"Just go home, Abi." I tell my sister, in the middle of the square. She doesn't understand what it feels like to have nothing else to turn to but alcohol.

"Please, Lauren." Abi tries to grab my arm but I snap.

"Just go home!" I yell at her and push her away.

"Lauren? Lauren, you alright?" I hear his voice behind me. Joey.

"Lauren?" He calls my name again and I slowly turn to look at him. I feel myself weakening and my tears start to fall. I want nothing more than to be back in his arms where I belong; go back to how it was.

"No. No, I'm not alright." I shake my head. Joey walks closer to me until we're an inch apart. "Come on, come here." He whispers, and opens his arms to me. And I want to so much; I want his arms around me, comforting me. I want to fall into his arms, so much so that I almost do. Almost. But I have to stop myself. I can't turn to Joey anymore. He ended it; he didn't believe me, he believed Lucy over me. As much as it kills me, I can't go to him. Despite the intense longing I feel to run to him and let him make it all better. Despite how much I need him. Silently as continuous tears fall down my cheeks, I shake my head at him.

"Lauren?" He frowns.

"No. No." I sob, but still don't let myself fall into his embrace.

"What's the matter, Lauren?" Joey wipes a tear away with his thumb. Behind him, Lucy comes out of the caff, and stiffens when she sees us together.

"Joey! Can you help me with the bins please?" She calls out to him. He doesn't take his eyes off me.

"What's the matter, babe?" He repeats. "Please?" Lucy asks him again.

"I'm in the middle of something right now, Lucy. Can it wait?" He finally turns away from me to look at her.

"Not really." She snaps.

"It's fine. We're not in the middle of anything." I take a step back from him, and turn to walk to the minute mart.

"Off for a drink, are we? It's a bit of a late start for you, isn't it? Usually on, what, half a dozen by now?" Lucy sneers at me.

"Lucy, just leave it, yeah?" Joey tells her, angrily. I shake my head at him, and walk towards Lucy as he goes inside the caff.

"You know what; I'm actually a bit of a novelty for him. Not being related." Lucy smirks. She turns her back on me and as she starts to walk away, I grab her by the arm and punch her hard in the nose. To my own surprise, I even draw blood and she falls to the ground.

"Do you want to push me, Lucy? You really wanna push me?" I scream and pick up the sugar, ready to launch it at her.

"No!" She shouts back at me, just as Joey comes back out from the caff. He walks straight past her and comes towards me.

"What are you doing, Lauren? Put it down." He orders.

"No! You don't get to tell me what to do. No-one gets to tell me what to do!" I scream and throw the sugar through the window of the caff, smashing it straight through. I storm away, Abi hot on my heels. Completely unexpectedly though, Joey follows too.

"Lauren." He calls. Lucy is still in a complete mess sprawled on the ground, nursing her hopefully broken nose but he walks straight past her, running to catch up with me. "Lauren!" Joey calls out my name again and this time he sounds angry.

"Lauren, please come home." Abi sniffs and her tears make me stop in my tracks. I turn around and both Joey and Abi run towards me.

"Lauren, come on. Tell me what's wrong. Let's go and talk, just us." Joey asks.

"No, no way. I'm not falling for that one again. Oh, let's go for a walk, Lauren. Come for a walk with me, Lauren. And then just take me back home, ay?" I snap at him and stomp off to the minute mart. He comes up behind me and grabs my arm just as I'm about to step inside. "Don't do this, please." Joey whispers, his eyes pleading with me.

"I need a drink!" I exclaim through gritted teeth, trying to shrug him off but he just tightens his grip.

"You don't need to do this. Please talk to me, babe. Please. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm asking you please, to come and talk to me and tell me what's wrong." He says, barely above a whisper.

"Oh yeah? And if I do, you'll just take me home. I don't wanna go home." I say, angrily.

"I promise I won't take you home. This isn't like that time. I just want you to talk to me, please. Please, babe." He looks into my eyes and I feel my heart melting.

"Why? Why do you care?" I question, confused.

"Course I care, Lauren." He pulls me towards him, away from the minute mart.

"Now will you come with me and talk to me?" He repeats, and leans over to tuck my hair behind my ear. Why would he do that if he didn't love me? I look up at him in total confusion.

"Okay." I whisper, nodding. He leads me in the direction of the swings, but Abi stops us. "Joey, wait. My mum, she's worried. We should take Lauren home." She tells him.

"Abs, tell your mum I'll bring Lauren home if and when she's ready to come home, please. Go home, don't worry and tell your mum not to worry either. She'll be fine with me, promise. I'll look after her." He tells Abi, and she nods, slowly.

"Come on, babe." Joey turns to me, expectantly waiting for me to follow him. So I do.