Eighteen

Twenty-fifth October was Amelia Pond's 18th birthday.

Her aunt made a fuss of her that morning. As did her aunt's boyfriend Mick... or was it Clark this time? Amy could never keep up.

Amy sat out in the back garden as the warm sunshine beat down on the garden that had been as unkempt as the say she moved in thirteen years ago, and she was sat on the old, rusting swing set, thinking.

She was thinking about what happened between her and Rory over Christmas the previous year.

He was still seeing... her... not that Amy cared. Well... that was what she told herself as she tried to ignore the sinking, hollow feeling in her chest every time she saw them together.

She looked up, hearing the sounds of footsteps walking in her direction and she saw it was Rory, which made her look away again.

"What are you doing here...?" she asked, looking at the floor as she spoke.

"To... um... to talk." He said quietly.

"I have nothing to say to you and I don't want to hear excuses." She said.

"Please... just hear me out, and then I'll go..." he said softly.

"Fine... you have two minutes..." she said, resigned. She sighed again and looked at him. "Do I disgust you that much?"

He looked at her wide eyed. Why would she think she was disgusting? She was more beautiful and stunning than anyone else in the village. "What? No! Of course you don't! You're beautiful." He told her.

"Then why did you do it?" she asked. She didn't believe what he said. She always knew she was no good, that she held no beauty whatsoever. No one knew her true feelings she always made everyone believe she was okay and she was strong willed. They wouldn't have believed her anyway if she did cry out for help.

"I dunno... I guess I got jealous, and she said she could treat me better and wouldn't go off with anyone else." He told her.

Ouch. That hurt.

Amy bit her lip. She knew she treated him bad... and she never meant to... but cheat on him? Is that what he thought of her? "I'd never cheat on you..." she said in a barely audible whisper. She loved him too much... He was the only one she'd ever been with and they hadn't even got past kissing stages when they were together.

"How would I know, Amy? You're prepared to go out there and kiss random strangers for money. How would I know nothing else would happen?"

So that was it. He though she was one of... them? Her eyes blazed in anger, frustration and devastation. "This is how you would know, Rory Williams! I, Amelia Jessica Pond at 18 years old, hasn't had sex with ANYONE in my entire life! Because guess what! I wanted that first to be you!" she snapped, stood up and she pushed past him, leaving him dumbfounded. She stopped a few paces and turned to face him.

"If you thought I was that... easy... why did you ask me out? To humiliate me? Lead me on? Laugh at me behind my back? You let me believe you loved me! God, how stupid, crazy and bloody gullible I must be." She said. "Everyone else was right you know. I am crazy. I am dumb. I'm that bad not even you like me."

"Amy that's not true! You're none of those things." Why was she like this? She was so confident... what had he done to her? "You're brilliant, funny, creative, smart, beautiful, caring, way out of my league." He told her; though he had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't believe him. Why the hell would she? He'd left her for one of their friends. Committed the ultimate betrayal.

"I wanted you, you complete idiot!" she said.

"Why?" he looked at her.

"What do you mean 'why'? You're the only one I ever let into my heart since my parents died! You're the only one who believed me until we left school that I wasn't mad!"

"But you're not mad, Amy." He told her.

"You know what, forget about it." She told him and she walked into the house.

"Amy!" he followed after her.

"Just go!"

"Amy please!"

"She told you to leave; now your time is up." Amy's aunt said.

Rory sighed in defeat. He knew better than to argue with her, so he left, leaving Amy alone once more.

I suppose that's all I'll ever know... loneliness... Amy thought as she sat in her bedroom, unable to stop the flow of tears streaming down her cheeks.