It's been absolutely ages since I've posted on this site, so I like to think that my writing has improved - Hopefully! I know the cast of Casualty has completely changed now but I am still writing for the old characters, because I just love them so much. Don't get me wrong though, I love the current storyline with Faith and Stevie, and they are now two of my favourite characters so I might end up writing a story about those two at some point! Who's been watching? What do you all think?

Anyway, this is quite a dark story from me - as usual, lol. It's a friendship story between Lily and Alicia. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Lily stood outside the local community centre, with a heavy heart and a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. A loud rumble was heard from behind the grey clouds above her, and a single raindrop plopped onto the tip of her nose. She shivered and zipped her coat up before wrapping her arms around herself. It was cold out and that single raindrop would soon turn into a complete downpour but in all honesty, she'd rather stay outside than go in... There.

This was her idea in the first place though, right? She'd chosen to do this. She'd finally decided that she needed to seek help before she found herself in a deeper downward spiral. Her thoughts weren't going to go away on their own, were they?

Lily rubbed at her red sore eyes and wiped away her tears. Why did she have to be such a coward?

Suddenly, Lily's tears fell harder and harder. She couldn't go in there now, not when her face was crumpled and as red as the apples growing on the trees. It would be so embarrassing. She cleared her throat and turned on her heels. She'd get back on her moped, she'd go back to her flat, and she'd just have an early night with a film and a takeaway. She didn't need a support group. She was fine. She was going to be fine.

"Are you okay there?"

She wasn't, and she could have completely ignored the voice and carried on walking back to the car park, but she turned round. She was a woman probably around Connie's age, with blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail like a cheerleader. She looked nice and casual, with a simple pair of blue jeans and black converse, and a white top with the quote "Reach for the Stars" across the chest.

"I saw you from the window. Are you here for the support group?" She asked.

She seemed nice enough.

"I…I um…I was…" Lily stuttered over her words. For the first time ever, she was speechless. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this kind of stuff."

"It's okay," She reassured her. "Everyone feels nervous at first. But it's a lovely group and you won't be forced to talk about anything that you don't want to talk about, or at all for that matter."

Lily nodded and asked, "How long have you been attending for?"

"Attending?" She smiled and flicked her ponytail. "I run the group. My name's Lydia."

"Lily Chao," Lily introduced herself quietly.

"It's nice to meet you," Lydia said. "So, are you going to give it a go or not? We have tea and biscuits, and it's a lot warmer."

"Okay," Lily finally answered, with some slight hesitation still in her voice.

She took a couple of big breaths, so big that she thought she was going to pass out and followed Lydia towards the door. There wasn't anything special about the place. It was just the community centre where they hold meetings and kids' groups, craft fayres, and birthday parties. There was a table set to one side with biscuits, cold and hot drinks, and chairs set out in a big circle in the middle.

Lily felt sick. What was she doing here? She prayed that no one saw her go in, or she'd never live it down. She didn't want people to think that strong, Doctor Lily Chao needed therapy.

"Take a seat anywhere you like," Lydia said. "We usually stop halfway through for a break and a snack."

Lily smiled thankfully at her and turned her attention to the rest of the group. One woman caught her attention straight away though, and it seemed as if she'd caught hers as well.

It was Alicia.

My chapters always end up being really short, so I'll try and make them a bit longer in future.