Chapter 23 – The Truth

Mandy's POV

Adam came to pick us up, he could sense the tension as neither of us were talking, The journey back was horrible in silence and Leo wouldn't look at me he just kept looking out the window. When we got back to the clinic we went to my room.

"I am going home" he said going towards the door

"No Leo don't" I replied

"Why not Mandy, Kirsty whatever your name is"

"Leo don't be like that"

"Why not? I should have listened to my parents they were right you were messing me around all this time"

"I wasn't, you are my best friend I just...I didn't know how to tell you I thought you wouldn't like me anymore"

"Well tell me now or I am leaving and not coming back, I mean it Mandy"

I looked at him, he was serious I knew he was hurting a lot, Leo hated being lied to. I nodded and patted the space on the bed next to me so we can talk.

"Okay I will tell you everything"

"Go on"

"Yes, my real name is Kirsty, my birth name is Kirsty Lindsay, I lived in Shieldinch with my dad, and my brother, my mum was involved in my life but I didn't live with her full time"

"So how did you end up here?"

"After the whole thing I told you about with Grace, my dad and I had a huge fight and told me to get out, so I went to live with my mum full time, anyway the abuse stuff happened but that's not why I ended up here"

"Then what is?"

"I was 18 when I started to get ill, I was in sixth form and at the time I was in a bad way, there was this girl who I was friends with named Mollie, she had a crush on this boy called Mason"

"I don't understand why that matters"

"I am getting to it, anyway one day we decided to bunk of school and she asked Mason to meet us, we were going to just mess around have a few drinks you know, we went to this abandoned warehouse we knew about as we knew no one would find us there, as I said I was in a bad way so I left the other two and went onto the roof"

"The roof!?" why did you do that?"

"I don't know, it was sunny and warm which is rare for us so I wanted to feel the air look at the sights, anyway I had only being there a few minutes when Mason followed me up, I thought it would be a good opportunity to tell him about my friends crush"

"So what happened?"

"I told him and he said it was me he liked I was going to say something and he started kissing me so I pushed him to tell him to lay off, he still didn't get the message so I thumped him in the face and he got a nose bleed, and some blood fell on my top, anyway I looked up and he was stood near the edge I told him to be careful or he will fall, I turned around to see Mollie struggling to get up as she was never a good climber. I was only turned around for a split second but I heard this noise, a loud thump. I turned back around and didn't see Mason, I ran to the edge and saw him lying on the floor, and I can't tell you if he fell or jumped because I don't know"

"That's awful but why does that mean you had to change your name?"

"When Mollie finally got up she walked to the edge she saw him lying on the floor and the blood on my top, she knew I had being attacking people for no reason recently because I was still undiagnosed at this point and my emotions were all over the place, I remember she said "You pushed him" then before I could respond she ran down to check on him, I followed he was still breathing but she got out her phone and called the police she said he had being pushed of the roof and gave my name. I ran off as fast as I could to my mum's house, I packed a bag quickly and then took some savings money, I went to the train station, I didn't care where I was going I just got the next train there was which was Greenock obviously. Then I stayed in hotels for a bit and gave my new name 'Mandy' don't ask me why I picked it I don't know it was the first thing I thought of, then I went to live in a hostel for a bit, but they made me see a doctor because I was always attacking the others who lived there that's where a doctor diagnosed me and then I ended up here.

"W...wow...that's quite a story"

"That's why I changed my name, the police knew me they wanted to question me and when they know my mental state they won't let me off"

"I don't hate you I think you are the bravest person I know" he said as he hugs me I smiled cuddling into him as I missed his hugs.

"So Kirsty...Mandy..."

"Mandy to you, I don't think I can get used to you calling me Kirsty"

"Good because I can't get used to calling you it, and don't worry I will keep you safe"

"I thought I had lost you"

"Don't say that, I love you too much to just leave"

"I love you too...not in that way"

"Yeah I know it's alright, Mandy?"

"Yes?"

"What was Kirsty like? Did she dress the same? Was she bad?"

I looked at him with a smile "You will never know"