Quickly and painfully, I fell into an emotionally destructive pattern.

We would be happy, then we weren't.

Jamie would leave, then eventually come back.

Drugs were no longer a part of my life, but Jamie had become my malignant high.

For months and months, that was how it was between us.

That toxic togetherness, had become my normal life.

When I wasn't with Jamie, I'd make myself ill, wondering where he was. Even my mother, would get angry with me for letting Jamie treat me the way that he was. I was now living back with her and Jason, and they both couldn't stand the man that I had stupidly fallen for.

My nan and gramp, even Cora; they all didn't like him either.

They kept telling me that I deserved better, but to me, Jamie was my better. Loving him and putting up with his unpredictability, was better than being without him.

The more involved I became with him, the deeper I was getting myself into a place that I'd never get myself out from.

Jamie's drug use, was destroying him.

And unknowingly, destroying me.

When he wasn't on the drugs, I knew he could be loving, thoughtful and intelligent. But when he was on them, or coming down from them, he was a lying, cruel and jittery wreck.

While the man I loved was ruining himself and all that we possibly could be, my mother was equally being just as self destructive. She began getting friendly with more undesirables. There were also rumours that she was getting herself deeper into drugs. Before, I would always run to the safety of my loving and supportive grandparents, but because of Jamie, I had to stay.

Nan and gramp weren't like me; they would have never put up with any of his crap.

So, I ended up being surrounded by two poisonous Pisceans. Two selfish and unpredictable Pisceans. Each one, slowly shredding me apart, when they weren't being too busy trying to shred one another apart.

My life had become a living nightmare.

I had nowhere else to go, so I had to stay and try to face it.

Mum hated Jamie.

He hated her.

That alone, was more than enough reason for him to just up and suddenly leave.

Sometimes, I would go with him.

But his nomadic, drug-taking and DJing lifestyle left me emptier and emptier each time that I accompanied him. And yet, I had convinced myself that I still loved him. I convinced myself that being unhappy with him, was far better than being unhappy without him.

So, I went to the many parties.

I went to the many different houses and flats that he went to.

I met with the many different people that he knew.

I went, only ever to make him happy.

And that, made my mother incredibly unhappy.

It made her incredibly angry.

One night, she wanted Jamie to know just how unhappy and angry she actually was.

"Who are those men?" Jamie had asked, whilst bringing the car to a stop outside of my mum's house.

Frowning, I had tried to make out who the three men were, lingering around in the late night shadows. "I don't know?" Which was the truth at the time.

The three men looked like they were waiting for us to get out of the car, which began making Jamie feel very nervous. "Go and see what they want." Jamie anxiously told me.

I won't lie, it was actually amusing to me, seeing Jamie quietly panicking behind the steering wheel of his car. He was always such a cockily confident sort of a guy, so it had pleased me to see him looking slightly afraid. With that inner satisfaction, I had gone on ahead and approached the three men. As I got closer, I realised then that I actually recognised one of them. "What's up, Jake?"

Looking very serious, Jake is only willing to give me the smallest of smiles. "Mary Rose, you just need to go on inside, okay?" His voice wasn't in any way threatening, but his quick glance to Jamie was.

"Why do I need to go inside?" It was then, that my gaze wandered over to the other two men, who were by now getting themselves pumped up for something.

Jake tilted his head, his voice still calm and so controlled. "You don't need to see what's about to happen, that's why."

Stubbornly, I wasn't budging. "Did my mum put you lot up to this? Has she asked you to do something to Jamie?" Jake and the other two men, had all looked at one another. It was then, that I knew I was absolutely bang on. "This isn't right, Jake...you know it isn't?"

"He needs to be taught a lesson, Mary Rose. He needs to know that he can't keep treating you like shit." Jake finally explained why he and the other two men were there.

"This is my business, not any of yours! And it's certainly not my mum's business, either! I will deal with Jamie in my own way, okay?" At the time, I was angry. I was angry that my mum thought it okay to get some heavies to do over Jamie on my unknown behalf—and to do it right on our own bloody doorstep.

Jake had looked from me, then to Jamie still hiding behind the steering wheel of his car. "You deserve better, Mary Rose. Your mum is just looking out for you."

To me, that wasn't enough. "No, Jake...she's trying to control my life!"

With that, Jake stood down. With a soft nod, he was telling the others to stand down too. "If that is what you want?"

With an unsaid relief, I had looked Jake right in the eye. "It is."

"Okay, we'll go." Jake had said with a slight smile, maybe even a little relief of his own? "Take care, Mary Rose."

That would be the last time I would see Jake to actually ever talk to. On that night, little did we know how the paths of our lives would once again cross. I think if Jake had realised in what way they would eventually cross, he would have dragged Jamie from out of that car and gave him the beating that he originally should have.