Memories

Mason was already feeling a little homesick as he stared out of the train window.

Saying goodbye to Sarah & Diana had been hard but it had been even harder saying goodbye to his sister. Belle hadn't wanted to let him go even though she was acting like he was moving half way across the country instead of an hour away. She had argued that she'd miss not seeing him whenever she wanted and he had to agree there. He'd lost one sibling already but finding Belle once again had made losing Leo a lot less painful.

He wouldn't be the person he was today without her. He would forever be grateful to his foster parents even if he had been reluctant to let them into his life at the beginning.

After losing his parents and Leo, he had found it difficult to trust anyone. He had already been let down by his two birth parents.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jeremiah's head dropping on his shoulder. His loud snores could be heard by the other passengers who threw disgusted glances and stuck in earphones to block out the noise. Mason stared at Jeremiah's sleeping figure and shook him awake when he found a small stream of saliva gathering on his hoodie.

"Are we there yet?" Jeremiah asked blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"No. I just had to get you to stop drooling on me." Mason replied grimacing slightly.

Harry looked up from his phone and sighed with relief when his eyes landed on Jeremiah. He unplugged an earphone from his ear and said,

" Thank God for that. I could hardly think over your racket."

Jeremiah gave him a devilish smile because even he knew just how loud he could snore.

"What do you think Leeds will be like?" Jeremiah thought aloud. " I bet their accents are terrible."

This statement caused both Mason and Harry to laugh loudly. Any accent would sound terrible in comparison to the Manchester one.

If the other passengers were annoyed by them before, they most definitely made it clear now.

They settled down soon enough but Mason privately wondered what this new city had in store for them. It was time for a fresh start.

Manchester was his home but it was tainted with bad memories and he'd find it harder and harder to leave the past behind him the longer he stayed there. It would also make forgetting Amanda and Leo a lot easier. He felt guilt surface as he thought about his brother but all he could feel towards him was confusion. If only he'd known about his sister earlier. Perhaps things would have been different.

The main reason Jeremiah and Harry had tagged along was because they always did everything together and also due to the fact that they all wanted to go to college there.

Besides, anywhere would be better in comparison to Manchester.

He had to move on. Literally this time.

This was the only solution that he could find to protect his peace.

He was starting to accept the fact that Amanda had never loved him back and as he pondered on the subject more and more it made some sense to him that she was in love with Harry. He just hated how long it took her to realise it because she had left him in pieces.

They say that there is a faint line between love and hate but for Mason those lines were now blurred. He loved her to the point that he hated her too.

It was even harder to act friendly with Harry when he knew exactly how his ex-girlfriend felt about him. All he wanted to do was hide away from everyone and everything but he had to move forward. It was the only thing that he could do.

Soon enough, the train came to a halt and his eyes landed on the signpost to the Leeds train station. He nudged Jeremiah in the ribs to awaken his half asleep figure. He flicked an eye open and suddenly became alert when he realised that they were there and rushed to grab his suitcases in order to catch up with them.

They walked in and out of crowds for a while before they were able to navigate their way out of the station before getting into a taxi which drove them in the direction of their new flat which they would soon call home.

After a few long minutes of driving and in out of traffic and a few shortcuts, the car stopped outside a small block of apartments. They paid the driver and hopped out of the car. Jeremiah strode ahead of them, eager to see what their new apartment looked like whilst Harry and Mason were overwhelmed with luggage.

So much for us doing this together.

When Harry and Mason were eventually able to get all their suitcases and possessions up the few flights of stairs they were finally able to take a look at their new home. Mason whistled slightly as he looked around him. It was simple but had a touch of elegance about it which he secretly admired.

This place suited him right down to the ground. Belle had done a good job by finding this place for them.

Mason dropped into the sofa, still sweating from carrying Jeremiah's stuff, feeling relaxed in seconds. He rested his hands on his head and leaned back. He was in no rush to unpack his things just yet.

He shut his eyes hoping to get some rest but no sooner did he shut his eyes then he felt Jeremiah's body crushing his and laughter filled his ears.

He opened his eyes felling suffocated and pushed Jeremiah off of him who dropped onto the carpeted floor, still laughing at him.

"What the fuck was that for, J?" Mason growled before throwing a pillow at his head.

"Because you had the audacity to wake me up on the train when I was sleeping peacefully. I won't be able to sleep for ages now." He said resting his head on the pillow which had meant to hurt him.

"Learn to snore a little quieter then I won't need to wake you up." Mason argued before pulling his phone out of his pocket to text Belle.

He heard Jeremiah suck his teeth at him but only chuckled in response.

Mason: This place is amazing but what makes you think that we can afford this place? ;)

Belle: Just get a job. It can't be that hard.

Belle: Nah I'm just joking with you.

Belle: I'm paying the rent every month for you guys.

Belle: Don't worry bro.

Mason: R u sure? It might be too much for you.

Belle: I'm not that broke lol.

Belle: But thanks for the concern.

Belle: Make sure you behave yourself over there.

Mason laughed aloud at her last text because she knew exactly what type of antics that Harry would cause now that they lived alone with no parents to impose boundaries onto them. Having no rules only meant two things: a whole lot of trouble or a great deal of fun. Mason preferred the second outcome.

Mason: We'll be on our best behaviour :)

Belle: Liar.

Belle: Enjoy yourselves and be safe xx

Mason: You too, sis.

Mason pocketed his phone and went off in search of his two best friends. He could hear music pumping through the walls of Harry's room already and rolled his eyes knowing that the neighbours would be onto them pretty soon. He stuck his head into his room and looked around and was surprised to see that Harry had already made his room his own. His rock music posters were pinned up onto the wall and he was lying on his bed vibing to his tracks.

"Where's J?" Mason raised his voice a little so that Harry could hear him over his loud music.

"In his room." He said dismissing him and turning the music up even louder. Mason looked him over and realised that he had changed his outfit. He looked like he was ready to go somewhere but Mason didn't comment on the matter and simply shut the door in a bid to find Jeremiah.

Why was this apartment so unnecessarily big? There were far too many doors and rooms for three people to live in.

He eventually found Jeremiah's room which was a good distance away from Harry's. And with good reason.

"Are you guys going out?" Mason asked stupidly.

It was quite obvious because Jeremiah was admiring himself in the mirror and tucking and untucking his shirt, trying to look his best.

"We're going to a bar. I want to see if Leeds is any competition to Manny when it comes to having a good night out." Jeremiah explained, spraying himself with some aftershave and pocketing his fake ID. "What are you still doing stood there? Go get changed. We're going soon."

"Not tonight, J. You'll have to go without me." He said shaking his head.

"She really did break your heart if you're saying no to a night out." Jeremiah stared at him with a hint of amusement and surprise at his statement.

Mason had to admit that he was acting a little out of the usual. He was never the type to stay home. It was usually Harry who was quick to decline Jeremiah's offers but he just wasn't in the mood to have fun. Even if he went, he knew that he couldn't enjoy himself. It was too early for him.

" This isn't about her." He lied. " I'm just really tired after today. I hardly slept last night."

Jeremiah swallowed his lie and slapped the back of his neck to say goodbye.

Mason heard the front door shut behind them which told him that he was finally alone in the flat.

He looked around at the mess that Jeremiah had made getting ready and sighed leaving the room to find his own.

It was bigger than the room that he had back home and he slowly began unpacking his things even though he couldn't be bothered to do it. He was in need of a distraction because being alone only meant that he would be left alone with the thoughts and questions invading his brain. He stuck his headphones into his ears to block out his thoughts so that he could concentrate on this mammoth task.

He started by unpacking his precious books one by one and arranging them by preference in the bookcase. He then moved on to pinning up old pictures that had been taken over the years. There were a few of him and Belle and others of himself, Harry and Jeremiah highlighting key moments like starting high school, winning the football league and prom. He smiled a little as he stared at the pictures wishing that he could go back to those special moments.

He then moved onto the biggest task of all. Sorting out and arranging his shoes and clothes. He really should have thrown a lot more away but he had an issue with letting go of clothes even if he didn't wear them. He felt annoyed as he stared at the pile of clothes and decided to still throw some out. He made a pile of clothes that he didn't wear anymore and began folding the ones that he did wear. He began feeling a little relaxed knowing that he had less to do now.

When he was in the middle of hanging one of his hoodies, something flew out of its pocket. Intrigued, he bent down to take a look at what had been in his hoodie.

He realised that it was a photo and turned it over and almost stopped breathing for a few seconds. It was a blurred snapshot of him and Amanda at a party when they were both drunk. Their faces were smiling and she was reaching over to place a kiss on his cheek. They looked happy. They were happy.

The great thing about a picture was that it never changed even if the people in it did. All the emotions that had been buried deep within him came crashing down. He missed her. He missed being with her even if it had all been a lie. It had felt real to him.

He brought the hoodie to his nose and wanted to cry.

Fuck.

It still smelled like her. It was like she was still here and without warning, the tears spilled over. He tossed the hoodie aside so that it landed into the pile of clothes that he no longer wanted and scrunched the photo up.

He didn't need her love anymore. What was the point in being real when everyone was fake?

He hated how she was still effecting him like this.

He slid into his bed, aware that his room looked chaotic right now but he didn't care.

He needed to sleep. Not because he was tired but because he had to escape this pain that he felt in his chest.

<gdiv></gdiv>