New Beginnings {ACM}

Chapter 40

Song of the chapter: Demons by Imagine Dragons

Emily's POV

"No! No, don't take her, please! Leah!" I heard Quinn scream in her sleep. Oh, not again. I had gotten maybe an hour of sleep and it was already five o'clock in the morning. I sighed and jumped off the chair in the corner of her room, hurrying over to her thrashing form.

"Quinn! Quinn, wake up," I said loudly as I shook her.

She shot up in bed, her eyes moving around wildly in the dark.

"Emily?" She whispered.

"Yeah, I'm right here," I said. "You were having a nightmare."

She nodded. "About Leah." She sniffled and silently started crying, so I sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her.

The rest of Quinn's family opened her bedroom door. "Quinn, honey," Becky said as she came over and hugged her daughter. "Are you alright?"

Quinn nodded. "I'm fine, mom, it was just a dream. Emily's here."

"Which we are very thankful for," Allan spoke up from the doorway. Jace, who was standing beside his dad, nodded in agreement. They both looked sullen.

"Okay, well, try and get some sleep," Becky said. She kissed Quinn's head. "We'll see you in the morning."

Allan, Becky, and Jace all left the room, the latter closing it behind them.

"You good?" I asked my younger friend.

She nodded and I tucked herself back in before I climbed back onto the chair. It wasn't comfortable to sleep on, but I would live.

********

"Emily?"

"Mmm."

"Emily."

"Austin, go away."

I heard a chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Austin."

I slowed opened my eyes to see Jace standing in front of me, his blonde hair reflecting the sun streaming in from the window.

"Oh, hi," I said, stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"

He looked apologetic. "It's eight. I imagine you didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

I waved it off. "I can sleep when I get home." I sat up properly and stretched, looking around the room. "Where's Quinn?"

"She's in the kitchen eating. She told me to come get you before the good food is gone."

"Oh. Okay, thanks," I told him.

"No problem," he replied as he left the room. I got up and was about to open Quinn's dresser when I saw a fancy looking bra and underwear combo sitting on her bed with a note on top. There was also deodorant, a hairbrush, and other necessities. I grabbed the note.

Emily,

I went out and bought these for you while you were sleeping since you don't have anything here. Don't stress over it, it wasn't a problem at all and I won't take no for an answer. Thank you again for everything you've done with Quinn.

Becky

"Oh, Mrs. Bradshaw," I muttered but put the undergarments on anyway. I went to the dresser and grabbed a black tank top and a hot pink hoodie, throwing it on over top. The majority of Quinn's wardrobe was black, pink, and red.

I just wore my jean shorts from the previous day and threw my other clothes in my bag. I went to the washroom to clean up and brush my hair before heading to the kitchen where everyone was.

They all said good morning and I relayed the greeting, sitting beside Quinn at the table.

"Sorry for keeping you up all night," she said.

"It's fine, Quinn, I'm glad I stayed."

"Help yourself," Becky said, gesturing to the food on the table.

As we ate, it was an awkward silence, Leah's chair beside Jace was empty. When we all finished, I helped Becky with the dishes while Quinn and Jace retreated to their rooms and Allan went to the living room.

"Thanks for the clothes, Becky," I said as I dried.

"No problem, honey, I'm glad you could keep my daughter company. It's been a hard couple of days."

I nodded in understanding. "If there's anything Austin and I can do, please let us know. We can always find someone to watch Lucy for us."

Becky gave a small tired smile. "Thank you, dear, but we don't want you to feel like you have to be here all the time. You both have your own lives to worry about."

"You guys are family," I told her.

She gave me a hug. "You don't know how glad I am that Quinn was fortunate enough to run into you at Brittany's two years ago. Both you and Austin have been a tremendous help to us, as well as Taylor and Alex."

I smiled and we finished cleaning up in silence.

"Do you need a ride back home? Allan and I have to stop at the station to answer more questions," Becky asked, trailing off at the end.

"If it's alright with you, but I can always ask Austin to pick me up; he doesn't mind."

"No, no, we can bring you home," she insisted. "We'll be in the car, you can gather your things."

I already had everything ready so I went to say bye to Quinn and Jace. Turns out they were both in Jace's room; Jace was watching TV while Quinn sat silently, staring at the wall.

I knocked on the open door. "I've got to head back now."

Quinn got up and came over to hug me. "Thank you for staying."

"You're welcome," I smiled. "I'll get your clothes back to you as soon as possible."

"No rush," she said. She let go and gave me a tiny smile before Jace hugged me.

"Be strong for her," I said so only he could hear. "She needs you."

He pulled back and nodded at me. "We'll see you soon."

I waved and went out to the car where their parents were patiently waiting.