Thank you for the reviews... Back out of hiding for a little bit hey...

I've written a few things here which I didn't like to write... It's strange because I couldn't really find other words that might have been better. Let's just put this as I really hated Melissa during writing this story... Probably why I have the chapter of IaWW, TIDU that I do coming up (Which is slightly redemption-y)...

I have literally been wanting to give you this chapter since chapter 12 (when Melissa was introduced)... just 13 chapters later... shall we say goodbye to victim number 2... unfortunately, victim number 3 is around for another 5 chapters...

Chapter Twenty Five
The Confession

Rachel was glad that it was the end of term. It meant that there was only one more term left of the school year and then she would have six weeks to try and put everything that had happened in the school year behind her and work on moving forward.

It also meant that it was the last senior management team meeting of the term. Something she was glad about as Eddie constantly looked between herself and Tom to make sure that they were okay as Melissa ranted about what had happened the other week. Not that Rachel had already had this rant three times since the incident.

The door closed behind Melissa and Adam, and Rachel couldn't be more grateful that both Tom and Eddie didn't have lessons first thing.

"I'm going to say something to her." Rachel said. "I can't keep going on like this."

"What are you going to say?" Eddie asked.

"Everything. About me and you. How she needs to move out."

"In keeping of that theme of not being able to keep going, here," Tom said as he handed over a letter.

"Tom…"

"I could have done it the Monday after it happened but I knew both of you would argue that I haven't thought about it. In all honesty, I have been thinking about it for a while. I allowed my prejudice and the conflict that I was having at home with the Kellys affect my professional responsibilities. What happened proved that. I'm not saying that something like that wasn't going to happen, but you heard what Earl said. I don't know how many times I have had to stop myself from putting him through a window."

Rachel sighed as she took the letter off him. "You were doing a good job, Tom."

"I don't doubt that. Just this has highlighted that maybe I can't be impartial."

Her eyes flicked to Eddie.

"I suppose I should start thinking about our next Head of Pastoral Care."

There were only a rare few occasions that the staff room was completely empty. It was something that Rachel was glad off when she walked in to find her sister the only occupant. It meant that the following conversation wouldn't be overheard by anyone and she didn't have to direct it to her office. She knew that this conversation was going to get ugly.

"Melissa."

"Rachel. Look I have this amazing idea for next term."

"Can we talk about that later? I have something else I would quite like to talk about."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"I think it is time you found your own house, flat, somewhere else to live."

"Are you kicking me out?"

Rachel sighed. "Melissa, you were staying with me to look after me after the fire. Soon the fire would have been a year ago and as much as I appreciate everything you have done, I am healed from that now. I don't need you to look after me anymore." Not that you actually looked after me.

"What has brought this on?"

"I was under the impression that you living with me was always just temporary."

"Rach, it is just you knocking about in that massive place. I mean, why did you buy a house so big just for yourself?"

"It isn't just going to be me once you moved out. I want to move my boyfriend in. I am ready to take that step with him."

"The imaginary one?"

"Melissa, he is real. And as much as you are going to hate me saying this, he is Eddie."

"When are you both going to stop lying about that? He is your friend. A great friend at that. But you aren't going out with him."

"Sorry, both?"

"Eddie told me a couple of weeks ago."

"Melissa, I really don't see how you don't see it. I mean, even Tom has been basically telling you since the first date."

"That is just a rumour. I mean, the rumours that this place comes up with. I still can't believe that everyone thinks that you were pregnant with Eddie's baby. What lie did you spin there? You have everyone convinced that you were pregnant."

Rachel knew that she had said that Melissa didn't deserve to see the sonogram of the baby but every time she mentioned that she was lying about being pregnant, it hurt. It hurt more than the truth of how the pregnancy came about.

"I wasn't going to show this to you. But as you constantly think that I am lying about being pregnant, here you go." She said as she got the sonogram out of her pocket. "There is your little niece or nephew."

There was a change in Melissa's face as she took the photos out of Rachel's hand. She hoped that it meant that her sister was finally believing her and that they could finally end up talking about things as adults. Rachel knew that part of their strained relationship was because of their difference in childhood and probably also to do with what she had done to make sure they had enough money for everything. They hadn't spoken about it since they were reunited. The only thing that was mentioned was the fact that she had changed her name.

"Who says that you didn't just print off a picture from the internet?"

Rachel snatched back the sonogram, hurt that her sister could think that she would do something like that.

"Melissa, I don't care what you think. I wish that I stopped tiptoeing around you ages ago. I was pregnant okay? I lost the baby in the fire and Eddie had to make the decision over it. Eddie made every single decision on my health because no one could get in contact with you. He saved my job. He cared for me. He sat in that hospital chair and spent every waking moment he could with me. Eddie has been the one who has been there for me. Not you. I don't even know why you came."

"So this is like Scott Wilson all over again?"

"This is nothing like Scott Wilson."

"Please Rachel. You were jealous of me because you fancied him as well."

"I never fancied him."

"And now you are exactly the same with Eddie."

"I never fancied Scott. He paid me to be at that party with him."

"Oh please, Rachel. Stop lying. You don't want me to get with Eddie because you are scared of what it will do to your friendship. You are scared that I will come between you and you will lose someone that you seem to be obsessed with."

"I am not obsessed with Eddie."

"You are. You even think that you are going out with him. I mean just say it. Why don't you want me to get with him?"

"I don't want you to go out with him because I love him!"

There it was. She had finally confessed to her sister that she loved Eddie and Rachel take aback a little at how shocked her sister was at her confession. Maybe she was really just that blind to it.

"You what?"

"I love him, Melissa. Unlike anyone I have done before. He is always there for me. He is an extremely calming influence on my spiralling thoughts and usually, what he says, he is right about. He has been there for me ever since he found out about Amanda and he had seen me through my darkest days. I love him so much and all I want to do now is to scream it from the rooftops. I am in love with Eddie Lawson and I don't want you ruining the first good thing that has ever happened to me. I'm not going to allow you to ruin it for me."

The slap from her sister shocked her. Rachel held onto her cheek as the atmosphere in the room changed. Her sister was still the jealous, spoilt person that she grew up with. She hadn't changed one bit. Rachel was obviously still meant to put Melissa's happiness before her own. Not anymore and she didn't care if it meant burning all her bridges with her. Philip would be 16 soon. He knew that he was always welcomed with her if he got sick of his mother.

"You think you are a different person now. But you haven't changed one bit. You are still the jealous slut you always was. Maybe you should go back to it. Suits you more than this charade that you try to keep up." Melissa said before she stormed off.

Rachel took a few deep breaths to stop herself from crying. She had tried to hard to build a relationship with her sister and part of her wished that she didn't try so hard. It was obvious it wasn't what Melissa wanted. She would have just missed out on Philip. Would have been the better option.

What she hadn't realised was that an audience had grown as she argued with her sister and when she turned to leave, half the staff was there with Eddie in the middle of them.

"I think they know," Eddie said.

"I think they do."

There he was. Her calming influence walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. There he was, confirming everything that she had said and telling them, officially, that they were a couple. There he was, her Eddie Lawson.

Rachel thought it would be best to let her sister calm down. Not only had she offered to pay for the first drink, but she also didn't think that she would not be allowed to not go to the pub after everyone seemed rather happy about the announcement that her and Eddie were going out.

It was later, when her and Eddie arrived back at hers, that she realised there was something wasn't right as Philip sat at the bottom of the stairs.

"She's gone." He said as he lifted his head from his hands.

"What do you mean she has gone?" Rachel asked as she sat on the step next to him.

"She does this. She always runs from conflict. I don't know what you said to her Rach, but she has gone. Only this time, she has left me behind."

"Philip." She said as she pulled him into a hug.

Eddie went into the kitchen to check a few things and came back with the key that Rachel had lent Melissa in his hand.

"Her car isn't outside and her car keys are gone. This was on the island." He said.

Rachel pulled out her phone and checked to see if her sister had tried to contact her but there were no missed calls.

"Rachel. I know you just wanted her to stop." Philip said.

"But she has no right to just abandon you because we fell out. It isn't your fault." She said before she pressed the button on her phone to call Melissa.

It took a bit of time to calm Philip down but hours later, there was still no word from Melissa. All her clothes had gone and Rachel knew that there was no other explanation for it. Her sister had abandoned her nephew. And she was to blame.