Emma
The platform felt impossibly empty once the train had gone, the echo of its wheels still humming in my chest. I stood there for a moment longer, breathing deep. My hand drifted instinctively to the necklace at my throat, the cool silver of the North Star grounding me.
He was gone, but he was mine. And he would come back.
I finally turned, forcing my feet to carry me out of the station. The streets of Hessle were buzzing with Saturday chatter; market stalls packing up, children darting between grown-ups, the smell of fried food drifting in the air. For the first time since we moved here, the town didn't feel so heavy. My heart was full, stitched together by hope and Tommy's promises.
I didn't notice him until his voice cut through the crowd.
"Well, if it isn't Emma Rivers."
Harry Cooper leaned against the brick wall just beyond the station gates, arms crossed like he'd been waiting for someone to admire him. Everyone at school knew him; tall, broad, arrogant, a permanent smirk plastered on his face, like the whole world was his stage. We'd never spoken, not really, but I'd seen the way other girls giggled when he passed, the way teachers sighed at his antics, torn between annoyance and indulgence.
I stopped, reluctant, but I was polite enough to nod. "Harry."
His grin widened. "Didn't expect to see you here. Or anywhere, really. You're quiet."
His eyes narrowed, glinting with something sharp. "I've seen you around town lately. With some boy I don't recognise. He's not from here, is he?"
My stomach tightened. "That's none of your business."
He pushed off the wall and strolled closer, hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders cocky. "Relax, I'm just curious. You always seemed… invisible at school. And now, suddenly, you've got a secret boyfriend?" He laughed, low and mocking. "Not exactly what I expected."
I lifted my chin. "I don't care what you expect."
He tilted his head, smirk deepening. "Don't get me wrong. He looked… alright, I guess. But come on, Emma. You really think a boy like that is going to stick around for a girl like you? And long distance relationships don't last."
Heat flared in my chest, but I kept my expression calm. "Leave me alone, Harry."
He followed as I turned, his voice dripping with scorn. "You're not the kind of girl boys dream about. You're not memorable. A week from now, he'll forget your name. That's just how it is."
Every word felt like a stone hurled at me, but I didn't flinch. My steps stayed steady, my back straight, even as his laughter rang behind me.
Inside, though, his words dug deep, carving doubt where I least wanted it. What if he was right? What if, once Tommy went home, he realised I wasn't worth the promises we'd made? What if I was just a fleeting part of his summer, not the forever he'd sworn I was?
I reached up, clutching the necklace, feeling the steady weight of the North Star against my skin. Tommy had chosen it for me. He had placed it around my neck like a vow.
Harry Cooper didn't know Tommy. He didn't know me.
So I walked on, head high, heart aching but hopeful, refusing to let Harry's poison steal what Tommy and I had built together.
By the time I reached our street, the sting of Harry's words hadn't eased. They kept circling in my mind, sharp and unkind, no matter how many times I reminded myself of Tommy's smile, Tommy's promises, Tommy's love.
I slipped quietly through the front door, hoping no one would notice the wet shine in my eyes. The house smelled of something cooking, warm and enticing, and Zoey's laughter rang from the sitting room where the twins were fussing over her like she was a doll. It should have felt comforting. Safe. But instead it made me ache for what I couldn't have.
I climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last. My bedroom door clicked shut behind me, and I sat on the edge of the bed, still clutching the necklace like it might speak back to me if I held it tightly enough.
A knock came, soft and hesitant.
Before I could answer, the door eased open and Teddy poked his head through. His hair stuck up in the way it always did when he'd been running about outside, and there was that steady, watchful look in his eyes — the one that made him seem older than fourteen.
"You alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, brushing at my face.
He stepped inside anyway, closing the door behind him. For a moment, he didn't say anything, just leaned against the door, arms folded. Then: "No, you're not."
I tried to smile, tried to brush him off, but it came out crooked. "Just tired, that's all."
Teddy shook his head, eyes narrowing like he could see straight through me. "Emma… I see you. Even before we moved here, you've been… carrying everything. You're suffering in silence."
His words hit harder than Harry's had. My breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged, but it wasn't careless. It was thoughtful. "You walk around like everything's fine, but I know it's not. You don't laugh fully. You don't let people in. Except maybe him. Tommy."
His gaze flicked to the necklace glinting at my throat.
Warmth spread through me at the mention of Tommy, but so did guilt. I sighed, staring at my hands. "I just… wish things were different."
"Different how?"
"Easier," I whispered. "Like I didn't have to hide what I feel, or explain it, or… be afraid it'll be taken away."
For once, Teddy didn't tease, didn't shrug it off. He just came to sit beside me on the bed. His shoulder pressed against mine, solid and steady.
"I get it," he said quietly. "Maybe not the same way you do, but… I know what it's like to feel stuck. To feel like no one sees what's going on inside your head."
I looked at him, surprised. Teddy was loud and cheeky with everyone else, always making jokes, always pretending not to care. "You do?"
He nodded, eyes on the floor. "Yeah. But you've got someone now. And from the way you've been smiling lately… he's worth it. So don't let anyone — or anything — make you doubt that."
My throat tightened. I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder. "Thanks, Teddy."
"Anytime," he said, his voice soft but sure. "That's what brothers are for, right?"
For the first time since the train had gone, my chest loosened. I wasn't fine — not yet. But I wasn't alone either.
I stayed leaning against Teddy's shoulder, the silence stretching between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was… grounding. He smelled faintly of grass and the soap Mum always bought, the one that clung to our clothes no matter how much we protested.
"You've grown up," I murmured, half teasing, half in awe. "When did that happen?"
Teddy let out a little huff. "Don't sound so surprised. You think you're the only one who notices things around here?"
I smiled faintly. "Guess not."
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then he shifted, turning just enough to look at me properly. "Does he make you happy? Tommy?"
The question made my chest ache in the best way. "Yes," I whispered. "More than I can explain."
"Good." Teddy's jaw tightened a little. "Because if he ever stops… I'll make sure he knows he's got me to deal with."
That startled a laugh out of me, even through the heaviness in my chest. "You're fourteen."
"Almost fifteen," he corrected, sitting up straighter. "And don't underestimate me, Emma. I've seen enough films to know how to throw a proper punch."
I laughed again, the sound breaking into something softer — relief, maybe. "Thank you, Teddy. Really."
He shrugged, but his ears went pink. "You don't have to thank me. You're my sister. I just… hate seeing you sad. You deserve better."
The words slipped into the cracks I kept hidden, the ones I never let anyone see. For a second, my throat closed and I had to blink hard to stop the tears. "I'm trying," I admitted. "I'm trying to hold on to what matters, even when it hurts."
Teddy nodded, more serious than I'd ever seen him. "Then I'll hold on with you. Okay?"
I turned to him, properly this time, and pulled him into a hug. He stiffened for all of two seconds before melting into it, his arms wrapping around me in that awkward, protective way only brothers could manage.
"You're going to be taller than me soon," I murmured into his hair.
"Obviously," he said, a little smug. "But don't worry. I'll always look out for you."
That time, the tears did fall, but they weren't the sharp, lonely kind. They were warm. Healing.
I pressed a hand over the North Star at my throat and felt steadier than I had all day.
I wasn't just holding on for Tommy anymore. I was holding on for this — for family, for the boy beside me who'd just shown me he was better and braver than I'd ever realised.