[Zack]

i was ball faced angry. i ran as fast as my legs would carry me to her front door. i was gonna give this guy a piece of my mind...and may be a bit of my fist!i ran down the small alley way that lead to her front door and stopped to catch my breath so i could roar at him when he answered the door. when i slammed my fist on the door for the 3rd time it cracked open and a small little head popped was emilys saw it was me and shushed me with her finger .she stepped outside and looked tired.

"shhh hes want to wake him" she sighed and thenlooked at me sternly "zack merrick! why are you coming round and bashing my front door down!. emily is in school where i thought you were too!" she furiously whispered

"yeah,emily is in school hiding the big shiner your husband gave her yesterday!" i said at normal voice level

" wait what?"she said leaning into me

"your monster that you call a husband attacked her yesterday and gave her a black eye and swollen face! iv just ran from school to beat some sense into him!" i made a go for the door but she stopped me

"have you seen her ?with the black eye and in this state?" she asked

"i held her face in my hands linda! it was hot and tears would have turned to steam on the cheeks if i hadnt wiped them away!"

she stared at me for a second then her eyebrows mouth scrunched up and her eyes set.i backed off a little at her was starting to worry me now.

"he can hit me and curse at me but he cannot hurt the only thing to come out of our relationship!" she growled

she suddenly swung round and barged in the her own order to be quite. i followed her into the dark living room where he lay grabbed her green curtains and wrenched them open. the light flooded in and the monster woke in the leather chair he was srewn in. linda then shoved him off the landed with a groan on the stood with her arms crossed and foot tapping as he stood up .he grunted and squinted at her and was staring at me (probably trying to place my face) when linda slapped his arm. he snapped his head towards her and was about to shout when linda stuck her face into his.

"how dare you come back into this house and think you can just beat your own flesh and blood whenever you feel like it! i will not stand for it micheal!" she roared the last part and i swear i saw him flinch "how DARE you beat her in this house that i have held up and kept for all those years you fucked off somewhere and never looked back! how DARE you !" she pushed herself away from her alchoholic husband.

i expected him to fall back in the seat stunned but all he did was stare and her and set his jaw. she had turned her back to him as she gathered herself and when she turned around he held up a fist to strike flinched and curled into a protective ball. i didnt even know it was me as i ran up and grabbed his hand as he went to bring it perverted smile on his face fell as i pinned his hand behind his back along with the other one.i finally got him to the floor and looked up and was staring down at us with pure hatrid in her eyes.

"call the police!" i yelled at her

she didnt just stared at the man under me.

"linda! call the pol-" i stop as she produces a small white divice with a big red button on it

a panic button.

i sighed in content as the sirens became audible.

[Emily]

we all squashed into alexs small car and drove to my house. i searched along the road for zack as we went .he must be a very fast runner!. we turned into my estate and were stopped by the police as they lead a hooded old man into a car. i burst out of the car and ran to my house. i screamed at the police officer that it was my house. they let me go and as i ran past the old man they were arresting i noticed who he was.

"dad?" i said

he looked up as i stopped ahead of tired eyes turned hard and acidic

"you! this is all your fault! look at what youve done to me you evil bitch!" he yelled as the police dragged him away.

i stood there for a minute before thinking of my mom

i ran into the house and found her in zacks arms. she was sobbing into zacks open hoodie . i went over to her and touched her arm

"mum?..." i said softly

she looked up at me and suddenly lurched onto me. she broke down sobbing on my name and telling me a tear filled story. with her weight and my weak knees we both fell to the floor crying. i heard zack walk away but i didnt care. i had my mom in my arms and she wasnt monster had been caught. my mom pulled away and looked at my face. she sniffed and wiped my face as she looked at the horrible sight.

"oh emily...what did he do?" she sobbed rubbing my eye

"its ok mum it will heal...hes gone...he wont be able to hurt us again...i promise" i whispered and we went off in a bat of tears again.

i cant really remember but soon enough me and my mum calmed down and the police left. it was just me,my mum and the guys. my mum shut the door on the last of the police and turned to us.i stood awkwardly on one side of the gang and zack on the other.

"alright" she sighed "who wants food? im starving and if i know teenagers id say you are too?"

i smiled and nodded along with the rubbed my arm as she walked past into the guys filed after her but i caught zack before he could go in.

"erm zack?" i said when he turned

"yeah" he said sticking his hands in his pockets

"thank you for everything youve done for my mum today...if you didnt...i dont think he would have left again...thanks" i smirked awkwardly

"it was all for you emily you must have known that...it was always for you,"he stepped forward so we were close" i still ove you...what i said back in the hospital was ...stupid and i was under alot of stress...will you forgive me?" he said and ducked his head in that devilishly cute way he could

"on one conditon" i held up a finger

"anything" he sighed

"you start wearing less layers " i smirked and glanced at his open hoodie and back to his eyes

he laughed and put his arms around me "anything you want" he looked at me "so are we...-" i cut him off with a small kiss

"stronger than ever?...yes" i finished his sentance

a cough made us jump mum stood awkwardly at the kitchen door "...tea's getting cold you two" she smiled at zack and winked at me

i laughed and with a grasp of zacks hand we walked into the kitchen

[Alex]

we all sat down at the kitchen table with a fresh sandwich and tea. emily and zack had forgiven each other which only left one other thing to sort out :me and coughed -probably choking on his sandwich. i started to rub his back but when jack looked into my eyes and i got lost the room went silent. i looked at the table-emilys mom had left- they were all staring at me and looked at me and reached out to my free hand she grabbed it and squeezed it.

"im so sorry for snapping at you two before...i had so much to deal with and i couldnt take anymore...i hope you can forgive me but i have no problem with you two being together...just warn us when you want to be alone" she joked and laughed with zack. i smiled and sqeezed her hand back.

"no problem emily. we had no idea what you were going through. im so sorry as well for acting like that towards you"

"yeah" jack piped up and put his skinny hand on top of ours

"i should be more honest with you all" she looked at rian and zack as she spoke"all this could have been averted"

"why would you want to avert this?" rian said and we all looked at him with the same " where you even here for the past day?" look

"what do you mean?" zack said

"if all this wouldnt have happened we wouldnt all be sitting here...we wouldnt be as strong as we are at this moment." he smiled showing us his amazing teeth.

emily smiled at zack and leaned back into his arm"true rian..."

[jack]

alex settled back into my arms and we sat content for a few minutes. zack emily and rian started to chat about something else. i leaned into alexs ear and whispered

"so things turned out alright in the end"

he wriggled against my chest and looked back to me " looks that way"

"still my burrito?" i asked

"always was" alex smiled closing his eyes as i placed my chin on his forehead

alex jerked from under it touching his forehead "might want to cut the beard there jack!" he laughed

"what? dont ye like it?" i looked at the rest who were looking at us

they all looked at each other and said it all at the same time

"you look like and emo jesus!"

we all started howling in laughter but were cut short when someone frantically knocked on emilys front door.

we all sat rigid as her mom went and answered it.

[Rian]

we all held our breath waiting for voices to trickle in from the door. emilys mom appeared at the kitchen door .

"emily its a friend will i let her in?" she said slightly stepping side ways to show the visitor out of my view

"oh !yeah sure come in!" emily said happily

cass strode in and looked around the kitchen. when she spotted me she almost pounced on me.

"whats up cass?" i asked as she checked my face

"i was waiting for you outside school but you didnt show and when you or the gang didnt show i asked around and people said you sped off with emily alex and jack in a car. so i tried to call you but you didnt pick up so i went looking for you and i saw all the commotion here and i saw the car and thought you were hurt..." she gasped a breath

i patted her hair down and smiled "calm down babe it was nothing calm down" i shushed her

"sorry but i got a little worried "she sighed hugging me

i looked around the rest of the group. they all smiled tiredly at me and cass. alex was curled contently in jacks arms against his chest, emily was snuggled into zacks side and my cass was sighing against my chest. i was at peace there. my friends were happy and i was blissfully too. none of us looked guilty or looked as if we were hiding something. for once out faced showed only one thing ...the one thing i only wanted for my gang from the very start

love.