don't. I don't feel anything. I'm not going and there is nothing you can say so please just go. Get out of my room!" She all but screamed and Rosie instantly stood up trying her best not to let tears fall down her own cheeks.

Rosie cast one last look to her sister before retreating back down the stairs to her awaiting parents. "She's not coming."

"Yeah we heard." Kevin said with a sigh. "We should probably get going we don't want to be late." The two females nodded but all three looked to the stairs as if hoping Sophie might suddenly come running down them. Three quarters of the Webster's exited the house into the ruined street, dressed in black and their heads held low.

*****

One week earlier

Sophie sighed as she stocked the shelf; she was on auto pilot as she took can after can and placed them in the correct place. If anyone asked a penny for her thought she'd reply that she was thinking about her English essay on a street car named desire. When in truth she could only think of Sian, she didn't understand how she got through her days when the blonde seemed to consume her. She would find herself in class daydreaming about her girlfriend and the next thing she'd know the class would be over and her notebook would be empty aside from the love hearts scribbled over the page. However the past week the thoughts of the blonde had gotten worse.

Since the night her and Sian had slept together all she wanted to do was touch every contour of the blonde, kiss every part of her flesh and explore every inch of her body. She didn't understand how people made it through the day with these raging emotions and hormones. All she could think about was the next time her and Sian would be alone so they could do it again. Then with a sudden blush she realised where the expression horny teenagers probably came from.

"What are you thinking about eh?" She heard Molly tease as she came to the front of the shop.

"Just my college assignment." Sophie quickly said ducking her head.

"Yeah I always use to blush like that when I thought about home work." She laughed and Sophie couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face.

The noise was deafening the force was immense and Sophie was suddenly flown across the shop and she hit the back of her head with a thud. She wasn't aware how long had passed but her eyes blinked open and she tried to understand what was going on, the sounds seemed muffled to her ears and her eye sight had become blurry. The shop was dark and there was smoke coming from somewhere that Sophie couldn't see. Her thoughts weren't processing quickly enough and she didn't understand what was going on, why the lights were out and why she was across the shop on her back. Sophie attempted to prop herself up but it hurt so she just lifted her head trying to see Molly. She thought she was shouting out for the woman but she couldn't be sure and suddenly the world went black as she passed out.

When she came to she started to cough and her eyes were slowly drawn to the flames that were appearing from behind the desk. And although she couldn't grasp what had just happened there was a fear ripping through her body, all she needed was to get out. She thought she could hear shouts and screams from afar but she couldn't place anything, she couldn't piece everything together. Sophie used all her strength to sit up on shaking arms, she coughed and sputtered, her lungs felt heavy and every breath felt painful. Her head was spinning now she was sitting up and as she tried to pull her legs up to her chest she realised she couldn't. It wasn't that she didn't have the energy to because her left leg moved but the right one was stuck. Finally her vision started to adjust and she could see that her foot was trapped under some rubble. She didn't know if it was broken, but she could twist her ankle but she was unable to remove it. Tears were stinging her eyes and she tried desperately to pull free her leg, a wave of panic was hitting her already exhausted body. The tears began to fall harder and a fear that she was going to die hit her hard, she just didn't understand what was happening.

"Sophie?" She thought she heard a shout and her head shot up.

"I'm here! I'm in here. Please!" She tried to shout through her sobs. Sophie heard more shouting but could not make out any particular words or voices so she went back to trying to move her leg that was followed by more frustrated tears.

The next thing she was aware of were hands over hears and she looked up to see someone with a scarf or top wrapped around there lower face. Sophie frowned at the person confused until she finally realised who it was; "Sian." She cried harder at seeing the blonde.

"I'm going to get you out of here." Sian said taking the cloth from her face clearly agitated by it.

"Wh-what's going on?" Sophie asked while Sian went to work moving the rumble.

"There's been an accident with the tram line. It's going to be okay. I promise." She said and as she finished her sentence the flames behind them bellowed and both girls let out a scream as the heat of it hit them.

"Get out of here!" Sophie yelled to her girlfriend, the fire was getting worse and she wanted her girlfriend as far away as possible. She weakly tried to push Sian back, urging her to flee.

"Stop it!" Sian cried out grabbing hold of Sophie's hands. "I'm not leaving here without you." And with that she went back to the rumble and with one huge tug she stumbled backwards with a massive chunk of brick in her hands. "Can you get up?" Sian asked as she grabbed Sophie's elbow.

"Yeah I think so; I don't think it's broken." Sophie coughed and Sian urged her towards the door.

"Quick, I'm right behind you!" Sian shouted over the flames that raged to their side and Sian had to shield her eyes that were starting to stream.

Sophie's legs carried her as fast as she could, her legs felt like lead but she could feel the dread starting to leave her. She stumbled over some bricks and wood and fell on her knees outside into the fresh air. People instantly came to her aid; she thought she could hear her parents and maybe Rosie as they hurried her away from the building. The brunette tried to break free of their grasp turning to see Sian, to hold her, thank her to confess her love for her girlfriend.

BANG!

And with that deafening sound a ball of flames exploded in the store, there was no sight of the blonde.

"SIAN!" Sophie screamed as her father wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from running into the shop. Sophie's heart stopped and her world fell from space. Everything went into slow motion and Sophie went limp in her dads' arms falling to the ground.

*****

Thursday 17:19

Sophie kicked her feet as she wrapped her arms protectively around herself. The cold evening air whipped against her and she tightened her scarf to prevent it getting closer to her flesh. She stopped at her destination and looked down at the headstone that had only just been laid.

"Sorry I didn't come today." Sophie said as she crouched down her finger tracing Sian's name craved in the stone. "You promised though." She stated as the anger began to bubble inside her. She had been trying to flee her feelings and she could feel them all catching up with her. "You promised me forever Sian! You said it. We were meant to be a couple, we were meant to make all our decisions together. You can't just leave me here alone." She shouted at the headstone, she screamed the words out to the heavens. Hoping the blonde was somewhere listening to her. "You shouldn't have come in after me! You are so selfish! I hate you! I hate you so much!" She kept her jaw tight not wanting to cry, not wanting Sian to see her tears.

"Sophie?" Turning around she saw Emily standing behind her, the elderly woman's face a picture of concern. Emily walked over to the younger girl and just reached her as Sophie stumbled forward into Emily's embrace. Her eyes finally lost the battle as tears cascaded down her cheeks her heart was shattering, breaking over and over making her relive the pain every second she was breathing. Emily ran a tender hand over Sophie's head as the girl buried her face into the older woman's shoulder.

"I hate her Emily. I hate her for this." Sophie sobbed her words barely audible through her cries. Emily thought if a breaking heart made a sound then this was it, pure sobs of anguish.

"I know you do sweetheart." She cooed into the girl's ear, she knew that Sophie didn't mean her words but now was not the time to argue with her.

"I hope she regrets this. I hope where ever she is then she's sorry for what she's done to me." Emily stepped back and held's Sophie's tear soaked face in her life worn hands.

"She's not sorry. Sian loved you, she will not be sorry for you still being here." She said slowly wanting every word to sink into the young woman.

"Well she should be. She left me Emily. Sian's left me." It was as if the last three words hit a nerve, and the truth penetrated straight to her heart and Sophie crumbled to the ground as the weight of the world hit her shoulders; every single ignored feeling and abandoned emotion slammed into her. She cried so hard she thought she might pass out from lack of breath and Emily stood over the girl as the realisation hit her like a tidal wave.

All the great stories have a beginning, a middle and a end. And although this is the way that all tales unfold, Sophie just couldn't accept or believe that she and Sian's story wouldn't be lasting forever, or even a little longer.